Daniel Seavey plays hockey.
Also, he's a fucking asshole on the ice.
That's all I know about him.
He showed up to our high school about a month ago.
Rumor says that it's because his parents split, but as usual, no one has a clue why.
He had girls crashing at him from every possible direction, and he basically rejected them all, not letting anybody too close.
And as time began to pass, people forgot about him and they moved on with their lives.
I usually don't see much of him, except for every Friday night when I go to my town's open skate, with my friend Jack, who's dragged me along since we were kids because he's always had nothing better to do.
The world may never know.
In school, he keeps to himself, never accepted invitations to parties, dates, hangouts, nothing.
On the ice, he makes sure I'm too paranoid to even walk onto the bench to tighten my skates.
He weaves between Jack and I, covers my leggings in ice, and makes sure I leave this place even colder than I should be.
I remembered all of this now, as I was buying my ticket, and he was lugging a huge hockey bag over his shoulder, talking to his team, wearing a bowtie. Maybe he had a game tonight and I would finally just be able to skate.
"Ma'am, your ticket."
I looked back at the lady holding the ticket into my face, and I took it with one hand and began to walk away in embarrassment.
"Hey! Your change!"
I walked back and grabbed it from her, before meeting Jack at the concession stand.
"Jack, we haven't even gotten on the ice yet, and you're already here?"
"I was thirsty. Clearly not as much as you though."
I gave him a confused look.
"You were checking that boy out." He nodded in Daniel's direction.
"Not true. "
"Mmhmm." he responded sarcastically.
"Oh, just get on the ice."
I listened to him talk about his girl troubles with some girl named Elizabeth, and tried to help him out, even though he's winded himself in a huge predicament.
"Wow." I said. "My best friend is a huge fuck boy and its been right under my nose this whole time?"
"Not true."
"Honey, you were done as soon as you drunk made out with Olivia Michaels."
"You think so?"
"Yes. Why were you even drinking, you're 15."
He sighed and looked ahead.
"I'm building up my tolerance so I'll be able to take you home safely when its your turn to party."
"Oh, what a gentlemanly reason Jack." I mimicked. "It surely isn't because you're the only virgin in your friend group." I poked him in the stomach before skating away from him backwards as fast as I could.
I skated right into somebody, and I turned around as he fell on the ice.
"I'm so sorry." I said nervously.
"No, that's alright." He brushed himself off.
Jonah Marais. And across from him, Daniel.
"I'm Jonah Marais." He held his hand out for me to shake. I took it.
"Sierra Allen."
"Don't be fooled." Daniel rolled his eyes. "He only did that to steady himself without looking like a dumbass for not being able to skate."
"Daniel, I swear to god the second we step off this ice-"
"Why not right now you p-"
"Alright, that's enough Daniel." Jonah raised his eyebrows.
"Come and get me lovebird." Daniel moved backwards quick.
"I got him, because obviously you can't."
I was dying to get back at this kid.
I chased Daniel around the ice, him skating backwards, and because I can't, I and began to dodge the middle schoolers and I forced him into a corner behind a huddle, before he fell over trying to avoid running over a fifth grader. I tripped over him and he slid into the wall, hitting his skates against it with a loud crash.
"HEy!" the rink guard hurried over to us.
"Seavey, of course you're the racket! That's it, get out. Both of you!"
He got up and helped me up quick before running off the ice.
He waited for me at the entrance, before checking his phone.
"That was my brother you know." He mentioned.
"Really? Why'd he call you "Seavey" then?"
"Eh, he likes to act like he doesn't know me here."
"That's horrible of him."
He looked up at me from his phone unsteadily before squinting his eyes in confusion. When he realized that I was still there, he returned his glance quickly back to his phone.
"My dad isn't gonna be here for another half hour."
"Mine too." I said.
He sat on the bench.
"I'm pretty suprised you even got to me that fast." He said, refering to me catching him on the ice.
I shrugged. "Brains over brawn I guess."
he glared at me.
I giggled. "Maybe it was brains over ego."
he looked at me completely shocked.
I broke into full out laughter.
"Whoops."
"Why would you say that? You don't even know me."
"To be fair, most of the time I see you, it's here, and you're tripping me or checking me, or skating right in front of me before swerving in the end just to scare me."
"Well-"
"You think- and you are- you're really good at it so you're an asshole about it. I've been coming here long enough to know."
I put my hair in a quick bun and looked up at the clear sky.
I felt his gaze on my face, so I turned to face him.
"I think it's only fair you tell me something about yourself now. Since you happen to 'know so much about me.'"
"Well, I figured that out myself. Plus, there's really nothing to me."
"Doubt it." He said.
"Fine. Heres a real interesting one: I live in a house."
"Wow, I think I've just been blessed with all the knowledge in the world, I can die happy now."
I laughed.
"Can I see your phone?" He pointed to my phone lying on the bench.
"No, this is the first conversation we've ever had, I'm not giving you my phone."
"Then take mine. I meant to exchange numbers, loser."
"Oh, I knew that."
"Mmhmm."
I grabbed his phone and punched my number in. I typed in "Sierra," and he took his phone back and added a smiley face.
"Why?"
"Because I like your smile, and I'll remember you like that."
"You have a lot of other girls's numbers you need distinguishing from?"
"No, I was just trying to compliment you." He smiled and looked down.
"I was just messing around, you're fine, Seavey." My mom pulled up and I got in the car.
"See you tomorrow?" He asked.
"Tomorrow's Saturday. Unless you're making plans."
"We'll see, Allen." he laughed.
-
"Mom, wait! I left my phone charger there!"
she sighed. "All right, hurry up."
She turned around and as we pulled back up to the rinks, Daniel was walking home on the sidewalk.
He looked bloodied, bruised, and crying. I thought his dad was coming to pick him up?
My mom stopped the car, right next to him because I asked her to and I jumped out.
"I thought your dad was coming?"
"He couldn't make it so I'm walking to my moms. His work held him up." He tried to inconspicuously wipe his eyes.
"Okay. But are you going to tell me what happened to you?"
Now getting a closer look as he moved towards the streetlight,
His eyebrow was cut and his cheek was starting to swell. His dress shirt had a rip on his upper back.
"Nope. It's none of your business."
"If I asked you twenty minutes ago, it would be."
He kept walking away from me.
"Was it Jonah?" I stopped.
"Mm. Yeah." he sighed.
"Let me at least take you home. Its ten degrees out, and you live right across from me."
He stopped. "Is Matthew in your car?"
"No, why?"
"I dunno, just thought he'd be there with Jack. And he lives right next door."
" Just get in, Seavey."
Maybe it's because he had just gotten beaten up, but the little spark he had in his eyes was gone, and his face remained emotionless the whole ten minute ride back.