The Hockey Player (Matt Sturniolo)

Stupid Boy

Raine lay down on her stomach on my bed. "What are we watching?"

"Like you won't pick the same movie?" I rubbed my freshly washed hair with the towel and headed her my laptop. Not surprisingly, Marley and Me sat at the top of the movie queue.

Raine nodded at the screen. "It read my mind"

I snuggled under the blanket next to her and sighed. She was warm so I cuddled into her side and rested my head on her shoulder. "You're predictable"

"I know what I like. Do you feel better?"

I tossed the towel at the laundry basket and of course, missed it. "Cleaner. I need a brain wipe"

No thanks to Matt, my brain wouldn't wipe. Our interaction played on a loop in my brain like a terrible movie, where only the plot interested me. What was he thinking?

I finally something more irritating at the beach that wasn't sand. Whoever Matt was, he wasn't worth trying to insult.

Like I would kiss him. A frog wouldn't kiss him. The way the moon cast on his nose and cheekbones and his lips parted painting a tempting picture, made you shudder.

A date was worse. I couldn't imagine spending another minute listening to his cockiness. He would probably take me to a room of mirrors, just to admire himself. "Why are the hot guys ruined by their cockiness?"

Raine gasped. "You think...you think he's hot?"

"A blind person could sense he was hot"

"I still think there was a moment back there between you both. You looked like you wanted to kiss him or beat his ass" Raine turned back to the movie. "They know that they're hot. So they get away with being assholes"

The worst one you'd ever met. Thank God Dan wasn't there to see any of that

Unless Matt acted that way on purpose. Why though? He seemed sincere.

He didn't matter and he wasn't in my plan. I left Matt for the crabs and blocked his number. The weird interaction was over, except for the way he crept into my brain space.

Raine looked at me. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah?" I responded, with a crack in my voice. "No. That guy took over half my brain cells. I can't think straight"

Raine rubbed my arm. "I'm sorry about today, Aurora"

"For?"

"All of it" she admitted, sighing.

"I'm glad it's over" I replied. "Almost over"

Raine cursed and shook her head. As she turned back to the movie, I rested my head against the headboard. Me and hockey players. How did I attract them?

Dan was tolerable some days, but I wanted nothing to do with the rest of them. A shiver ran down my shoulders to my spine from the haunting images and I closed my eyes.

When we left, Raine said she was proud of me and she respected my silence. She nudged me until I opened my eyes to see curiosity in hers. "On the asshole scale of ignorable indifference to bury the evidence, where does he lie?"

"Off the chart" A dry taste coated my tongue. "A hockey asshole"

"You're favourite kind" Raine said, with sarcasm. "Can we narrow it down? Dan went from grade B ass to-"

"I'd rather we didn't" I shook my head. "I want to forget about him"

"I haven't seen Dan that angry since that guy stuck a flower on your locker"