Page 103 of Stay
Sammy knocks me from my thoughts when she jostles me with her elbow. I grunt before rubbing my side.
“You two are seriously barfy.”
Her disgusted words are enough to bring a smile to my face. Life seems really good right now. I’m not used to this kind of happiness.
“It’s nice to see, Cass. Now get your head out of your ass and into the game where it belongs.” She leaps onto one of the benches before surveying the crowd of girls and shouting over the music, “Let’s show them whose house they’re in by kicking a little ass out there tonight!”
A loud cheer goes up as I grin, stripping down and suiting up.
Two hours later, we’re in the final minutes of the third period. The team we’re versing is better than any of us anticipated. But that’s all right, because we’re pretty damn good, too.
With three minutes left on the clock, we’re tied.
Again.
There’s never been a moment when we weren’t separated by more than a goal. The crowd is on their feet, going nuts, because this game has turned out to be a real nail-biter.
All I know is that I want to end this perfect night with a win. As the clock runs down, I line up at center ice and wait for the ref to drop the puck. As soon as it does, I scramble and win the face-off before sliding it to my right winger. With the puck on her stick, shesurges forward, her skates digging into the ice. My gaze flickers to the clock as I skate with her, careful not to cross the blue line before she clears it.
As soon as she does, I fly toward the net. She glances up, meeting my gaze before faking a pass to the left wing. Instead, she shoots it to me. Two defensive players swarm, trying to block a clear shot to the net. I do the only thing I can and pass it back to her. Another glance at the clock tells me that time is quickly running out. We’re down to thirty seconds. Thirty seconds until the game is over, and I don’t want it to end like this.
We’re so close to winning.
We need to work together and make it happen.
Nicole watches Lucy, the left wing, and me for an opportunity to pass. She fakes another pass to Lucy before slamming it to me again. I’m about eight feet from the net. As soon as the puck touches my stick, I lift it toward the top right corner and send it flying with as much power as I can muster.
Everything happens in slow-motion. My breath catches at the back of my throat as I watch the puck sail through the air. The goalie reaches out to block the shot, but she misses, and it hits the back of the net.
The buzzer goes off a second later.
Both wingers surround me, slapping me on the back. The crowd roars their approval, until the noise that fills the arena is deafening. The bench clears, as our teammates crowd around us on the ice.
It’s the best feeling in the world.
I scan the packed stands, wanting to share this moment with Cole. When I find him, I smile and raise my stick in the air. He grins in response, clapping and whistling. Just as I’m about to glance away, my gaze settles on the person next to him.
My eyes widen as my mouth tumbles open. I blink and continue to stare.
It doesn’t seem possible that my father is parked next to Cole.
When he notices that I’m staring at him, he gives me a thumbs-upsign, which was always his way of letting me know I played a solid game.
Tears prick the backs of my eyes.
I can’t believe he’s here.
It’s only when Sammy wraps her arm around my neck that I blink back to the present. “Come on, Jameson. We’ve got some major celebrating to do tonight!”
I smile as my gaze strays to my dad. He and Cole are talking as they leave their seats. I can’t get over the fact that he’s actually here.
With Cole.
Twenty minutes later, my new team walks out of the locker room to the sound of clapping and cheering. I search the crowd until my gaze lands on Cole and my father. They look deep in conversation.
Cole’s face breaks into a smile when he spots me. Awkwardness descends as I join them. Memories of our last interaction flood through me.
Dad is the first one to break the uncomfortable silence. “That was a good game, Cassidy. You played well.”
