The Dating Tutor: Alec's Story by Melissa Frost Page A

asked as he stood with his elbow propped up on his hockey stick while he and Alec waited their turn for one final practice shot before their game.
    Alec glanced over at him after watching the shot of one of his fellow defensive players go wide of the net. “What do you mean?”
    “What do I mean?” Matt snorted and moved up a place in line. “You’ve been moody going on a week now. And I feel like you’re barely registering anything around you. Mario Lemieux could walk out onto the ice, and you’d barely notice. It’s like you’re in your own fantasy world.”
    “Trust me,” Alec said with a grin at the mention of one of hockey’s finest players in all of history. “I would notice Lemieux.”
    Matt rolled his eyes. “Okay, maybe that was a bad example, but you get what I’m saying. Something’s going on with you. I don’t like it.”
    As another one of their teammates completed his shot, both boys scooted up in line. Alec took that time to collect his thoughts. He hadn’t realized his displeasure over the whole Ellie situation had been that obvious. He was going to have to work on that. “Nothing is going on. I’m just…worried about that college application.” Okay, at least that was true.
    “Worried enough to rebuff Shannon Albright?”
    This finally drew Alec’s attention away from the mock-shootout. “She told you about that?”
    Matt nodded in affirmation. “She did. Said you turned her down because of some other girl.”
    Alec grunted in response and turned his attention to the shootout as if it demanded his immediate attention. “I didn’t want to hurt her feelings is all.” Apparently, Shannon hadn’t wasted any time in cozying up to Matt, nor had his friend shied away from discussing him with her.
    “I think you weren’t just sparing her feelings,” Matt argued. “I think this all has to do with that neighbor girl of yours. She’s gotten into your head. Bad.”
    “She has not.” Alec was relieved it was his turn to take a shot on goal, so he could get away from Matt’s accusations. When Coach Grimmly passed him the puck, he took a rough shot at the net. His shot was made with aggravation and very little precision. It went flying wildly up into the netting.
    Spinning back to Matt, he snapped, “My issues have nothing to do with Ellie. Just drop it.” With that, he made his way over to the outside of his team’s bench to await the start of the game.
    A moment later, Matt joined him. The two stood on the ice in front of the bench, an awkward silence falling between them. Matt finally tried to bring up a new, less offensive topic to discuss. “So did you look over the guidelines for that English report yet? It is a complete killer…”
    Alec had tuned him out. While Matty went on about their assignment, Alec’s eyes had landed on Ellie as she picked her way through the stands in search of a good seat. She’d come. Just like always, she’d come to watch him play. It gave him hope that things could get back to some semblance of normalcy. His heart was just swelling with optimism when he noticed the person walking closely behind her. Jake.
    He couldn’t believe she’d brought Jake to a hockey game. A hockey game! Phillips had never shown his face at a single game all season, and Alec hadn’t mourned the lack of his presence. His hands balled into fists at his sides. He knew it was irrational for him to be angry, but he was. He was angry as hell. “Shut up, Matty,” he growled.
    “Huh?” Matt looked at his friend in bewilderment, then followed Alec’s eyes to the crowd. It was at this moment that Jake grabbed Ellie’s face in his hands and planted a kiss on her.
    Matt’s eyes shifted warily over to Alec, his expression one of sympathy. “Hey, man. I’m sorry. If th—”
    “Shut up, Matty.” Alec’s voice was a low growl.
    From her place in the stands, Ellie turned to look at him. When she lifted a hand in a friendly wave, he glared. He wasn’t feeling in a very