Sequel: Attractions

Counting the Ways to Reject You

Chapter Fifteen

“Okay,” I finally cornered Patrick after that night’s game against the Oilers. It was a pretty bad loss so I knew this would only piss him off, but I was done playing their games of gossip girl. “What the hell is going on with you? What did you do?”

“Why do you assume I did something?” he asked nervously as he fixed his tie on his shirt. The rest of the team stared on silently, his half staring wide eyed, while my three lovelies stared intently.

“My three lovelies over there came up with that hypothesis. I just assumed you were having man time and just forgot those idiots over there,” I nodded over at Corey, Razor, and Kruger.

“Not the brightest crayon in the box, are you Nat?” Kaner piped up.

“Says the grey crayon,” I shot back. “So,” I turned back to my Patrick. “What’s going on? I’ve already cornered Star, but she is just as clueless. Apparently Pattycake over here has been very distracted and distant lately,” I glared at the blondie.

“Here, come on,” Patrick took my hand. “I’ll explain.”

He led me out to the ice where there was almost no one left. He was ahead of me, fidgeting with something in his coat pocket, while I stared up into the empty stands.

I was so busy looking up, I almost tripped over Patrick. “Sorry!” I said, scrambling to gain my balance again. “What. . . what are you doing?” I asked, my heart thumping in my chest as I saw why I almost tripped over Patrick.

He was down on one knee with a small velvet box in hand.

Damn that hockey player was going to ask me to marry him.

“Natalie, will you marry me?”

I couldn’t speak. I was starting to panic. My breaths were getting more and more shallow and I couldn’t feel my legs. Why couldn’t I feel my legs?! Was I dying?! Holy shit I was dying.

“Natalie?” Patrick stood, sensing my distress. “Natalie, are you okay?”

“No,” I gasped. “Oh my God, no,” I said, slipping backwards.

I turned around, tears stinging my eyes as I escaped the cause of the panic. I pushed through the boys-wait when did the boys get there?

“Natalie,” Corey stopped in front of me. “Natalie, look at me,” he instructed me.

I looked up. “He asked me to marry him,” I croaked.

“And?” he asked.

“No,” I said, pushing past him and towards the exit, the tears clouding my vision with every step that I took.

“Natalie!” Star flagged me down, already having Kaner’s car started. I jumped in, not caring and she drove away into the night with me sobbing over Kaner’s seats, still not able to breathe. “Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. You’re not dying,” she told me in a calm voice. “It’s only a panic attack and it will go away in a moment. You are fine. I promise,” she said.

It took a few more minutes, but I started to calm myself down and I could focus on what just happened. “He asked me to marry him,” I said numbly. “Patrick Sharp just asked me to marry him and I had a panic attack and ran off the ice, saying no,” I recapped the last two minutes to my best friend. “Oh my God.”

“Breathe Nat. don’t think about it right now,” she said, staring ahead into the traffic ahead of us. “Just don’t think about it. It’s better when you just forget about him.”

“Is that what you did with Kaner?” I asked, wiping my tear stained face.

“Darling, mine and Patty’s agreement is way different than yours and Sharpie’s,” she said quietly.

“How?” I asked.

“You guys never used each other like we do every other night.”

I leaned my head on the window and replayed the events in my head. His face, I realized. His face was crushed.

I had just caused the ultimate rejection to Patrick Sharp and I felt nothing.
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i didn't realize all my shocking chapters all ended up right be each other