Off the Ice | ONGOING

06.

CHAPTER SIX

ELIAS REED

It's only ten o'clock when I arrive at the hockey house but it seems that the party is already in full swing. Red solo cups litter the front yard and people are out here either puking their guts out already or talking amongst the other loiters'.

"Are you seriously going to make me go inside?" I questioned Aidan as we stop short on the pathway to the front door. It's wide open. From here, I can see flashing lights coming from inside and people dancing in the living room.

Aidan lets out a humming noise, pushing me from behind towards the entrance. "Hell yeah. Last game before the preseason starts- we've got to commemorate it in some way."

Although I overpower him by a good couple of pounds, I let go of my body weight and let him push me- seeing no reason to be pissy and ruin everyone's mood.

"Fine." I grumble as I step inside, the stench of cheap beer immediately hitting me. "But I'm out at midnight."

The hockey house isn't a place I'm too fond about going to. It's not that I have anything against the people that live here necessarily, it's more about what goes on inside that I'm not too in favor of.

I was offered a room to live in this year but declined almost immediately. The thought about living in a house that throws consecutive parties makes me weary. I never stay for the aftermath of them and that's for a good reason. College students are fucking insane- they will leave anything and everything in any crevice of the house they can find.

One time I found a used condom under the heater in the dining room. It's safe to say I will never step foot in that room again. I don't get why people can't keep it in their goddamn pants or at least have the courtesy of going to a bedroom or even a bathroom.

Aidan leads us inside and immediately makes a beeline for the kitchen- where all the alcohol currently sits. A majority of the hockey team currently stands around the island there as well as those who have girlfriends or have found their hookup for the night.

"Reed!" Jenkins announces my presence as I step besides him. "Where's Pierce?" He asks as I swipe a can of soda. I add it into a cup that's filled with some liquor, needing at least something if I'm going to get through this night.

I nod my head towards Aidan where he's currently talking to some chick. I focus my attention ahead, refusing to allow myself to get lost in thought if I need time to go by quickly. Get in and get out. That's my game plan for the night.

An arm wraps itself around me from behind, shattering all the thoughts that were swimming in my head. "What's up with the sour mood, Reed?" A voice that I recognize as Hollis' infiltrates me. I grumble out an obscenity as I turn around, finding that he has a girl besides him as well. 

She's almost as tall as him but Hollis still has some height over her. Her braided hair is swung over one shoulder and I feel as if I've seen her a couple times at the campus library.

I nod my head towards her in acknowledgment, not wanting to be rude. She throws a small, shy smile towards me before wrapping her hand around Hollis'. I watch as he becomes tense and turns around to face her, his movements calculated and controlled. If I wasn't in such a shitty mood I would assume that he had a thing for her.

"Reed, this is my girl Aaliyah. Li, this is Elias." He introduces me to her and I don't miss the way Aaliyah's cheeks brighten in color.

"Lo, I already told you to stop introducing me to people as 'your girl'." She grumbles out.

"Lo?" I question highly amused. I don't think I've ever heard someone acknowledge Lowell as 'Lo.'

"Shut the fuck up." Hollis warns, menace filled in his tone.