Sledge: The Hockey Player's Secret Baby by Lila Moore

are fights. People get hurt a lot. And best of all, the guys are in amazing shape. Hockey players’ bodies are insane.”
    “On your last point, we agree. Harley wasn’t much in bed, but he had the body of a Greek god. I could stare at him all day.”
    Our personal server came into the room. I ordered some nachos and a Coke. The food was free. I hated letting it go to waste. It felt like forever since I’d last eaten. After I placed my order, Astrid turned to me.
    “So, how are you doing?” she asked.
    “Fine. Why?”
    “You scared the shit out of me yesterday. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
    “I was upset. Yesterday was stupid and impulsive. It was an idiotic thing to do. I’m sorry I scared you,” I said quickly.
    I didn’t want to talk about yesterday. Even though I’d promised Astrid not to return home or to my aunt’s, I was having doubts. It would be a huge life changing decision. I’d be cut off from my family for good and then what? The uncertainty was the worst part. I had no idea what my life would be like on my own.
    Astrid reached over and took my hand. She squeezed it tight. “Just don’t do that again.”
    “I won’t.”
    “I’m not joking, Bobbi. Promise me.”
    “I promise. No more pills.”
    “Good.”
    The server returned quickly with my nachos. They were covered in bright orange cheese, jalapenos and pico. I dug into them like I hadn’t eaten in weeks.
    “I could get used to this,” I said.
    “Tell me about it.” Astrid was on her third beer. “So, did you ask Sledge about the money?”
    “No. It’s not right. I can’t take money from him.”
    “You won’t ask him? Even if it means you can’t afford school? What if you’re forced to move back home?”
    “You said I could do this on my own. Why are you backtracking now?”
    “You can do it on your own, but it’s going to be hard. I’m sure Sledge would pay for your tuition. You have this great opportunity at your disposal, why not use it?”
    “It just feels wrong. I don’t want to take advantage of him.”
    “I still think you’re making a mistake.”
    “What about Harley?” I said, changing the subject. “Are you going to see him again?”
    “Maybe. I kind of liked him.”
    “Yeah?”
    “Yeah. He’s funny.”
    “I thought he was ‘lousy’ in bed?”
    “Well, I can always teach him. I love a willing and eager student.”
    I laughed and polished off the rest of my nachos. The game resumed. The second period flew by. The rival team managed to hold off our guys. Even though no one scored, I was riveted. Both sides came close many times. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole game. The rival team wasn’t as bad I’d initially thought. They had fire and energy. Our guys thought this would be an easy win, so they weren’t giving the game one hundred percent.
    As the next period started, they came out with more energy. Losing to this team would be a major embarrassment. In fact, anything less than a blowout would be humiliating.
    The crowd was wild. They were on their feet the whole period, screaming encouragements and insults. Astrid yawned. The door opened behind us. At first I thought it was the server, but I soon heard the loud greeting of Chick.
    “Hey, girls!” he said.
    Astrid turned to regard him with a look of contempt on her face. “Who are you?” she asked.
    He looked wounded by her dismissive greeting. “Bobbi, are you going to introduce me?”
    “Sure, sorry. Astrid this is Chick. We went to high school together.”
    “Hi,” he said to Astrid.
    She nodded to him, not really paying attention. Chick’s small town friendliness didn’t mesh well with Astrid streetwise cynicism.
    “I wanted to come up and check on you,” he said. “Is everything okay?”
    “Yeah, it’s great,” I said.
    He took a seat beside me. I squirmed. Chick was a nice guy, but his presence was a living reminder of my secret. I didn’t trust him to keep quiet.
    “So, Bobbi,” he said, leaning