Practice makes perfect, and when you're fighting to be the best in your sport that is especially true. Ryder and Francesca are no exception. They are dedicated to their sport and refuse to let anything distracted. But when a scheduling conflict forc...
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The car is dead silent as Tristian pulls out of the parking lot. For the second time in 24 hours Luna is giving up her seat in the front next to Tristian to sit next to me and hold my hand. Maya is on my other side gently playing with my hair as I sit in the middle seat staring blankly out the windshield.
"Fran," Parker says softly, breaking the silence finally. I notice him turn his phone off as text after text from Bray blows up his phone.
I don't respond to him so Luna tries instead. "Sweetie, what happened?"
My lip begins to quiver again and I hate myself for crying over something so stupid. "Nothing," I rush wiping aggressively at my face as my shaky voice betrays me.
"Fran lying to us won't work honey. One because you're a terrible liar and two because we are your best friends," Maya calls me out, still braiding some hair that slipped from my ponytail.
"It's stupid," I whine as Ryders words replay in my head. No shit he didn't mean it, he had just had a really traumatic experience, we all say dumb things when we aren't thinking straight. Shit I am the poster child for saying things I don't mean, like when I rubbed in Ryder's face that his team lost because I was hurt about placing bad at competition. The thing is I am not even mad at Ryder for saying it and taking it back, if he doesn't have feelings that is fine. But after spending all night replaying the words over and over in my head it still felt like a slap to the face.
Last night after leaving the hospital and getting to our hotel I jumped in the shower and spent the entire time fantasizing about telling Ryder I also love him and then finally kissing him. I have imagined it 30 different ways but it always ended with us kissing after confessing our mutual love. My dreams last night were filled with rainbows and butterflies not "I can't remember anything from last night". When I saw him on the bench I was so excited to finally tell him and then... he took it back.
"Fran, we are here for you. I promise you whatever it is it isn't stupid. You are talking to people who stole a bedroom door all because Parker got his little feelings hurt."
I laugh at the memory of our first night at hockey house. Bray's door opened up a can of worms that no one expected but it brought the two teams together in ways I could have never imagined. "I am going to sit out for our hockey hang outs for a bit," I tell them.
They stare at me in shock. Obviously they know it has to do with Ryder but just yesterday I was crying over him and now I don't want to go to the house, I get their confusion. I also realize I am still wearing Ryders jacket making this even more confusing. I try to pull it off but in the tight back seat of the car it is hard.
My arm is stuck in the oversized jacket and I try to aggressively flap myself free. The longer I remain trapped in the jacket the tighter my chest feels. I feel the panic raising up and it becomes harder to breathe. Maya and Luna grab the jacket and pull me free just as the first few tears begin to fall.
