Page 73 of Hockey 101

We break apart. Bryce is glaring at us. Damn.

Oh hey, Bryce, I stammer.

Jack takes an appraising look and sticks his hand out. Jack Sinclair.

Bryce Myrtle.

They shake briefly, then just…stare at each other. Is this some kind of Star Wars mind battle? If so, Jack’s sunshine vibes make him the good guy, while Bryce is definitely on the Dark Side of the Force.

Their eyes are still locked. Gosh, is there enough tension here?

I was just coming to see you, I squeak out.

Bryce finally turns to face me. All his false charm is gone, and he looks right through me.

Really? That didn’t take long. Good news, I hope?

Actually, I’ve decided to remain in sports. I’ve committed to people and projects that I want to see through to the end.

He glowers at me. Even though I’ve explained that your talents are badly needed in other areas?

His response isn’t really a question, so I simply nod.

Fine. Feel free to resume your, uh, activities. Bryce brushes by us and leaves the building.

Welp, that was painful. Next time, I’ll just text.

19

GIVING THANKS

JACK

WHAT ARE YOU doing for American Thanksgiving? I toss Andy’s stress ball in the air and catch it.

We’re hanging out in her room on a weekday afternoon after class. Right now, we’re doing homework, since Andy is pretty strict about work before play. But I’m hopeful that there will be some play later.

She finally looks up from her reading. Why do you call it ‘American Thanksgiving’? It’s just Thanksgiving.

Because Canadian Thanksgiving is in October, I reply.

She closes her book and joins me on the bed. Weird. Almost as weird as that football game you made me watch.

What was weird about that? A lot of my teammates are Canadian too, so we had a Grey Cup party on Sunday to celebrate the finale of the CFL season. Plus, my team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, were in it.

Andy’s eyes widen. Jack, some of those fans were wearing watermelons on their heads! And it was so cold out there. They probably got brain freeze.

It’s a tradition. Shows our love for the green and white. I love sports traditions, like the Mus-Tangs chant that shakes the roof at every home game. Schmidty said that the crowd is even more insane during the playoffs, so I hope we make it there. We’re doing pretty well so far this season.

Andy’s phone buzzes and she looks at it. Ugh. It’s my mom. I better take it.

She answers the phone and begins a conversation that’s mostly listening. Andy has a strained relationship with her family, but she never wants to talk about it.

Mom, I’m sorry, but as I explained, some of the RAs have been asked to host a Thanksgiving dinner for the students who aren’t able to go home.

That answers my original question. Since we have a game on Friday night, most of the team is staying here for the holiday weekend. We’re hosting a team Thanksgiving dinner, and I wanted to invite Andy.

It’s okay, Mom. I won’t be lonely. I’m using the extra time to catch up on my coursework.

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