Scars On Ice | Charlie Conway

s e v e n t e e n

After a long and exhausting weekend of Elle screaming over the phone, Joey catching a cold, and Caine locking himself in his room, Aspen was almost relieved to be back at school. That relief was completely drained from her body when Roland slid into the seat beside her halfway through first period. His features were clouded with concern, his gaze unfocused. Aspen frowned. "What's up, Rollie?"

He turned his attention to her for the first time, his eyes softening. He kept his voice low, as everyone in the class knew that he was not in his assigned seat. Their teacher wasn't paying the least bit of attention, so Roland seized the opportunity. His anxious fidgeting reminded Aspen of Joey. "Did you hear about the hockey fiasco?" he asked in a hushed tone.

Aspen nodded. "The dinner? Yeah. Joey told me all about it," she responded, her volume matching his.

To her surprise, Roland shook his head. His jaw was clenched and his eyes sagged regretfully. "That's not what I'm talking about," he murmured. When Aspen's forehead creased, Roland sighed. "Caine didn't tell you?" She shook her head as a response, her anxiety tripling. What hadn't Caine told her?

Roland glanced around in attempts to make sure that no one was listening. He swallowed, "The jv kids played a prank or something on the varsity guys who live on campus -- pissed Rick off. He and Conway had this big argument that I guess set up for some early morning, no rules hockey scrimmage. Orion stopped them just as some big fight broke out." His handsome face was littered with sympathy as he watched Aspen's expression fall. He sighed, "Rick came home pissed, and all of the other guys aren't too happy either. I mean, look."

He nodded in the direction of Chris Mcmahon, Delanie's seat partner, who looked as though he was plotting someone's murder. Delanie looked as crestfallen as Aspen felt. Roland then motioned to Adam Banks, who looked like he was one breath away from crying. In front of him, Luis had snapped his pencil in half.

Roland let out a ragged breath. "I don't know what's gong on, Asp, but this is bad news. For all of them." His heart crumbled as he watched her squeeze her eyes shut, a dismal expression coating her face. She almost looked as though she were on the verge of tears. In a hurried attempt of consolation, Roland delicately rubbed a hand against her shoulder. His soothing touch made her slowly open her eyes, her blue gaze somberly meeting his. He gave her a weak smile. "I'm sure it'll all work out. At least hockey season is almost over."

He words offered little to no reassurance, but Aspen appreciated his efforts. She returned his meek smile, covering his hand with her own. She rubbed his knuckles gently before lowering her arm. Roland pretended to ignore the way his heart skipped in his chest at her touch. He wanted to curse himself. There were more important things happening than his insatiable crush.

Aspen slumped back into her seat for a moment, her mind whirring. She was positive that Joey had no part in the scrimmage that Roland mentioned, as he was hardly well enough to tug himself out of bed for breakfast. Caine was surely there, and it was no surprise that he hadn't mentioned anything to her. It wasn't as if they were best friends, and he had made clear his disdain for the younger team. She couldn't help but wonder if Elle had been there, and if she was, had she been able to control her temper? And what about Charlie? If he had gotten into an argument with Rick in the dorms, she couldn't imagine what kind of war he had waged on the ice.

It was overwhelming to think about. Every thought spiked her anxiety, and she knew that she had to find something to distract her mind. She suddenly found herself eyeing the textbook that had been discarded in front of her. She gave Roland a ghost of a smile that he returned, though his eyes clouded with confusion. She straightened her back, pulling her book in between them. "I heard a rumor that you needed help with rhetorical devices?" she offered, her nerves mellowing when she watched his natural smile return.