Pucked Over

5

Rindou POV

"Yo, Rindou, it's your turn." Ran's elbow connects with my gut, making me snap my head toward him. "What?" "Your turn, dude. Where's your head at?" I take one last look at the table in the middle of the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of the brunette girl. I'm not even sure why I try.

She's so short she can easily get lost in the crowd, and more often than not she does. But just then, the crowd parts and I see her standing next to the tall dude, his arm thrown casually over her shoulder. He says something, and she throws her head back and laughs. Out of all the places, she has to be here tonight? "Here," I mutter, turning my attention to the balls on the table, quickly assessing the situation before leaning down and taking my shot.

I use more force than necessary, making the white ball fly across the green table. It hits the stripe I was going for and sends it flying into the opposite pocket. "At least you're not a shitty player." Standing upright, I glare at him. "When have I ever been a shitty player?" "Where do you want me to start?" Ran's grin widens. The asshole loves to get on my nerves.

You'd think it's a hobby or some shit. "Fuck off, Ran." "You two ladies planning to spend the night gossiping, or are we playing?" Sanzu, our wingman, asks. "You ask Haitani ." Ran lifts his hands in the air as he goes to our table. "He's the one with twisted panties." I'm not sure how we managed to get it since this place was full when we got here.

Then again, Sanzu always makes sure that his favorite athletes have a table ready when they get to his place. Because where athletes go, the rest will follow, even at Toman, which is known for both its sports accomplishments and academic ones. "That's because you assholes irritate the hell out of me." Still, I lean down, quickly pocketing two other balls; I'm just about to do the same to the third one when... "I think it has more to do with that sexy (h/c) he's been checking out all evening."

Kisaki, our goalie, drums his fingers against the edge of the table and I miss. Badly. "I haven't been checking out anybody." "And yet you missed when Sanzu Mentioned her. Huh." Ran shoves me out of his way as he lines up his shot. "I missed it because Sanzu was shaking the table with his tapping. Seriously, dude, you need to get your nerves in order." I go to our table and take a swig from my beer. "Can't, helps keep me centered." Kakucho frowns. "How can it help keep you centered?" Sanzu shrugs. "It does. I haven't heard you complaining when you assholes let your guard down and the opposing team comes flying at the net, leaving me to save your asses."

The guys get into a discussion about who's to blame for our shitty defense, but I barely listen to them because, from this vantage point, I can look straight at her table. I'm not sure who Yuzuha Shiba 's new friend is. She wasn't there the day Baji asked us to help him move Yuzuha and her friend into the dorm, but she has to be a freshman.

Ran was wrong, though, she's not a brunette. No, her hair is as (H/C) . I still remember how it glistened in the sunlight earlier when she stumbled out of the car. Some strands have slipped from her braid and are curling around her face. Long, thick eyelashes surround her ( E/C) . Her full dark red lips stand out against her smooth skin. It was those lips that drew me to her in the first place. They stand out, a complete contrast to her otherwise dark coloring. A temptress. That's what she is. An exotic temptress with the most innocent pair of big, (H/C) , and a sharp tongue that would make a lesser man cower.

Ran elbows me in the gut. "So much for not checking anybody out." "I'm not checking her out." I turn back and find my friends staring at me. "More like trying to figure out if I can strangle her." The guys all turn toward me as one. "Why the hell would you do that?" Sanzu asks, frowning. "Because the chick ran me over with her car earlier today." "What?" "You're joking, right?" I lift my brows, the beer bottle stopping halfway to my mouth. "Do I look like I'm joking?" I take a sip from my beer as we turn our attention back to the girl in question. Ran looks toward where the girl is standing. "She's sexy." Like I need a reminder. She might be on the short side, but she has just enough curves to fill a man's hands.

She's barely out of middle school," I mutter, more for my benefit than for theirs. The little rich girl might irritate me, but there's something about her that draws my attention to her, whether or not I want it there. And I most definitely don't. Ran looks over my shoulder. "Those lips don't scream middle school to me. But they'd sure look good wrapped⁠—" I glare at him, which has him shutting his mouth. Better, because the other option would be me shutting him up with the cue. "Who's playing?" I ask, ready to change the subject. Muto rolls his eyes. "You, asshole." Of course, it's me. I pocket two more stripes, leaving only one and the eight ball.

Muto pockets one ball misses the other, and leaves everything perfectly aligned for Sanzu to finish the game. "That's how you do it." Sanzu raises his arms in victory. He turns around and points at Ran and Muto. "You pay the next round, boys." They both groan. "I want a rematch," Muto demands like he always does. The dude loses all the time but insists he can do better. He can't. I put my cue back in the holder and shake my head. "Sorry, man, but I'm out." "What? You can't leave yet, we just got here!" Ran protests. We've been here the last couple of hours, so we didn't just get here, but I don't bother correcting him.

"Sorry." I shake my head. "Early morning." Sanzu groans. "You are no fun, West. Are you sure you want to leave these assholes unattended?" "You're one of those assholes, asshole," I remind him. "Besides, it's not like I'm your mother." "Could have fooled me." He tries to cover his words with a cough, but I hear them loud and clear. I punch him in the arm. "Don't be a little dick, Sanzu." "Hey," he protests. "I'll have you know my dick is big, no, huge. Thank you very much." "I don't care one way or the other." From the corner of my eye, I spot a couple of girls standing by the wall, looking toward us and giggling.

"Maybe you should find somebody who does." Slapping him on the shoulder, I turn around and lift my hand in a wave. "Later, boys." Yes, sir, and bye, Coach follow me out as expected. Some of my teammates called me Daddy Haitani, but they learned pretty fast that if they want to keep all their teeth, they shouldn't call me that to my face.

Or anywhere I can hear them, for that matter. I don't hide the fact that I love my team and by extension, my teammates. Hockey saved me when I was in a shitty place in my life, just a punk from Roppongi with a chip on my shoulder the size of Mt. Fuji. So while yes, they're assholes, they're my assholes and I know those guys will have my back on and off the ice.

Next to my best friend, Mistuya, his grandmother, whom we both call Grams and our roommates, my team is my only family and you take care of your family. The music is louder in the main space, although the crowd isn't as big as it was when we just got here. People either moved on to some of the house parties happening on campus or went home so they could get up for classes tomorrow. Like the (H/C)  girl.

Yes, I noticed when she left the bar with her friends. She caught me staring and gave me one of those snotty, looking at you down her nose before turning around and walking away. Something I should be doing. I wasn't lying when I said I had an early morning. My schedule is packed this year. Between my classes, hockey, and an internship I landed with Dr. Satoru, one of the best sports medicine doctors on the East Coast, I'll have my hands full.

I spot a few more people I know, either from classes or from the clinic. Izana, a football player on the Ravens team and a close friend of one of my roommates, lifts his bottle in greeting and I nod once.

A redheaded girl plastered to his side lifts on her tiptoes to whisper something in his ear. Shaking my head, I continue on my way out. A rush of warm air hits me as soon as I step out the door. I can't wait for the summer to finally be over and for fall and winter to arrive. A few smaller groups hang in the darkness in front of Kawata's, smoking and drinking. Tucking my hands in my pockets, I descend the few steps and start walking home.