Dare You to Catfish the Hockey Player (Rock Valley High Book 6)

by Lacy Andersen

  I ducked and blushed, but for the first time in my life, I didn’t try to correct her. Today, I was gorgeous. I was owning it. No more putting myself down. I was a mighty warrior, a kick-butt female gamer, and a gorgeous sixteen-year-old high school girl. It was possible to be all those things at once.

  “Thanks, Lex.”

  Her eyes shone as she wrapped her arm around me. “You’re welcome. Now, let’s get in the limo before the boys drive away without us. Charlotte’s probably running out of ways to keep them distracted. If we don’t hurry, they’ll find new dates.”

  I knew she was joking. Zane and Hunter wouldn’t have left the girls behind for all the world. And sure enough, as we entered the living room, where Mr. Black sat with Charlotte and the boys, Zane’s eyes went straight to Lexi and lit up with an appreciation so strong I could feel it even in my gut. Hunter wolf whistled. Lexi and I paused to curtsy. The boys were both looking handsome in their black dress pants and button-down shirts. Charlotte wore a yellow silky gown that dropped to the floor and a matching yellow flower in her straightened hair. Both of my friends looked so pretty, it almost hurt to look at them.

  “Time for pictures,” Mr. Black said, standing from the couch with his phone in hand. Lexi’s step-mom, Maria, stood next to him, beaming with pride. Mr. Black made us pose for a good half hour, getting every picture imaginable. By the end, even Lexi was done with primping and looking cute for the camera.

  She took the phone from his hand and kissed his cheek gently. “We’ve got to go, Dad.”

  “Yeah, okay.” He nodded and acted like he was wiping away a speck of dust from the front of his shirt, but I was pretty sure he was just trying to hide the tears in his eyes. It was adorable, but made me immensely grateful we hadn’t gotten ready at my house. My own dad might have turned into a blubbering mess.

  We piled into the sleek black stretch limo sitting outside. Bottles of sparkling grape juice and little champagne glasses waited for us. We kicked back and sipped on our drinks, rocking out to the music the driver blared over the speakers for us. Charlotte sat cozied up next to Hunter on the side, Lexi with Zane in the rear. I sat alone, facing the back, unable to escape the lovey dovey looks each couple was sharing. My heart twinged with pain. Gabriel was supposed to be here, sitting next to me. He would’ve told me I looked beautiful in the stunning pink dress with the black tulle at the bottom Lexi had picked out for me. He would’ve grinned at the sight of my black combat boots I’d paired with it. It was totally me.

  And I was totally missing him.

  “We’re here,” Charlotte announced, looking out the window.

  Sure enough, we’d arrived at the high school. We’d spent so much time driving around in the limo that it was getting late and most people were already inside. As I slid out of the open door and onto the sidewalk, I swallowed down the last blips of fear threatening to come back up. There was no more need to feel unsure of myself. I’d accomplished so much today. Maybe I didn’t get everything I wanted, but I’d stood my ground for me and all the other girl gamers like me. That was enough to help me hold my head high tonight.

  “Come on.” Lexi took my hand and squeezed it tight. At the same time, she grabbed Zane’s and pulled us toward the gym where we could see colorful lights spilling through the doors and a heavy bass beat pounded out a fast rhythm. “You’re going to love how the decorations turned out.”

  She didn’t stop moving until we were well into the darkened room. It was crowded with so many kids from school that it was hard to see where we were going. I had to keep my eye on the darkened floor so I wouldn’t trip over anyone. When Lexi finally let go of my hand, I looked up and gasped.

  Lexi was right. The decorations had turned out amazing. Lines of soft white Christmas lights covered the ceiling. White tulle lined the walls. Hundreds of little silver snowflakes hung from the rafters, reflecting the light. It was like we’d stepped into a fancy ballroom. If I hadn’t been in here just a few weeks ago for a basketball game, I wouldn’t have known that it was a gym in the first place.

  “This is incredible,” I said, spinning in place to catch all of the decorations. “You guys really made this place look amazing!”

  “Thank you,” Charlotte and Lexi chimed at the same time.

  Right then, the music changed to something slow. The crowd on the dance floor set up in the middle of the gym dispersed until only couples remained. Zane held out his hand to Lexi beside me and Hunter did the same to Charlotte.

  “But Beth...” Charlotte looked over at me.

  “Go.” I pointed over at the food table. “I’ll get us some snacks and as soon as they pick up the tempo again, I’ll be out there with you.”

  She frowned and hesitated for a moment, but my encouraging smile must’ve encouraged her enough to take Hunter’s hand. He led her out to the dance floor and both of my friends started slow dancing with their boyfriends, looking blissfully happy.

  They’d gotten everything they wanted.

  Suddenly, I needed a drink of water. It was like I’d spent the last week wandering through the desert with an empty canteen. I grabbed a glass from the drinks table and downed it, but the cool liquid did nothing to wash down this lump of sand stuck in my throat. I reached for another glass, but a hand reached out to pick it up before me.

  “Here,” said a deep voice, handing me the glass.

  “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  I paused with the cup halfway to my lips. I knew that voice. Spinning around on my heels, the water sloshed out of my cup. I froze, staring at the guy standing in front of me. He wore a dark suit that fit his athletic body like a glove. His hair was slightly styled with some kind of product. He tilted his head to one side and smiled at me, his hands tucked casually in his pockets. Even in the near dark of the Winter Wonderland Lexi and Charlotte had built, I could still spot that white scar along his jaw.

  Gabriel Corrigan.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Gabriel?” I breathed out his name, not daring to move as silver snowflakes danced above our heads.

  Was this real? Why was he at the Winter Ball? And more importantly, had he brought a different date? I wasn’t sure my heart could take the answer to that question.

  “Hi.” He bit his bottom lip, his gaze trailing down my pink dress to my combat boots and back up again. “You look...really gorgeous. The boots were a nice touch.”

  Blood rushed to my cheeks. I set the water glass down on the table beside me. “Thanks. Lexi chose the dress, but I insisted on the boots. I didn’t want to completely lose myself.”

  “Good.” He nodded firmly and then took a step closer, causing a jolt to go through my chest. “So, I got a mysterious delivery today while I was coaching hockey. My buddy Joe delivered it onto the ice. He nearly broke his neck trying to skate it out to me.”

  “Oh, yeah?” I tried to sound aloof, but as he moved even closer, his eyes never leaving my face, it was getting harder to stay cool.

  “Yeah. It was the original Assassin’s Creed game. The collector’s edition, actually.”

  “That’s a great game.”

  “I know.” An ornery light lit in his gaze. “I used to have the same one. Back before my brother went on a rampage and ruined it during our thirteenth birthday party.”

  “Lucky you, to find a new one.”

  “Lucky me.”

  He stood only inches away now. His sexy cologne was tickling my nose and lighting up every nerve in my body. The logical part of my brain told me to run away. That allowing myself to be this close to Gabriel was only going to be torture for me. But the rest of my body didn’t listen, and I remained glued to the floor.

  “There was something else mysterious that happened today,” he continued, his eyes glinting with humor. He fiddled with the button on his suit jacket and then leaned closer. “Turns out, someone made a sizeable donation toward the pee-wee hockey team today. Enough to cover our costs for several more seasons.”

  I
tried to keep my face straight as he stared me down. The sizable donation had been $4,830, to be exact. The entire check left over after buying his collector’s edition Assassin’s Creed at the local game shop. It was an easy gift to make. The tournament had never been about the money for me. The win was enough. Gabriel was worth all of it and more. So were the kids he coached every weekend. They deserved that check.

  “I guess Christmas came early this year,” I said, shooting him an innocent smile.

  He smirked, clearly not buying my act, but he wasn’t going to get anything out of me. I was a rock. Solid and unmovable.

  That was, until he softly tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Thank you for the gifts, Beth.”

  Somehow, I managed to stay up straight on my quivering knees. There was no way I could fall into his arms right then, no matter how much I wanted to. Just because he’d thanked me for my gifts, didn’t mean things between us had gone back to normal.

  Right?

  “So...did you come with anyone tonight?” I asked, leaning casually against the table.

  He chuckled and dropped his hand from my hair. “No. You?”

  “No.” I shook my head and tried not to look at him like he was a snack. A mighty fine snack. A snack that was looking ridiculously good in that suit. “Just my friends. I actually had a date, but then I did something stupid and ruined it.”

  He pressed his lips together and the humor was gone from his face. I kind of wished I’d just kept my mouth shut, but this was all part of the apology process—owning up to my mistakes.

  “Actually, I have a confession to make,” he said, shifting his feet. His gaze shot to the dance floor and then back to me. Gone was the cool and confident guy. Regret washed over his face instead. “If anyone was stupid, it was me.”

  I laughed hollowly, unable to believe that Gabriel had done anything that remotely compared to what I’d gotten myself into. He was too pure for that.

  “Like what?” I asked accusingly.

  He grimaced and then looked away. “I lied to you. All week.”

  A cold, hard stone dropped into my stomach. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but it sounded serious. “What? What does that mean?”

  “I knew.” He rubbed a hand over his face and peeked at me through his fingers. “I knew that CurrerBFighting was you. Way before Michael dropped that bomb in class.”

  My jaw dropped to my chest. My reply was a sputtering mass of nonsense. “W-w-what? How did...what? You...how?”

  “I found the memory chip you lost after our first study date.” He grinned sheepishly. “When I got home, I popped it into my computer to watch some of the hockey footage. Coach Hart always says that if you want to push yourself to be better, you’ve got to tackle your weaknesses head on. And with our big match coming up, I figured it could help. That’s when I overheard you and Lexi talking about it in the background. About how you were catfishing me. And how you thought a guy like me would never go for a girl like you.”

  Blood poured into my cheeks and down my neck. I gripped the edge of the table, unsure whether I was simply mortified or having a panic attack. So that’s where the memory chip had gone? Gabriel had known. He’d known nearly the whole time. I always thought I’d been fooling him, but it turned out he’d been in on it the entire time.

  “You...didn’t tell me.” My chest was heaving.

  He squinted with embarrassment. “Yeah, but in my defense, I liked you way before I listened to that video. But thanks to that, I figured out you didn’t completely hate me. Not like you hated Michael. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I was a chicken.”

  Indignation went through me. I’d lied to him. Used him. Pumped him for information. It was wrong. But here he was, acting like he was the one who’d done the wrong. It just didn’t make sense. “But that didn’t make you angry? That I was lying to you?”

  He shrugged and shoved his hands back into his pockets. “Nah. I knew what that tournament meant to you. I just wanted to make sure I did whatever I could to help you. You deserved to win. And you did. First woman ever at Rock Valley High to claim the title. It’s totally awesome.”

  I stared at him in awe. Gabriel knew. He knew and he didn’t say anything because he knew how bad I wanted this win. How could I have ever been so foolish as to think I hated him? That he hated me? He was amazing. I couldn’t have found someone better to fall for.

  A sensation went through me as I stared wordlessly at him. It was so strong, it nearly knocked me off my feet. It started in my abdomen, then spread throughout my entire body. It was a warmth that was unlike anything I’d ever experienced and it propelled me forward. I leaned forward, grabbed his face, and planted my lips on his. He tensed at first, but it didn’t take long for his hands to find my back. He pulled me closer to him, deepening the kiss. My heart beat out a rhythm that would’ve been more appropriate for a night club. And when he finally pulled away, I was quite out of breath.

  “Does this mean you forgive me?” he asked, looking deep into my eyes.

  I laughed and ran my fingers over his curly hair. “I’m pretty sure we’re even.”

  He sighed with relief and then pulled me into a tight hug. “Good, because I was going to tell you at the tournament this morning, but I didn’t want to throw off your game right before the final round.”

  “That’s considerate.” I smiled at him. “Was this all in your message to me on the game? The one I didn’t read?”

  “Yes!” He sighed dramatically. “I sent you a message as soon as I got out of that anatomy class, but you had to go and disappear from the world. If I’d known you wouldn’t get my message, I would’ve hunted you down and explained the whole thing.”

  A trickle of embarrassment went down my spine. “Oops.”

  “Yeah, oops.” He grinned and then gently rested his forehead against mine. “The truth is, I should’ve told you right away when I found out, but I didn’t want to scare you away. I was really into you, and I wasn’t sure how you felt about me yet.”

  I cocked an eyebrow. “Are you sure now?”

  He bit his bottom lip and grimaced. “Maybe? I think it’ll take a few more dozen kisses for me to really know. Actually, I think the backstage area of the theater is free. Want to get out of here?”

  The look on my face made him burst out into laughter. He took my hand in his and, instead of pulling me toward the door to the stage, he led me to the dance floor as another slow song began.

  Lexi and Charlotte were still there, cozying up with their guys for another dance. The expressions they made when Gabriel took me into his arms beside them were priceless. They both squealed with excitement, which all three boys rightly pretended they couldn’t hear.

  “I’m not sure if I’m very good at this kind of thing,” I said as I draped my arms over his shoulders. Dancing was awkward for someone like me. I never knew where to put my hands or what to do with my body. And I was pretty sure my hips didn’t move like Lexi or Charlotte’s.

  Gabriel’s large hands gripped my waist and he smiled softly at me as we began to sway. “Not good at what?”

  I gestured at myself. “At this whole girly thing. At dancing with a boy. At being the type of girl that wears dresses and makeup and acts all sweet all the time. That’s not me—at least, not most of the time. Tomorrow, I’ll go back to being the girl who wears beanies and baggy black t-shirts and loves video games.”

  The right side of his mouth tilted up in a dashingly handsome smile. “You’re perfect in a girly dress or in a baggy t-shirt. It doesn’t matter to me. I’ve always thought you were beautiful. It’s probably why I couldn’t say more than three words to you for the past four years.”

  Again, blood rushed to my cheeks. But this time, I didn’t laugh awkwardly. I didn’t make a brush-off comment. Leaning forward, I pressed my lips against his and his grip tightened on my waist as he kissed me back.

  “Oh great, I just lost my appetite,” someone sne
ered right beside us.

  My muscles tensed and I squeezed my eyes shut momentarily. I knew that voice. I’d been hoping after the events of this morning, I’d never have to hear it again, but apparently I was wrong.

  We broke apart to see Michael standing next to us on the dance floor, his arm draped over a sophomore wearing a glittery silver dress that fell above her knees. She was pretty and petite, and everything I used to think a guy like Gabriel would want. But that expected twinge of insecurity never came. Instead, I ran my hand up the back of Gabriel’s neck to his hair and smirked back at Michael.

  “Do you mind? We were kind of in the middle of something?”

  His sneer grew uglier. “You think you’re hot stuff, just because you won some stupid game, Frye? I have news for you, you’ll always be a poser.”

  “Better to be a poser than a full on rage-jerk like you. It’s a good thing you lost the prize money. I’m not sure that motorcycle would’ve been able to carry the weight of your ego. Now, if you could move along...”

  Michael grumbled a string of nasty insults back at me that made his date blink in shock. However, I wasn’t shocked. This was a total Michael play. He never could let anything go. I turned back to Gabriel, fully ready to ignore Michael’s existence for the rest of time, when he brushed past me and headed toward his twin.

  “I think we’ve had enough of that,” Gabriel said, grabbing his brother’s arm and twisting it behind his back.

  Michael grunted and cursed loudly, but couldn’t break free of his grip. A few people stopped dancing to see what the commotion was about. Slowly, Michael’s date backed away into the crowd, until she was gone. With an apologetic smile in my direction, Gabriel torqued his brother’s arm just enough to make him swear again.

  “Sorry, but our dance will have to wait a minute. I’ve got to have a serious conversation with my brother about respecting women. It’s been long overdue.”

  I giggled as he forcefully moved his brother toward the exit. No one intervened. Not even Coach Hart, who I could see eyeing the brothers over the cookie he’d snatched from the dessert table where he was chaperoning. And when they were gone, the DJ picked up the tempo with a new song, causing everyone to forget about the commotion and crowd the dance floor.