Heart As Cold As Ice | 18+ | ✓

21: alondra

I sit on the lid of the toilet, "I've got a strong immune system. I hardly ever get sick and I'd hate for you to fall asleep in the water and drown."

"If I didn't know you better, I'd say you might be wishing for that to happen."

"What? And then deprive myself of your friendship?" I joke back and Jack smiles weakly at me.

"Well you were pretty insistent on us not being friends in the first place. Only fought me on it for weeks."

"My rule for myself was no hockey players—even only as friends. Besides, I'm just waiting for the day my dad finds out that we're friends. He's going to lose his shit." I say, knowing it's only a matter of time.

Hockey has always been my dad's thing. The thing I desperately wanted to be apart of my entire life until I realized it was hopeless to try.

Now with Jack, I'm knee deep in it and Dad has no fucking clue.

"Do you really think he'll be that upset about it?"

I tap my fingers against my thigh, "Maybe not if it were anyone else on the team, but because it's you? Absolutely."

Jack turns causing the water to slosh in the water, his knees sticking out awkwardly. "What does the fact that I'm me have to do with it?"

"Dude come on. You're set to be an early draft pick and the team captain. I shouldn't be anywhere near you." If I were smart I wouldn't be and not just because my dad doesn't want me to be.

He coughs into his elbow, sniffling a few times before responding. "There's nothing wrong with our friendship."

I can't ignore the clench in my chest at the word friendship. That's all it will ever be.

"Maybe I'm wrong," I say quietly. But I don't think I am.

"Sometimes I wish it was just about the game. No money, no draft, just playing. That's all I want." Jack mumbles and I look over at him again, noting that his eyes are shut again. His chest is slowly rising and falling with every breath Jack takes.

"I know."

I'm so far in over my fucking head.

He's wormed his way into my life like a parasite and now I don't quite know what to do without him. Jack's gone above and beyond to prove he isn't anything like Grady. I shake my head to rid thoughts of him. It's not worth it.

The steam coming off of the water has quickly heated up the bathroom. I'm starting to get really hot so I end up going into Jack's bedroom to take off my hoodie, revealing the t-shirt I have underneath.

His hockey gear is dumped in the corner of the room and his blankets are strewn everywhere from tossing and turning. I straighten it up quickly because I'm sure that's exactly where he's headed once he gets out of the bathtub.

When I get back into the bathroom, he's definitely fallen asleep and I hover there for a second watching how peaceful Jack looks. Rest is probably the best thing for him, especially with season about to start.

If I were smart, I'd probably start distancing myself before this can end in disaster.

I'm about to wake him up when Dylan walks into Jack's room without knocking, "Are you still a part of the living dead or can I tell Coach that you're feeling better?" He pauses when he sees me, "Hey, when did you get here?"

"Coop brought me after his class."

"Ah, gotcha. I was just coming to check on Jack." Dylan's face morphs into one of confusion when he looks at the made bed that Jack isn't laying in. "Wait, where is he?"