Cheap Shot by Brittney Mulliner
Haley
He was reassuring me,comforting me, yet he was the one that risked everything to stand up to Ethan. He was the one with a black eye.
I twisted until we were face to face. “Thank you for standing up for me.”
His eyes softened, and a small smile tugged at his lips. “You’re not going to lecture me for overstepping or remind me that you can fight your own battles?”
“I can, but it’s nice to know you have my back. I haven’t really had someone that cared about me enough to do that in a long time.”
His gaze dropped to my lips as I spoke, and that familiar tug in my stomach that always seemed to appear around him urged me forward.
“I’m starting to realize there’s very little I wouldn’t do for you.” His voice was so low, causing me to lean closer to hear.
Inches separated us, and it was too much. Without letting my brain second-guess my heart’s decision, I closed the distance. The second our lips connected, it felt like my entire being relaxed. This was where I was meant to be.
His hands slid behind my neck and into my hair, holding me against him. I clutched at his shirt, fisting the fabric in my hands.
He increased the pressure as he tilted his head, kissing me from another angle before taking my bottom lip between his lips.
I lifted a hand, trailing my thumb along his strong jaw then pushed my fingers through his thick hair. My heart pounded against my chest, but I wasn’t scared or nervous. Everything about this felt so natural.
He pulled away and grinned before teasing me with one, two, and three short kisses before resting his forehead against mine. Keeping my eyes closed, I absorbed the feelings and sensations of being this close to him. The comfort and safety he provided along with the excitement churning in my stomach. It was right. He was right. This was how love was supposed to feel. I’d never felt so certain about anything in my life.
My brain was trying to rationalize, remind me we’d only known each other for over a month. We’d only been out once, and had that even been a real date?
My heart and soul screamed over that doubt.
He cared about me, not just because I was his friend’s sister and he wanted to watch out for me. No. It was so much deeper than that. He listened to me when I needed to unload on someone. He gave advice but never pushed me to obey. He made me laugh. He made me feel confident and beautiful. I never second-guessed myself around him, at least not when it came to his feelings about me. He’d made those pretty obvious, despite his efforts to honor my brother’s wishes. All of those amazing things, and that didn’t include how incredibly handsome he was. That was the cherry on top. Not that looks mattered in the grand scheme of things, but he was attractive in a way I’d only ever dreamed about.
But there was something major I was keeping from him. We wouldn't be able to move forward without me opening up. He knew some of the heavy things in my life, but not about what happened last year.
“Reid?” I leaned back, breaking the contact.
His eyes opened slowly and held mine.
“I need to tell you what happened.”
He sucked in a breath and leaned back against the bench, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Only if you want to.”
I leaned into his side, reveling in the quiet reassurance he radiated.
Maybe telling the girls helped this not feel so intimidating, or it was the trust he’d gained from me, but the story spilled from my lips without pulling any of the emotions I’d felt reliving it the day before.
His grip tightened on my shoulder when I told him about my ex walking in and seeing what his friend was doing before leaving and letting it happen. I expected him to interrupt or make comments, but he gave me the space to get it all out at once.
When I was done, I let out a heavy breath and felt lighter than I had in months. The burden of carrying this secret had been pulling me down day by day, and it was an enormous relief to share it with the one that I cared about most.
I watched, waiting for his reaction.
First, he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat.
Then he clenched his jaw, making the muscles below his cheekbones bulge.
Finally, his eyes locked on mine.
“Haley.” There was a devastating pain in his voice. So much more emotion than I expected. He flexed his hand on my shoulder then tightened his grip, pulling me even closer to him. He kissed the top of my head, and I closed my eyes, soaking in his strength. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. I’m sorry you didn’t get the justice you deserved. I’m sorry you had to go through that pain and grief alone. I hate that you didn’t get to tell your story, but I understand why you felt like you couldn’t.”
He kissed my hair again.
“Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me.”
I nodded against his shoulder.
“I get why Ethan’s so protective of you now.” Regret filled his voice, and I shifted enough so I could look at him.
“Would you do things differently if you’d known sooner?”
He shook his head quickly. “No, I still think he was out of line trying to dictate your life, but I get where he was coming from. If you were my sister”—I cringed and he chuckled—“I mean if something like that happened to my sister, I would do everything I could to make sure she was never hurt again.”
“Would you call her stupid or a disappointment?” I couldn’t hide my bitterness.
“Absolutely not. What happened wasn’t your fault, at your last school or at that AGN party. Both times someone took advantage of you. They did something illegal. They violated your rights and your body by putting something in your drink. They took away your agency and control. That’s completely and one hundred percent on them. Not you.”
I hadn’t realized how badly I needed to hear that until the words sunk in. “Thank you for believing that. Sometimes I can’t help but look for ways to blame myself. Like if I’d been more aware or tried harder to get away.” I shook my head, “But all that does is cause more pain.”
“Please don’t do that anymore. If you ever start to think like that, talk to me. I’ll remind you every single day if you need me to.” That was a promise. He would live up to that if I needed it.
“Okay.” I dropped my head back on his shoulder.
We stayed like that for several minutes until he jerked and pulled his phone from his pocket and groaned. “I forgot. I have a presentation I need to work on for my next class, so I’ve got to head over soon.” He paused. “As long as you’re okay. If you need me to stay with you, I can.”
I shook my head and stood. “No, I appreciate the offer though.”
He smiled and flinched. “Ah, that hurts.”
“Are you giving the presentation today?” I asked, eyeing his colorful bruise.
“Yeah, I was going to go over it with my partner a few times before the class starts.”
“Do you have a few minutes to come up to my room with me? I think you should try to cover that up.” I gently touched the skin on his cheekbone.
“It’s already that bad?”
I shrugged. “It’s not black or purple yet, but it’s definitely noticeable.” The angry red mark stood out on his tan skin.
“I could claim it was a hit or something during practice. Most people in my classes are used to me showing up a bit beaten up after games.”
I hated that truth. “Right. I forgot this was a normal look for you. I just didn’t want your professor thinking you got in a fight.” Even though it was the truth.
“Nah, it will be fine. Hockey players are supposed to be a little roughed up.” He winked and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss on my lips before straightening. “Can I see you later?”
I nodded, unable to keep the grin the thought of more time with him off my face. “Yes, please.”
I watched him walk away before heading in the opposite direction back to my dorm. I’d been in the middle of writing an essay when he’d messaged, and I had to get it finished. Although, focusing on the meaning behind a boring nineteenth-century poem was going to be difficult with the memories of our kiss filling my thoughts.
“My, my. Someone looks happy.” The teasing voice behind me broke through my daydreaming.
Krystal caught up with me as I waited for the elevator and wagged her brows. “What’s going on?”
I didn’t bother trying to come up with an excuse. I was done hiding. Ethan knew Reid liked me, and as soon as I saw him, I’d tell him the feelings were mutual.
“Oh, nothing. Just experienced the best kiss of my life.”
Her eyes widened. “Excuse me? What? With who?”
She took my elbow and pulled me toward the stairway. “We don’t have time for this. We need to call an emergency meeting.”
Once I was following her without her tugging me along, she dropped her hand and pulled out her phone, and I had a feeling she was sending out a text to the rest of our friends.
By the time we reached our floor, the other three were in the hall practically bouncing with excitement.
“What’s the big news?” Ella looked back and forth between me and Krystal.
“Yeah, what’s going on? You’re not supposed to use nine-one-one unless something big is happening.” Cassie gave Krystal a pointed look.
“Get in a room, and we’ll tell you!” She waved them off. We’ll tell them? Was this suddenly a joint effort?
Sadie opened her door, and we all filed in. I took a seat at the foot of Ella’s bed and tried not to laugh at their expectant expressions. They were dying for information.
“Okay, Haley. Tell them what you told me.” Krystal sat on one of the desk chairs with her palms flat on her thighs.
I glanced around and smiled. “I just had the best kiss of my life.”
Squeals and gasps filled the room, and my heart nearly bursts. Their excitement and support were something I’d never experienced before, and I loved it more than I could have ever imagined.
“You guys!” Ella waved her hands. “Settle down so we can get the details.”
A hush fell over them immediately.
“What do you want to know?” I asked, stretching this out. This was my first time being the center of attention in such a positive way, and I was enjoying teasing them.
“Um, how about we start with the most important part! Who was it?” Cassie did a little shoulder dance in her spot on Sadie’s bed.
“It was Reid,” I admitted with a smile I couldn’t contain.
“I knew it!” Sadie pointed to Krystal. “I told you, didn’t I?”
Krystal rolled her eyes. “I never said you were wrong.”
“Oh, he’s so hot! I bet he’s the best kisser.” Ella gazed off, and I laughed as I shoved her shoulder, not wanting her to think about him like that.
“Stop that. He’s mine.”
“Yes, he is!” Cassie whooped.
“But I thought there was the problem with your brother?” Krystal reminded me of that unfortunate detail.
“Well, Reid told him he had feelings for me, and Ethan punched him. He’s rocking a black eye now, but at least my brother knows.” I shrugged.
“He literally fought for you.” Krystal sighed. “How romantic.”
The others agreed.
“So, are you guys together now? Like a couple?” Cassie asked.
I shrugged a shoulder. “We didn’t really talk about it, but I guess so.”
“Um, he fought his best friend for you. I’m pretty sure that means you guys are a couple.” Sadie nodded confidently.
“So, Reid told your brother, but have you?” Ella asked.
I brushed my hair behind my ear and sighed. “No, but I need to.”
It was time to stand up for myself. Things wouldn’t come to blows as it had with Reid, but I knew it could get heated. He and I didn’t see eye to eye on much, but if we were going to survive the rest of the year together, we needed to get on the same page. That started with my relationship with his best friend. I just had to get him to finally see me as an adult rather than his kid sister.