Page 45 of What Are the Chances
I groaned. “Why does the chemistry have to be so good with the guy I hate?”
“Come on, Ri. You don’t hate Will. You never have.”
And I don’t think I ever could. Even when we weren’t together, I was still rooting for him. I kept up with the team’s stats, and I’d watched the entire playoff series from my laptop last year. Seeing him win the Frozen Four with his friends and teammates had constricted my heart. I knew how much that meant to him.
The game countdown begun. The players got into position as puck drop neared. Tanner skated to the centre of the ice, and so did Will. They were facing off. Fantastic.
The official ambled onto the ice, puck gripped in his hand. Once he dropped it, the hyped-up crowd fell silent.
Phil-U easily moved the puck into their offensive zone. Will gained possession, the puck bouncing from his stick to Holloway’s. The crowd gasped as a collective when Tripp took an early shot, and a collective sigh followed when it bounced off the crossbar.
Allentown gained possession and swiftly moved the puck out of their defensive zone. Getting into position, they passed it around, prepping for theright moment, though they were too slow for Phil-U. Will intercepted a pass meant for Tanner, stealing possession from Allentown. He skated back into Phil-U’s offensive zone, dancing the puck with determination. I knew Will’s game. He didn’t miss opportunities like this. Sure enough, the buzzer sounded after he sailed a backhanded shot at Allentown’s goalie.
The poor goalie hadn’t stood a chance.
The crowd went wild, most people jumping to their feet. For a split-second I almost did the same before reminding myself I was sitting among Allentown’s supporters.
Music began playing as the lights of the arena flickered.
Phil-U’s players skated over to Will, celebrating the early score. Only forty-three-seconds in and Will Caufield had already scored a breakaway goal.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
What a sore fucking loser
WILL
As was the usual case with Allentown, the game had gone to overtime. Three-minutes in, I was jumping the boards for my second shift. Levi was right beside me, pure determination on his face. We were tied at two. The next shot belonged to us.
By all means I should’ve been gassed by this point in the game, but I was still full of energy. I received a pass from Tripp, who immediately headed to our bench. I skated backwards, wasting time with the puck while Ryan jumped the boards and got into position. We’d practiced this play more than I’d encountered Tripp naked, which was a shit ton.
Skating the puck through the neutral zone, I left it for Levi to pick up. He moved it into our offensive zone, just past the blue line. I skated deeper, passing Tanner Holbeck who’d been on my ass all game. The guy had it out for me. Fuck knows why.
I generally left all the heckling for guys like Tripp who thrived off getting a rise out of other people, but tonight I hadn’t had a choice. Tanner had been breathing down my neck from the moment the puck dropped. It’d worked in my favour initially, when he’d been too focussed on where I was than to realise a pass was headed his way. My breakaway goal had been a great confidence boost in the first period. But now we needed to finish Allentown off.
Levi gained distance, closing in on the goal. Just like Coach had given us orders to shut Tanner down, the Allentown coach would have given similarorders about Levi. As he charged for the net, two Allentown defenders closed in on him, giving Ryan and me some breathing space.
Without even looking in my direction, Levi sailed the puck to me, where I was positioned to the right of the goal. Tanner was expecting the pass. He pressed in on me, so I snapped it to Ryan before Tanner could blink. It was a play we’d practiced, a play we’d perfected, and a play that had just paid off.
I almost didn’t hear the buzzer over the loud crowd. Ryan’s shot had hit the mark. He threw his gloved hands up in victory.
A grin reserved for perfect plays like that stretched across my face. Fuck yeah. The relief of winning the game was unbeatable. As I headed for Ryan and Levi to celebrate, Tanner blocked my way. He bumped me as I passed, hitting the spot that I’d spent weeks trying to get better. I clutched my shoulder.
“What the fuck is your problem, man?” I asked through gritted teeth.
He ignored me and headed for his bench. What a sore fucking loser.
After shaking the pain off I reached Ryan and Levi, throwing my arms around them. Tanner Holbeck wasn’t going to shit on my good mood. It was here to stay.
*
Apparently it wasn’t.
My post-game high evaporated when I stepped out of the locker room. Riley was standing in front of the visitor entrance with Brooklyn and Marnie, two of her close friends, and she was wearing an Allen-fucking-town beanie.
I was stunned for two reasons. One, because orange and greendid notlook good on Riley. And two, because she was at a hockey game. She hadn’t come to any of my games. Not one. Yet here she was now, smiling and laughing with her friends like this was a regular occurrence.
Last I knew, Marnie was dating Lucas Spelling, Allentown’s best defenceman. So, what? Riley could show up for her friend’s boyfriend’s game, but never mine? The fuck?
