Just One of the Boys by Leah & Kate Rooper

Author:Leah & Kate Rooper [Rooper, Leah and Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2017-10-02T03:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Alice

“HOLY F—” My expletive gets carried away on the wind as we step outside. “What frozen planet have you taken me to?” I try to scream at Hayden, but he just rolls his eyes at me.

“Are you joking?” he says. “This is T-shirt weather!”

I pull my beanie further over my ears and try to bury my face in my jacket. I thought I would be prepared for winter in Winnipeg after growing up near Detroit and living in Chicago, but this isn’t winter. This is icy hell!

The wind whips Eleanor’s scarf around her head as we quickly hurry to the rental car. “Don’t worry, Al!” she says, her voice musical. “Your whole body will be numb soon enough and then you won’t notice a thing!”

Despite the weather, a grin emerges on my face. I have four days in Winnipeg with Hayden for our holiday break. It’s definitely better than spending it alone in Chicago while Mom and Xander frolic in Mexico.

Of course, Xander isn’t happy. He gets on my case just for seeing movies after practice with Hayden. Now that I’m spending four straight days with him…it’s an understatement to say Xander is freaking out.

Inside, I’m freaking out, too. I’m pretty sure I’ve mastered being a boy on the ice, but it’s hard enough keeping my voice deep and my shoulders broad whenever games end. And now, with my heart going into overdrive every time Hayden looks at me, how am I supposed to keep this up?

I look at Hayden. He was in good spirits when we boarded the plane; we passed the time watching bad Christmas movies and ordering junk food from the flight attendant. But now, he sits in the rental car, his shoulders slumped, gaze fixed out the window. Silent.

I want to lean into him, take his hand in mine, tell him it will be okay. But all I can do is stare straight ahead, and listen to Kevin ramble on about every single member of their large family.

Outside, there’s only white. White plains, a white sky; even the air seems white. Kevin’s voice is deep but soft, and my eyes grow heavy.

When I wake up, the sun has set and streetlights dust the snow with golden halos.

“We’re 90% of the way there,” Kevin says.

Hayden no longer looks out the window. He stares straight ahead, his fists taut.

Ten minutes later, we pull up to a house covered in multi-colored Christmas lights.

“It looks like we walked into one of those movies we watched on the plane,” I joke, nudging Hayden’s elbow. He doesn’t respond.

Kevin shuts off the car and a stream of sweater-wearing Canadians exit the house. Kevin and Eleanor jump out, embracing them with huge hugs. Hayden slowly gets out of the car, and grabs the luggage from the back.

I follow him, watching my feet sink into the sloshy snow all the way up the driveway. “Y-you all right?”

He nods, looking up at the house. “Yeah…it’s just…weird.”

Hayden told me that after his parents died, his aunt and uncle bought the place and moved in.

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