Page 19

BLAISE

N o matter how prepared you are for early morning practices, it doesn’t make getting up and getting on the ice any easier.

I’m still performing well to keep Coach Johnson off my back, but I'm mostly going through the motions right now.

I'm still reeling from seeing Willow last night at the orientation meeting, but I’m trying my best not to let it show.

I easily intercept a pass meant for Asher. In one fluid motion, I redirect the puck to Knox who's already streaking toward the opposite goal. My body knows what to do even when my mind is elsewhere.

"Nice read, Dalton!" Coach Johnson yells from the sideline. "That's what I'm talking about!"

I nod in acknowledgment, already positioning myself for the next play. The defensive drill continues, and I'm somehow executing every movement with precision despite the fact my thoughts keep drifting to the way Willow's eyes widened when she saw me walk into that orientation room.

Practice intensifies when Coach divides us into teams, red versus white.

I'm paired with Harris, a sophomore defenseman with good instincts but still prone to rookie mistakes.

When Levi breaks away with the puck, charging toward our goal, I call out positioning instructions to him while cutting off Levi's passing lane.

"Force him wide!" I shout, already anticipating Levi's next move.

Harris responds perfectly, angling his body to push Levi toward the boards. I swoop in at the exact moment Levi attempts to pass to Asher, stealing the puck and clearing it down the ice.

I'm on autopilot, my body executing plays while my mind keeps replaying fragments of last night. I’m excellent at compartmentalizing things in order to get through my day. It’s not working today, but somehow I’m doing okay.

We do a couple more drills before Coach Johnson’s whistle. “Time for a hydration break. You have five minutes!”

I skate toward the bench, tugging off my gloves and reaching for my water bottle. My throat’s dry, but the burn in my legs feels good. Unlike everything else I’m trying to push down.

Knox plops down beside me and squirts water into his mouth. “That redirect you made? Filthy.”

I nod, popping the top of my bottle. “He was telegraphing the pass.”

“Still. You’re locked in today.” He bumps his shoulder into mine. He’s in a better mood than I expected him to be in, but his usual grumpiness has become a thing of the past now that he’s dating Selene.

"Yeah, well, I’m just reading his patterns which leads me to anticipating the play."

Knox gives me a sideways look. "You sound like a hockey textbook."

I shrug. "Just stating facts. Like I usually do."

“You good? You seem...I don't know. Off."

"I'm fine. Just focused and trying to end this semester on a good note." It’s not a lie, but it’s also not the full truth either. I’m focused on whether I should mention the fact that both Willow and I will be on this Puerto Rico trip together.

Hell, I haven’t even mentioned anything about this trip to the guys.

"You wanna grab breakfast after practice?" Knox asks, screwing the cap back on his water bottle. "Shit, we have, like, a minute until Coach calls us back on the ice.”

“Yeah, I have time. Maybe we should invite the rest of the guys?”

Knox nods, already scanning the bench for the others. "I'll round them up after practice."

I take another swig of water, trying to focus on what Coach Johnson is going to throw at us next versus anything related to Willow and the Puerto Rico trip. It’s gotten slightly easier, but the struggle is still there.

Coach's whistle pierces the air. "Back on the ice! Let's run the power play!"

We set our bottles down and slide our gloves back on. Knox gives me a quick fist bump before skating toward center ice. I follow, positioning myself at the blue line.

The rest of practice flies by. It includes more drills, more corrections, more praise and constructive criticism, which is Coach’s style.

By the time Coach dismisses us, I’m ready for a shower not only because I need to get this sweat off of me, but I need to ease my sore muscles.

After going into the locker room and getting showered and dressed, I quickly realize I’m the first one ready to head out for food.

I walk over to where the other guys are still packing their stuff up.

"I'm telling you," Wilder says as he stuffs his practice gear into his bag, "Professor Donovan's exam is going to destroy me. Who tests on the entire semester's material?"

"Every professor ever?" Levi replies, rolling his eyes. "That's literally what a final is."

"Yeah, but he's adding new material too! It's fucked up, bro."

"That's because you missed quite a few of his classes," Knox says, toweling his hair dry. "Can't blame Donovan for your poor attendance."

Wilder flips him off. "I had legitimate reasons."

"Sleeping through your alarm isn't legitimate," Asher chimes in, lacing up his shoes. "Neither is 'the vibe wasn't right today.'"

"You wouldn't understand my process," Wilder snaps as he zips his bag up.

I check my phone, scrolling through notifications while half listening to their conversation. Two emails from professors about final assignments, a reminder about a study group meeting tomorrow, and...an email from Professor Wallace with the subject line: "Puerto Rico Trip - Room Assignments."

I tap it open before I can think better of it.

"Earth to Blaise," Knox's voice cuts through my thoughts. "You still with us for breakfast?"

I lock my phone quickly, shoving it into my pocket. "Yeah, sorry. Just checking something."

"Important?" Knox tosses his bag over his shoulder.

"Just trip details," I say, keeping it vague on purpose.

Wilder raises an eyebrow. "Trip? What trip?"

Damnit. I didn't mean to let that slip. I hesitate as everyone’s eyes are focused on me.

"It's a study abroad thing over winter break," I explain, trying to sound casual. "Political science department. Puerto Rico for a week."

"Puerto Rico?" Knox repeats. “The one Professor Wallace is running?"

"Yeah.” I already know where this is going.

Knox stares at me for a long moment, and I can see the pieces clicking together in his head. "Willow mentioned she was going on a poli-sci trip to Puerto Rico."

The locker room suddenly feels ten degrees warmer. Levi and Asher exchange glances while Wilder's mouth forms a perfect 'O'.

"Did she?" I ask. "Small world."

"Yeah," Knox says slowly. "Small fucking world indeed."

Wilder, never one to read a room, claps his hands together. "Well, this just got interesting! Dalton and Little Sanchez, tropical island?—”

"Shut up, Wilder," Levi cuts him off with a warning look.

"What?" Wilder holds up his hands defensively. "I'm just saying what everyone's thinking."

"When were you planning to mention this?" Knox asks, and I can hear the underlying tension in his tone.

I shrug, aiming for nonchalance. "It's just a school trip. And I literally found out last night when I walked into the orientation meeting."

"Wait," Asher interjects, "you just found out yesterday that Willow's going too?"

"Yeah." I run a hand through my still-damp hair. "Trust me, I was as surprised as anyone."

Knox studies me for a moment longer. "Alright. I believe you."

"Thanks…” My voice trails off because I’m not sure what to make of any of this.

"Can we please go eat now?" Wilder says and I would almost classify it as a whine. "I'm starving, and this drama is making me hungrier."

"It's not drama," I say firmly. "It's a school trip. That's it."

"Sure it is," Wilder says with an eye roll. "A school trip with the girl who looks at you like she wants to set you on fire. Totally normal."

"She doesn't—" I start, but Levi cuts me off.

"Let's just get food," he says, sliding between me and Knox. "Everything's better after pancakes."

He’s not wrong. Food has solved many issues between the five of us, and I’m sure this will be no different. The tension in the locker room eases slightly as we file out, but I can feel Knox's eyes on me. He falls into step beside me as we head across campus.

"We good?" I ask Knox, keeping my voice low. The other guys are a few steps ahead being entertained by Wilder, who is talking about what food he is going to order.

"Yeah, we're good. Just caught me off guard."

"For what it's worth, I was surprised to see her there too because it’s a trip mostly for political science majors."

"She's taking it as an elective," Knox says. "And to get away for a bit according to our mom."

"Get away from what?" I ask before I can stop myself. I don’t want to seem as if I’m super interested in what Willow is up to, because it would raise every alarm bell in Knox’s head.

Knox shrugs. "Hell if I know. That's just what my mom said when she texted me last night. Something about Willow needing a change of scenery."

"Makes sense. Winter in Virginia isn't exactly paradise."

Knox gives me a weird look before he speaks. “I mean, yeah, I don’t blame her for going. I would go too if I didn’t already have plans.”

“So someone else is keeping secrets about what they are doing for winter break too?”

"It's not a secret if I haven't had a chance to tell you yet. Selene and her parents invited me to stay with them at a cabin they are renting in Vermont for a few days after Christmas."

"Wow. Spending time with the parents already? That's serious." I’m shocked and relieved we've moved away from the topic of Willow.

"It's not a big deal. But yes, we are serious.”

"Spending a significant amount of time with the parents is definitely a big deal," I counter. "That's like...relationship level-up territory."

Knox shoves my shoulder. "Whatever. At least I'm not spending a week in Puerto Rico with someone who hates me."

And we're back to Willow. Great.

"She doesn't hate me," I say quickly, though I'm not entirely convinced of that myself.

"Could've fooled me," Knox mutters as we approach Brewed Beginnings. The scent of coffee hits us as soon as Wilder yanks open the door.

The place is decently packed with students who are grabbing coffee and food to fuel up before morning classes. I scan the room and thankfully, there is a table with four chairs in the corner.

As I follow the guys toward the corner table, I look over and see that Hailey's there, her brown hair pulled back in a messy bun, taking orders. Levi spots her immediately—no surprise there—and a dopey grin spreads across his face.

"I'm gonna go say hi," he says, already walking toward the counter.

"We'll grab the table," Asher calls after him, but Levi's already gone, making a beeline for his girlfriend.

Wilder rolls his eyes. "Whipped."

"Like you wouldn't act the same way if you were dating someone," Knox says, dropping into one of the chairs.

"Bold of you to assume I'd ever settle down," Wilder responds back, but there's something off in his tone. Before I can analyze it further, Asher grabs the seat next to Knox, leaving me to take the chair facing the counter and giving me a perfect view of Levi greeting Hailey.

"What's everyone getting?" Asher asks, pulling out his wallet.

"The biggest coffee they have and whatever has the most calories," Wilder says, slouching in his chair. "Practice destroyed me."

"You say that after every practice," I point out. I’m still watching as Levi leans across the counter and says something that makes Hailey's face soften for a millisecond before returning to her usual stoic expression.

"Because every practice destroys me. It's a consistent problem." Wilder yawns and then stretches his neck to look at the menu board. "I think I'm getting the breakfast burrito. I’m so glad they added that to their menu. No, wait. A blueberry muffin. No. I’m getting both."

Knox snorts. "Your metabolism is going to catch up with you someday."

"And when it does, I'll deal with it." Wilder runs a hand through his hair. "Live in the now, bro."

I'm about to respond when Levi returns to the table. "Hailey says they're swamped, but she'll try to come say hi when she gets a break."

"She looked thrilled to see you," I say, unable to keep the sarcasm from my voice.

Levi pulls a chair over and then plops down in it. "That was her happy face."

This turns into a back-and-forth between Wilder and Levi that I only half pay attention to.

Instead, I pull out my phone to look over my schedule for today.

Not that I didn’t check it when I woke up this morning just before getting ready for practice.

I only have a couple more weeks until the semester ends, then the holidays will come and go, and then I’ll be on a plane to Puerto Rico.

Too bad I’m only prepared for two out of those three things.