Page 7 of Cloudless
WHITE RIBBON
LILA
My reflection stares back at me in the mirror on my closet door. The piles of clothes tossed haphazardly around the room fade from view as I push my statically charged hair from my eyes.
“You look really pretty, Lulu.” Posey’s feet dangle off the edge of my bed as her eyes take in my outfit once more. “Maybe add a bow or something. That always helps.”
My butt sinks into the mattress as I pull my sister into a hug. “Thanks, Ladybug.”
Her high pigtails tickle my nose as she shifts to throw her arms around my neck. We're enveloped in the fragrance of her strawberry shampoo as the cheerleader costume—that she insists on wearing to the scrimmage—bunches between us.
She releases me from the hug to grab a thin, white ribbon from my nightstand. With her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth, she ties the ribbon around the elastic band that's holding half my hair away from my face. “There. Now you’re perfect.”
The thumping of little feet against the wooden floor of the hallway is my only warning before Jasper barrels into my room at full speed. “Come on! Come on! We’re going to be late!”
The number 23 sits proudly on the front and back of his jersey. This jersey is one of the last gifts from my parents.
The twins' outfits are at least suitable for the game. My scratchy, free SSU t-shirt, given to me during my initial tour of campus over the summer, will have to be enough for me. At least I can wear a long sleeve shirt under it to save myself from the chill of the rink.
“Alright, alright. Let’s get going.” They burst from my room and reach the front door of our house before I’ve even gotten up from my bed. I yell after them, “Don’t forget your jackets!”
I’m met with groans of protest before Jasper yells back to me, “But it's so hot outside!”
“But it won't be in the rink. Grab us each a toboggan out of the storage bins in the hall closet before you put your shoes on! Oh, and some gloves!”
Did I go a bit overkill with the amount of layers I put them in? Probably. But I figure it’ll be better for them to shed a few layers than to be cold for the entire game.
You can never be too careful with these things.
Wow. I sound like Mom.
I thought my parents were crazy for buying a house so close to campus, but now I’m thankful for the proximity as we inch along in traffic on our way to the rink.
The unnecessary worry in Jasper’s voice brings a smile to my face. “Do you think we’ll make it in time to watch them warm up?”
Posey shifts in her booster seat behind me. “Calm your horses, Jas. We’re almost there.”
I roll my lips to contain my laugh as I let off the brake to roll forward. “Do you mean hold your horses, Ladybug?”
I can practically hear her eyes roll. “No. You can’t hold a horse. They’re too big!”
My eyes flash to hers in the rearview mirror. “Right. Of course. What a silly suggestion.”
“There it is! There’s the rink!” Jasper’s seat belt locks tight with a mechanical click as he strains to see through the windshield. “Look how big it is, Lulu!”
The awe in his voice brings a smile to my face as I follow the line of cars into the parking lot. “Pretty cool, huh, Jellybean?”
“The coolest!” His seat belt clicks open as I swing into a parking space that bigger vehicles have clearly passed up, leaving the perfect spot for my tiny Corolla.
I can’t even be mad about the prints he’ll inevitably leave behind as he plasters his face to the window.
His voice is so soft I almost miss his mumbled, “Wow.”
I clear my throat to keep the emotions at bay. “You guys ready to go?”
Jasper’s wide eyes never leave the rink as he says, “So ready!”
Jasper bounces on his toes as we wait in line at will-call. He cranes his neck to catch glimpses into the rink through the crowd passing by. “Where do you think our seats are?”
“I don’t know, Jellybean.” A quick glance at my watch lets me know we’re cutting it close on time. My eyes bore into the back of the lady's head in line ahead of us.
Come on. Come on.
I don’t even try to contain my sigh of relief as she moves away with a smile on her face.
The middle-aged woman at the desk never looks away from the stack of tickets in front of her as she says, “Name?”
“Oh, um, Jasper Sullivan.”
I shift on my feet as her neatly trimmed nails sift through the tickets with practiced ease. Her words are almost robotic as she hands me our three tickets secured together with a pink rubber band. “Enjoy the game.”
The thick paper feels smooth against my chilled fingers as her mumbled, “Name?” to the next customer fades into the chatter of the busy space. Maybe gloves weren’t such a bad idea after all.
Posey snatches the pink rubber band before I’ve gotten it fully off the tickets. She secures it around her wrist as we move to the side to examine our tickets. My eyebrows raise as I take in our seat number and section. “This can’t be right.”
Jasper snatches the tickets from my hand before I can examine them further. “Front row seats? No way! Come on! Let’s go!”
His fingers feel warm against mine as he pulls us toward our section. I grasp Posey’s hand tightly in mine before she can get lost in the crowd. “Slow down, Jas.”
He shakes his head as he leads us through the sea of people. “No way! They’re probably already warming up!”
The tight chatter of the hall gives way to distant murmurs as we emerge through the tunnel leading into the rink. My eyes bulge as I struggle to take in the space that’s a far cry from the community rink. “Holy shit.”
Jasper grins over his shoulder as Posey mutters, “That’s a dollar in the swear jar when we get home.”
I tilt back my head to look at the gigantic screen hanging over the center of the rink. Photos of the players flash on the screen along with their numbers, positions, and age.
I stumble on the top stair leading down to our seats as Kam appears on the screen. His chocolate eyes stare into my very soul. His posture highlights his intimidating presence as a formidable opponent to any player unlucky enough to face him.
The red number 23 stands out against the white jersey on his chest. As his photo disappears to be replaced by the next player, my eyes focus on the number 23 plastered on my brother's back as he makes his way down the stairs in front of me.
The crowd roars as soon as we find our seats. That’s when I see him. I wouldn’t need to know what number he is to find him.
He’s magnificent, gliding effortlessly across the ice. Someone of his size should not be this graceful balancing on thin blades, but he looks like a dancer out there.
The fifteen minutes of warmups pass by in a blur. My eyes are held captive by the fluidity of his movements. By the sheer beauty that is Kam Stryker.
Jasper presses his face against the glass in front of us as we watch the team do a last lap around the rink.
A few of the players stop around us and wave at the kids from the camp. I’ve been so focused on Kam I didn’t even see the rest of the kids and their parents around us.
Jasper yells, “Hey, Kam!” His arms wave over his head to get his attention.
Kam slides to a stop right in front of my brother and waves. His eyes slice to meet mine. My breath catches in my throat as he mouths, Hi, Sunshine . His words disappear into the crowd's roar, but I don’t need to hear them. I can feel them.
He smiles before racing off after his team. The announcer's voice fades away as he announces the opposing team. His words might as well be another language, since my mind apparently can only focus on all-things Kam.
My heart tries to work its way out of my chest as the lights fall. The crowd's roar vibrates through me from the sheer volume of the electrified space. Spotlights focus on the door where Kam disappeared only moments before. Flashes of red lights pulse in time with the music all around the room.
The announcer starts with the lower classmen, before ending with the captains of the team.
As his name is called last, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The brilliant smile on his face has to be visible in the nosebleed section as he takes the ice.
He was born to do this.
I can’t take my eyes off him as he goes down the line of his teammates, giving them each a fist bump. He says something to each player along the way. I wish so badly I could hear what he tells them.
Jasper is grinning from ear to ear next to me. “This is amazing .”
I can’t help but smile back at him. “Yeah, Jellybean. It really is.”
I shoot to my feet, along with the rest of the stands, as Kam takes possession of the puck.
A quick glance at the clock shows thirty seconds remaining in the game.
Everyone in the room holds their breath as Kam bobs and weaves through his opponents. His skill is unmatched. If he makes this goal, he’ll break the tie and win the game.
His teammates put everything they have left into fighting off the players gunning for Kam. He barely slows as he comes within shooting distance. He takes aim, and the puck flies along the ice so fast, I almost miss it hitting the back of the net.
The stands erupt in cheers, along with the team. I cheer for my classmate as he makes a victory lap around the rink, his stick lifted high in the air as he pumps his arms in victory.
His victory lap bleeds into the last seconds of the game as the scoreboard flashes 4-3.
Jasper jumps into my arms. “They won! They won!”
To my right, Posey jumps up and down in her seat. Her cheerleader skirt flies around her legs as she cheers.
A tap on the glass in front of us interrupts our celebration.
I look up and lock eyes with Kam. A grin, matching my own, spreads across his face.
He turns from me to look down at my little brother, Jasper’s eyes filled with adoration for the hockey player in front of him.
Kam’s gloved hand points at Jasper before he tosses the game-winning puck over the wall.
I watch as the puck flies in slow motion toward Jasper’s waiting hands. Inches from Jasper’s outstretched fingers, a meaty hand snatches the puck from the air.
My eyes blaze as they move toward the person giving the puck, meant for my little brother, to a little boy next to him. I grind my teeth to keep from lashing out.
Do not go to jail today, Lila.
I don’t have time to go into mama bear mode. An ear-piercing slam on the glass quiets the surrounding stands. I can feel my heartbeat in the tips of my fingers as I turn to find Kam’s fist raised to the glass.
Kam’s glare cuts a hole through the smug man. I have no trouble hearing him as he snarls, “Give Jasper the puck. Now .”
The man smirks at the terrifying hockey player. “He should have tried harder to catch it. It’s Matt’s now, fair and square.”
Kam’s glare goes from a flame to an inferno in the blink of an eye. “Yeah, fuck that.”
Three other players gather around Kam’s back as he yanks his gloves off. The man’s face turns a ghostly white as he assesses the wall of pissed off muscle in front of him.
The smiling, easy-going guys I met at The Penalty Box are long gone. Mace, Wyatt, and Dax stand like sentinels behind their captain.
With a shaky hand and a glare, the man snatches the puck from the boy's clenched fingers and releases it into Jasper's open palm.
Kam’s eyes stay trained on him as he skates away backwards. A dangerous edge underlies his words as he says, “Wise choice.” His eyes flick to me before he finally turns to leave the ice, his three teammates following him into the dark abyss of the tunnel.
I’m left standing there with my pulse beating wildly in my neck, staring after the captain of the hockey team.
What the hell just happened?
Jasper looks up at me, beaming with his new prize in-hand. “I wonder if he has a swear jar at home, too.”