Slapshot

Chapter 13: Sneak Out

Taylor's POV

I was sat on my bed doing homework, trying to work as fast as I could, but no ideas came to me. I was trying to get started on the Wuthering Heights essay which would be due late next week, but I was stuck. I knew I should've started it earlier, but hockey has honestly taken up so much of my time that I haven't found time to get ahead in classes.

I was stuck on trying to perfect my thesis, but I had no luck. My topic was about expressing reason versus passion in a thematic sense, but every time I thought of passion I got carried away thinking about Braden. It had been this way for a good half hour, and I knew it would be this way for a while longer.

I closed my book, wishing Heathcliff and Catherine away for the time being. I could come back to it later. I had essentially all day today to catch up on a good portion of my homework. When Braden had dropped me off last night, we talked a bit, concluding that we'd just stay in and watch movies, since we weren't up for anything else. That meant I had until then to work.

Yesterday I'd had a small session with my mom when I got home. She was fixing up some paperwork in the living room, which was right at the front of the house. When Braden had parked at my house, we didn't go inside right away, instead we spent some time kissing.

I told him to park on the side of the road in front of my house instead of on the driveway to call less attention to us, but I hadn't realized that the effect of either would've been the same.

When I got inside, ten minutes after he parked the car, I immediately noticed my mom sitting with a book on the couch in front of a big window. Oh god.

"How was the game?" my mom had asked, motioning for me to sit with her.

"It went well. We won." I said.

"Who drove you home?" she asked with a knowing smile. Of course. Mothers always knew.

"My friend Braden." I said, trying to keep it simple, but she wouldn't have it.

"Who's Braden?"

"My teammate." Her eyes went wide.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"No, no." I said, and I had felt the blush surfacing. "We're friends."

"I normally don't kiss my friends but hey, it's been awhile since I was your age." she said with a humourous smile and I groaned.

"Did you see us?" I asked, my head down.

My mom nodded. "I'd love to meet him someday, thanks for asking." she joked, and I walked away, ending that embarrassing conversation.

I took out my huge functions notebook, because my teacher assigned us three pages worth of questions. Functions was a strong area for me, I could easily fly through this in one hour, two maximum.

After about twenty minutes and four questions later, I heard my mom shouting. "Taylor! Taylor!" she called.

"What?" I called back.

"Your friend's here." I heard, and my eyes went wide as they flew to my clock. It was just past noon, why would Braden already be here? I was still in my pajamas, too...

To my great surprise, when the door opened it was Jonathan.

"Hey," he simply says, walking in and sitting at the end of my bed.