Pucking on Thin Ice

Pucking on Thin Ice ASHLIE SILAS In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved. Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher. Contents 1. Santana 2. Mason 3. Santana 4. Mason 5. Santana 6. Mason 7. Santana 8. Mason 9. Santana 10. Mason 11. Santana 12. Mason 13. Santana 14. Mason 15. Santana 16. Mason 17. Sierra 18. Mason 19. Santana 20. Mason 21. Santana 22. Mason 23. Santana 24. Mason Epilogue CHAPTER 1 Santana “I have a proposal for you.” Even in my sleepy state, the soft, lyrical voice reaches into the dredges of my mind, interrupting my incredibly nice dream. Groaning softly, I turn over, hoping she’ll go away. “Wake up, San!” the cheery voice calls. My bed bounces softly and I realize she has jumped onto it. This time, my groan is loud and frustrated as I sit up on the bed. “Sierra,” I say, blowing out a breath as my eyes latch onto her light blue ones. She raises her hand in front of my face. “Before you threaten bloody murder, I have a proposal for you.” I give her a look, followed by a countdown in my mind to calm myself, lest I strangle my roommate. “I’m not interested. Go away.” I throw my blanket over my head but that isn’t enough to deter her. She shakes my shoulder insistently. “Come on, San. Please, just listen to me.” “You’re messing with my afternoon nap,” I protest. Two months ago, when we first met, that was one of the few conditions I set down. For the entirety of the time we would be living together as roommates, she would let me sleep in peace during the afternoons. I take my naps very seriously. “You’ve been asleep for three hours. It’s almost four p.m.,” she counters. With a frustrated grunt, I throw the blanket off my body and glare at her. Stubborn people are the most frustrating people on the planet. They just never give up. How hard could it possibly be to take no for an answer? “What do you want?”. “I have a proposal for you,” she says cheerfully. Until a month ago, I couldn’t stand Sierra. She’s so happy all the time, with a smile on her face and an extremely friendly personality—the opposite of me. I prefer to be on my own at all times, I think Sierra’s against the whole idea of that. She always has to be talking to someone or at least be in someone’s company. “So you’ve said,” I tell her. “Three times. What is it?” “You need to come to a hockey game with me. It starts in thirty minutes,” she informs me. I can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of my throat. “You’re joking, right? Have I ever given you any inclination that I would love to spend an afternoon sitting in the stands, cheering on a team of players that I couldn’t give a fuck about?” “That’s a little harsh. Come on, Santana. You’re in college. Where’s your school spirit? Plus, the Wolverines are the best college hockey team in the state. People love them.” “I am aware of that fact.” Extremely aware, considering it’s practically all I’ve been hearing for years. “College is all about making memories—having fun, meeting guys, and making a few bad decisions.” “Don’t forget the studying and grades and making plans for your future,” I state dryly. “Yeah, that too,” she says nonchalantly. “Anyway, we’re here to have fun, San. And we can’t do that if we’re stuck in our rooms all day.” “I’m choosing to be stuck in my room all day. You can go wherever the hell you want,” I remind her. She pouts. “You’re kind of a bitch, you know that?” I laugh. “No, I’m not. You just can’t influence me as easily as you influence everyone else.” Seriously, Sierra talks to someone for a few minutes, smiles, and they’re suddenly pliable to her every need. She’s good with people. Guys and girls alike. “Why do you even need me to come along with you?” I question. “I’ll be bad company, you know that. Call any one of your other friends. I thought you were going to the game with some guy.” “I don’t think you’ll be bad company. I want to hang out with you, San.” “Huh-uh. Your date canceled, didn’t he?” She flops onto the bed and sighs. “His dog died and he had to rush home, can you believe that?” I snort. “Of course not. Talk about terrible timing. How dare that awful dog die when you needed someone to accompany you to a hockey game?” “See?” Sierra says, grinning. “You get me.” I smile back at her. For all her quirks, I actually do like her. She’s the only friend I’ve managed to make since I got here; most people are turned off by my incredibly sunny disposition. But Sierra doesn’t quit. It didn’t matter how hard I tried to push her away, she pushed past my boundaries and now I genuinely care about her. Plus, there are a lot of perks to having her around. The girl’s drop-dead gorgeous. With her lush brown hair and baby blue eyes, coupled with her model-like stature, guys are practically falling down at her feet. Meaning she gets a lot of gifts of chocolates and flowers. We get tons of deliveries to our dorm room, and I can tell she loves all the attention. Who wouldn’t? And I’m getting free junk from it, so I don’t really mind. “I’m not going to the game with you,” I tell her firmly. “But you’ll be getting something out of it, as well.” She pouts. That makes me perk up. “I’m listening.” Sierra gets up