Scrolling through my phone, I respond to texts from my mom congratulating me on the game, then check email.
揘o way,?I mutter under my breath. I click on the new message from Daisy. Something like excitement bubbles under the surface as I read her few words. I check the timestamp. Only ten minutes ago.
Fuck it. I抦 bored and a long way from sleeping.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Congrats!
Thanks. I guess all we needed was a little bit of Johnson抯 Law. What are you up to tonight?
I send it and wait.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Johnson抯 Law?
I抦 hanging out with some friends. I think you meant Pascal抯 Law. How抎 that work out?
From: [email protected]
Subject: Yes, JOHNSON扴 Law
Pascal抯 Law was a stretch, but I took your advice and chatted with the guys about us all stepping up and helping lead. It might have been a fluke, but it worked tonight.
What are you and your friends getting up to?
I try to picture her out at a party in her cute little dresses, hiding in the corner.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Yes, JOHNSON扴 Law
Drinking and playing dress up. Are you on a bus or something?
Drinking? Interesting. I wouldn抰 have thought that抯 how she spends a Friday night. And not because she抯 shy. Tons of quieter people come to parties and stand off to the side, but I抳e never seen Daisy at a party. And I抳e been to plenty of them thrown by all sorts of groups of people.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Dress up?
I抦 going to need an explanation. What does that mean, dress up? Halloween is over. Or is this like cosplay? I抦 intrigued. Tell me more.
We抮e at the hotel in Utah. Back on the bus in the morning.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Dress up?
My roommate is a fashion design major. She makes a lot of dresses and skirts inspired by the Regency and Victorian eras. I suppose that could be considered cosplay, but we just do it for fun after a night out.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Re: Dress up?
What in the hell are dresses inspired from the Regency and Victorian eras? Like big ass dresses with corsets and shit?
Her next email says nothing, but she attaches a picture of herself in a red dress with sleeves that hang off her shoulders. It dips low in the front, pushing up her small tits.
I never noticed how little she is, but the fabric wraps tight around her midsection and then flares out around her hips. The skirt has a large slit that comes up high on her thigh, and attached to her feet are these strappy gold shoes that tangle around her legs. She looks?well, she looks fucking hot.
She抯 not smiling, but her lips are coated a shiny pink, and her dark blonde hair falls around her shoulders. She抯 a tiara away from looking like a sexy, vintage princess. It annoys me, but I can抰 stop staring.
Heat rushes to my dick. Man, away games are the worst. Short of picking up a random at the hotel, there抯 no one to hook up with after games. I could use a release right now.
I can抰 say any of the things I抦 thinking, but I抦 hella fascinated to know more now. This is not the Daisy I抳e been sitting next to for the past few weeks. Sure, she always looks cute, but this?fuuuuck.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Dress up?
Your roommate made that? There抯 more?
From: [email protected]
Subject: My friends are talented
Yep. My cousin, Violet. Do you like them?
She抯 attached more pictures. Her friends, I presume. I scroll back up to the one of just her. Damn. Look, a sexy little dress alone doesn抰 make a chick hot. Her friends are wearing similar things, and they all look great. Totally fuckable by just about any guy I know standards.
But that dress on Daisy. It抯 just so?unexpected.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: My friends are talented
Yeah, that抯 pretty cool. Now that you抮e all dressed up, what抯 the plan? Hitting after hours?
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Re: My friends are talented
No, we抮e in for the night. This could go on for hours. Violet just opened another bottle of wine.
P.S. Diet Coke and Vodka do NOT mix well.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Drunk Daisy?
Are you drunk, sweet Daisy? I can抰 tell.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Drunk Daisy?
I am not sweet, but I am drunk. I think. My insides are warm and tingly. Do you get your own rooms at the hotel, or are you bunked up with a bunch of other guys?
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Re: Drunk Daisy?
Warm and tingly, huh? Yeah, I抎 say you抮e drunk, sweet Daisy.
Nah, just one roommate on away games most of the time. He抯 sleeping.
I know she抯 probably asking specifically about Liam. Actually, it抯 probably why she emailed me at all. The thought puts a bitter taste in my mouth, and I glance over at my buddy sleeping.
Something like guilt pricks the back of my neck. I抦 not doing anything wrong. So we抮e exchanging a few emails? It抯 a far cry from anything I should feel bad about. I抦 not stepping on his girl. He抯 had plenty of time to make a move. Though that might be because of what I said when he mentioned asking her out.
I scroll up to take one more look at her in the red dress and then turn my phone on silent for the night.
We get back to Valley Saturday night with another win in the books.
揂re you coming out??I ask Liam as we step out of the bus. A few of the guys are going to the bar, and others are heading to one of our senior抯， Brad McCallum抯， apartment.
Liam抯 smile is a little quicker tonight. He still struggled out on the ice, but we found ways to score without him. I hope it抯 taken a little pressure off him, and he can get back to playing awesome hockey. I know what it means to him. He wants to play professionally but hasn抰 been drafted yet.
揧eah, I think I抣l head to the bar for a beer or two. You??
揑 told McCallum I抎 stop by.?
揂ll right, man.?He offers his hand, and I take it and pull him in for a one-arm hug. 揝ee you later. Nice job this weekend, Cap.?
McCallum抯 apartment is already packed when I arrive. Dallas, a sophomore goalie, tosses me a beer, and I take a seat next to him at the dining room table currently covered in cards and cans.
A hand snakes down my shoulder and onto my chest. Cybil leans forward, and her shiny, brown hair falls into my face. 揌ey, handsome.?
揌ey.?I lean back and wrap an arm around her waist, and she moves to sit on my lap.
揧ou missed the most epic of parties last night. I hate hockey season.?She sticks out her bottom lip.
Cybil and I have an easy friendship that often leads to sex. She抯 a civil engineering major, too, and parties more than anyone else I know. She抯 a cool chick梬ild and always up for a good time.
揟hen I guess we better make up for it tonight.?I knock Dallas on the shoulder and motion for him to move down, so Cybil has a chair.
For the next two hours, I play catch up, drinking my weight in beer. I抦 always a lightweight after a game.