Page 94 of Gap Control

I checked the printed schedule clipped to the wall: Mercier, Monroe, two rookie defensemen, and me.

No TJ.

I reread the list to be sure.

I found him leaning against the wall near the stretching mats a few minutes later, scrolling through his phone.

"You're not doing the interview?" I asked.

He looked up. "Nope."

"They didn't pick you?"

"They did." He tucked his phone into his hoodie pocket. "I said no."

The comment caught me off guard. TJ turned down the chance to be on camera?

"You okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It didn't feel like me."

"You used to love stuff like this."

"Yeah." He smiled. "I used to think being seen was the same as being known, but that's not true. I'm not in the mood to perform right now."

I didn't know what to say, so I shut my mouth.

TJ kicked lightly at the wall behind him. "Besides, you're better for this anyway. You don't even have to try—you're already interesting."

I laughed. "I'm literally the least interesting person on this team."

"That's what makes you dangerous." He narrowed his eyes and grinned. "No one sees you coming."

I shook my head.

TJ pushed off the wall. "Good luck with your close-up. Let me know if they make you cry."

I watched him walk down the hall, loose-limbed and confident as always, but different somehow. Like the volume had been turned down, and the noise got out of the way of the melody underneath.

The interviewer was experienced, professional, and warm enough to seem genuine.

"So, what's different about this team? What makes the Forge culture unique?"

Standard question. I had a dozen safe answers ready: work ethic, supportive town, Coach's leadership style.

When I opened my mouth, something different came out. "Chemistry, I guess, but not the kind you can manufacture."

She leaned forward slightly.

"It's about finding players who see the game differently. Who make you want to be better than you thought you could be."

I shifted uneasily as I heard myself.

"Can you give me an example?"

I could've deflected and kept my answer generic, but something wanted to be out in the open.

"There's this guy on our team. Center. He reads plays three steps ahead of everyone else, but he doesn't show off about it. He makes the right pass at the right time, making everyone around him look smarter."

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