A Hockey Tutor (9 page)

Chapter 10 – Andrew

That girl was something else. The moment she raced out of my room, I knew exactly where she was going.

As we climbed down the stairs, I followed her closely. I wanted to protect her, to make sure she was okay.

When we got to the parking lot, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards me. “Hey, Katie, I’ll drive your car. Franks, take mine.” I threw him my keys. No one argued; we just went our separate ways. Katie handed me the keys, and I opened the door for her.

I assumed she was going to chew me out for taking charge of the situation, but she didn’t say a word. I watched Franks, with Lindsay, turn right, heading back to our house. I sat at the stop sign a moment longer. I didn’t want to take Katie home, so I turned left.

“Where are you going?” she asked, looking out the window.

“I think we need a drive, to calm down,” I explained, and I headed to the one spot where I liked to go to think, and enjoy the quiet.

I pulled onto campus and headed straight for the rink. I parked the car in Coach’s spot, and got out. After I opened the car door for her, I held her hand and led her down the hall and into the student section. The ice rink was bright white, and the St. Paul Bear gleamed in the middle of it. We sat down, still holding hands, as we both stared out on the ice.

After several moments of silence, Katie finally asked, “Why are we here?”

“It’s where I come for quiet and clarity. I figured you needed it, too.”

“We should be studying. We both have tests tomorrow.”

“I think we can hold off for a little bit, and focus on the now,” I leaned over and whispered to her.

She looked unconvinced, her back rigid, but didn’t let go of my hand. She crossed her legs and began to shake her ankle.

“You need to relax and enjoy the quiet,” he said quietly.

“No, I need to get the study materials finished so we can get ready for that test tomorrow,” she growled back at me. I watch her twist her charm around in her fingers.

“Why can’t you just do this?” She was so hung up on studying that she couldn’t focus on letting her adrenaline die down. She was so damn stubborn. I shook my head at her. “Fine,” I said, letting go of her hand as I stood up. “Let’s go study.”

“Good.” She jumped up and turned toward the door.

As we made our way to the car, the cold autumn air danced around us. Her light brown hair shone brightly, as the sun shined on it. I looked down at her hips as she swayed up to the passenger door. What the hell was wrong with me? The only other time I ever cared about a girl’s hips was when she was naked and I needed something to hold onto.

I drove to her apartment so she could grab her bag, and then we headed back to my house. I tried to open the car door for her, but she jumped out before I got a chance, and stomped into the house.

I went to my room without saying a word, and grabbed my laptop, along with my books. I almost ran into Franks when I got back into the hall.

“You like her,” he said teasingly.

“What?”

“Katie. You like Katie,” he clarified.

“She’s my tutor, and I guess a friend, but that’s all.”

“Andrew, I have been your friend since the day you laced up your first pair of skates. You might be able to fool everyone else into thinking you’re just a badass hockey player, but I know you,” he said as he pointed his finger right in my face. “You’re a good guy, and I think you’re in love.”

“Oh, come on,” I laughed at him. “Love? Me? I don’t fall in love with girls. I fall into bed with them. There’s a huge difference.”

Franks smirked at me. “Liar.”

I rolled my eyes at him, and headed down the stairs. I’m not in love with Katie. No way. I don’t fall in love. It doesn’t happen to me. I like Katie, she is a friend. Okay, maybe I felt something the other day, but it was nothing. It might have been all the alcohol that was still in my system from the party. I slammed my stuff onto the dining room table, trying to forget the conversation I just had with Franks.

The moment I sat down, Katie went into tutor mode. She went over everything that was going to be on the history exam tomorrow. It was a lot of information to retain, and I hoped I could remember even half of it.

It seemed like a lifetime of studying, but it had only been a few hours. Nonetheless, my head felt like it was about to explode.

“I can’t read another word. Not going to happen.” I shut the large book and pushed it away from me.

“Yeah, I think a break is needed.” She got up and went into the kitchen. I heard Franks and Lindsay coming downstairs.

“Hey, wanna order some pizza?” Franks asked, sitting at the table with me.

I nodded. Katie came back in with two beers. She tried to hand me one, but I didn't take it. She looked at me, confused. “I swear I didn’t put anything in it,” she teased.

“Um . . .” I didn’t know how to explain it to her.

“You know what, I’ll take that.” Franks came to my rescue and took the bottle from her hand.

Katie sat down, still looking at me. “Is there a reason you didn’t want it?”

“Um . . .” was all I could manage to say.

“Katie, what do you like on your pizza?” Franks asked, distracting Katie from her question.. “Hawaiian,” Katie and Lindsay answered in unison, and then laughed.

I looked at my watch. “Hey, I need to run out for a bit.” I stood, slapped Franks appreciatively on the shoulder, and headed towards the door.

“Do you have a hot date, or just a quick lay?” Katie’s teased me.

“Katie,” Franks said, shaking his head.

“What?” She looked at Franks, then me, confused. I didn't say a word. I just grabbed my keys, and left.

The drive to the church wasn’t long, but the traffic was starting to pick up, and it seemed longer. I thought about what Franks said, again. Did I love Katie? That was impossible. I didn’t fall in love,.

I parked the car out front, and walked up the stone stairs to the large oak doors. I tugged on them, and the smell hit me. Church, like the ice rink, was somewhere that I could think, and get clarity. I wasn’t a religious person, but coming here brought back memories, memories of a happier time.

“Andrew, you missed morning mass,” Father Michael said as he walked up the aisle to me.

“My apologies. I had another matter to take care of.” I shook his hand. “Do you have a moment?”

“Always.” He points, with an outstretched arm, to a pew near the back of the church.

“I know you’re getting ready for evening mass, so I won’t take up very much your time.”

“Take all the time you need, Andrew. What’s the problem?” Father Michael looked at me intently, with concern in his eyes. His steel gray hair, cut short, reminded me of how old he had gotten over the years.

“Is it possible for me to fall in love?”

“Of course. Love is an amazing and wonderful thing. You’re a great man, and I have no doubt that you could be in love. Why are you asking? Is there someone special in your life?”

I looked away from him, and over to the stained glass windows that depicted the stories of the Bible. I shrugged.

“Andrew,” he pushed after a moment of silence. “Talk to me as if this collar wasn’t around my neck, and as the uncle that I am to you.”

I turned back to my Uncle Mike, the one person I could tell everything to. “I miss Mom,” I told him honestly.

“It has been a rough couple years for you. Is that why you came to St. Paul?”

I slouched down in the pew and looked up at the ceiling. “I came here for a new start, but it started off just like everything else, with Dad bailing me out again. Then this stuff with Wes, and let’s not forget, every NHL scout is looking at me just waiting for me to make a mistake. And then there's Katie.”

“Who is Katie?” Uncle Mike asked.

“My tutor that Dad paid for.”

“Is she the one who has you questioning whether or not you can fall in love?”

“Yes. She has me working harder than I’ve ever worked in my life. And I want to do well—for her, for myself. She makes me feel like just because I’ve screwed up in the past doesn’t mean I can’t get it right this time. And she’s beautiful and sweet and sassy and . . . and . . .”

“And you’ve fallen for her.”

“I’ve only known her a few weeks.”

“I seem to remember a time when a fiery blonde fell for a hockey-playing chemist. She swore she would never fall in love, but it happened, and they were so madly in love.” He smiled at the memory.

“I’m not Dad, and she isn’t Mom.” I crossed my arms.

“Andrew, the first time you saw her, what did you think?”

“I thought she was hot,” I said candidly.

Uncle Mike smiled. “Anything else?”

I paused. “Her eyes. I thought I saw a sadness in her eyes that I recognized. I feel like it’s the same look I have when I think about Mom.”

For a moment neither of us said anything. We had all a hard time with my mom’s sudden passing. None of us could comprehend the car accident, because Mom was such a good driver. The police report ruled that weather was a factor, but it didn’t matter how, she was still gone.

“Andrew.” Uncle Mike’s voice pulled me from my thoughts of Mom and her accident. “Stop hiding behind your goalie mask, and just be you.”

“What does that mean?”

“You are not some hockey bad boy. You are Andrew Moore, and I know what a great young man you are. You put people’s needs before yours all the time. And yes, you are slacking in the school department, but that’s because you feel like you need to keep up this image that isn’t you.”

“It’s not an image. I am a goalie. I like to have sex with girls and drink an abundance of alcohol. That all equals up to a bad boy.”

“My baby sister raised you right, Andrew, and you’re a great kid. You’ve just made some not-so-great choices lately.”

“You think I’m a great kid? Wow, I have you fooled,” I said, grinning at him.

“I doubt that. How many drinks have you had today?” he asked, his eyebrows raised.

“None,” I groaned.

“Because?”

“Because Mom didn’t think it was appropriate to drink on Sundays,” I grumbled.

Uncle Mike laughed again. “Oh, that sister of mine.” We sat there in the silence of the church, reflecting on memories of my mom. She was very religious, but never pushed it on anyone. She treated everyone the same way, and that’s what she taught me. I wish there were some way I knew she was proud of me.

“Thank you, Uncle Mike. I can always count on you,” I said sincerely.

“You can count on your dad, too. You know, he misses you.”

My father and I had been inseparable, until Mom died. It was so much harder for me to be around him. Seeing his pain just reminded me of losing her, and I couldn’t take that. When I was first offered the position in Boston, I took it. Then Juniors happened, and it seemed to spiral from there. I really wanted St. Paul to be different.

“Thanks again.” I stood to leave, but I had one more question. “Hey,
Father Michael
,” I said formally. “Why did you come to St. Paul?”

He stood up and grabbed my biceps. “Because my nephew needed me.” He smiled at me, and I knew that he was right.

Instead of just saying “thank you,” I hugged him.

Chapter 11 – Katie

“So, I went down to the landlord’s today to pay my half of the rent, and he told me that it had been taken care of until the lease expires.” Lindsay had her hands on her hips, looking down at me as I sat on the couch, reading my photography book.

“Well, Linds, what did you think I was going to do with all that money? Have the bank give it to me in ones and go down to the all-male strip club?” I joked with her.

“I would have totally done that,” she laughed, sitting next to me. “How about I just pay the bills with my half, and if it’s more than that, I’ll let you know?”

“That sounds fair,” I agreed.

“And no more buying groceries. Remember, we’re splitting everything?” Lindsay reminded me.

“Well, I didn’t think you wanted to live on Cheetos and pizza all semester,” I said sarcastically.

“When did you go shopping anyway?”

“When Franks was trying to feel you up while watching the movie. I figured it was time for me to leave. So, what’s the deal with you two?” I asked, shutting my book.

Lindsay shrugged. “We’re just friends.”

I stared at her, waiting for her to elaborate.

“Well, I mean, he’s a nice guy, but right now we’re just having fun,” she explained. “What about you and Andrew?”

“There is nothing between us,” I said firmly.

“I think there is.” She winked at me. I didn’t want to tell her about how my feelings had been all over the place since waking up in his bed the other day.

“His dad’s email reminded me that midterms aren’t that far away, and he has to have his grades up,” I said, changing the subject.

“Speaking of which,” she clasped her hands together and rubbed them wickedly, “Halloween is almost here.”

I perked up. “That means Halloween parties,” I sang out. I loved everything about Halloween parties: the dressing up, the makeup, the wigs. It was the one time a year you could be whoever you wanted to be.

“How about we go shopping later?” Lindsay suggested.

“I can’t today; I have to get Andrew from practice, and then we need to get some studying done. Rain check?” I asked.

“Sure, maybe this weekend?” She smiled as she got up, and walked to the kitchen.

I grabbed my book and put my papers together. I took it all to my bedroom and packed up my bag. I yelled at Lindsay that I would see her later, and headed to the BMW.

I thought about Andrew, again. He hadn't left my mind since he walked out of his house on Sunday. After I left the apartment, I went to the grocery store, and I thought about how he was there for me during the whole Wes situation.

I parked in a spot by the rink, and shut off the car. . I rubbed my thumb over my charm on my necklace. I wished Nick were here. I knew he would help me through all of this.

My phone pinged, alerting me of a text message. It was from Brandon.

I’ll be in MN soon. Want to have dinner?

I texted back:

Why are you coming to MN?

Meeting someone. So, dinner?

I knew that “
dinner
” meant sex, and I wasn’t really sure I should string him along. Our time had passed, and it wasn’t fair to let him think there was a chance for us. Maybe if I had dinner with him I could explain all that.

Let me know when you’re in town & I’ll see if I’m free.

I hit send and then threw the phone into the cup holder. I sectioned off a piece of my hair and twirled it around my finger. I thought about the first time Brandon had asked me out on a date. We were freshmen, and our first homecoming was coming up. I had known Brandon all my life, and he knew that he had to go to Nick first.

I lay my head back and let the memory wash over me:

“So, Brandon wanted to know if it was okay to ask you out.” Nick was leaning against my bedroom doorframe, his dark brown hair spiked up like he had just rolled out of bed.

“What did you say?” I asked, jumping up from my desk chair, literally bouncing on my toes.

“I told him hell no. No guy is going to date my baby sister,” Nick said in a serious tone.

“You didn’t, did you?” I asked in a panic, thinking my big brother had ruined my chances of going to the homecoming dance.

Nick laughed. “No, I’m messing with you, Cinderella. He’s going to ask you out tomorrow at school.”

I squealed and leapt into his arms. “Are you kidding?”

“Calm down. You’re not going to marry him.” He sat me back down.

“How do you know? Maybe he’s my Prince Charming,” I said, twirling around my room as if I were a ballerina on a cloud.

“Your Prince Charming is still out there.” He tussled my hair, and walked out of my room.

My big brother was always looking out for me. I didn't know what I would ever do without him.

I quickly swept the tears from my cheeks t as I noticed Andrew coming towards the car. I hit the trunk button so he could put his bag in.

“Hey,” he said, as he opened the door and climbed in.

“Hey,” I repeated, starting the car, and backing out of the parking spot. “How was practice?”

Andrew chuckled. “Actually, very good. Wes’ still leaving me alone, and that makes me happy.”

I didn’t say anything because I sort of felt bad. I just let my anger get the best of me. I drove across campus to the library. I knew that we had a lot of work to do, and I really didn’t want to waste any time thinking about Wes Crown.

I got out of the car and pulled my coat flush against my body. It was freezing, and snow was in the forecast. I briskly walked into the warm building as Andrew jogged up next to me.

“I didn’t know you were so excited to study business management,” he joked.

“I was just cold.” I walked to the back of the library and found an empty table.

For the next two hours, I didn’t talk about anything but business management. I caught glimpses of Andrew giving me strange looks, but I ignored them and focused on the homework. When we were finally done with the chapter and the study guide for the upcoming midterm, I shut the book.

“I’m done,” I announced to him, and so are you.” I closed his book. “As long as you study the guides and the questions, you shouldn’t have any problems with the midterm. Ready to go home?” I started shoving everything into my bag.

“Um, yeah, sure,” he stammered, gathering his books up. “You know what, I’m not.” He stopped what he was doing, and turned to me. “Let’s go to dinner.”

“What?” His tone was suddenly different. “Wait, are you asking me out?”

Andrew stood there staring at me for several seconds before he took a deep breath and said, “Yes.”

“Then no,” I quickly answered.

“What?” He looked shocked.

“If you are asking me on a date, then my answer is no. We can’t mix business with pleasure, and this,” I pointed in between us, “is just business.” I was lying, and I knew it. My heart was beating so fast, because I
did
want to go out with him.

“Just business?” His blue eyes bore into me.

“Yes. I mean, we’re friends and that’s all good, but nothing more,” I said hurriedly. I threw my bag over my shoulder and turned away from him.

What the hell was wrong with me? Ever since the other night, in his bed, everything that happened with Wes, and at the rink, I couldn't process it all. I just . . . couldn’t. I didn't know how to tell him that I hadn't been in a serious relationship since Brandon, and I didn't even know how significant that one was because we were just kids. Since then it had been just a couple of dates with a few guys, and nothing ever happened with them. Then there was Wes, and that was just a complete mess.

What happened if we dated and it became serious, and then something bad happened? What would I do then? I valued our friendship and I didn't want to ruin it.

I left the library not even knowing if Andrew was behind me, and raced to the car. I started it and turned the heat on full blast. I closed my eyes and tried to calm down.

Andrew opened the passenger door and dropped into the car. I didn't say anything as I pulled out and drove towards his house. The tension was so tight in the car, it was almost me.

As I turned into his driveway I couldn’t take it a moment longer. “Andrew, I didn’t—”

“Stop. Just stop,” he barked, cutting me off. “I don’t need to hear any excuse that you come up with.” He started to get out of the car, but I pulled him back in.

“You’re going to listen to me,” I told him loudly.

He looked at me with his beautiful blue eyes, but didn’t say anything.

“I like you, Andrew. I do, but we need to keep this professional. Your father hired me to tutor you, not to be your girlfriend,” I explained. I wanted to say that I wanted to be more than a friend, but I couldn’t get the words out.

“This is just business,” he repeated to me, and got out of the car. He tapped on the trunk, and I hit the release button. I watched as he walked inside, never turning back to look at me.