Chapter Four

The gym turned out to be surprisingly nice. I even bought my own membership since I figured I’d be spending a lot of time there. Brett and I worked out for about four hours and he insisted that we stop at McDonald’s for a late lunch, while I insisted that that would just cancel out the whole workout. In the end, he won the argument, because it was his car after all, and I ordered an Asian salad that I took two bites of and promptly gave to Brett. He frowned, but took it without reprimanding me. I wanted to jog home to work off those bites of salad, but Brett called me crazy and insisted on driving. When we reached my parents’ house, he dropped me off in front and sped down the block. I swear he’s going to end up wrapped around a telephone pole one day. I bounded up the steps, opened the door, and almost ran straight into Geno. My hand immediately flew up to my hair to try and smooth down the fly aways from my high ponytail, but it was to no avail.

“What are you doing here?” I asked quickly, shutting the door behind me.

“Well, I was trying to take my pre-game nap here. There’s construction going on by my apartment and your sister said I couldn’t sleep at hers, so I decided to come here,” he said while walking into my living room and plopping down on the couch like he lived here all his life. “I was going to leave, but since you showed up, I changed my mind.”

“You and Bridget don’t live together?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t catch the eagerness in my voice.

“No, but all of her stuff is at my place. She pretty much lives over there. But we’re looking for houses, so yeah,” he answered. Did I catch a hint of regret?

“Oh okay,” I said quietly, taking a seat on the couch furthest from him. He was dressed completely casual, but it was enticing to me. He wore black gym shorts, a gray t-shirt, and a cap pulled down low. I was suddenly aware of my disgusting “after gym” appearance. “I’m sorry I look like a mess!” The words came out before my idiot brain could stop them.

“Nah, you look cute. Like you just finished a hard workout and now you’re in the best shape of your life,” he said with a smile. I’m sure that my cheeks now had a pinkish tint to them. “So, I heard that you’re going to the game tonight?”

“Unfortunately,” I sighed. “I don’t even like the damn sport, but Bridget’s making me go.” I forgot who I was talking to for a minute. “No offense.”

“None taken,” he said. “But I think once you give it a chance, you’ll really like it.”

“Doubt it,” I muttered. “She’s only doing this to try and set me up with someone."

“Oh, Kris?” he asked. “Yeah, I heard about that. He’s the nicest guy I know. Now, I know I’ve said ‘give it a chance’ about a lot of things, but I really mean it here. He’s just an awesome guy.”

“Yeah, maybe I will. But only because you say so,” I said smiling at him.

“You know what Maddsion? I really like you, so I’m gonna tell you something that your sister would kill me for saying,” he said, leaning forward. For one tiny second my heart leaped, but then reality set in. “Your sister has a double date planned for me and her and you and Kris after the game tonight. But you didn’t hear it from me.” He winked and stood up to go.

“Thanks for the heads up,” I said, ungratefully and headed upstairs to take a shower. I really hated Bridget sometimes. She really must think she’s this awesome matchmaker. When in reality, she just ruins everything. By the time I got out, I heard voices downstairs. I threw my hair up in a towel, slipped on my Lacoste robe and came downstairs. “Where were you guys?”

“We went food shopping,” my mom said, pointing to my dad loading up the fridge. “I didn’t know what you like, so I got some of your old favorites.” I peered inside the fridge at the Hi-C juice boxes and jars of peanut butter. I looked in the pantry at the cases of macaroni and cheese and my favorite fruit roll ups. None of which I could actually eat.

“Thanks mom, you didn’t have to,” I said looking down at my feet.

“Nonsense, Maddison. I want you to feel at home, because, well, this is your home now,” she said, smiling at me. “By the way, you’d better start getting ready to go. Bridget should be here soon.”

“What, why? It’s only 5:00. The game isn’t until 7:00,” I responded.

“Yes, but she wants to be there at 6:00. You know to show you around, introduce you to some people,” my mom answered. When I started to protest, she stopped me. “Don’t fight it, Maddison, it’s happening.” I turned on my heel and stomped up the stairs. What the hell did people wear to hockey games? I finally settled on a lacy, black, short sleeved v-neck, dark skinny jeans, and tall black boots. I blew out my hair, leaving it straight, and put on my make-up. When Bridget showed up, she was dressed nearly identical to me.

“You’re changing!” we both said at the same time.