Awkwardly Ever After Read Free

estimation of him. At least he had a solid sense of humor . . . something we would both probably be needing with Mackenzie’s brain tuned to matchmaking mode.
    I shrugged. “Mackenzie means well. I’m not sure about her judgment when it comes to, y’know . . .”
    â€œMe?”
    â€œYeah.”
    He flopped into the seat that Mackenzie had recently vacated. “Fair enough. She has a terrible track record. I mean, that guy she’s dating? No good. I don’t trust him as far as I can slide him on the ice.”
    I mentally replayed the way he had hauled Logan away from Patrick, and smiled at the joke. “Yeah, Logan’s just the worst.”
    â€œThat’s what I’ve been saying for years. I’m biding my time now. Waiting for my parents to buy me the captaincy.”
    His parents could probably do it. Everyone knew that the new wing in the gym was courtesy of the King family fortune. I studied him carefully, searching for even a trace of truth behind his joking words. Spencer’s green eyes were bright, but I suspected that it had less to do with hockey and more to do with messing with my head.
    â€œWould you really want to be team captain?”
    â€œNah, probably not. That would mean I’d have to give all the pep talks.” Spencer scoffed. “Show up early. All of that cr—garbage.”
    I didn’t know what to make of his quick bit of verbal sanitation, whether it was his way of trying to impress me with his chivalry or if he considered it bad form to swear in front of an impressionable freshman girl. The sardonic edge underlying his every statement left me wondering if he ever meant anything he said, or if life was one big joke to him.
    â€œWould all of that be such a bad thing?”
    â€œIt certainly would be for Patrick.” He glanced down at his phone. “Listen Poc—Melanie. It was fun meeting you, but I have places to go, people to see, and parties to crash.”
    I rolled my eyes. “Of course you do.”
    â€œSo I’ll be seeing you tomorrow night.” Spencer stood and I knew that if I kept my mouth shut he would saunter out of the hockey rink as if he owned the place, which he sort of did. His parents had paid for its remodel after all.
    â€œI don’t get it,” I blurted out, before he had taken more than two steps. “We have nothing in common. Why on earth would you want to hang out with me? If you really wanted to get out of this, you could convince Mackenzie to let it drop easily enough.”
    His smile quirked up at the side. “That’s for me to know . . . and you to find out.”
    â€œ Seriously? You couldn’t come up with anything more original than that?”
    â€œNope, but I’ll do better next time.” Spencer winked. “Catch you later, Melanie.”
    That was the last thing I needed. Especially if Spencer developed real feelings for me and I had to explain to Mackenzie why I was reluctant to give one of the hottest guys in the junior class any of my time.
    Sorry, Mackenzie. I’d just rather date your little brother than your boyfriend’s best friend. That’s fine with you, right?
    The only thing I found myself dreading more than trying to explain that to Mackenzie was introducing anyone to my dad. Not when he passes tipsy and moves on to getting thoroughly trashed before five o’clock every evening. Just because my dad wasn’t an angry drunk didn’t really change anything; I still hated watching him stare at the television for hours on end while he poisoned himself into an early grave.
    I absolutely refused to let anyone else see him that way.
    Which was why I waited until the next morning before school to corner Izzie for advice.
    â€œSo, hypothetically speaking, if someone tried to set you up on a date with Spencer King . . . how would you worm your way out of it?”
    Izzie barely glanced up at me from the AP Statistics textbook she