BLAZE: Enemies to Lovers College Hockey Romance by Eddie Cleveland (ebook reader macos .txt) 📕

“Hopefully I can make a better first impression on them than you did with my mother.” She cocks her eyebrow.

“Hey, if you want to walk in on my Dad getting out of the shower, be my guest. I should warn you though, he’s got a ball sack like a leather purse.”

Prissy laughs. “What? Why would you even know that?” She shakes her head, and her dark hair sways under her chin. I like her hair down. She looks more free.

“I came back from hockey camp early one year.” I shudder at the image seared into my mind. I should probably go see a hypnotist or at least a therapist and get that shit wiped out of there. “My parents weren’t expecting me home, and I found them skinny dipping in the pool. Now, I call like eighteen times before I show up there. Fuck.” Another shudder possesses me. “I hope that’s not genetic.”

Tha-Thump! Clunk! Crash! 

It sounds like someone just took a header down the stairs. I rush out of my room to see one of those blue Rubbermaid tote boxes has spewed its guts all over our foyer floor. Rookie is picking up his stuff.

“No, don’t worry guys. I’m not broken. Or dead,” he yells out. Even though I can see he’s fine, I head down to give him a hand.

There are a lot of books splayed all over the floor and some random hockey gear, with unopened skate laces and rolls of tape sprinkled in. None of those are what catch my attention though.

“Got some big plans for summer?” I gaze over the crazy number of condoms that dumped out with the other stuff. It looks like a fucking piñata exploded, but it was filled with nothing but condoms. All different kinds and crazy colors. Ones with lubricants. Ones with flavors. Ones that promise to turn your cock into a glowing lightsaber.

Griz walks in from the kitchen. His mouth is stuffed with a hotdog in a bun. The last bite is sticking out of his face.

“What the fuck?” He looks around and picks up on the same thing I did. “Are you going to an orgy, man?”

Griz and I help Rookie get everything back in his tote.

“No, this box is for next year. I was thinking I’d store it in the closet in my new room. There’s no point in dragging it home for summer.”

“Whoa, cool your jets, Rookie.” Griz swallows the last bite of his “balanced breakfast” and frowns at him. “I’m not even moved out yet, man. And you can’t leave that stuff here over summer. If you could, we wouldn’t have moving day,” he explains.

Rookie looks disappointed. “Oh.”

“Don’t sweat it, man. In a few months it’ll be all yours. Come on, want a hotdog?” Griz leads him into the kitchen.

Prissy stands at the top of the stairs looking very amused. I’m giving her the same look back, but not because of the condom fiasco. She just looks so fucking cute with her hair all mussed up and that sparkle in her eyes.

“Want to get some breakfast?” I wait for her at the bottom of the stairs until she walks down beside me.

“I’d love to.” She smiles. She stands up on her toes and gives me a peck on the cheek that I’ll never admit how much I love.

Griz and Rookie are eating hotdogs while Hattie finishes off a bowl of cereal and walks it to the sink. I still don’t know how you can eat that at ten in the morning.” She shakes her head.

“Haven’t you ever had fried bologna for breakfast? It’s pretty much the same as that,” Griz answers.

“I have, but I’ve never rolled up a piece of fried bologna, stuffed it in a hotdog, poured a bunch of ketchup and mustard over it and called that my morning meal.” She nods at him.

“Well, then, you’re missing out.” Griz shrugs and keeps eating.

Over in the corner, Etta is sitting on the counter looking at her phone while Gucci slathers some cream cheese on a bagel.

“I’ve got some granola bars and there’s some yogurt in the fridge.” I open my cupboard and pull out the ones with chocolate and salt on them.

Prissy grabs us a couple individual sized cups of coffee-flavored yogurt from the fridge and comes back to join me at the counter. We both peel the tops off our cups and dip our bars in.

Hattie doesn’t look any more impressed with our breakfast choices. She doesn’t say anything though. Either because she figures we’re not her problem or because Canuck just walked in from the back deck with his phone pressed into his ear.

Everyone kinda keeps it down as he talks to whoever is on the other side.

“Yeah, they changed my flight. I’m getting into Ottawa at two now, so I’m just calling an Uber... No. No fucking way. Don’t wait around for me at two in the morning. That’s crazy.” Canuck pauses and looks around the kitchen, realizing what a big audience he has. “No, listen. The flight could get delayed. I’ll just see you the next day... Okay! Okay. You don’t need to threaten the family jewels for every little thing…” He laughs. “I’ll see you at two then. I can’t wait either. Bye.”

Canuck hangs up and shoves his phone in his pants pocket and looks around the room.

“What?” He looks at us suspiciously.

“Was that Camille?” Hattie smiles.

“Who’s Camille?” Etta looks up from her phone.

“Remember? I told you about her. It’s Canuck’s best friend. She’s in Canada,” Hattie reminds her.

“Right, right. Did you hear about Canuck’s friend?” she asks Gucci.

“Nope. Not interested. Not invested.” He shakes his head. Chomping into his bagel.

Gucci looks across the room. “Griz, do you have room for a couple more swag boxes in your car?”

“Man, how many are you bringing?” Griz asks.

“It’s for the kid’s camp. What do you want me to do? Disappoint the children?” Gucci answers himself before eating the rest of his bagel.

Griz looks like he’s done stuffing his face with hotdogs