Slapshot

Chapter 20: The New Guy

"Was that...?" Kate was definitely confused, too.

"That was so weird." I chuckle.

"Yeah..." Tom says. I watch as he shares a look with Kate, then Kate winks at him.

"How was Jonathan?" Kate asks me.

"The same as he always is," I shrug, which was true. "He's just bored, that's what he told me." I tell the two.

"Poor guy." Kate frowns.

"I know." I agree. "I just wish we could help him."

"Does he know that I brought you over?" Tom asks me.

"Oh, no." I smile at our little secret. "I was about to leave, and he asked how I got to his house in the first place. I lied and said I took an Uber, and he felt bad about making me pay a second time, so he drove me home. It was nice." I say.

I'm about to continue, but I feel a tap on my back. I turn around, seeing Braden standing behind me. "Can we talk?" He asks.

What? Is he serious? I raise my eyebrows in astonishment. "Seriously?" I ask him.

"Yeah, meet me in the washroom right outside the cafe." He says, then walking off.

Again, my look to Kate is one of confusion. "What the hell?" I say.

"Be safe." she pats my arm as I stand up and grab the crutches. I look around the table, trying to look for the new face that is our new player, but I have no luck. Instead, I just notice that both Maria and Gabe are absent.

As I'm leaving the cafeteria, I try to wonder what Braden could possibly want. I haven't really spoken to him since we broke up, and I was surprised with that. I thought he might have the compassion to reach out and see how I'm doing, especially after the injury, but I got nothing. I'm trying to keep angered feelings towards him because of what he did to Jonathan.

Once I leave the cafeteria, I'm stuck with the option between which washroom to go into, since Braden didn't specify. My first thought would be to check the guys', since he's not thoughtful enough to wait in the girl's washroom for me, and would instead make me have to do the dirty work (see, I'm trying to keep the negative feelings there). I reluctantly open the guys' washroom, and not to my surprise, he's standing there.

"What's up?" I ask.

"How's everything?" He asks instead.

"Braden, you haven't said anything to me since we broke up. I expected more, I don't know." I sigh, leaning against the wall and trying to ignore the smell.

"That's because I'm not allowed to talk to you! Hence why we're meeting in this washroom." He counters.

"A text, a call, nothing." I said, shaking my head. "I was disappointed."

"Maybe we can move past it." He suggests, now leaning against one of the stalls.

"What?" I ask, either not sure if I heard him correctly, or if he's being serious.

"Do you still have feelings for me?" He asks, hope in his eyes.

"Braden, what the hell is wrong with you? How can you seriously ask me that after what you did to Jonathan?" I spit out, genuinely mad.

"Oh, come on Taylor." He groans. "I don't like him."

"That doesn't mean you have to give him a goddamn concussion! Seriously, what the hell!" I exclaim, rubbing my head with the back of my hand in annoyance.

"So what? You're just gonna stay mad at me? You don't even want to try and act civil?" He asks me.

"Why'd you call me here?" I instead say. "Was it to try and get back together? Because you're sick." I say. I put my crutches on the ground and walk out of the bathroom as fast as I could. I was pissed off and annoyed, and it was all Braden's fault. I can't believe I used to actually like him. The thought alone makes me feel mad at myself. I need to rant to someone.

I make my way back to the cafeteria and take an exhausted seat next to Kate. "What happened?" Tom immediately asks, looking very concerned.

"He's so sick!" I groan, resting my head in my hands. "He wanted to try and get back together."

"What'd you say?" Kate asks.

"I asked what was wrong with him! God, I'm so angry." I say. I could feel my vision blurring, and because I was wearing mascara, I couldn't wipe my eyes. This just made me more upset.

I took my hands away to wipe underneath my eyes, and because of this, Kate noticed me crying. I hated crying, I really did, because it didn't happen often. It made me feel so weak.

"Come here, girl. You'll be okay." She mumbles, pulling me into her for a hug.

"It's not even just him. It's my stupid foot." I sniffle, feeling like an idiot.

"It's not gonna take that long to heal, Taylor." Tom tries to assure me.

"And stupid Jonathan." I mumble.

"Huh?" Kate says. "What about Jonathan?"

"I just feel so bad. His stupid concussion's all my fault." I sob.

Kate lets me go, and with the help of my sleeve, all my tears are gone. "Hold up." Kate says. "You're crying because you feel bad for Jon?" She asks, sharing what must be a hysterical look with Tom.

"Braden being an idiot isn't your fault." Tom says.

"I'm so sorry, guys." I mumble, tucking my hair behind my ear. Hopefully I didn't look terrible.

"Don't worry, babes. That's why we're here." Kate says, rubbing my shoulder. Tom's still giving her a smirk.

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Lol!!!!! another new guy? the plot thickensss... next chap is a good one :) vote if youd want