Page 101 of Pucking Matt
“I guess I am. I thought what you’re doing now is your career.”
“It’s not the end game,” I say. “A girl’s got big dreams.”
“So, you’re going back to college? When?”
“I have to get in first. I’m deep in work right now, but I need to focus on getting accepted. It’s hard to get in.”
“Well, I don’t think I’m being drafted in the NHL yet, so if I want to get my master’s, I can still play for the college and pray for my chance then.”
“I’m probably going to move. I’m applying to a ton of colleges. One has to say yes.”
“You’ll get your yes, Amber. And maybe when you do, I can play for that hockey team.”
I chuckle. “That’s quite the commitment…”
“I need a change. I could stay here and work at the Grind Stone, but it wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“If this is your way of saying that you’ll miss me one day…thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I guess since we’re on the topic, you are fun to prank and maybe I would miss messing with you. Out in the real world, there are a bunch of babies who can’t take a joke.”
“Oh, I know. Have you been on TikTok?”
That makes me fall silent, thinking about my comments from my spam account, but luckily, he continues.
“Or on any social media lately. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, I could totally see you being a troll on there.”
“A troll?” I scoff. “I, so, did not make a fake profile in high school just to troll you.”
He squints his eyes and shakes his head. “I knew that was you. I knew it!”
I laugh. “Please tell me that you also created a fake account to troll me.”
He shrugs. “Maybe.”
I sit up and laugh. The camera is at a horrible angle of my face now. He can see my double chin. “I’m glad to know that we are alike,” I confess.
“We’ve seen each other at our worst.”
“I guess we have,” I admit.
“And look at us…talking like we’re real friends.”
“That’s what we are now, right? Making big progress in our lives. Look at us go.”
He smiles. “We’re on a roll. Self-development is the best type of growth.”
“Have I helped you self-develop, Matt?” I ask sarcastically, but now he looks like he’s stewing over the answer.
He laughs. “Yeah. I could've thrown down with Grey last week, but I didn’t. I also would’ve left Michelle on the side of the road after the party but I thought to myself,what would Amber do?So, I waited until I was at the dorms to boot her out.”
“Wait, when was that?” I ask with a smile on my face.
His face drops, revealing that this is going one of two ways. I’m about to hear something I won’t like, or he’s going to lie to me. I wait for him to speak.
“You know the night of the party when Harvey called?”
