Pucking Fantastic

Chapter 17: Reveal Any Deep Secrets

Song for the start of the chapter!

Callum drove up to me in his jeep, rolling down the windows even though it was freezing. "Want to get out of here?" he asked, mischief playing in his eyes the next day.

I nodded at him, eager to get into the warm car. I got into his car like we planned, even though he was early and hadn't been waiting long.

Without wasting a second, he drove off with music blasting some song I had never heard before. After a few minutes of silence, he turned the music down. "So I was thinking, questions first, then I was wondering, could you help paint my niece's bedroom?"

Now it made sense why he wanted to go to his place. I couldn't help but feel a tad bit disappointed since this wasn't a date. I should have known that he wasn't interested in me since he wasn't interested in anyone else in this school. He just wanted to write about me. "So you just wanted me to work for you," I said with a forced chuckle.

He smiled slyly, not catching my disappointment. "Maybe just a little."

At least he owned up to his plan. He said it so causally that I couldn't be mad at him. "Ok. Sure. Why not," I said as he pulled up into a long driveway that ended to a large house. looming over us.

Callum spun the wheel, taking the car to a smaller house close to the massive one. He turned off the car as he pointed to the large house. "This is my dad's place," he then pointed to the smaller one, "and this is my brother's place."

With a nod, I followed his lead, going to the smaller house, walking through the unlocked front door that had an eerie silence. Not even the floorboards creaked as we walked through the hall, deeper into the house. "Everyone's out. But I wanted to surprise them with the painting. My niece has been asking for a more girly room forever, but no one has the time, so I made time."

That one statement made my heart melt. I started making mental note of who Callum was, so I would have to add caring to it.

Callum walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge. "Want something to eat?"

I shook my head, not hungry.

He pulled out an apple, biting into it as he looked at me in silence, thinking about something. "I heard a rumor that you have an eating disorder. But the thing is, I don't think you do."

I frowned at him, not liking this conversation. Once again, he knew a little too much for my liking.

He smiled slightly, teasing me. "So, what do you have?"

I shook my head, not wanting to share since I already shared too much with him. "Nothing."

He eyed my carefully, then sighed as if knowing there was no point in pressing the topic, however I could see curiosity in his eyes. "Everyone is entitled to secrets. It's not my place to push," he said finally as he poured himself a glass of juice.

His comment floored me since I never met someone that was ok with secrets. At the rink, people pushed you until you spilled everything and if you didn't spill, they would guess, making rumors of destruction. That was why I crafted the lie about the eating disorder because with that, I could control the rumor.

"So, let's talk about your skate," he said as he got out his laptop and put it on the marble island in the middle of the kitchen. "Tell me how you felt leading up to your short program."

I thought about getting into the ice, nervous, but when the music started, it felt right to me. "When I skate, I'm a different person. I feel more confident and capable. I got out there with one goal, to show them what I had."