Fourteen

Reya

I stared at my phone, willing a message from Zora to pop up.

Ten minutes passed.

Nothing.

Twenty.

Still nothing.

Do I double-text?

No. She's probably just busy.

An hour slipped by, and with a frustrated sigh, I tossed my phone onto my desk and forced myself to focus, flipping through my notes from our last study session.

None of it made sense. The numbers, the formulas—they blurred together in an incoherent mess.

I needed it explained.

I needed Zora to explain it to me.

I needed Zo—

No.

I shook the thought away before it could fully form. I didn't need Zora. What I needed was to get her out of my head and focus on what actually mattered.

Hockey.

Well, passing calculus and then hockey.

With another sigh, I grabbed my phone again, clicking on Stevie's name. If Zora wasn't going to answer, maybe Stevie could help.

Me: Hey, I know this is random, but Zora isn't answering me. I'm stressed about calc. Can you come study with me?

A few seconds later, my screen lit up.

Stevie: Sure. Give me ten minutes.

I sent a thumbs-up in response, but my mind was already drifting—back to Zora, back to the way things felt off between us, back to that damn dream that had me waking up breathless and burning.

I clenched my jaw, shaking my head.

No. I couldn't go there. Not now.

Instead, I took a deep breath, trying to shove it all down.

Tonight, I was going to study. I was going to focus.

And I was not going to think about Zora.

At least, that's what I told myself.

Ten minutes later, a knock at my door jolted me from my thoughts.

I took a steadying breath before opening it. "I know it's late. Thanks for coming."

Stevie shrugged, stepping inside with her bookbag slung over one shoulder. "No worries. I'm a night owl anyway." She gave me a pointed look. "But I feel obligated to warn you—I am nowhere near as good as Zora at calculus. So, if you fail tomorrow, don't come crying to me."

I hesitated, suddenly second guessing my decision to invite her over. Was this a mistake? But then again, Stevie couldn't possibly be worse at this than me, and some help was better than none.

"Okay, so we're going over the chain rule," Stevie started as I led her toward my room. Genevieve was passed out on the couch, and I didn't want to wake her.

As soon as we stepped inside, Stevie smirked. "Damn, Reya Jones, taking me to your room? Trying to seduce me?"

I rolled my eyes. "You wish."

Stevie chuckled but then arched an eyebrow at me. "Nah. We both know there's only one woman you want to seduce."

Her voice was teasing, but there was an edge to it—a knowing tone that made my stomach tighten. I didn't respond, pretending to be focused on grabbing my notes from my desk and spreading them out on the bed.

Stevie plopped down beside me, pulling out her own notes. 

"So, what was Zora doing anyway?" I asked, as casually as I could manage, though the question had been buzzing in my brain from the moment she walked in.

Stevie didn't answer right away. Instead, she smirked, flipping through her notebook. "Oh, you mean before I heroically abandoned my night to come help you?" She let the moment stretch before finally saying, "She was cuddled up with Liv when I left."

I blinked. "What?"

Stevie shrugged, that damn smirk still on her lips. "I'm serious. They were practically spooning in Liv's bed."

I scoffed, trying to ignore the weird pang in my chest. "You're messing with me."

She grinned. "I mean, would I lie to you?"

"Yes."

Stevie laughed, flipping open her notebook. "Okay, yeah, maybe. But not about this."

I shook my head, trying to push away whatever this feeling was bubbling up inside me. It didn't matter what Zora was doing. It shouldn't matter.

Besides Liv is her best friend, I shouldn't be jealous. 

"Can we just start?" I muttered, gripping my pencil a little too tight.

Stevie raised an eyebrow but didn't push. "Alright, chain rule. Let's do this."

And just like that, we were studying. But no matter how hard I tried to focus, my mind kept drifting—back to Zora, back to the fact that she hadn't answered me, and now, back to the thought of her curled up with Liv.

✰✰✰✰✰

My alarm blared at 9:30 a.m. jolting me awake. I groaned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, already dreading the day ahead.

I shifted slightly, only to realize there was a weight on my legs. Looking down, I found Stevie sprawled out beside me, her head resting against my thigh, still dead asleep.

I frowned. I didn't even remember falling asleep last night, and I'd bet anything Stevie didn't either.

"Stevie," I muttered, nudging her gently. No response.

I tried again, louder this time. "Stevie."

She groaned but only rolled over, burying her face in my blankets.

"Stevie, get up. It's 9:30. We have to go."

This time, she stirred, her movements sluggish and confused. She blinked up at me, then around the room. "I slept here last night?"

"Yeah. I don't even remember falling asleep."

"Me neither." Stevie sat up, grabbing her phone from my nightstand. The moment she saw her screen, her eyes widened. "Shit, I was supposed to meet Zora before calculus."

She practically launched herself out of bed, hurriedly typing a message as she rushed toward the door.

I just watched her go, feeling... satisfied.

Nothing had happened, obviously. But maybe—just maybe—Stevie crashing here would be enough to make Zora feel even a pinch of the jealousy I'd felt last night.

I exhaled, shaking my head at myself. This is ridiculous.

But there wasn't time to unpack it. I glanced at the clock and realized I needed to get moving if I actually wanted to make it to calculus on time for once.

I dragged myself out of bed, stretching out the stiffness in my limbs before taking a deep breath. Today wasn't just about the test—it was about my entire hockey season.

And no matter how much Zora was stuck in my head, I couldn't afford to let her be the reason I failed.

I walked into class with five minutes to spare—just as Stevie strolled in beside me. The timing wasn't intentional, but when I glanced up and caught Zora looking in our direction, her expression flickering with something close to confusion, and I couldn't help but feel a little satisfied.

Good.

I didn't let myself dwell on it. Instead, I slid into my seat, gripping my pencil tightly. I just wanted to get this damn test over with.

The moment I finished, I hesitated for only a second before turning it in. I was the first one done. That was either a really good sign... or a really bad one.

The rest of the day dragged. I threw myself into anything that could serve as a distraction—mindless TV, scrolling on my phone, even tidying up my already clean room. Anything to keep from obsessing over calculus.

Or Zora

By the time I got to the rink for practice, I was wound so tight that I nearly jumped when Coach called my name just before I headed into the locker room.

"Reya."

I turned, my stomach twisting with nerves. His tone was neutral, unreadable. Is he about to tell me I failed again?

"What's up, Coach?" I asked cautiously.

A small smirk crossed his face. "I've got good news for you."

My pulse stuttered. "And that is...?"

"You got a 96 on your calculus test."

I blinked. What? A 96? How the hell did I manage to pull that off? Was it Zora's hockey references finally clicking? Or the last-minute studying with Stevie? Either way, I didn't care. I finally passed a calculus exam. 

"That brings your overall grade to a C-minus," he continued, then paused. "Well, technically, a 69.5%, but with rounding—"

"I'LL TAKE IT," I blurted, unable to keep the excitement from creeping into my voice.

For a second, I just stood there, stunned. Then it hit me—I passed.

A full-body wave of relief crashed into me, so strong that my knees felt weak. The weight that had been pressing down on me for weeks, threatening to crush me, finally lifted.

I could breathe. 

I could play.

I wasn't going to let my team down.

I felt my throat tighten unexpectedly, my emotions catching up to me all at once. I wanted to laugh, to cry, to skate laps around the rink screaming at the top of my lungs. I had been convinced I was doomed, that I'd be benched for the most important game of the season. But somehow, against all odds, I had pulled it off.

Coach chuckled. "Glad to hear it. That means you'll be eligible to play in next week's game. We'll be traveling for it and staying overnight. I'll release more details soon, but for now, focus on practice."

I nodded, still in disbelief. I should ask if I still need to keep tutoring with Zora, but maybe I should just take the win and not push my luck. I knew I was passing, but that doesn't mean I'd continue passing, so I would probably still have to study with Zora and I wasn't ready to hear those yet.

"Got it, Coach," I said, barely suppressing a grin as I headed inside to get ready for practice.

For the first time in a long time, I felt light. 

Free even.

And for the first time all day, Zora wasn't the first thing on my mind.