Tangled with the Hockey Brothers

"Ouch!’

The word slipped from my mouth even before I could process what happened. One second I was squinting at the tiny map on my phone, balancing tree heavy bags, and sipping from my iced caramel latte. The next second, I bump into something hard. Very hard. Like a brick wall dressed in soft cotton t-shirt.

Splat.

The plastic lid popped right off my cup. A mini-waterfall of light brown, sticky coffee splashed forward, soaking into the front of a white graphic tee.

I froze. My heart skipped a beat. I looked up from the empty plastic cup in my hand up to the chest of the person I had just ruined. The brown liquid was already spreading, making the white t-shirt stick to his skin.

"Oh my gosh! I am so, so sorry," I gasped. I dropped two of my bags on the ground, and scrambled through my pocket, searching for a napkin. “I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. I am such a clumsy mess. I can pay for the shirt! Or get it washed? I'm so sorry."

The boy didn't move, his head was lowered at his chest. I braced myself. This was Kingsley University. It was a prestigious place, and I was already making a terrible first impression.

"Well," he said, looking up at me with a lopsided smile. "Good thing it's not hot. It would have really stung.”

I blinked, my mouth slightly open. He wasn't mad? I actually looked at him for the first time.

He was tall, with messy brown hair that looked like he had just run his fingers through it, and eyes the color of warm hazelnut. He had a relaxed calm posture.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked, my voice coming out small. "Your shirt is ruined."

"It's just a shirt," he said. He bent down and picked up one of the heavy canvas bags I had dropped. He lifted it effortlessly. "Wow. What do you have in here? Bricks?"

"Books, mostly. And shoes….. and some clothes too," I admitted, my cheeks burning with heat. "I might have overpacked a little bit."

"A little bit?" He laughed again, shaking his head. He looked at the massive rolling suitcase I was still holding with my other hand, and the backpack that was practically pulling my shoulders down. "You look like you're moving in for the next five years.”

I chuckled.

“I'm Cole, by the way."

"I'm Summer," I said, giving him a nervous smile.

"Nice to meet you, Summer. Even if our first meeting was from a coffee disaster,” Come said. He angled his head, noticing the map I was staring at in my phone. "You look a bit lost. Where are you heading?"

“Glory Hall,” I said, sighing. “The map the University gave to me makes no sense. Every building here looks exactly the same. I've been walking around for thirty minutes."

Cole looked down at his ruined shirt, then back at my heavy bags. "Glory Hall is on the opposite side of the campus. You're walking toward the science labs."

My shoulders slumped. "Of course I am."

"Tell you what," Cole said, adjusting the heavy bag in his hand. "Let me take you to your dorm. Follow me."

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that," I said quickly, my eyes widening. "You need to change your shirt! You must be uncomfortable."

"I'm fine," Cole said, already turning on his heel and walking down. "Come on, Summer. Before your arms fall off."

I hesitated for a split second, then gripped my rolling suitcase tightly and hurried to catch up with his long strides.

The walk to Glory was long, but Cole made it feel short. The afternoon sun was beating down on us, and the air smelled like freshly cut grass and summer heat. All around us, other students were moving boxes, laughing, and saying goodbye to their parents. I had felt so alone when I first stepped onto the campus, but walking next to Cole, the nervousness started to fade away.

He didn't act like a stranger. He pointed out the best places to eat, warned me about the library basement being freezing cold, and joked about how bad the cafeteria pizza was. Every time I tried to apologize again for the shirt, he just changed the subject.

Finally, we reached a large, three-story brick building with a wooden sign that read Glory Hall.

"Here we are," Cole said, stepping inside the cool, air-conditioned lobby. He set my heavy bag down next to my large suitcase. "What room are you?"

"Room 204," I said. I turned to him, feeling relived. "Thank you so much, Cole. Seriously. I would probably still be lost near the science labs without you."

"Anytime," Cole said with a wink. He pointed to his shirt, which was now a dry, light-brown stain. "Just promise me the next time we run into each other, you won't be spilling coffee on me.”

I laughed, my chest feeling light. "I promise."

"See you around, Summer," he said. He gave me a small wave, turned, and walked out the doors, disappearing into the bright afternoon sun.

I stood there for a moment, a small smile stuck on my face. I took a deep breath, gripped the handles of my bags, just as I turned around, I found two girls standing there. One of them, dressed in pajamas had a long curly brown hair, and deep brown skin. The other had a bright curly red hair, pale skin, and green eyes. The moment the other girl saw me, her eyes didn't look at my face. Instead, they darted straight past me, looking at my back.

A wide grin spread across her face.

“Oh my God. Is that Cole?’ she asked, her voice full if excitement.

I looked at them confused.

The other girl asked. “Do you even know the guy who just escorted you all the way to our door?"

I blinked. "Um, no, not really. I just met him. I accidentally spilled my iced coffee all over his shirt, and he helped me carry my bags here."

The red-haired girl gasped, clapping her hands together. The other girl's eyes went wide.

"You spilled coffee on him, and he helped you?" the red-haired girl asked.

I felt lost. "Is he... famous or something?"

"At Kingsley? Absolutely," red haired said. "His family owns half the town, he’s the star of the hockey team, and every single girl on this campus would die to date him.”