Page 248 of Call the Shots
I repeated the words back to me. “For the arena…”
“That’s bad, that’s not catchphrase material?—”
“For the arena,” I echoed. “For the arena.”
“Oh, yeah, we could definitely do that,” Bear affirmed.
“It’s simple, it’s timeless, it’s hockeyandmascot themed,” I mused. “We could make t-shirts, signs—for the arena. Oh my god, that works.”
“Boys,” Bear snapped, and his teammates glanced over the couch, peering up from the ground. “For the arena. That’s our new slogan.For the arena!”
“For the ARENA!” Nick shouted and took a moment, contemplating it. “This is absolutely the least-shitty option. Who made it?”
I beamed. “Montoya.”
The hockey players gave me a long look and rolled their eyes, returning to their game, telling me in no uncertain terms that if Montoya made it, they’d never use it.
“Freshmen can’t make the slogans,” Charlie remarked, chewing gum. “That’s just common sense.”
Montoya tried to agree but I refused to hear it. “I don’t care if a freshman made it,” I said flatly. “For my last days with the Gladiators, I’ll make it the slogan. Get used to it, assholes. Because in a few weeks, you’ll haveFor the Arenashirts.”
Cleo and Milesheld their wedding at a historic building in Montrose, purposely overgrown with long, leafy trees,decorated in the warm glow of lanterns. We used to go there for cute music shows, I had no idea they did weddings. It was rustic, classic, and beautiful. I just wished Cleo and Miles would’ve remembered how many friends they had.
The venue was packed with professional football players, college football players, coaches, friends, their family,myfamily, and of course, the Gladiators, who drank half the champagne before the vows were read.
After the whole Xavier fiasco, it was exactly what I needed. With a wide smile, I crowded Cleo for pictures with Kassie, Piper, Willow, and Tallulah. It felt so good to be out and normal again. This was what our college life was supposed to be.
“Ready to catch?” Cleo shouted, showing off her bouquet.
“My stepdad and my mom are over there,” Willow laughed, motioning to Coach Lawson and his wife. “I don’t think I’m allowed to catch it.”
The bouquet soared through the air and Piper must’ve grabbed it by accident because she blushed dark red.
“I forget, are the flowers supposed to be who’s having the next baby?” Nick asked.
“No—” I tried to correct him.
“That sounds right,” Adam agreed and threw him a thumbs-up sign.
I laughed and returned to the Gladiators table for my slice of cake. The night was everything we could’ve wanted it to be. My friends were together, there was no drama to be seen, and King and Willow were openly in a relationship. They looked so perfect on the dance floor. I couldn’t be happier for them.
“How are the new classes going?” Denali asked Bear.
“The anger management stuff?” Bear tossed back the last of his champagne. “There’s a lot more workshops than I would’ve thought. Everybody gets to talk. It’s pretty sappy, reminds me a lot of this bullshit team.”
The guys snickered around the table, even Elijah let out a little chuckle. He’d been quiet the whole wedding, sticking close to us, but at least he was finally out of his bedroom besides practice and classes.
Denali picked up one of the bottles. “Let’s do a toast?—”
“We’re banned from doing toasts,” Fridge pointed out. “Cleo said anyone who plays hockey isn’t allowed to have any more microphone time.”
“No, for us.” He tried to pour champagne into glasses and sloshed some of it on the table. “Dammit, help me with this?—”
“It’ll be a lot better now that June’s home,” Montoya said with a glance my way.
“Wouldn’t dream of leaving.” I sighed happily, cozying up to Bear.
Our glasses clinked together down the table, the team joining in for the group toast. Denali cleared his throat. “We’re winning the Gulf Coast Cup, number one in the TIHCC, beating everyone’s numbers?—”
