Scoring Off The Ice (Ice Kings #2) - Stacey Lynn Page 0,87
set of friends I was really beginning to care about. It’s not like I can call Katie up and bitch about him when she’s engaged to his teammate. I can’t whine to Tessa, who is somehow now living with Jason instead of going home to Toronto, or Hannah.
“Screw it,” I mutter around a spoonful of ice cream. People lose friends during break-ups all the time. Sure, they don’t always have the awesome luxury of living next door, or across the hall, from said break-up, but I’m being way too overdramatic here.
A couple months we dated, not even.
So I had a crush on the guy for months beforehand.
So I envisioned us raising Angelo together. Things don’t work out for whatever reason and even if I ever get an answer to why he did this… does it matter?
In the end, Mikah didn’t trust me enough to handle it with him. Us together. Pippa said it best the other day when she called to check on me. A man who doesn’t trust you enough to go through hard times isn’t worth hanging on to for the easy ones, girl. You’re stronger than this. And if he’s not it, no matter how great he is, there’s better for you.
“She’s right.” Girl power. All that jazz. I’ve got this. Stabbing my spoon into the carton, I take it all to the kitchen where I clean up and wash the melted ice cream off my face and good grief, there’s some dried to my chin and drying on my shirt.
I will not become a wreck over a guy. Other fish in the sea. I channel Pippa’s ooh-rah fierce-woman power speech and blow out a breath.
After a quick change of clothes into a lightweight sweatshirt where one shoulder dips to my biceps and my coziest pair of wide-legged yoga pants, I sit down on my couch, turn off the stupid romance movie I was watching and clean up my research notes.
I was right. There is ice cream sticking to them, so I put those to the side. I’ll have to redo them for my Advanced Techniques class but so what. Not like I have more important pressing matters on my to-do list. I’m in the midst of separating my disastrous mess when my phone rings next to me.
Viola.
Her name shines on the screen and I hesitate. She’s called me twice. Both times I answered, only for her to offer to bring Angelo over for a bit. I declined. It’d hurt too much to see him. I don’t want to tell her to no again.
You are a strong, independent woman who can move mountains and screw men who don’t treat you like you deserve.
Right. I almost forgot.
“Hello?”
A cough, a wretched sounding cough comes through the phone. “Paisley?”
“Viola? Are you okay?” Without thought, I’m scrambling off the couch.
“Yes. Well no. I’m sick. Really sick.” Another cough. “I told Mikah it was just a cold, but I think I was wrong and now I have a fever and well… I’m so sorry. I know things aren’t well for you two but can you… can you come help? I don’t know if I can take care of Angelo.”
“Viola.” I cringe as she hacks so loud I swear I can hear her through the thick walls. “I don’t know if Mikah would want that.”
“I know. I know you think that, and I know why, but Paisley—” she coughs again, and I yank the phone from my ear, cringing— “I’ll just, call the service then.”
Visions of Leah flash in my brain and I cringe worse than hearing Viola hack up a lung. Last I checked, we still needed two of them.
“Okay. Okay. I’m coming over, but give me a few minutes to grab some things, okay? I’ll be there in ten.”
“Thank you. Thank you, Paisley. I’ll let Mikah know and clear it with him. Okay?”
“If he hesitates at all…”
“He won’t. He was worried when he left.”
“Okay. Be there in ten.”
She hangs up and I frown at my phone. She sounded okay, but that cough… I shrug off the weirdness and pack a bag. Tomorrow is Saturday so I can spend the night and get caught up with schoolwork this weekend while I stay over there but it’s not like I can’t run back here if I forget something. For now, I grab my pajamas and book bag and phone charger.
I’ve spent so much time at Mikah’s anyway, I have most of my necessities.