Chapter 10

I loved the holidays. I really did, but if there was some thing I absolutely despised, it was the people. I mean, this might come as a shock to some; but I, the human who spends most of her time watching and sometimes participating knocking people on their asses, am not a huge fan of my fellow humans. That is precisely the reason I hated the holidays at times. Especially when I was the one that had to make grocery runs on Christmas Eve. Isn’t that what husbands are supposed to be for?

I’m sorry, I couldn’t say that with a straight face. My brother wouldn’t go to the grocery store on Christmas Eve over his dead body. He may be

Domestic as fuck but even he has his limits.

“I don’t understand how Sylvia can run out of asparagus when Finn went to the grocery store two days ago,” Sebastian groaned while plopping the large bundle of the green vegetable into the top of the cart, most likely having to punch an old woman to get his hands it. There’s perks to having a larger best friend.

Not that beating up old women was one of them.

But you get the point.

Sebastian was from Kentucky and despite the fact that we didn’t have classes, we still had practices and games. It sucked that he couldn’t go home for Christmas, but he always spent it with my family. He really only visited his family in the summer. Seb had two sisters, one that had just graduated college at Stanford last year

And one going to Rensselaer next year. Talk about a smart family. I suppose that’s why Sebastian is going to college to become a surgeon, but that goal might not happen if he gets drafted. A physicians assistant is one thing, a surgeon is a whole other. Medical school just took a lot of time and Sebastian wasn’t sure if he had that time yet.

Axel left for Boston yesterday, planing to take full advantage of our three days off. He left after our morning practice yesterday and planned on returning by our afternoon practice the day after Christmas. Axel had tried to get Beck to come with him, but we both knew he wouldn’t. I don’t blame him, I wouldn’t want to leave my brother either.

It was horrible. I couldn’t imagine what Aras must be going through. Beck had told me it could be any day now, and that was terrifying. Both of them were incredibly strong for being able to function on a day to day basis with

The weight of that on their shoulders. It made me incredibly thankful for my makeshift family, who by the grace of some being had all managed to stay healthy.

“We live on vegetables and chicken. I’m sure you can understand their predicament,” I scoffed, only slightly sarcastic. For the top of her class, Sylvia was not the best planner, especially when it came to amounts of food. “I just want to get out of here without throwing any elbows.”

“Well Sylvia gave us a whole list so I wouldn’t hold my breath,” Sebastian muttered. “Remember when being under 21 was enough to force Finn to go out? Now we have to make the liquor store run too. I mean who the fuck buys two bottles on three hundred dollar wine?”

“Apparently Marcassin Estate Chardonnay is a tradition from their first dinner with their parents, so if

They want to blow six hundred for everyone to have a glass once a year, than so be it. They can afford it.” I shrugged in an attempt to hold back a fake pompous accent.

“I feel poor drinking it,” Seb said bluntly while pushing the cart through the produce section, stopping at certain sections for me to pick up things on the list. “But I feel fancy as fuck buying it in front of all the other plebs then getting in your Aston Martin.”

“You’ve never bought it before. We were twenty last year.”

“Let me imagine it.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at Sebastian, snatching the list with Sylvia’s perfect and compacted handwriting on it. I was jealous of her print; mine looked like I was having a seizure while writing. “This bitch wants thirteen lobsters.” I swear to god Christmas is a ten thousand dollar

Event for thirteen people, five of which were children. “You’re right. We are plebeians.”

“Bitch, you drive a sports car. I am the pleb here. You are the patrician.” Sebastian snatched the list from me and stopped the the seafood section. “Do you have thirteen lobsters?” He asked one of the men in white working the seafood area.

The lanky man’s face was slightly surprised, his lips parting a little bit as he glanced at the lobster tank to the right. Sebastian noticed his gaze and cut the man off. “Not those. I mean the fresh ones that you guys get at four.” And I’m the snob? To be fair, freshman year we had to buy lobster and there was an older man telling Sebastian exactly how to order lobster at a grocery store. They are fresher if they’re from the back because the store gets shipments at four in the afternoon every three days. How he knew that, I had no clue. Either way, Sebastian

Considered himself a connoisseur now. Insert eye roll.

“Sure,” the younger guy, who couldn’t be much older than us, responded but he didn’t seem too happy about it. I couldn’t help but snort as he disappeared into the back with a frown on his lips.

“Look at the country boy acting like a North Eastern prep,” I drawled sarcastically at my best friend.

“I might as well live here for the rest of my life,” Seb said cheekily before the man returned carrying the large brown paper bags of lobster. He had to go back and get another two after we put them in the cart, it wasn’t often people bought thirteen fucking lobsters. I’m sure we were depleting their Christmas supply significantly. It wasn’t until we had checked out with our enormous bill that Seb spoke up again. “This is the patrician lifestyle,” he commented while mockingly

Putting his hands behind his head as I turned the ignition of my car on.

“Don’t get used to it. We’re back to our crappy apartment in thirty six hours.” It wasn’t crappy but that was beside the point.

“Don’t ruin my dreams. Now let’s go flex on all the poor people buying alcohol,” Seb laughed while plugging his phone into the aux cord of my car, turning on a Drake song.

“Just imagine if you spent Christmas with Beck’s family. Then you could buy thousand dollar wine,” I joked.

“You’re right. I’ve chosen the wrong rich surrogates family. I want the household worth fifty billion not twenty five billion.” Sebastian scoffed dramatically, “Who becomes a hedge fund manager anyway? Fucking Finn. I’m disappointed. He could have owned a cyber security company. Then I could have my one thousand dollar glass of

Wine.”

“Such a shame,” I laughed at his sarcasm. Sylvia might have somehow scammed Yale into paying her a cool hundred million to win, but Finn was the real breadwinner here. I mean, he’s no Warren Buffet, but I think everyone is jealous of him. When you make the Forbes list, that’s how you know you’ve made it.

“What’s going on between you two anyway?” Sebastian asked as I got onto I-95, the engine growling as I pressed on the accelerator. That’s the sound of a V12 engine, baby; and man, was it smooth. This car hadn’t come anywhere near it, but it was capable of handling up to 208 mph. It was one of the kings of the GT models, tapping out just under the Lamborghini Aventador and the Bugatti Chiron.

“Finn and I?” My brows furrowed in confusion at Sebastian’s question. There was no problem between us.

“No, stupid. You and Beckett. And don’t lie to me, I can tell when you aren’t telling the truth.”

Of course that’s where this was going. I fought the urge to roll my eyes at Seb, but that didn’t stop the grimace on my lips. “We’re best friends. What’s the problem? I’m best friends with you and people don’t think we’re into each other.”

“Anymore. People used to think that,” Sebastian pointed out. “Now spill the tea. You slept together, said it was the best sex of your life, then you met him. Fast forward to the end of December and you guys always stay after to practice together, constantly flirt when we’re all together, he made out with you at the last party, and you’re telling me nothing is happening between you two?”

“Yes.”

“Bullshit,” Sebastian called bluntly. “You’ve blown him at least once since the season started.”

“No!” I protested seriously while taking the next exit, the black car taking a right off the highway and onto an empty main road that twisted between the bald trees and the ground both covered in snow.

“Hand job?”

“We haven’t done anything, Sebastian. I mean, sure he’s hot as fuck but I can control my hormones. I don’t have sex with every man that has abs I come across.” I would always want to hook up with Beck and I knew that for a fact. It was honestly the best sex of my life, so why wouldn’t I want that again? Beckett Sampson and I were friends and that’s all we would ever be. We both had bigger things to worry about than chasing someone we couldn’t have.

Even if I did like him, in just over six months the draft starts. Beck may not admit it out loud, but he was a first round draft pick. I don’t want to sound convoluted, but I would like to think my ranking in the NCAA makes me a first or second round draft pick too. That’s makes our likelihood of being on the same team very slim. Hypothetically, that would mean a long distance relationship which would never work out because it would be long distance for at least ten years.

It just isn’t in the cards for Beck and I, so there was no use in exploring a fantasy that would never come to fruition.

“Even if I liked him and he liked me and by some miracle we started dating, it would never work out. Not with our lifestyles next year and for the foreseeable future. So just drop it, Seb. We had sex once and that’s it.”

Sebastian held his hands up

Defensively. “All I’m saying is that before you found out Beck was your captain, you were all for hooking up with him again. So if you don’t want to date Beck because the romantic feelings aren’t there, what’s wrong with friends with benefits?”

I exhaled in exhaustion from this conversation. “Because if either one of us catches feelings or it gets out and people expect us to date it will ruin everything. You already know my issue with the press; that’s part of why we aren’t even dating in the first place. We’re done with this conversation,” I cut Sebastian off before he could even continue. “Now that blonde from the party. What ever happened with her?”

“Eh. I had sex with her, end of story. I think her ass was fake too. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I’m just not into it. But good for her, I guess.” Sebastian shrugged. I suppose she wasn’t that good in bed. Or it was the fact he was to distracted by

“Eh. I had sex with her, end of story. I think her ass was fake too. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I’m just not into it. But good for her, I guess.” Sebastian shrugged. I suppose she wasn’t that good in bed. Or it was the fact he was to distracted by what I was doing to enjoy himself, but I’d prefer to think that’s not what happened.

The car came to a stop in front of the liquor store on the strip of luxury shops. I turned the engine off and pulled the keys out. “Now, let’s go act like the patricians we are,” Seb proclaimed with a fake hair flip. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing as I got out of the car and into the freezing air with snow covering the ground.

God, I can’t believe this was my best friend.