Page 8

CHAPTER 8

Cami

Bestie Friend

Please cheer for me.

Me

I will. It’s so weird that you aren’t here

Bestie Friend

I know, work is so stupid.

Me

But you get to hang out with Alex

Bestie Friend

Shut up.

I push my way through the crowds of people in red, white, and blue, and find my seat. Madison Square Garden is huge and the first few times I came here I was extremely overwhelmed. Thankfully, I’m more comfortable now.

I make my way into the arena and down to our row. We always sit pretty close to the ice. Charlie has these seats reserved for us every home game, just five rows from the glass. The one on my left is empty and it makes me sad. Alana never misses one of her brother’s games, but she has a late meeting with Alex tonight in order to prepare for their trip to Paris, so she can’t be here.

I pull my phone out and turn the camera around so it’s facing me. I hold up the sign I made for tonight’s game and snap a picture, then send it to her.

Me

Do you think he’ll like this one?

Bestie Friend

Oh my gosh he’s going to lose it.

Each game, I make a different sign. I typically put some ridiculous phrase on it or something that I know will annoy Charlie. It’s impossible not to mess with him.

Tonight’s focus is on number thirteen, Josh Murphy, a rookie on the third line. Charlie despises the guy and hasn’t shut up about how annoying he is lately. The red and blue letters on the sign say “Murphy, can I get your number?” I covered it in little “#13” stickers and topped it with glitter paint. He’s going to hate it. It’s perfect.

I sit down and scroll on my phone as I wait for the guys to come out. About half an hour before opening face-off they skate onto the rink to warm up. The crowd stands and cheers, excitement building. I wait until I see number nine skate around towards where I always sit, and then I hold up my sign.

I see him pause and focus on me, then shake his head in disappointment. He flips me off as he turns and skates away and I laugh. The crowd eventually settles back down as the guys warm up and I settle into my seat, pulling out my phone again. I’ve been coming to these games for a long time, so the hum of the crowd has turned into a familiar background noise. After a few minutes, someone nudges my shoulder and motions out to the ice.

“I think someone wants your attention.”

I look in the direction they are pointing and see that Charlie has made his way to the glass and is motioning for me to come down. I’m only a few rows from the front, so it only takes a few seconds to get down there, but my cheeks heat at the unwanted attention from those around me. Being beckoned down to the rink by a player isn’t exactly casual.

“Is everything okay?” I ask. He nods his head yes.

“Meet me in the suite after?” he asks. He sort of pantomimes, pointing to himself and then in the general direction of the friends and family suite. I can read his lips somewhat and sort of hear his voice, but with the crowd and the thick glass in between us it’s quite muffled.

“Yes, weirdo. Now go before your coach takes your head and mine.” He looks back at said coach and winces, then turns back to me.

“Nice sign. Can’t wait to destroy it after.”

“Play well and I might let you.”

He rolls his eyes and turns back to the ice, getting back to his stretches. I head back to my seat and soon after, the game starts. When Charlie first started hanging out with Alana and I, I knew nothing about hockey besides the fact that it was played in an ice rink. I still don’t know everything, but I’ve learned a lot since then, and now I enjoy every game. The adrenaline of the game and the crowd is like a high.

It’s a tight game, but the Rangers end up winning with a score of three to two. I gather all of my things, including the sign I made, and head out. I make my way up to the friends and family suite and grab a Coke while I wait.

There are plenty of wives, girlfriends, and children running around the room waiting on their players and I sit back off to the side observing. They all seem to know one another, but Charlie is pretty closed off. He doesn’t make friends very easily after whatever happened in high school, so it makes sense that he doesn’t have many guy friends to introduce to his people.

After a while the guys file in. They’re showered and changed into streetwear and most of them look absolutely wrecked, but happy with a job well done and another game won.

Charlie walks through the door and his eyes immediately find mine. I smile at him and he returns it with a small one of his own as he makes his way over. He’s about halfway to me when he gets intercepted by a younger looking guy in a blue short-sleeved button down and jeans. His smile slips and the light in his eyes dies as his gaze moves away from me, and I try not to let it bother me.

I’ve been worried about him for a while now. I understood when he needed to lean on us in high school after whatever happened, and I liked that we stayed close through college and into adulthood, but I worry about him not having any other friends besides us. He doesn’t even seem to have the desire or energy for them, and that worries me.

I like that Charlie only shows the real him when he’s around me. I like that I get the version of him that’s cheesy and funny and openly happy, but I know he deserves more people he can open up to like that.

I see him gesture towards me, and the guy with him turns to look at me. I wave and smile, and he returns it. Charlie walks him over and I’m trying not to freak out that he’s about to introduce me to someone. This man has been on this team for seven years and not once has he personally introduced me or Alana to a teammate. Sure, we’ve gone to family skates and picnics for the team, but we always keep to ourselves.

“Cam, this is Soren. He’s a left winger on the team.” I can tell Charlie is a little uncomfortable, but I love seeing him trying. I put my hand out towards Soren and he takes it, shaking it lightly and smiling at me.

“Hi Soren, I’m Cami. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Right back at you.” He looks over at Charlie. “You should bring her out tonight. Tell me you’ve decided to come with us.”

Charlie looks back and forth between Soren and I, and I try to gauge how he’s feeling about this offer to go out. He doesn’t seem too opposed to the idea, and he isn’t doing that scowly look with his eyebrows that he does when he is feeling particularly antisocial, so I decide to go for it.

“I’d love that, as long as it’s good with Charlie.”

“We’re going to Teddy’s,” Soren says. “See you both there.”

Charlie nods in affirmation. “Sounds good.”

Soren slaps him on the back and moves back to his family, leaving us alone.

“Oh my gosh, do you have a friend?” I whisper-yell.

“Shut up. He’s been my friend.”

“Yeah, but you don’t ever go out with them. Are you okay with going? I tried to read your body language. You weren’t doing that thing with your eyebrows.”

“What thing?”

“That thing you do with the—” I scrunch my face up in order to try and mimic the look I’m referring to.

“Stop it,” he says, reaching forward and smoothing out the scowl on my face. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Come on, you know what I’m talking about,” I say, swatting his hands away. He rolls his eyes and chuckles at my antics.

“We don’t have to stay long.”

“Whatever you want.”

“Okay, let’s go. I’ll drive.”