Scars On Ice | Charlie Conway

e i g h t e e n

Peter sent Jay an exasperated look, pleading for help with only his eyes. Jay just shook his head from his position across the room. He took his glasses off and rubbed his face tiredly. If he had known how exhausting it would be to listen to Peter and Aspen mess around, he wouldn't have invited them over, and he definitely wouldn't have let them stay so late. 

Peter took a slow, tentative step towards Aspen, his arms held up innocently. "Look, if this is about earlier..." he began calmly. His eyes were as wide as hers were narrowed, and he did his best to imitate Roland's angelic smile. He continued, "I want you to know that I'm very, very sorry. But you're better than this. Don't stoop to my level."

Aspen watched him intently, her position unchanging. She was considering what he had said, weighing her options. She definitely could be the good guy, put the glitter down and pass Peter his project. But at the same time, she would really love to see his reaction to her coating his work in pink sparkles.

Focused on her thoughts, Aspe failed to notice how close Peter had gotten. Before she was able to make her choice, he wrapped his strong arms around her torso , reaching up with one hand to seize the bottle that she was holding. A yelp left her mouth, but it was drowned out by his triumphant cheers. He rolled the closed container across the table and out of her reach, still holding her off of the ground in his arms. She swatted at his chest. "Peter! Put me down!" she shouted, but to no avail. Lacrosse had strengthened his upper body, and there was no chance of her pushing out of his grip without falling onto her bad ankle. 

Across the room, Jay was laughing his ass off. Peter was also chuckling, his melodic laughter resonating in Aspen's ears. She was annoyed at how easy it had been for him to pick her up, seeing as how he was nearly built like a twig. After a moment, he placed her back onto the ground with an uncharacteristic gentleness. He patted her head. "Next time, don't try to beat me at my own game, Hops," he teased.

Aspen angrily blew a strand of hair out of her face. She crossed her arms over her chest, frustrated with how easily he had dethroned her. She supposed that there was just no one who could hold a candle to his shenanigans. When she didn't say anything, Peter gave her a childish grin. "For what it's worth, I hadn't even considered glitter. Mad respect for that one," he complimented.

She responded with a sardonic smile. She rolled her eyes, "Gee, thank you, your highness. I'm so glad I could do good by you."

"Don't be like that," Peter tittered, reaching over to tweak her nose. She slapped at his hand, but he pulled back too quickly for her to make satisfying contact. His grin didn't waver as he collected his schoolwork and retreated to sit by Jay. Grumbling under her breath, Aspen seated herself at the table, pulling her own project in front of her. The phone rang just as she was outlining her subpar artwork. 

Jay let out a grunt as he hoisted himself to his feet. He crossed to where the nearest receiver sat, taking a sigh before putting it to his ears. "Hello?" He was silent for a moment, aware of both Peter and Aspen's gazes, which were fixated interestedly on his face. His lips fell into a deep, concerned frown. "Hey, hey, relax. What is it? What's wrong?" he asked calmly, his eyes traveling to Aspen. He gave her a frightened look that made her heart thump. After a moment, he opened his mouth again, "Yeah, okay. One second." To Aspen's surprise, he waved her over.

She limped over to his side, her shock only multiplying when he handed the phone to her. She furrowed her eyebrows, her confusion magnified, until he mouthed one word. Elle.

Aspen's fingers were clumsy as she held the phone up to her ear. Her nerves had tripled. "Elle? Is everything okay?" she asked hurriedly. She could hear the girl's ragged breath, and she figured that their game must have literally just ended. Aspen's heart clenched when she heard the girl sniffle. She couldn't remember the last time Elle had cried.