The Hockey Player (Matt Sturniolo)

In the Family

Matt's POV

"Talk" I smacked the back of Chris' head with his pillow. After a second, he jumped awake. He opened his eyes and wiped away the drool at the corner of his mouth.

"What?" He groaned and pulled the blanket over his head.

"I didn't go through this to not get answers" I kicked some laundry out of my way and sat on his feet.

He groaned and curled up. "Get off my feet!"

"Not until you explain, unless you want time to tell Mom the real reason you didn't enjoy our family moment last night"

"How many baby pictures?" Chris laughed. "Were they yours, mine or both?"

"Six. I took one for the embarrassment team" I pulled his blankets in both hands and pulled them until his head appeared. "Talk"

"Fine" he grumbled and sat up. "I didn't want Dan to see me text you, that's why I didn't tell you we were coming"

That ass. Who left their sister at a party she didn't want to be at? "She picked me, Dan and Madison up from the party, dropped them off for a date, and then she took me here"

"Did you say Dan and Madison?" I choked on those two names in the same sentence. "My ex Madison? Who transferred to..."

I guess she transferred to Dan's school. Chris' guilty smile confirmed that. "Yeah, that Madison. It was their first date"

Could this feel more like a drama? I wanted her to be happy, but with Dan? She was soft...and thoughtful. Talk about lower standards. I could track her down to apologise, but if she told Dan about the game....

And Aurora. She would hate me and think I was a liar. "I can't thank you enough for the great news, Chris. Any other coincidences?"

He shook his head and I took a deep breath. For now, the lid was shut. I ran my hand through my hair and cupped the back of my neck. "Did Madison recognise you?" It had been two years, Madison came over here twice in six weeks, and Chris went to a different school, but they met each other.

"If she did, she didn't say anything" For his sake, I was glad because now two people knew about him. "And then Aurora and I were talking, so I forgot about you, and-"

"What did you find out about her?"

"She's best friends with Raine. They do everything together, eat lunch, hang out in the halls, and sometimes Raine sits with her during our practices" Chris furrowed his eyebrows. "You should hear Dan talk about her, like-"

"About Aurora?" I cut him off with a question I already knew the answer to. "Are you sure she's single? Why is she at your practices?"

"She sits there doing her homework, and Dan takes her home. She's totally single" He smiled, like he was doing me a favour. "Dan's made sure of that"

I was sure he did. Chris continued. "Aurora hasn't dated since freshman year. She hates hockey players, but she's always been nice to me. She's kinda clumsy. I've seen her walk into walls and doors"

She sounded more than clumsy, and I let out a deep breath. Distance worked against me if I had any competition. "Is she seeing anyone?"

"No, she's..." Chris scratched the back of his neck. "She's quiet. She only hangs out with Raine, with Dan close by. It's like they protect her"

Aurora handled herself well when she put in my place, so why would she need protection at school? "What about the team? Anyone there?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Dan warned us at the end of camp to stay away from her or we'd spend the season regretting it. Luke says-"