“Still a passing grade at Strick U,” I remind him.
“Have you ever considered what you’ll do if you don’t make it pro? You need a backup plan, Tuck.”
I laugh. “Like you have one.”
“I do,” he challenges. “I have straight As. I’m graduating with honors. So are Preston and Jamie. Even Drake is doing more than just passing, and he’s as hopeless as you.”
“Fine,” I grunt. “I’ll learn about this Harry Potter shit.”
His phone rings, and he ignores me to answer the message.
My brother is right. Everyone in my life is on point about me. For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamed of becoming a professional hockey player like my dad. Nothing else mattered to me. It still doesn’t. And therein lies the problem, I guess.
I swivel the chair back toward the computer screen and start doing my research. If I’m going to impress Sam, I need to put in the work, starting with her.
After class ends, Professor Frazier exits the room through the side entrance leaving Sam at the front by herself. I wait in my seat until students shuffle into the hallway before making my way down the center aisle toward her. She shifts in her chair, pen clasped in hand, hair tucked behind her ears. I hate that she pretends I don’t exist. It drives me crazy which makes me want her even more.
“Tom Marvolo Riddle…” I say, which catches her attention. Sam looks up at me, and I finish, “… is the Heir of Slytherin.”
“Lord Voldemort is my favorite villain ever written.” She smiles, a real one for once because she knows I’m talking about her screen name. “You’re a Harry Potter fan, too?”
I’m whatever you want me to be.
“Yeah,” I lie. “Huge Potterhead. Don’t look so surprised.”
“I didn’t think you even opened books let alone read them.”
More like Googled them.
I still need to watch the movies. Otherwise, at some point she’ll know I’m full of shit. Which is why I have a plan for tomorrow. I have her attention now, and this time for the right reason. So, I need to keep going.
I drop my bag on her desk and press my hands to the wood, our mouths inches apart. This time she doesn’t slide her chair back. She focuses on my lips, and when she does, I roll my tongue across my bottom lip.
“Give me a chance,” I say. “I might surprise you.”
Her eyes shift to the back of the room for a second. “I already gave you a chance.”
“That was years ago. Under different circumstances.”
She chuckles. “And you think things are different between us now because you like the same books as me? That doesn’t change the past. I know better than anyone that people don’t change.”
“You’re wrong,” I counter, unzipping my bag.
Her eyes widen as I produce a green Slytherin coffee mug holding it out for Sam to take. I bought it online hoping she likes coffee. It’s nothing big, a small gesture to show her I’m not a complete asshole and that I’m making an effort.
She looks confused. “Is this for me?”
I nod and set it in front of her on the desk. She touches the top of the box, her fingers carefully grazing the packaging.
She sighs. “I’m sorry, I can’t, Tucker.” Sam pushes the box toward me. “Even if wanted to, I’m not allowed to accept a gift from a student. It would violate the University’s policy.”
“Then don’t look at it as a gift from a student, think of it as one from a… friend.”
Her eyebrows rise slightly, a smirk slowly forming on her lips. “In what universe would we ever be friends?”
“There’s a double feature tomorrow night at the SAC,” I say. “I saw a poster about it earlier. They’re showing The Sorcerer’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets back-to-back if you want to go with me.”
She stares at me, her expression unreadable. “You want me to go with you as a friend?”
“Yeah.” I push the mug back in front of her, and she glances down at it. “Friends are allowed to give each other presents.”
She peeks up at me still unsure if I’m full of shit. I don’t blame her. Most of the time, I am. This time, though, I’m serious. I did my homework on Harry Potter for a reason—to prove to Sam I’m not an asshole and to prove to everyone there’s more to Tucker Kane than hockey.
“Fine.” She grips the mug in her right hand. “I’ll go with you tomorrow. But as friends. Nothing more.”
I hold my hands up. “I’ll be a perfect gentleman.”
She smiles. “I’ll meet you there.”
Chapter Seventeen
Sam
Standing in front of the mirror, I fix my hair one last time trying to ignore my shaky hands. I’m so nervous about my non-date with Tucker.
Eden appears in the doorway to my bedroom. “You look good.”