Page 2 of Facing the Line

Fine? Fine, Jonas? That’s the best you can do?

Wincing, I wave my hand towards the fire pit. It’s artificial, but the glow of the fake coals is still inviting. “Feel free to enjoy the fire.”

Smirking, she flounces into the patio chair across from me.

“That’s a crazy party in there. Normally I’m down for that, but the testosterone got overwhelming. So many jocks.” She makes a face like someone offered her food from the garbage.

“Yeah.” I swallow, trying to wet my dry throat.

“You go to Harrison?” she asks, giving me a long glance.

“Yep.” She’s got me so tongue-tied, I can only manage one-word answers. Real smooth.

“Hockey fan?” She gestures around at the hotel. “I mean, I guess you’d have to be, since you’re here, right?”

“Something like that.”

I don’t know why I don’t tell her I’m on the team. I just helped us win a national championship. The other guys are definitely using that to pick up girls tonight. Hell, they’ll use that for the rest of their lives.

But I want to put some distance between myself and hockey right now. I thought winning tonight would take away my looming anxiety. Maybe I’m still waiting for it to sink in. Or maybe I want to be liked for something besides my athletic ability.

Because I’m good. Really good. And I’ve been told for years I can’t waste my talent. So I won’t. But I also won’t trade in on it. I should probably ask her about the game—she’s sporting a Harrison shirt, after all. But I glance around instead.

“Boston, huh? Ever been here before?”

“Uh, yeah.” She blinks. “I grew up here.”

“Oh.” My roommate Hunter is from Boston. But it’s not a small town, not like they’d know each other. So I don’t bother to ask if they are friends. “I’m from Chicago.”

“Yeah? How does it compare to Boston?”

I shrug. “Not like I’ve seen much of the city on this trip, but from what I’ve heard, they are pretty similar.”

“Do you like big cities? Or would you rather live in the country?”

I relax, leaning back on the patio loveseat. Unlike hockey, this is something I could talk about for hours.

“I love the country. Wide open spaces, lots of fresh air. Quiet.” Not like in Chicago or Boston. “Have you ever been out west, seen the mountains?”

She shakes her head. “Not yet. I can’t wait to travel when I’m out of college, though.”

“I did a backpacking trip to Arizona last summer. It was amazing. You should definitely visit.”

“Oooh, I’ve got a good question.” She leans forward, elbows on her knees, blue eyes sparkling. “What are the top ten places you want to go on vacation?”

“Only ten?”

She nods.

“U.S. or international?” I ask.

“Let’s start with the U.S.”

“Okay, Badlands first. Then probably Zion National Park, um, Glacier National Park?—”

“Wait a minute,” she interrupts, laughing. “Are they all national parks? No beaches or anything?”

I shrug. “It’s my list. What’s yours?”

---