The Broken Girl (Lonely Girl Book 2) (20 page)

“You don’t play fair
, Bec.” He laughs against me.

“You got this
, Keegan, go show them who is boss.” I wink at him.

Keegan surprises me by quickly kissing me on the lips and starts skating away. “Who’s boss now
, Bec?” I laugh but stop when Keegan ends up face first in the ice.

“KEEGAN!” I yell.

“Key, get your head on straight, it’s game time.” Jake just came up from behind Keegan, checking him.

Alec helps Keegan up and is
now yelling at Jake. “Get to the bench, Jake! What the hell man? Get your shit together.” Jake just looks at me and skates off to the bench. Alec was named Captain this year. Alec looks at me and I wave Keegan over.

“Keegan
, I’m so sorry. I don’t get what the hell is going on with him. I haven’t even talked to him in weeks.” I bring my fingers and graze them over the reddening mark on his cheek.

“Bec, his problem is that you haven’t talk to him but you
are talking to me. Touching me.” Quickly, I pull my hand away from him.

“So
, it’s my fault. God, I’m so stupid,” I say, shaking my head. Keegan takes his glove off and stills me by placing his hand against the side of my face.

“No
, you’re not stupid, Bec. Confused, maybe. Never stupid. Don’t worry about Jake and I. This isn’t our first argument. As long as it’s for something worth it, I don’t mind.” Leaning in to Keegan’s warm hand, I remind myself of all the drama that lies ahead of us.

“I’m not
, Keegan. With everything in your life I’m the last thing that would be worth it, trust me.” Giggling brings us back to reality and I see Sarah. “She’s not worth it, but you definitely are.” Keegan skates off this time to avoid being hit by his own team.

Once I’m back in my seat
, Charlotte has joined me. “You have this goofy grin on your face, Rebecca Potts.” She winks at me.

“I do not.” Trying
to take the smile off my face proves to be difficult, so I give up and we breaking out in laughter.

“Becca
, one day soon you and that heart of yours are going to have to figure all this out.”

Nodding in reply
, I look around as the boys take the ice. “Today is not that day, Charlotte.”

She puts her arm around me
, holding me close. “No, it’s not.”

The team plays a close game for the first two periods,
but you can tell there is something going on between Keegan and Jake. By the third period, we are ahead. There are five minutes left on the board and Keegan makes an amazing save. I jump up screaming and he looks right at me. Laughing and jumping with Charlotte, we both blow him kisses and he catches them with his glove. Jake comes up beside him, tripping him with his stick. Keegan goes down flat on his back; he quickly gets up and pushes Jake. The gloves come off and their teammates are struggling to get them off each other. Helmets are gone. Keegan has a busted lip and Jake will definitely have a black eye later.

The referee is blowing his whistle and yelling. “Twenty-two and twelve
, you’re both out of the game.” The referee yells, pointing to the dressing room doors.

“They’re on the same damn team!”
the coach yells.

The guys get off the rink
, still yelling at each other. Alec looks at me and gives me a dirty look telling me I’m in big shit later.

“Well
, that can’t be good,” Charlotte says, with a smirk on her face, and I playfully smack her. The team does some position switches and continues. They almost lose with the other goalie in. He’s no Keegan, that’s for sure. But they make it by the skin of their teeth. Everyone cheers but they are still talking about the craziness of the fight.

We make our way to the area
where we wait for the guys to come out and I see them both exit. They are still arguing. Alec walks up behind them, smacking them both on the back of their heads.

Sarah rushes over. “Jake
, are you okay?” She says actually sounding like she cares. If I didn’t know her, I’d think she did.  I turn to head out and wait for everyone, away from this woman, and I stop dead in my tracks.
“Rebecca.” Standing in front of me is that last person I’d ever expect to be there.

“Professor Hunt.”

Standing there, I’m shocked at the sight before me.

“Rebecca, I haven’t been your teacher for a very long time
. What happened to you calling me Trevor?”

Giving him a shy smile
, I look around at everyone watching us. “Trevor, sorry you just surprised me.” Standing before me, he’s tall and dressed in a pair of grey dress pants and a white button up shirt, with the top buttons undone. He has the most penetrating grey eyes. With his blonde hair, saying he’s attractive would be an understatement.

“Sorry
, Rebecca, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” he says. And the sound of his voice is enough to give every girl shivers.

“Becca.” Alec is staring at me and I realize I haven’t introduced him formally.

“Everyone, this is Trevor Hunt. He’s the artist that did my portrait in Paris this summer.” Jake and Keegan are watching Trevor very closely.

“Your professor
,” Jake states. 

“That’s actually why I’m here
. The painting is being showcased in Toronto and, well, I want you to join me.” Just like that, six jaws drop, but not mine.

“Really, you want me to go to the showcase
?”

He laughs
, sweetly nodding.

“I’d love to go
, Trevor. I’ve been to so many in Europe and I’d love to see the workings of one locally.”

“I was hoping you’d say that
, Rebecca. I was hoping we could also disclose that you are in fact the model.” This makes me tense. I hadn’t really thought about that part of it. People might notice the resemblance.

“I don’t know
, Trevor. You know how I am in a crowd, and I don’t like the attention being on me.” I shift nervously.

“How many times do I have to tell you that beauty can’t be hidden, amazement can’t be dulled,
and love can’t be demolished?” His words are something I’d grown to enjoy while I was away. Hearing them now, in front of everyone, was something I wasn’t ready to deal with.

“If you don’t want people to know
, Rebecca, I would never tell anyone of course. But you are doing the world an incredible injustice by taking yourself away from them. You should be shown, displayed, celebrated.”

“Sorry to interrupt but aren’t you not allowed to date students
?” Jake says rudely.

“Actually
, it’s a program, not a university. It’s not exactly something they’d like to see but it isn’t disapproved of. Besides all that, I’m no longer a professor there and Rebecca will never again be a student. She’s incredible gifted and has an amazing future ahead of her. One she won’t be able to fulfill here.” You’ve got to give it to Trevor. He can handle whatever is thrown at him with ease.

“I think we are well aware of what her future entails. We’ve known her for much longer
,” Jake snipes back.

“You look very young to be a professor?” Alec says.

“Trevor is only twenty-six.” I say. “He graduated early with a double major of Marketing and Art, followed by a Masters, of course.”

Jake chuckles. “Starving artist
, eh?”

I glare at Jake. “Jacob
, really?”

Trevor just grabs my hand softly th
en lets go. “Hardly. Rebecca doesn’t like to brag, however, I will have no issues with that. Along with being thoroughly educated, I also own my own marketing firm that just went global. So, starving? Never. I also wouldn’t be asking Rebecca to come work for me if I didn’t think it would be profitable for her, along with working at the Gallery, of course.” Jake is speechless at Trevor’s words.

“Jake, if Trevor decided to retire today
, his family wouldn’t have to worry about money for generations,” I add, usually I wouldn’t play this sort of game but the looks I’m getting are frustrating me to no end.

“Rebecca
, I just got in but I was hoping to see some of the work you’ve been doing. Can I go check in at the hotel and then meet you at your place, unless you would like to come to my place?” he asks.

The group is watching hanging on every word, looking for me to flinch or run. “Actually
, that would be perfect, so why don’t you check in and I will text you my address. I live in the dorms, and I hope that won’t be an issue. It will be easier than dealing with bringing my paintings to you.”

Trevor smiles at me and waves his phone at me. “Not a problem, I’ll go get checked in and wait for you
r message. Nice to see you again, Charlotte and Drake.” With that, Trevor leaves me unknowingly to deal with this. Is it too late to run off with him? Turning around, I see everyone watching me closely.

“Okay
, so before I discuss anything, I don’t believe it’s any of your business but it definitely isn’t Sarah’s. So if you want to ask me anything, the incubator has to leave.”

She glares at me but then just laughs it off. “You two idiots were fighting over her in a hockey game and in comes
Mister rich Professor. Guess it’s not just the two of you competing for ‘Rebecca’ any more. Becca, take my advice. I can’t steal him from you, so he’s the safe bet.” With that, she hobbles off, leaving me to deal with her words.

“Okay what do you want to know?”

“So, you’re letting a stranger come to your dorm room and what? Hang out?” Jake snaps.

“Actually
, he isn’t so different from you, Jacob. We spent the summer together so since you had no issue with you being in there, I think your point is moot.”

Keegan chuckles. “She’s got a point there, and I don’t even remember that shit and it made sense to me.” Everyone other than Jake laughs.

“If this is the road you want to go down, let’s hope you know what you are doing, Rebecca.” He drags out my name to mimic Trevor.

“What I’m doing? Don’t act like you care about what I’m doing. You’re just scared to see that maybe I’m better of without you. The job offer, the life away from here, it’s tempting and I just might take it to get away from this freak show.” I snap at Jake.

“Damn, I don’t even know who you are any more, Becca?”

“I don’t think you ever knew who I was, because you wouldn’t have hurt me like you did. I can say this for certain
; I don’t think I ever really knew you, Jacob Kelso, because that person would have been happy that someone was expressing interest in my work, and my intelligence. You tell me how gifted I am yet you don’t understand how others could think the same.”

He laughs in a hateful tone. “Don’t kid yourself
. The only thing he’s interested in is what’s between your legs, and maybe you’ve already given him what he wants.” He turns and starts to walk.

“What the hell is wrong with you
, Jake?” Alec yells, causing him to stop. I put my hand on Alec, stopping him. “No, Jake, the one who gets down and dirty with anyone is clearly not me. I’m not the one who’s storming off because he can’t deal with the drama he caused by putting his parts in a woman he didn’t love.”

Turning away
, I walk back into the arena area and sit down on the seat in front of the empty rink, which is now being cleaned by the Zamboni. I put my head in my hands, trying to calm my rage. Jake just has this way of getting under my skin and staying there. He’s never been this hateful or hurtful towards me. It’s giving me a whole new side to Jake. An arm goes over me and I look up expecting Jake. Don’t ask me why, but hope was all I had.

“Bec, are you okay? That got pretty nasty back there.” Keegan just looks at me and his eyes are so bright
that I forget for a minute why my heart feels trampled.

“Oh, that. Jake
’s never going to be okay with anything I do. I’m never going to be okay with him and Sarah. So that doesn’t really leave much to talk about, does it?” Keegan looks uncomfortable and I realize he can take what I said about Jake to mean the same for him.

“No
, Keegan, you never lied to me. You didn’t protect her over me. You don’t ask me to be pleasant or to have to deal with her like he expects me to. You understand my hurt, you feel my pain.” I try to convey how much it all means to me.

“Of course
, I do. When will you understand that your pain is my pain too, Bec,” he replies and I rest my head on his shoulder. “Everyone is going to try and talk you out of going to the showcase, Bec, but I think you need to do this. Show him your work, step into the light, be the girl I know and love. You can’t hide forever. I won’t let you. The world deserves to know you,” Keegan adds.

“But with everything going on
, it just is bad timing,” I respond.

“This mess will still be here when you get back, and
so will everything with Jake. You need to see it through. Don’t leave it unfinished. Whoever you may end up with, Bec, as long as they know how good they have it, and you are happy, then it will have all been worth it.” I turn, seeing the pain it is giving him to say this. Why did I ever believe we could only be friends? If that’s what he wants and needs, I will do anything. Keegan has lost everything, so I will give him this. If that means dealing with Jake, I will do that too.