Ice Cold - Chapter 32: Chapter 32
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Landon Reilly
If I knew that Coach Foreman was going to have me rooming with Cooper for our away game, I would have faked an illness or something to get out of it. But since I didn't know that beforehand, I was stuck here and sharing a small space with someone I absolutely loathed. Coach didn't know what he had done when he made this rooming arrangement because there was a chance Cooper wouldn't make it out of here alive if he decided to push me.
I was dreading having to go back to the room. Once the game finished, I took my time getting out of my gear and heading to the showers, but Coach was rushing us, seeming to be in a bad mood even though we won our game. I sat on the bus with Rojas, putting my headphones in and ignoring everyone around me. Rojas had actual friends on the team, but he always insisted on sitting with me. He just waned me to feel included, and he didn't understand that sometimes I just wanted to be left alone. I couldn't let myself get too annoyed at him. He was the only one on the team that I really talked to.
When I got back to the hotel room, it was empty, no sign of Cooper. I flipped the light on and put my stuff down next to my bed. As if sensing that I had just gotten to the room, I got a text from Wren.
From: Wren
Don't forget to check the bed for bed bugs.
To: Wren
already did
From: Wren
Did you pull up the sheets and check the seams of the mattress?
To: Wren
yes dad
From: Wren
You can call me Daddy if you're into that.
My face flushed as I read his text, and I let out a short laugh.
To: Wren
you wish
Wren had been texting me more than usual since I left for the weekend. He missed me, though he would never admit it. And I wouldn't mention it because I was afraid that if I did, the texts would stop. I would need his presence if I were to get through this night in the same room as Cooper.
A few moments later, the door opened and Cooper walked into the room. He didn't even look my way as he set his bags down and went into the bathroom. Good. The least amount of interaction the two of us had the better.
When he was done in the bathroom, I went in to get ready for bed, the two of us sidestepping each other so that we wouldn't make contact. Cooper finally spoke up when I was pulling back the covers to get into bed.
"So..." Cooper trailed.
I looked back at him briefly before getting into bed.
"We don't need to speak," I said, moving to turn off the lamp on my side of the room.
"This feels kinda awkward, man," Cooper said.
I scoffed, not even bothering to respond. It was his fault if he felt awkward. He was the one who forced himself on me, it was him who got all of his friends to gang up on me. It had everything to do with him and nothing to do with me. People like him had a hard time not being liked, so they would do anything to gain the favor of the many even if they had to step on the few to get there. People like me didn't care about being liked. He couldn't stand that.
"I just wanna say... I'm, you know," he started. "I'm sorry about what happened. I've been feeling kinda guilty about it."
Again, I didn't respond. He might have felt guilty, but it didn't matter. He would still step on me for the favor of his friends. It wouldn't change the fact that he kissed me without my consent. But was I really any different than Cooper? I felt guilty over everything I had done to Elijah, but that guilt wouldn't make it all go away. I still did those things, still hurt him. And he had to live with that hurt forever, even if he moved on and forgave me.
It was the same with my father. If he ever felt remorse for everything he had done to me, would it change anything? It wouldn't. I knew it wouldn't. But he would never feel guilty or ask for my forgiveness. Not the way I craved Elijah's forgiveness. So maybe my father was a different story. He was a vile man who hurt his children because he wanted them to be his perfect creations like he was God or something. I hurt Elijah because of that man, because he made me hate myself, hate Elijah.
And maybe Cooper was just like me in a way. Maybe he had his own self hatred that caused him to hurt others the way I did in the past. And maybe if he wanted forgiveness, the same way I did, I should give that to him.
"I'm also feeling guilty because I may have told the guys about what happened, but that you were the one who came onto me," Cooper added with a sheepish look, his eyes cast downward like he couldn't bear to see the look on my face at his confession.
My head snapped toward him and I was seeing red as I stared at him with a look of anger and disgust. All thoughts of forgiveness for him were thrown out the window at that moment.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I snapped.
He looked over at me, his face red with embarrassment.
"They were starting to ask me why I suddenly had a problem with you," he explained. "It was easier to tell them that you had done something to me than it was to admit I was embarrassed about what I did to you."
I was beyond livid. I could barely think, and I couldn't remember the last time I had felt this angry. I surprised even myself at the restraint I showed by not going over there and punching Cooper in the face. It seemed like he expected me to by the way he was looking at me.
I shoved my pillow over my face and let out a strangled yell to release some anger. My hands were in fists, begging me to let them hit something, but I held back and took deep breaths.
"Dude, I'm sorry," Cooper said. "Hit me or something if it's going to make you feel better."
I threw the pillow down on the bed and turned to glare at him.
"If you want to stop feeling guilty, then tell your friends the truth and keep my fucking name out of your mouth for the rest of your life."
I couldn't even look at him anymore, so I turned to face away from him and willed myself into sleep.
***
Wren Ridley
The traffic was horrible getting to the airport, and I was starting to question why I agreed to pick Robin up in the first place. There were a million cars doing the same thing, and there was nowhere for me to sit and wait for him without parking, so I had to go around a few times until he was finally outside waiting for me.
Robin threw his bag in the back seat before getting into the car with a wide grin on his face.
"Why are you so happy?" I asked him as I started driving.
"Because I'm happy to see you," he said, nudging my arm with his elbow.
"How was the flight?"
"Snoozed the whole way," Robin replied, leaning back in his seat. "My neck kinda hurts now though."
Robin was the type that could sleep anywhere. There was one time I had caught him falling asleep standing up.
"Anyway, what's going on with you?" Rob asked.
"Nothing," I replied with a sigh. We were sitting in traffic again.
"Well, you were being weird the last few times we talked on the phone," he continued. "So I don't think it's nothing."
Rob was perceptive. He always knew when something was going on, and he was one of the only people that could read me well. I always had to have my guard up around him or else he would pull truths out of me like it was nothing.
"I don't understand how I was being weird," I told him as we inched forward slightly in the traffic. "I'm just being the way that I am. Maybe you just think I'm weird."
"Well, you are. But you were being a different weird," he said. "Like how you got all weird on the phone with Fox when he was talking about fighting that kid, and the hockey sweatshirt. Like, I'm not an idiot. I can make the connection."
"There is no connection to be made," I retorted.
"And you're getting defensive about it, so I really know there's something going on."
I didn't respond to him for a moment. I had no idea what Robin thought was going on, but he was obviously adamant about something.
Fox was still the only person in my family that I had told about my sexuality, but I always had a feeling that Robin knew even without me telling him. And like the good brother he was, he didn't say anything about it, unlike me when I had the same revelation about Fox. It felt like this was the moment he would finally confront me about it. He had a feeling about what was going on with me, and he wanted me to admit his suspicions were true.
"What do you want me to say, Rob?" I asked him after a few moments of him staring at me, waiting for my rebuttal.
Robin let out a sigh, then smiled at me, pretending like we weren't just arguing.
"Nothing you don't want to, Wren," he said.
We didn't talk about it for the rest of the ride. However, I knew that if I did confess my relationship to Robin, he would be supportive. And if I asked him to keep it from Fox, he would. But I still couldn't find it in me to tell him.
It felt like my life at school and my life at home were two different lives altogether. I didn't want to mix the two or change the way my family looked at me. My parents were supportive of Fox, but I still had an irrational fear that they wouldn't accept me, that they wouldn't understand bisexuality and wouldn't want another son that was interested in men.
When Robin and I finally got back to the house after what seemed like forever, our parents came running outside like they spent the last hour staring out the window and waiting for us to arrive. They practically knocked Robin over as they both pulled him in for a hug. They were both talking fast about how much they missed him and how happy they were that he decided to come home for Thanksgiving.
"And of course we're happy to see you too, baby," Mom said as I got out of the car, still holding onto Robin like he would slip away if she let go. It was Dad who came over to me, pulling me into his arms.
"It's going to be the best having us all here together," Dad said, squeezing me tighter.
Eventually, we all made it into the house and my siblings attached themselves to Robin like they hadn't seen him in ten years. Fox was noticeably absent.
"Where's Fox?" I asked.
"He has hockey practice this afternoon," Mom replied. "He's not going to be here until tonight. Him and Elijah are taking the train home."
I went up to my bedroom after greeting my siblings and sent a text to Landon.
To: Landon
How are you getting home?
From: Landon
micahs dad is picking me up
did you make it home ok?
To: Landon
Yes. Just got home with Rob.
I hadn't seen much of Landon this week, which was disappointing. He had an away game over the weekend, so I only saw him briefly on Sunday night and then again briefly on Monday and Tuesday morning at the coffee shop.
From: Landon
will i be able to see you at some point tomorrow? im supposed to hang out with livi, but you can come with if you want
I was glad he asked so that I didn't have to, though I wasn't too proud to let him know I wanted to see him.
To: Landon
Yes. I can pick you two up after dinner.
It wasn't until the next day I actually saw Fox. He didn't get back in town until late, so he spent the night at Elijah's and came home Thanksgiving morning.
"Where's your better half?" I asked him when I walked into the kitchen that morning. The cooking had already started, so our parents were in the kitchen tending to the food while Fox sat at the table with a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal.
"It's so good to see you too," Fox sarcastically replied.
I grabbed a mug from the cabinet and filled it with coffee before sitting across from my brother at the table.
"That's not an answer," I said.
"He's at his house."
"Are you two fighting?" I asked.
Fox glared at me. "Shut the fuck up. No, we're not."
"No need to bite my head off," I said, sipping my coffee.
"It's hard not to when you get off on being irritating."
I chuckled at him. "You seem extra grumpy today. What can your big brother do to make it better?"
Fox held back a laugh, his expression softening from its hard glare. The two of us weren't nearly as close with each other as we were with our other siblings, but we were working on it. Fox and I clashed so much growing up, which was mostly me being awful to him. I was surprised he even wanted to forgive me for that.
"My big brother can try being normal for once," Fox said with a pointed look.
"Hm. I don't think so. That would be very boring, wouldn't it?" I replied.
The two of us moved to the living room, where Robin and Raven were, after breakfast.
"I still have yet to see your apartment," Robin said to his twin as they faced each other on the couch.
Raven shrugged. "It's not much and I share it with three other people, so you're not missing anything."
"I still would like to see it," Robin said. "Have you two seen it?"
Fox and I nodded.
"Who do you think was forced to help her move in?" Fox asked.
Raven scoffed. "You say that like I didn't help you move in at school."
I pulled my phone out and drowned out my siblings' bickering.
To: Landon
When can I pick you up tonight?
From: Landon
ill let you know, still waiting to hear from livi
you don't have to come with us if you dont want to. i know you might not want to hang out with my little sister
To: Landon
When have I ever done something I didn't want to do?
From: Landon
good point
wanna see yu anyway
To: Landon
Your grammar is atrocious.
From: Landon
you like correcting me anyway like ur my teacher or something
want me to call you professor?
I laughed at that, momentarily forgetting where I was. And of course, Fox noticed. He shot me a strange look and glanced down at my phone. Raven and Robin were too busy talking to each other to notice anything, but Fox was putting the pieces together.
"Who are you texting?" he asked me, trying to grab at my phone. I quickly locked it and shoved it into my pocket before he could see anything. The last thing I needed was Fox finding out about Landon when I had to spend the whole weekend with him.
"My roommate," I lied with a blank expression.
"Your roommate," Fox said, not sounding convinced. He leaned closer to me so that the others wouldn't be able to hear. "Are you talking to a guy? Is that why you're being so defensive?"
"Fox," I said in a warning tone. The two of us used to brawl over less than this, and while we showed more restraint now, he could still push my buttons just as I could his.
"Do Mom and Dad still not know?" he whispered.
"Fox, shut up right now," I snapped.
He was silent for a moment then he let out a sigh and backed off.
"You can tell me if you are, you know," he said quietly. "And you should really tell Mom and Dad."
I didn't bother responding. If I kept the conversation going, he would only push me even more. I needed to end it right then and there.
Later on that night after dinner, I left the house to go pick up Landon. He was waiting outside the Hanson's house when I pulled up, his hands in the pocket of his sweatshirt. I leaned over and kissed him when he got in the car.
"I'm glad you came," Landon said, my face still close to his. His cheeks were slightly pink from the cold air outside.
"Well, I did want to see you," I told him. "And we probably won't be able to see each other after this until the end of the weekend." He had hockey games on Friday and Saturday, and I would be with my family until Saturday night.
Landon was quiet for a moment, and I had to think back on what I said, wondering if I had upset him. But nothing I said could have upset him. He was nervous about something.
"You could... you could stay over tonight," Landon said, looking at me briefly before diverting his eyes. "If you want."
I chuckled. "And risk running into your friend's parents?"
He glanced at me, his expression sharp, eyes narrowed and dark like a storm was brewing up inside them.
"They wouldn't care," Landon said.
"It was bad enough we had a run in with my parents," I reminded him. "That was when you still hated me."
He didn't even crack a smile at that, so I must have said the wrong thing.
"Never mind," he said with a sigh, slumping back in his seat.
of me wanted to push him to tell me what bothered him, but I also didn't want to make him even more upset with me.
"Where are we picking up your sister?" I asked.
"At the ice rink."
I started driving there with Landon directing me. I remembered the way from the time we drove there while his sister was missing, but I let him tell me the way anyway.
Livi was standing outside the back of the ice rink when I pulled up, her hands tucked in her sweatshirt pocket and her hair up in a tight, neat bun. Her face lit up when she saw us and she rushed over to the car.
"Hi guys!" Livi exclaimed as she sat down in the back seat.
"You are considerably cleaner than the last time I saw you," I told her, turning around to face her.
Livi giggled at that. "You saw me at my worst," she said.
Landon turned around to see his sister, a smile sprouting on his face.
"Where to?" he asked her.
"Can we go get ice cream, please?" Livi begged. "I haven't had ice cream since the last time we went!"
Landon looked to me. "We can go to that diner. You know the one where-"
"I know the one," I interjected, putting the car in drive.
I remembered that day I saw him with his sister while I was out with Fox, Elijah, Fawn, and Ava. Fox shot daggers at him with his eyes and Landon booked it out of there like the place was on fire.
Livi was talking a mile a minute to her brother the whole way to the diner, updating him on her life at home and at school. Apparently her and her boyfriend Jimmy were on a break but she was certain they'd get back together.
She was still talking as we walked into the diner. Landon brushed his hand against mine lightly, keeping his eyes on his sister. His pinky moved back and forth against my hand.
Livi only stopped her long winded story long enough for her to order her ice cream and then she was back at it.
Landon's attention drifted from his sister, so I followed his gaze to where it landed.
Across the diner was Elijah and his non-hockey friends from high school.
Elijah with his look of confusion mixed with bewilderment was looking right at us.
If I knew that Coach Foreman was going to have me rooming with Cooper for our away game, I would have faked an illness or something to get out of it. But since I didn't know that beforehand, I was stuck here and sharing a small space with someone I absolutely loathed. Coach didn't know what he had done when he made this rooming arrangement because there was a chance Cooper wouldn't make it out of here alive if he decided to push me.
I was dreading having to go back to the room. Once the game finished, I took my time getting out of my gear and heading to the showers, but Coach was rushing us, seeming to be in a bad mood even though we won our game. I sat on the bus with Rojas, putting my headphones in and ignoring everyone around me. Rojas had actual friends on the team, but he always insisted on sitting with me. He just waned me to feel included, and he didn't understand that sometimes I just wanted to be left alone. I couldn't let myself get too annoyed at him. He was the only one on the team that I really talked to.
When I got back to the hotel room, it was empty, no sign of Cooper. I flipped the light on and put my stuff down next to my bed. As if sensing that I had just gotten to the room, I got a text from Wren.
From: Wren
Don't forget to check the bed for bed bugs.
To: Wren
already did
From: Wren
Did you pull up the sheets and check the seams of the mattress?
To: Wren
yes dad
From: Wren
You can call me Daddy if you're into that.
My face flushed as I read his text, and I let out a short laugh.
To: Wren
you wish
Wren had been texting me more than usual since I left for the weekend. He missed me, though he would never admit it. And I wouldn't mention it because I was afraid that if I did, the texts would stop. I would need his presence if I were to get through this night in the same room as Cooper.
A few moments later, the door opened and Cooper walked into the room. He didn't even look my way as he set his bags down and went into the bathroom. Good. The least amount of interaction the two of us had the better.
When he was done in the bathroom, I went in to get ready for bed, the two of us sidestepping each other so that we wouldn't make contact. Cooper finally spoke up when I was pulling back the covers to get into bed.
"So..." Cooper trailed.
I looked back at him briefly before getting into bed.
"We don't need to speak," I said, moving to turn off the lamp on my side of the room.
"This feels kinda awkward, man," Cooper said.
I scoffed, not even bothering to respond. It was his fault if he felt awkward. He was the one who forced himself on me, it was him who got all of his friends to gang up on me. It had everything to do with him and nothing to do with me. People like him had a hard time not being liked, so they would do anything to gain the favor of the many even if they had to step on the few to get there. People like me didn't care about being liked. He couldn't stand that.
"I just wanna say... I'm, you know," he started. "I'm sorry about what happened. I've been feeling kinda guilty about it."
Again, I didn't respond. He might have felt guilty, but it didn't matter. He would still step on me for the favor of his friends. It wouldn't change the fact that he kissed me without my consent. But was I really any different than Cooper? I felt guilty over everything I had done to Elijah, but that guilt wouldn't make it all go away. I still did those things, still hurt him. And he had to live with that hurt forever, even if he moved on and forgave me.
It was the same with my father. If he ever felt remorse for everything he had done to me, would it change anything? It wouldn't. I knew it wouldn't. But he would never feel guilty or ask for my forgiveness. Not the way I craved Elijah's forgiveness. So maybe my father was a different story. He was a vile man who hurt his children because he wanted them to be his perfect creations like he was God or something. I hurt Elijah because of that man, because he made me hate myself, hate Elijah.
And maybe Cooper was just like me in a way. Maybe he had his own self hatred that caused him to hurt others the way I did in the past. And maybe if he wanted forgiveness, the same way I did, I should give that to him.
"I'm also feeling guilty because I may have told the guys about what happened, but that you were the one who came onto me," Cooper added with a sheepish look, his eyes cast downward like he couldn't bear to see the look on my face at his confession.
My head snapped toward him and I was seeing red as I stared at him with a look of anger and disgust. All thoughts of forgiveness for him were thrown out the window at that moment.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I snapped.
He looked over at me, his face red with embarrassment.
"They were starting to ask me why I suddenly had a problem with you," he explained. "It was easier to tell them that you had done something to me than it was to admit I was embarrassed about what I did to you."
I was beyond livid. I could barely think, and I couldn't remember the last time I had felt this angry. I surprised even myself at the restraint I showed by not going over there and punching Cooper in the face. It seemed like he expected me to by the way he was looking at me.
I shoved my pillow over my face and let out a strangled yell to release some anger. My hands were in fists, begging me to let them hit something, but I held back and took deep breaths.
"Dude, I'm sorry," Cooper said. "Hit me or something if it's going to make you feel better."
I threw the pillow down on the bed and turned to glare at him.
"If you want to stop feeling guilty, then tell your friends the truth and keep my fucking name out of your mouth for the rest of your life."
I couldn't even look at him anymore, so I turned to face away from him and willed myself into sleep.
***
Wren Ridley
The traffic was horrible getting to the airport, and I was starting to question why I agreed to pick Robin up in the first place. There were a million cars doing the same thing, and there was nowhere for me to sit and wait for him without parking, so I had to go around a few times until he was finally outside waiting for me.
Robin threw his bag in the back seat before getting into the car with a wide grin on his face.
"Why are you so happy?" I asked him as I started driving.
"Because I'm happy to see you," he said, nudging my arm with his elbow.
"How was the flight?"
"Snoozed the whole way," Robin replied, leaning back in his seat. "My neck kinda hurts now though."
Robin was the type that could sleep anywhere. There was one time I had caught him falling asleep standing up.
"Anyway, what's going on with you?" Rob asked.
"Nothing," I replied with a sigh. We were sitting in traffic again.
"Well, you were being weird the last few times we talked on the phone," he continued. "So I don't think it's nothing."
Rob was perceptive. He always knew when something was going on, and he was one of the only people that could read me well. I always had to have my guard up around him or else he would pull truths out of me like it was nothing.
"I don't understand how I was being weird," I told him as we inched forward slightly in the traffic. "I'm just being the way that I am. Maybe you just think I'm weird."
"Well, you are. But you were being a different weird," he said. "Like how you got all weird on the phone with Fox when he was talking about fighting that kid, and the hockey sweatshirt. Like, I'm not an idiot. I can make the connection."
"There is no connection to be made," I retorted.
"And you're getting defensive about it, so I really know there's something going on."
I didn't respond to him for a moment. I had no idea what Robin thought was going on, but he was obviously adamant about something.
Fox was still the only person in my family that I had told about my sexuality, but I always had a feeling that Robin knew even without me telling him. And like the good brother he was, he didn't say anything about it, unlike me when I had the same revelation about Fox. It felt like this was the moment he would finally confront me about it. He had a feeling about what was going on with me, and he wanted me to admit his suspicions were true.
"What do you want me to say, Rob?" I asked him after a few moments of him staring at me, waiting for my rebuttal.
Robin let out a sigh, then smiled at me, pretending like we weren't just arguing.
"Nothing you don't want to, Wren," he said.
We didn't talk about it for the rest of the ride. However, I knew that if I did confess my relationship to Robin, he would be supportive. And if I asked him to keep it from Fox, he would. But I still couldn't find it in me to tell him.
It felt like my life at school and my life at home were two different lives altogether. I didn't want to mix the two or change the way my family looked at me. My parents were supportive of Fox, but I still had an irrational fear that they wouldn't accept me, that they wouldn't understand bisexuality and wouldn't want another son that was interested in men.
When Robin and I finally got back to the house after what seemed like forever, our parents came running outside like they spent the last hour staring out the window and waiting for us to arrive. They practically knocked Robin over as they both pulled him in for a hug. They were both talking fast about how much they missed him and how happy they were that he decided to come home for Thanksgiving.
"And of course we're happy to see you too, baby," Mom said as I got out of the car, still holding onto Robin like he would slip away if she let go. It was Dad who came over to me, pulling me into his arms.
"It's going to be the best having us all here together," Dad said, squeezing me tighter.
Eventually, we all made it into the house and my siblings attached themselves to Robin like they hadn't seen him in ten years. Fox was noticeably absent.
"Where's Fox?" I asked.
"He has hockey practice this afternoon," Mom replied. "He's not going to be here until tonight. Him and Elijah are taking the train home."
I went up to my bedroom after greeting my siblings and sent a text to Landon.
To: Landon
How are you getting home?
From: Landon
micahs dad is picking me up
did you make it home ok?
To: Landon
Yes. Just got home with Rob.
I hadn't seen much of Landon this week, which was disappointing. He had an away game over the weekend, so I only saw him briefly on Sunday night and then again briefly on Monday and Tuesday morning at the coffee shop.
From: Landon
will i be able to see you at some point tomorrow? im supposed to hang out with livi, but you can come with if you want
I was glad he asked so that I didn't have to, though I wasn't too proud to let him know I wanted to see him.
To: Landon
Yes. I can pick you two up after dinner.
It wasn't until the next day I actually saw Fox. He didn't get back in town until late, so he spent the night at Elijah's and came home Thanksgiving morning.
"Where's your better half?" I asked him when I walked into the kitchen that morning. The cooking had already started, so our parents were in the kitchen tending to the food while Fox sat at the table with a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal.
"It's so good to see you too," Fox sarcastically replied.
I grabbed a mug from the cabinet and filled it with coffee before sitting across from my brother at the table.
"That's not an answer," I said.
"He's at his house."
"Are you two fighting?" I asked.
Fox glared at me. "Shut the fuck up. No, we're not."
"No need to bite my head off," I said, sipping my coffee.
"It's hard not to when you get off on being irritating."
I chuckled at him. "You seem extra grumpy today. What can your big brother do to make it better?"
Fox held back a laugh, his expression softening from its hard glare. The two of us weren't nearly as close with each other as we were with our other siblings, but we were working on it. Fox and I clashed so much growing up, which was mostly me being awful to him. I was surprised he even wanted to forgive me for that.
"My big brother can try being normal for once," Fox said with a pointed look.
"Hm. I don't think so. That would be very boring, wouldn't it?" I replied.
The two of us moved to the living room, where Robin and Raven were, after breakfast.
"I still have yet to see your apartment," Robin said to his twin as they faced each other on the couch.
Raven shrugged. "It's not much and I share it with three other people, so you're not missing anything."
"I still would like to see it," Robin said. "Have you two seen it?"
Fox and I nodded.
"Who do you think was forced to help her move in?" Fox asked.
Raven scoffed. "You say that like I didn't help you move in at school."
I pulled my phone out and drowned out my siblings' bickering.
To: Landon
When can I pick you up tonight?
From: Landon
ill let you know, still waiting to hear from livi
you don't have to come with us if you dont want to. i know you might not want to hang out with my little sister
To: Landon
When have I ever done something I didn't want to do?
From: Landon
good point
wanna see yu anyway
To: Landon
Your grammar is atrocious.
From: Landon
you like correcting me anyway like ur my teacher or something
want me to call you professor?
I laughed at that, momentarily forgetting where I was. And of course, Fox noticed. He shot me a strange look and glanced down at my phone. Raven and Robin were too busy talking to each other to notice anything, but Fox was putting the pieces together.
"Who are you texting?" he asked me, trying to grab at my phone. I quickly locked it and shoved it into my pocket before he could see anything. The last thing I needed was Fox finding out about Landon when I had to spend the whole weekend with him.
"My roommate," I lied with a blank expression.
"Your roommate," Fox said, not sounding convinced. He leaned closer to me so that the others wouldn't be able to hear. "Are you talking to a guy? Is that why you're being so defensive?"
"Fox," I said in a warning tone. The two of us used to brawl over less than this, and while we showed more restraint now, he could still push my buttons just as I could his.
"Do Mom and Dad still not know?" he whispered.
"Fox, shut up right now," I snapped.
He was silent for a moment then he let out a sigh and backed off.
"You can tell me if you are, you know," he said quietly. "And you should really tell Mom and Dad."
I didn't bother responding. If I kept the conversation going, he would only push me even more. I needed to end it right then and there.
Later on that night after dinner, I left the house to go pick up Landon. He was waiting outside the Hanson's house when I pulled up, his hands in the pocket of his sweatshirt. I leaned over and kissed him when he got in the car.
"I'm glad you came," Landon said, my face still close to his. His cheeks were slightly pink from the cold air outside.
"Well, I did want to see you," I told him. "And we probably won't be able to see each other after this until the end of the weekend." He had hockey games on Friday and Saturday, and I would be with my family until Saturday night.
Landon was quiet for a moment, and I had to think back on what I said, wondering if I had upset him. But nothing I said could have upset him. He was nervous about something.
"You could... you could stay over tonight," Landon said, looking at me briefly before diverting his eyes. "If you want."
I chuckled. "And risk running into your friend's parents?"
He glanced at me, his expression sharp, eyes narrowed and dark like a storm was brewing up inside them.
"They wouldn't care," Landon said.
"It was bad enough we had a run in with my parents," I reminded him. "That was when you still hated me."
He didn't even crack a smile at that, so I must have said the wrong thing.
"Never mind," he said with a sigh, slumping back in his seat.
of me wanted to push him to tell me what bothered him, but I also didn't want to make him even more upset with me.
"Where are we picking up your sister?" I asked.
"At the ice rink."
I started driving there with Landon directing me. I remembered the way from the time we drove there while his sister was missing, but I let him tell me the way anyway.
Livi was standing outside the back of the ice rink when I pulled up, her hands tucked in her sweatshirt pocket and her hair up in a tight, neat bun. Her face lit up when she saw us and she rushed over to the car.
"Hi guys!" Livi exclaimed as she sat down in the back seat.
"You are considerably cleaner than the last time I saw you," I told her, turning around to face her.
Livi giggled at that. "You saw me at my worst," she said.
Landon turned around to see his sister, a smile sprouting on his face.
"Where to?" he asked her.
"Can we go get ice cream, please?" Livi begged. "I haven't had ice cream since the last time we went!"
Landon looked to me. "We can go to that diner. You know the one where-"
"I know the one," I interjected, putting the car in drive.
I remembered that day I saw him with his sister while I was out with Fox, Elijah, Fawn, and Ava. Fox shot daggers at him with his eyes and Landon booked it out of there like the place was on fire.
Livi was talking a mile a minute to her brother the whole way to the diner, updating him on her life at home and at school. Apparently her and her boyfriend Jimmy were on a break but she was certain they'd get back together.
She was still talking as we walked into the diner. Landon brushed his hand against mine lightly, keeping his eyes on his sister. His pinky moved back and forth against my hand.
Livi only stopped her long winded story long enough for her to order her ice cream and then she was back at it.
Landon's attention drifted from his sister, so I followed his gaze to where it landed.
Across the diner was Elijah and his non-hockey friends from high school.
Elijah with his look of confusion mixed with bewilderment was looking right at us.
End of Ice Cold Chapter 32. Continue reading Chapter 33 or return to Ice Cold book page.