《Colliding Ambition》Chapter 23
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*NOT EDITED*
I am not a morning person, hence my coffee obsession━well one of the reasons.
And of course if I'm waking up so is Lexi.
Alarm clocks don't work for me half the time....so I may have set Lexi's alarm for 3:00am. But in my defence her screams woke me up faster so it worked.
"Your a bitch!" Lexi screams from her room.
"While your up can you brew the coffee!" I call back as I'm making my bed. From her room, or anywhere outside my room, I hear her cursing me out which makes me smile. She's never been a morning person either.
I had already packed last night and my suitcase is by my door so all I have to do this morning is shower and get ready. And get coffee because I doubt we're going to have time to go to Coffee Café.
The bus leaves at 5 am but Coach Davis told us to be there by 4 am just to make sure all of us got there on time. And Lexi told me she wanted to drive me but I think she forgot she wanted to come.
After making my bed I go to my bathroom and have a shower.
By the time I'm out the apartment is smelling like coffee which is heaven. I grab all my shower stuff━shampoo, conditioner, body wash━all that kind of stuff. I put them in a water proof bag and put that into my suitcase, opposite side of my clothes.
I change into some sweatpants and a ribbed long sleeve. Before going out into the living room/kitchen I brush my hair.
"I hate you." Lexi says from the couch, watching tv and sipping her coffee, not even paying me any attention.
"You love me." I say going over to the coffee area of our kitchen, I grab our biggest cup and pour most it with coffee and the rest with sugar and cream.
"Not when you use me as your personal alarm clock." Now she's glaring at me. I have to hide a laugh.
"Your the one who wanted to come." I shrug. Lexi ain't even dressed, she still wearing pyjama shorts and a tank top.
But it's like she just remembered. She hops up and walks to her room.
I laugh silently to myself. I go and turn off the tv before going back to my room to blow dry my hair.
By the time I finish blow drying my hair, it's 3:40am. I go over my list of things and check off everything I need. I bring my suitcase and bag━which in going into the bus with me━to the front door.
Lexi comes out wearing an oversized hoodie and jogger, plus sunglasses which she's being dramatic about. But it does pull a laugh from me. Lexi is worse than me when it comes to not being a morning person.
I grab my Delcour zip up and put it on followed by my vans.
"We're going to take my truck because I'm pretty sure my hockey bag won't fit in your car." I tease.
Lexi has a Honda civic, white. Kind of ironic but whatever.
I drive my truck there because Lexi complained she's not awake enough to drive. Causing me to roll my eyes in return.
The bus is one of those basic buses you travel in during school trips so when we get to the arena I see one but it looks different from the one we used at Columbia.
Some of the team is already here. I stiffen because the boys are here━Kai, Reid, Chase and Rohan. I haven't talked to them, any of them since.
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Like Lexi's reading my mind, "You were going to have to see them eventually." She points out.
I roll my eyes, "Doesn't mean I have to talk to them." I say before getting out which draws the attention of all my teammates.
I ignore it and go to my truck box. I open it and take out my suitcase and hockey bag━my backpack is on my back. Lexi grabs my suitcase while I grab my hockey bag.
When we round the back of my truck I notice most eyes are still on me. I walk to where all the suitcases and hockey bags are being put in the bus and throw my hockey bag in, then my suitcase after Lexi passes it to me.
"Katherine, glad you made it." I hear Coach Davis.
"Was there any doubt I wouldn't?" I ask, crossing my arms. A smirk pulling at my lips.
"Just wondering what's going on with you, will it effect your game this weekend?" He asks. The Harvard and Yale games are important to Coach which he's told us on multiple occasions.
"All good Coach." I respond. He nods and walks away which I now kind of didn't want him to do because Chase comes up to me.
"I'm not going to ask if your okay yet, but I am going to ask why you haven't answered me?" Is what he says.
God I didn't realize how much I missed him, which if he heard, he would not shut up about it.
"Can we not do this now?" I ask, shifting uncomfortably.
"Katherine, talk to me. Or don't, just don't ignore me. It worries me, and not only me." He looks over to where Reid, Kai and Rohan are standing, who are looking at us.
A pang of guilt hits my chest. They've been worried? I mean I got the hint from Lexi but hearing it from Chase hits different.
I release a breath, "Look I'm sorry for what you saw━" I stop because that's not what I wanted to say but Chase speaks before I could lie and correct myself.
"Is that what you think? That your embarrassed by what we saw." He now looks shocked. But I stay quiet. "Katherine please don't be embarrassed by what happened or the fact that we saw it. What happened doesn't change how we view you, we don't see you any differently." He presses.
I bite my lip.
"Your still that girl that we all became friends with. You didn't change because of what happened so please stop shutting us out like we're not your friends."
It honestly feels good to be told that this. Because my own brain has been telling me that 'they're probably embarrassed' but Chase reassuring me that I shouldn't be embarrassed lifts that weight off my shoulders.
"I'm sorry." I breath.
Chase smiles before he brings me in for a hug. I press my face into his chest as I wrap my arms around his torso.
"Now are you only talking to me?" He teases.
I playfully punch him which causing him to chuckle. He puts an arm around my shoulders and steers me towards the others and Lexi.
Once I'm standing in front of them I speak, "Look I'm sorry I've been avoiding you." I say━ironically━avoiding Rohan's gaze. Though I know he's looking at me from the burning on the side of my face.
"No sweat, Kitty," Reid says. I groan.
"Okay time to get onto the bus." We hear Coach shout.
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I turn to Lexi, "I'll see you Monday." I tell her before hugging her.
"Bye, Buttercup." Chase pipes up, causing Lexi to glare at him.
"Goodbye Casanova, I hope you break a leg." She smiles mischievously.
"Guys. Bus." Coach repeats. Lexi says good bye to the rest of the guys and leaves.
"Your sitting with me." Chase says with his arm still around me and leading me to the bus. I could still feel Rohan stare burning my back, but my pride refuses to let me look at him for as long as possible.
Chase lets me get the window seat and he got the isle seat.
I thought he would bug me most of the time but its been about an hour and Chase is snoozing away. I've been listening to music for the hour. And if I look behind me, I'll see Reid sitting with Mick. And If I look beside us, I see Kai and Rohan. Kai is on his Ipad doing something. And Rohan is reading.
He looks different. His hair looks longer. He looks tired, distracted. Is he loosing sleep? Over what?
As if he could feel me looking, he looks up at me. I turn my head so fast I almost hit my head on the window.
I eventually get bored of music so I grab my laptop and attached headphones so I could watch the shows I downloaded. About half hour later Chase waked up hungry. It's about 6:45am now and we don't get to Boston until 8pm but we do stop at about noon for lunch and maybe 5 for dinner.
"Didn't you like bring food?" I ask Chase who's been asking people for food.
He looks back at me after asking if Liam had food. "No. I was told we'd get food." He pouts like a child.
I narrow my eyes, "We just left. And didn't you already eat?"
He shakes his head but then his eye light up, "Do you have food?"
I bite my lip. I try to stay silent but his questioning stare gets annoying. I release a frustrated breath, "Yes I do."
I go into my backpack and grab a lunch box Lexi packed for me. I throw it onto his lap and un-pause my show.
🏒 🏒 🏒
"That filled my stomach to the brim." Chase says as he pats his stomach like he doesn't have an 6-pack.
I punch his shoulder, "Shut up."
We just got back onto the bus from eating at a Italian restaurant an hour away from Boston. I couldn't help but remember Rohan likes Italian. I take a peak over to him and see he's started a new book.
As I watch The 100, I see Chase also watching like a kid. Taking a peek over my shoulder. I hide a smile as a take out my earbud and pass it to him. He smiles like a kid on Christmas morning and puts it in his ears.
I guess I fell asleep because someone is gently shaking me. I open my eyes and see Chase is the one shaking me. "What's happening?" I whisper.
"We're here." He says softly.
I look around and see all my things are back in my backpack. Chase must've done it.
"Listen up." I look up and see Coach at the front of the bus with a clipboard in his hand, "I have your room assignments. We're all on one floor." He clarifies.
He starts naming people, "Kai Grant and Chase Jackson." He checks his clipboard, "Reid Matthews and Erik McClair..." He continues. But I don't hear my name.
Once I'm out of the bus Coach pulls me and Rohan aside. I stiffen. "Look I didn't realize this before, but you two are sharing a room. I can change things around and get you your own rooms if it makes you more comfortable."
My eyes widen, "Uh." I stammer.
"I think there are two beds so I don't think that will be an issue. Oh and your assigned for the entire weekend."
I bite my lip. I feel bad making Coach do all that and if there are two beds I guess it would be okay. I mean I don't have to talk to him, I'm pretty good at ignoring people.
"That's fine with me." Rohan says. I already know he's looking at me.
"Yeah that's okay." I say shifting.
Coach nods and writes something down. I walk to the bus but Coach calls to everyone, "Just grab your suitcases and leave the hockey bags." So I do that and just grab my suitcase.
It looks weird━the whole team walking into the hotel. I stifle a laugh
I'm scrolling on my phone when Coach comes up to me and hands me the key envelope with the room number, wifi and key.
I look over and see Rohan already looking at me. I just go to the elevator━others and Rohan following━and press floor 6.
"You can't ignore me forever." Rohan whispers to me.
I ignore him and keep looking at the digital marker indicating the floor's going up. We get to floor 6. I look into the envelope and see we're room 607. Left then.
Rohan follows silently.
604...605...606...607
I pass the card over the sensor and the color goes green. But what I see once inside makes my whole body freeze.
One bed.
Fuck. I feel like I should go back to Coach but then he would have to go through the hassle of getting me or Rohan a new room.
The room has off white walls. When you first walk in, the bathroom is on the left. Farther inside is the bed and and a living area. The couch is black with a coffee table in front and then the tv in across. The bed is white with black pillows.
There's another tv across from the bed on top of a dresser and a desk beside. There is a beautiful mural above the bed━a black mural. Then there is a balcony.
I look over and see Rohan is just staring at the bed. "Well now you can't ignore me, can you." He says looking at the bed.
I roll my eyes and go to the balcony, dropping my suitcase on the way. I step onto the balcony and look out. I've been to Boston before but I've never been this high up. It looks beautiful.
Shit. I have to see my parents while I'm here.
I pull out my phone and look at the message I got from my mom an hour ago;
See you at your game tomorrow, love you❤️
I blow out a breath and answer;
See you tomorrow ❤️ you.
I go back inside and see Rohan sitting on the couch flipping through the channels. He looks at me when he hears the balcony doors close. "No good channels." He shuts off the tv and stands up, "I'm going to shower."
Then he's off.
God how am I supposed to survive this weekend. It's not like my feelings towards him have disappeared. If anything I've somehow missed him, which is confusing me. Though I just ignore how I am feeling like I do everything else.
I'm laying on the bed after I changed into some plaid pj pants and a black ribbed tee. Suddenly the door to the bathroom opens and without thinking I look over and see Rohan walk out.
In a towel which is placed low on his hips. Leaving not much to my imagination.
I feel a blush rise to my cheeks and I look back to the tv, "Could've put pants on." I mutter.
I hear him chuckle, "Forgot to bring pants into the bathroom."
Then I see him cross my view━crossing through my view and the tv━so I'm forced to look at him again. "God, Griffin. Put pants on." I change the channel to distract myself.
He crosses again except now he's holding what looks like boxers and pants, no shirt.
I'm right because he comes out in━wait for it━fucking plaid pj pants. I groan
I won't last this weekend if this is how he's going to act.
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