Page 47 of Dreams
Chapter Eleven
How did I get here?Taylor thought to herself for the hundredth time as she stared up at the building she swore she’d never enter.
People streamed by her, only parting wide enough to avoid contact. A sea of jerseys stretched out before her. The Pittsburgh Penguins were in town, so it’d be a sold out crowd, but she had a ticket. She’d known this was her father’s plan all along - to get her back to the arena, back to the sport she loved. For every game, he left a ticket at will call, hoping she’d pick it up, hoping she’d walk through those doors.
Well, she was here now, when every bone in her body wanted to turn and walk away, but it wasn’t for the game. She’d spent all day thinking about Josh. His smile, his lips, and the look in his eyes from the night before. He was terrified of screwing up in front of his family. A family that Taylor couldn’t understand, but Josh loved them despite their actions - even his brother.
He had no faith in himself. His confidence was gone.
Taylor sat in her dorm room only hours ago, remembering everything he’d done for her. He’d been there for her more than anyone else, giving her the strength she needed. Now it was time to return some of that, but her feet were rooted to the spot, not willing to move closer, but reluctant to flee. Her knuckles turned white as she clutched her purse in a death grip, her gaze lifting to the massive picture of Mack that graced the front of the building.
Even outside, there was a buzz in the air that she’d always associated with hockey. It wasn’t a popular sport, but those that followed it tended to do so with a vigor that was unmatched. She knew the feeling personally. The closest NHL team to Portland was in Vancouver. She’d only made the five-and-a-half-hour drive a few times, but she’d rarely missed a game on TV. She wasn’t really a Canucks fan, just a hockey fan any way she could get it.
When school didn’t get in the way, she traveled with the Winterhawks while her dad was coach. Something about the game mesmerized her. She’d never played herself because she could never get the skating down.
Someone bumped her shoulder as they passed, sending her stumbling forward. She caught herself and took three deep breaths before putting one foot in front of the other. Her ticket was waiting for her as she knew it would be, and as soon as she entered the arena, memories came flooding in.
I’m going to the NHL,Danny had said the first time she met him.You can bet on that.He’d been sixteen and scrawny. It took another year before any of the scouts agreed with him.
Walking around the concourse, she inhaled to take in the smells that were very much hockey - popcorn and fried food and the clean smell of the ice.
Taylor thought she couldn’t come here because it’d make her feel the loss even deeper. She was wrong. She suddenly felt closer to Danny than she had in the past year. She wanted that feeling to last forever, to know he was watching over her.
Glancing at her ticket once more, she turned into the section named and show it to the attendant. She followed his pointing finger with her eyes and met the gaze of her mom who was staring at her with a mixture of disbelief and wonder. She brought her hand to her mouth as Taylor smiled down at her. Evie was waving frantically.
Taylor walked down the steps to their row and faced her family.
“Sissy, you came!” Evie jumped towards her and wrapped her little arms around Taylor’s legs.
“Hey, Ev.” She bent down and returned her sister’s hug.
As soon as she straightened up, her mom was crushing her in her arms.
The crowd started to cheer as the team skated out onto the ice. Taylor sunk into her chair as the cheers turned to boos and the Penguins’ starters lined up at center ice. The national anthem was sung, and the puck was dropped.
The energy of the crowd flowed along with the game. There were cheers when the Jackets goalie made saves and groans when the Penguins goalie stuffed Mack on a beautiful play.
When Josh took the ice, Taylor didn’t take her eyes from his number twelve jersey. She could tell something was off, she just hoped no one else could. Seconds later, he was called for a penalty and sent to the box.
The rest of the period went on in much the same way. The Penguins scored two unanswered goals and Josh was benched for the last five minutes.
Intermission came and Taylor could tell her mom had questions, but didn’t want to ask them.
“I’m here for Josh,” Taylor admitted to her.
“Josh?” her mom asked.
“Walker,” Taylor clarified.
“Oh.” Her mom was surprised, but she didn’t press the issue. There was a gleam in her eyes that Taylor didn’t get a chance to ask about because the team came back out to start the second period and it was time for her to do something.
Reaching into her purse, she pulled out the folded paper she’d worked on earlier and jumped from her chair to march down the steps. The puck was dropped, and a few people yelled at her to sit down. She didn’t listen. When Josh’s line hopped over the boards, she pushed her way to the glass and held the picture to it.
Josh rushed down the left side and then chased the puck behind the net. He didn’t see her. She should have known he wouldn’t, not while the game was being played.
His shift ended, and she watched him on the bench. The play was stopped for a penalty and a commercial break ensued. Taylor saw Josh’s teammate nudge him in the side and then point to the scoreboard. She followed his gaze to the screen that held an image of her and her sign. The people behind her waved frantically, no longer mad that she was blocking their view.
The camera then showed a close up of the bench where Josh was sitting with wide eyes and a grin tugging on the corner of his mouth. Mack jostled him, grinning like an idiot, and then the game started once more and Josh was sent in to play.
