The Dating Tutor: Alec's Story (2 page)

Ellie nodded, and with one final glance at Alyssa and Shannon, she headed down the bleachers to the side exit that led out to the road. Adjusting the straps of her book bag, she gave him a curious look. “No car today?”

He shook his head. “Nah. I usually jog home from practice. Gotta keep in shape, after all. Besides, Dad said the car needs new spark plugs. I don’t want to drive it until I get those replaced.” That had been over two weeks ago, of course. Every time he broached the subject, his father was too busy or too tired…or too drunk.

His hands balled into fists and he ground his teeth together painfully. Not wanting his thoughts to linger on his father’s shortcomings, he said, “So what is this big important dilemma of yours?”

Ellie vehemently shook her head, her face going pale. “I’m…I’m not ready to talk about it yet. After dinner, eh?”

He chuckled at her use of the word ‘eh’. His hockey obsession had led to him adding it to his vocabulary, and to tease him, she’d picked it up as well. “Don’t talk Canadian to me,” he said with a laugh. “You know I can’t say no when you tack ‘eh’ onto the end of a sentence.”

She laughed in return, the sound bubbling up her throat. The stress lines left her face, and her features smoothed out to the youthfulness of a seventeen-year-old senior. “That’s why I said it.”

He playfully shoved her shoulder before asking, “So what’s for dinner tonight? Your mom whipping up something good? Something you might want to invite your good buddy Alec to share?” He gave her his best attempt at puppy dog eyes, which no doubt were sorely lacking. The bruised jaw from a particularly hard collision last week did away with the entire façade of innocence.

“Mom won’t be home from work tonight until seven. I told her I could wing dinner on my own for one evening.” She sent him an appraising look. “You pitch in with preparation and half is yours.”

“Sounds fair enough.” As they reached the front gate of her house, he unlatched the white wicker door and held it open for her. “I warn you, though. I’m terrible in the kitchen, but I’ll do my best.”

Ellie smirked. “I’m aware of your culinary inadequacies, Alec. I’ve fallen victim to them in the past.” Her lips twisted up into a full-on grin. “Remember the birthday cake you made me?”

He would never forget the birthday cake, and if he did, she would surely remind him. He’d been nine for crying out loud. How was he to know that eggshells were not meant to be included in the final product? Besides, he hadn’t thought his crunchy cake had tasted all that bad. “Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled.

After unlocking the front door, she reached over and patted his head. “Don’t worry. I’ll find something even
you
can’t screw up.”

Alec rolled his eyes and followed her through the front hall into the kitchen. Dumping his equipment bag in the corner, he leaned back against the counter, hooked a foot over his opposite ankle, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Just let me know what you would like me to do, oh kitchen master.”

Ellie laughed at this. Flipping open one of the cupboards near her shins, she pulled out a large pot. “How about spaghetti? That’s hard to mess up.” She pushed the pot into his chest just above his crossed arms. “All you have to do is boil some water, then dump the noodles in. Stir it every once in a while to make sure the noodles don’t stick together or clump. Think you can handle that while I toss us together a salad and make some garlic bread?”

He’d just managed to uncross his arms and grab the pot before she let it go. “I can handle anything you throw my way,” he informed her with a little snort.

In simulated slow motion, she brought her fist up to mock punch his cheek. “You’ve never seen me fight before, Alec. You should watch your step.” She tapped her knuckles lightly against his jaw. “I think I could take you.” With a wink, she turned her back and sauntered over to the fridge.

He had to shake his head at her antics. More than half of the boys his age avoided him on the ice for fear of being roughed up. Hell, half the brawlers from other schools knew to be wary of fighting him. Yet here was this cute, petite girl threatening to take him on. It was preposterously hilarious. “You are quite the hellion. It’s a little intimidating.” Giving a mock salute when she grinned at him over her shoulder, he pushed away from the counter. “I take the hint, though. Don’t let the noodles clump together or you’ll give me a black eye.”

Ellie pursed her lips and arched both brows at him. “Don’t you forget it.”

*
* * *

Throughout dinner, Ellie had still refused to talk about whatever was bothering her. Because of this, it was starting to bother
him
. She was usually so open and talkative. She told him everything, which made this news not sit well in his stomach. What could be so awful that it took her an entire dinner to build up the nerve to tell him? The sickening thought that she and her mother were moving filled his mind.

He wouldn’t survive without her next door. She was his escape when he needed away from his father. She and Matt were the only two people who knew about his dad’s drinking problem, but Matt lived across town. On particularly bad nights, Ellie would let him hang at her house without hounding him with questions. She never made him feel bad about his home life, nor did she ever pry. She just let him
be
. Truth be told, this awkward, klutzy girl was the best friend he had. The thought of her moving away was unbearable.

“Ready to go upstairs?” he asked. He just wanted to get an answer already. The anticipation was killing him.

Ellie nodded as he handed over the last dirty dish for her to put in the dishwasher. “Yep. This is the last of them.”

When she turned in his direction, Alec was unable to keep from lifting a hand to her cheek. “You’ve got a bit of sauce…right there.” He rubbed it away with his thumb, an amused expression on his face. “You’re so ham-fisted.”

“Ham-fisted?” The comment seemed to throw her, but she got its meaning all the same. Rolling her eyes, she shoved his hand away. “Did I mock you when you dropped half a slice of garlic bread on the floor?”

“I’m a boy. I’m meant to be messy. You? Well, you’ve got no excuse.”

Her expression became suddenly somber, making him feel instantly guilty. It was a grim reminder that something discouraging was on her mind. “Hey…I was only joking.”

As if forcing back whatever worries were plaguing her, Ellie shook her head. “No. You’re right.” Reaching out to grab his wrist, she dragged him up the staircase to her bedroom. “Come on. It’s about time we talked.”

Following her upstairs, he made his way over to the bed and plopped down. He attempted to go for casual, but inside his heart was pounding in his chest. Was she sick? Was her mom sick?

When she turned to him, Alec thought he might get some answers, but then Ellie began pacing. Much like at the rink, she strode back and forth, mumbling to herself every once in a while under her breath.

Every time he thought she was about to talk, she’d shake her head and begin her pacing again. Back and forth. Back and forth. He was beginning to think she was going to wear a hole in the carpet. “You’re making me sick,” he informed her on what must have been her three dozenth trek across the room. “Can’t you just tell me already?”

On her next pass, she came to a halt in front of him. “Jake Phillips asked me out.”

The words didn’t compute at first. Alec simply stared at her. He’d been cooking up the worst possible scenarios, and she was freaking out because of
Jake Phillips
? An image of the preppy boy popped into his head. The thought of anyone being intimidated by Jake Phillips was a riot.

In that instant, he recalled Ellie saying her problem was a girl problem. It sure as hell was, because he couldn’t think of any sane reason someone would be nervous where Jake was concerned. Bursting into laughter, he threw back his head of dark hair. All of his concerns seemed to float away on that laugh. She was worried over a date. A date!

“Shut up! It’s not funny!”

“Oh, Ellie,” he drawled with amusement. “It’s hilarious.” Grabbing her wrist, he pulled her down onto the bed with him.

She gave a yelp of surprise as she collapsed half on top of him. “Alec!” Her voice was so full of indignation that it only resulted in making him laugh harder. Squirming out of his grasp, she tossed about until she managed to get to her side. Lying next to him on the bed, she stared at him with big, pleading green eyes. “I’m serious. I need your help.”

“My help?” He couldn’t even begin to imagine how he could help with such a situation. Shouldn’t it be simple, really? Boy asks girl out. Girl says yes. Boy gets to second base in the backseat of his car.

Alec frowned at this. He did not want to think about Jake Phillips getting to second base with his best friend. “What could you possibly need my help with?”

A blush spread across Ellie’s cheeks, and she dipped her head down so she could study her fingernails. When she’d finally built up enough courage to get to her point, she said, “I need you to teach me to be a girl.”

He arched a brow at the ridiculousness of this comment. “What do I know about being a girl?”

“More than me!” Sitting up, she curled her legs under herself and stared pleadingly at him. “You date. A lot. You know what girls are supposed to act like. You can coach me on how to be sexy.”

“Coach you on how to be sexy?” he repeated in disbelief. “Isn’t that a job for a fellow girl, not a dude?”

She smacked his arm, shooting him a reproachful look. “I don’t have any girl friends I’m close enough to. As the best friend, it’s your job to help me. Come on!”

“What can I do, El?” His voice sounded as puzzled as he felt. “I’m kind of at a loss here as to what you’re expecting of me.”

“I don’t know what I expect either,” she said with a little sigh. “Show me when to giggle and how to flirt and how to behave like a lady.”

The thought of her behaving like a member of the bitch battalion made his stomach roll with discomfort. He didn’t like the image that projected in his mind. The crowd Jake belonged to, the popular crowd, they would more than likely chew her up and spit her out. They’d hurt her. Worse, if they decided to accept her into their little clique, he’d lose the wholesome girl next door to vapid tramps bent on popularity. “Ellie, honestly, I like you the way you are. Clumsy. Awkward. Cute.” He tapped a finger to her nose. “If Jake doesn’t, then he isn’t worth your time.”

His words were greeted with a pout. Damn. She looked so defenseless and desperate. If she truly had her heart set on this date with Jake Phillips, he wouldn’t send her in blind. Heaving a sigh, he conceded. “Fine. If it means that much to you, I’ll do it.”

“Yay!” She dove at him with a squeezing hug. “You’re the best friend a girl could have!”

His response was a snort. “First lesson.” Reaching up, he flicked the collar of her shirt where a red blotch stained the soft lavender color. “Spaghetti stains aren’t exactly a turn on.”

“Aw, crap! When did that happen?” Sucking a finger into her mouth, she then rubbed at the splotch. Her attempt at salvaging the shirt only resulted in smearing the sauce and rubbing it in deeper.

“Ladies don’t say ‘Aw, crap’ either. At least not if they want a second date, they don’t.” Laughing, he fell back on the bed. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as he’d originally thought. Maybe the two of them could have fun with this little challenge. “Boy do I have my work cut out for me.”

Chapter Two

Alec pulled his arms back, feeling the muscles in his shoulders tighten and bunch with anticipation. His eyes zeroed in on the hockey puck at his feet, and he released a vicious slap shot. His eyes were trained on the goalie in front of him as if he could make his opponent miss with sheer willpower alone. He felt the familiar bend in his stick that accompanied the more powerful shot. He followed through with the swing, watching as the puck sliced through the air toward the net.

And then it was in. It bounced off the netting behind the goalie to come to a sliding stop on the far side of the goal line. “Yes!” He pumped a victorious fist in the air.

“You trying for a position on the shootout line now?” The goalie’s mask lifted and Matt grinned out at Alec as he slid the puck back along the ice for his friend to take another shot.

Alec snorted and shook his head. “Hardly.”

“Coulda fooled me. That was a beautiful shot. Couldn’t have placed that in any more perfectly.”

“How often do you see someone use a slap shot in a shootout?” Alec challenged. “Besides, I was aiming for your five hole.”

“Oh.” Matt glanced behind him at the netting. Turning back to Alec, he said, “If so, that was a shitty shot.”

Alec pretended to glare, though there was a smile on his lips as he lined up his next shot. “It was some shitty goaltending, too. Your little sister could have blocked that shot.”

“I play defense for a reason, man. I’d like to see you do better.”

Laughing, Alec waved for Matt to hand over the goalie mask. “No problem. Gimme that thing. We’ll see who stops more. Best of ten.”

Matt tossed him the mask. “Water break first.” Skating over to the bench, he picked up a water bottle and squirted a stream of the iced liquid down his throat. “So you hear back from Boston yet?”