Page 97 of What Are the Chances
“Right.”
When I looked up, I caught Will already watching me. Even though he was the one soaking in ice, his eyes searched mine as though I was the one who needed comfort. He had no idea how right he was.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Don’t be proud
WILL
I climbed out of Levi’s car, the cool air knocking the breath from me. The team bus was already waiting. At least Allentown was only an hour each way.
It was never the drive to away games that was gruelling, it was the way back. Win or loss, I was always itching to get off the bus by the time we pulled into campus.
We were the first ones here. We always were. The rest of the team wasn’t due for another twenty minutes. Some would arrive earlier, some would arrive just in time. Nobody was ever late though. They weren’t brave enough to face Coach’s wrath.
I reached into my pocket, pulling out my phone that’d just gone off.
RILEY:Are you here yet?
I glanced around the parking lot. There was a handful of coaching staff by the bus, but Riley wasn’t one of them.
WILL:Where are you?
RILEY:Inside.
I stared at her message for a few seconds. I was still torn, convinced she was better off without me, but also conscious that deep down, I’d never been better off without her.
“You good?” Levi checked, rounding his car.
“Yeah.” I slipped my phone back into my pocket. “I left something in my stall. I’ll meet you on the bus.”
The hockey rooms were quiet, practically abandoned. Most of the equipment had already been transferred outside, and all of the players would track straight from their cars to the bus.
Just as I reached for my phone to check where Riley was, I glimpsed her through the ajar training room door. She was leaning over the therapy table, dressed in black leggings and a Phil-U jacket. She was even wearing a Phil-U beanie today. It looked a hell of a lot better on her than the Allentown monstrosity had. Her straight dark hair was hanging over her shoulders, cascading down her back. She glanced up when I shoved the door open.
“Hey,” I said.
She returned a small smile before holding up a roll of tape. “I figured you’d need this.”
“Riley–”
“Don’t be proud, Caufield. Come here.”
Unimpressed by my hesitation, Riley grabbed my hand, pulling me into the room and nudging me onto the therapy table.
Once again, I was back to not knowing what to say, or how to breathe, or where to put my hands around her. Riley, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease. When I failed to remove my suit jacket and shirt, her soft fingers got to work.
Time wasn’t on our side, and she seemed to know that as well. After undoing enough buttons, she skipped her usual assessment and got straight to taping.
My mind had been too wrapped up in other things to even think about my shoulder. I’m glad Riley was doing it though. Allentown never went easy on us.
“Are you nervous about tonight?” she asked, filling the silence.
“No. I don’t generally get nervous before games.”
“Really? Not even with the big crowds you play in front of?”
I shook my head. “The bigger the crowd, the better. You can feed off their energy. Even when they’re going against you.”
