Ice.

Chapter Eighteen.

"I guess everyone was expecting you to get with Sophie," She shrugs.

"You heard about that too?"

"Everyone has," she replies. No wonder Aves has been so on edge. Everyone is talking about how her boyfriend should be with another girl. "It's a small town, Finn. People talk."

I sigh deeply. "You see Aves next period, right?"

She nods. "Can you tell her to meet me by the door to the field?"

She chuckles, "Yeah, I'll be your love messenger. Are we still going to Harmons after school?"

I start to turn a corner, going to my chemistry class as I turn and walk backwards to answer her. "Yep! You're the best! Love you!"

"I know, I know." She pretends to curtsy, her black boots squeaking on the floor as she does. I laugh and turn around, heading to my chemistry class.

I go straight to my lab table when I do, sitting on the stool and dropping my bag to the ground. My eyes then train on the guy walking in, my jaw clenching slightly. Mason Hughes.

I don't know why he called Aves yesterday, or if he's over her. I don't think it was an accident like she does. But I promised her I wouldn't talk to him about it, that I would leave it in the past.

I can tell he's looking at me. He isn't being subtle about it. I just don't see what she saw in him. He's a band geek and I always found him creepy. I don't like him.

I feel him sit at the stool next to me but I stay on my phone, scrolling through Instagram. I check the photo I posted, seeing that it hit 5 thousand likes. It's crazy that all these people who don't even know me like my things and keep up with my social media. I check the comments, a lot saying that we're cute together and others calling me a 'Goat' and other hockey related messages.

I leave the photo and start scrolling some more before Mason speaks up. "You're dating Avery Harrison, right?"

Okay. I would like to state in the record that he brought it up, not me.

I can't help but smirk slightly, almost feeling cocky as I talk to her ex. I lock my phone and slide it in my pocket. "Yeah. I am."

He nods, his jaw clenching as he looks to the front of the room. My eyes narrow. "Why?"

"She's my ex girlfriend," he states, as if I don't know that already. "And I was just surprised she went for someone like you."

I let out a laugh, turning to him as I only get more confident. I don't know what he's trying to do, but it isn't going to work. "Alright, I'll bite. What do you mean, someone like me?"

"An athlete, or a jock, I guess. She's not like the other girls you get with," He shrugs, his hand pushing his blonde fringe out of the way of his eyes before he adjusts his thick, black glasses. I feel like I could laugh, since he doesn't know me at all and thinks I'm hooking up with random girls. "You guys are just.. different."

"Why is everyone saying that?" I groan, shaking my head. "Not that I owe you any information about my relationship, but Avery and I are very happy together. And honestly, I don't give a shit if I play sports and she doesn't. That doesn't make us different people."

The bell rings right on time, so I turn to the front of the room as my teacher starts talking. We're working on an assignment I already finished while I was on the road, so now is the perfect time to find Aves and escape yet another conversation I don't want to be a part of. Two in ten minutes. I feel like that's a new record.

After asking permission, I head out of the room and start towards the field door. Hopefully Lindsey passed on the message.

I feel my heart flutter when I see her leaning her shoulder against a row of lockers, her nails being picked as she waits. I creep up from behind, encasing her entire body, her arms included, in my arms. She lets out a giggle as I press a messy kiss to her cheek.