because hey, free beer was free beer, even if you lost.
Music blared from speakers someone had pulled out of their dorm. Our group snagged one of the last couches. I sat down and yanked Emma onto my lap— a whiff of her perfume crossed my nose as her red hair nestled against my shoulder, and my dick jolted.
Later, I told myself. When there weren’t so many damn people around.
Over the sound of the music, I yelled, “So how did you like the game?”
“Loved it!” Emma shouted back. “I’ve always had a thing for hockey.”
Coming from Detroit, I should’ve guessed that, but it still made a soft spot open up in my heart for Emma. That she actually liked my sport and didn’t merely put up with it made me happy.
“And hockey players, eh?” Kiara said, elbowing Emma in a tease.
Emma gave a coy look. “Hey, hockey players are really hot. Even though the figure skater and the hockey player getting together is a total cliche.”
“There’s a reason cliches are cliches, sweetheart,” Stefan told her. “They work.”
“I just like violence.” Delmare took another swig of her beer. “And hockey is very violent.”
“One of the few sports that allows you to still punch people.” Stefan clinked his glass against hers. “I like your thinking.”
“I swear, one of the highlights of my day was watching you punch Elijah in the face,” Emma said, turning to me. “You could’ve lost by ten points and I wouldn’t have cared, because that was awesome.”
“It was worth the price of admission,” Alexei agreed.
“Oh my gosh, you should’ve seen Gabby,” Kiara gushed. “She was so furious Elijah lost that brawl. She threw her drink against the glass and everything. She let out a scream I thought for sure came from a banshee.”
“She probably is a banshee. She’s such a wicked witch,” Emma said, and she gave a cackle.
“At least half banshee,” Alexei offered. “Kudos to the crazy man that slept with her mother.”
That got a laugh out of all of us, because Alexei was right. If Gabby was terrible, I bet whoever had raised her was just as big a monster.
Our laughter died as we saw Odette approaching. We hadn’t seen her all day. Emma perked up in my lap, but her hopeful gaze became frightened.
Odette’s lip trembled. There were tears blooming in her eyes, welling over the lids. She stopped in front of Emma and began shaking, stomping her foot.
“I hate you, you know that?” she snapped at Emma. Kiara and Delmare both reeled back in shock— Alexei, Stefan and I looked at each other, while Emma stiffened.
“I did it to protect you!” Emma insisted. “You know I had to tell Theo—”
“You didn’t need to tell him anything!” Odette shouted. “There’s nothing wrong with me!”
Odette’s hands clenched into fists, and they quivered at her sides. She appeared to be overstimulated, from the loud music and all the people inside the Rec Room. It was only making her anger worse.
“Odette, calm down,” I said gently.
Odette ignored me. “I can’t trust you, Emma! You’re an awful friend! Just stay away from me, okay?”
Emma’s voice was gentle. “I care about you, Odette. You haven’t been eating, and you’ve been purging your food. I couldn’t allow it to go on.”
I was shocked. Odette had an eating disorder? I suppose looking back, the signs were clear to see... but how terrible. Emma had been carrying this alone, for I wasn’t sure how long.
And I’d gotten drunk last night, leaving her to shoulder the burden. I was a terrible mate. I couldn’t have known— but still, we were all friends. I should’ve caught on.
“What?” Delmare burst. Her eyes widened— this was news to her as well.
Kiara was similarly surprised. “Odette, why didn’t you tell us? We could’ve helped you.”
Odette didn’t answer. She only had eyes for Emma. “You know how important ballet is to me. Maybe if you took your skating career just as seriously, you’d be able to keep up with Gabby instead of falling on your ass all the time at practice!”
That was a mean comment, one that I knew dug at Emma. My mate flinched, before she gathered her bearings and let out a comeback. “If your ballet career is so important, why did you leave the Russian ballet for Arcanea University?” Emma snapped. She was finally losing her patience.
Odette nervously pulled at her hair, on the verge of a meltdown. A few blonde strands came out as she burst, “I didn’t come back to dance in the Malovian Ballet,