The Dating Tutor: Alec's Story (5 page)

He crossed over to the front of the house, used the key hidden under the plant on the porch, and let himself in. He didn’t try to hide the fact that he’d been out all night. His actions were a reflection of his treatment from his father, and ones he felt justified in.

Without even looking to see if Jerich was awake, he jogged up the stairs and slipped into the bathroom. Stripping out of his clothing, he hopped into the shower and cranked the hot water up. Once he had the steamy spray cascading down his back, he let out a slow exhale, trying to force out any worries or anger that still remained. He had a full day ahead of him, and entering into it with stress was not the way to go.

Seeing as Ellie had woken him so early, Alec had the luxury of truly enjoying his shower. He took his time lathering up his hair, reveling in the scalding water as it pelted his shoulders. He let his tension slip away, sliding down him like the cascade of water to be washed away in the drain. He wouldn’t let anything get to him today. He refused to let his rancorous father dampen a single moment more than he already had. Today was a day he vowed to enjoy…except for that damn English exam.

With a frown, he switched off the water and climbed out of the shower. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he glanced quickly in the mirror at his appearance. The bruise on his cheek stood out against the otherwise smooth complexion of his face. It was fading to a muted yellow, but no doubt he’d replace it soon enough.

Opening the door to the hallway, he stepped out and nearly walked straight into his father. His jaw tightened as he stared at the man who was like a living Jekyll and Hyde. He waited in silence to see which version of the monster would make an appearance this morning.

Jerich gave a sheepish smile and held out his son’s equipment bag as if it was a peace offering. “This is the last practice before the big game against Leary, huh?”

Alec’s shoulders tensed. He wasn’t sure which version of his father was harder to deal with. The drunk or the heartbreaking glimpse of what their life could be like if Jerich would quit drinking. “Yeah,” he said stiffly. “Hopefully the rest of my team has enough authentic talent to pull out a victory.”

Jerich’s eyes filled with regret, his son’s words obviously striking a guilty cord in him. “Listen, Alec…I’m sorry. Whatever I said last night…”

“Forget it,” Alec said rigidly. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Do you want me to stop by practice?” Jerich offered in a gentle tone. “I could give the guys some pointers. You know I used to play with Leary’s head coach growing up…”

It took everything in Alec not to grind his teeth once again. His father was a celebrity where hockey practice was concerned. The coaches loved having him there. The other players hung on to his every word. The fact that Jerich Horner could put so little effort into his home life and still get treated like a superstar was an injustice in Alec’s eyes. “No,” he said darkly. “We’ve got it covered.”

“Alec…”

“I’ve got to get ready for school.”

“I could—”

“No.” Alec’s words were hard and firm. “I don’t need your help.” He snatched his equipment bag out of his father’s hands and stormed past him into his room. The sooner he got accepted to a college and moved out of this house, the better.

*
* * *

“Alright, students, pencils down. Please pass your exams to the front of the classroom.”

Alec glanced at the clock for what must have been the hundredth time. He’d finished with his exam seven minutes ago and had sat with his test face down on his desk while he awaited the end of the period. Ellie badgering him into studying had really paid off. He’d been confident in most of his answers. And ending the semester strong would mean a better chance at a scholarship down the road.

He waited for everyone behind him to pass their papers forward before adding his to the stack. He tapped the person in front of him on the shoulder and sent everything up to the teacher standing at the front of the classroom.

Just as the last stack was being collected, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Alec tossed his pencil into the front pocket of his book bag. He yanked the zipper closed and was on his feet, ready to escape into the hall for four brief minutes of peace before the next bout of learning started.

He didn’t make it farther than two desks before someone placed a hand on his forearm, halting him.

“Alec, wait up.”

He looked over and was surprised to see Shannon Albright, the leading member of the bitch brigade.

“Don’t look so shocked,” she said with a purring laugh as she fell into stride beside him. “One of the most eligible bachelors in school finds it odd that attractive females wish to talk to him? That I just can’t believe.” She tucked her arm into his. “Walk me to history class.”

He noted that it wasn’t a request. More than a little puzzled, he hiked his book bag up higher on his shoulder and guided her out into the hallway. “I’m just…” He turned to gaze at her questioningly. “You don’t usually…socialize with me.”

The answer she gave really had nothing to do with his comment. “I saw that goal you scored against Lincoln a few weeks ago. That was…” She shook her head as if she couldn’t find the words to describe it. “Well, it was amazing.”

“Thanks.”

She smiled coyly at him before falling silent. As they walked down the hallway, he could hear the click of her heels, could feel the exaggerated sway of her hips as she meandered along at his side.

He snuck a quick glance at her, still unable to fully comprehend what was happening. Her long black hair brushed along his arm as they walked, sending a wave of goose bumps down it. Her full, pouty lips were tugged into the slightest of smirks, as if she knew a secret no one else was privy to. The look was sexy…and dangerous.

Her dark eyes flicked to his, and upon finding him studying her, she smiled. Her teeth were in perfect alignment, their color a dazzling white. From far away, he’d thought she was flawless. This close, he knew she was.

“It’s a shame about Felicia,” she said conversationally.

Felicia Lockston had been his date for Saturday night, but this morning she’d informed him she wouldn’t be able to make it. She’d gotten caught cheating on a test and was now grounded for all eternity, as she’d put it. “Yeah. Sucks.”

“That’s it!” Shannon threw her free hand dramatically up into the air. “I’m canceling my plans for Saturday night so you don’t have to spend it alone. Leaving you in the lurch like that was selfish of Felicia. I’ll be your date instead.”

This caught Alec so off guard that he couldn’t even think of a coherent response. “Oh…well…I…”

“It’s settled.” Standing on tiptoes, Shannon leaned close and brushed her lips against his cheek. “It was so very sweet of you to ask me to dinner.” She twirled on her heels and swept into the classroom before he could point out that he hadn’t asked her at all. She’d all but demanded it. “Pick me up at seven.”

As she disappeared, Alec stared after her, wondering what had just happened. An expert on dating he might be, but Shannon had just schooled him. She’d managed to snag a date and hastily zip off, making it seem as if the whole thing had been his idea. If this encounter was any indication, he was in for some serious trouble.

Chapter Five

Alec watched with what he knew must be an expression of horror as Ellie tramped jerkily about her bedroom in her date heels. She looked like a zombie the way she was shuffling about…and not a fresh one. “No. No. No,” he chastised with a growl in his voice. “You’re doing it all wrong!”

Ellie shot him an annoyed look that did not go unnoticed. “What did I do wrong
this
time?” she snapped. Her irritated bark caused her to teeter dangerously on her heels. Her arms shot out as she struggled to keep her balance, making her look like a tightrope walker at the circus.

Ignoring her frustration, Alec took her arms and pressed them down to her sides. “Don’t walk with your hands outstretched like you think you’re going to fall.”

“I
am
going to fall.”

“If you can’t handle heels, then you shouldn’t be wearing them.” His tone was clipped and full of disapproval. Teaching his best friend to behave like a lady was turning out to be more difficult than he’d first expected.

She let out a relieved sigh, misunderstanding his comment. “Oh thank goodness.” Bracing one hand on his shoulder, she lifted a foot and began sliding her shoe off. “I didn’t think I would last—”

“If you take that shoe off, I will beat you with it!
Then I’ll flunk you.”  She’d obviously missed the point of his tirade. It wasn’t to let her get out of wearing heels; it had been to motivate her to learn to walk properly in them. This made him wonder if she’d been paying attention to anything he’d been telling her over the past hour.

Ellie froze with her finger inside the strap of her shoe, and her eyes slowly lifted to his. “I thought you said…”

“I was telling you to man up and learn to walk in high heels!”

“Man up?”

He nodded vehemently. “You’ve only got a little over a week before you need to be perfect at this. Stop whining and learn to saunter in heels!” He gave a sound of frustration and stepped back to look at her. As he did, a notion started forming in his head. Much like the Grinch, he got a wonderful, awful idea. With a grin that very much matched the holiday figure’s, he said, “We’re doing a crash course here. Come on.” Grabbing her wrist, he tugged her out of her bedroom and down to the first floor. “You’re either going to learn to walk in those, or you’re going to break an ankle.” He shot her a wicked grin over his shoulder. “We’re going to play ping pong in the basement.”

“
Ping pong
?” Her words came out a screech as she wobbled unsteadily down the steps behind him.

“If you can learn to play ping pong in heels, you can handle dinner and dancing no problem.”

Ellie came to an abrupt halt behind him, tugging with resistance against his hand. “
Dancing
? No one said anything about dancing!”

He rolled his eyes in response. “That’s what DeNuzio’s is known for! Where have you been living? Under a rock?” It was as if she’d done no research for this date. She was going in blind, something he hadn’t expected from someone so studious.

“Excuse me, Alec,” she said cuttingly. “Most boys our age can’t afford a place like that. It’s usually burger joints and mini-golf.”

This reminder drew a snort of disgust from him. No one else could come up with the money for places like DeNuzio’s. Jake was like a peacock, preening and showing off. He was fake. “You’re the one dating a preppy rich boy. Complain to him, not me.”

Ellie opened her mouth to object, but thankfully her mother walked into the living room that fanned out at the bottom of the steps and caught sight of them on their way down. She saved Alec from listening to his friend’s retort.

“Good afternoon, Alec,” Cindy Harper greeted. “How is hockey coming along, dear?”

He grinned sheepishly. It was flattering that Mrs. Harper took such an interest in his sport. She’d even come to a few of the games with Ellie to cheer him on. “It’s alright.” Then he realized he hadn’t seen her since he’d gotten some very exciting news. “I got that
A
on my jersey this year. Assistant captain.”

Cindy wrapped him in a giant hug. “Keep this up. You’ll get a scholarship no problem.”

He chuckled, feeling a blush creep across his cheeks. He hoped she was right. More than anything. “Thanks.”

She patted him on the shoulder before stepping back to look between the two of them.  “So what are you two up to this evening?”

“Ping pong,” Alec said with a devious grin. “That table downstairs has been calling to me.”

“Lovely.” Cindy waved a hand at the basement door, indicating the two of them should head down and enjoy themselves. “Well, I’m heading out to pick up some groceries. The two of you have fun!”

Ellie grumbled something unpleasant under her breath and began clomping down the steps.

“We will,” he answered more politely. As they descended into the basement, he gave a low whistle of appreciation. “No matter how many times I’ve been down here, I am still impressed.”

Ellie merely shrugged indifferently.

He shook his head at that. These two unappreciative women lived with every man’s dream right under their feet and couldn’t care less.

The house’s previous owner had built a sports bar on the lowest level, creating a literal man cave. Pale woodwork lined the walls, nicely framing a slick, fully stocked bar. The walls were covered in sports memorabilia the girls had been too indifferent of to tear down. The prized jewel was a big screen, high definition television that dominated one of the walls.

Cindy only ventured downstairs to do laundry or sneak a bit of wine with her girlfriends, and Ellie only used the room when he dragged her down there to watch hockey games. It was a shame that the benefits of such an amazing room were completely lost on them.

Flicking on the light switch, he turned to Ellie. “You ready for some ping pong?”

“No?”

He shook his head with a grin of amusement at the way she’d answered with a question. “Too bad.” Snatching up a paddle from the table, he tossed it in her direction. He watched with a brow arched in enjoyment as she fumbled awkwardly in an attempt to catch it.