Page 35

Chapter 35

Blake

Right. Left. Right. Left.

The blades underneath my feet cut the ice as I glide forward, bulldozing my way through the teammates who protect the goal. They don’t stand a chance.

Within seconds the puck hits the net and my team erupts in loud cheers and whistles, clapping my hand as I circle back to our side. On instinct I look out into the stands in search of my Sunshine’s lovely face, only to remember she’s not here.

We decided she should sit these things out for a while and use the time to unwind, go to therapy sessions or catch up with her parents instead. Nora and Bill have been staying in a motel nearby, and from what I’ve heard from Alissa, they have been a real nuisance to the school board and administration, hounding them for answers and threatening to sue. As if I could not adore them any more.

This practice session is a much needed respite for the team. After many days and nights of scouring the campus for any sign of the bastard it was Eric who spotted Hudson and turned him in to the police. It’s too soon to say for certain, but I hope he’s locked up for a long time.

No one said it, but I know the anger and frustration at the whole situation piled up inside every one of them. At least in this practice game, we can let it all out without repercussions.

Across the ice, Coach Tucker pulls out his megaphone, the feedback blaring through the rink. “Taylor! A word?”

“Blakey is in trouuuuubleeee!” Raf draws out the words like a child before laughing at the irked look on my face. He and Alexis have been getting along a little too well, and she has clearly been teaching him how to annoy me better. I pray he doesn’t remember her nickname for me—it’s only cute when she says it, even if she does so to mock me.

Once I am off the ice, I quickly rid myself of my skates and follow Coach into his office in full gear.

I expect him to tell me how sorry he is for what happened to Alexis, to tell some bullshit story about how the good will weed out the evil in time—the usual drivel. But the moment I see Levi linger behind the desk, I know this is not that kind of conversation.

One of Coach Tucker’s best qualities is that he doesn’t like wasting time with idle chit-chat, so he cuts right to it.

“Look, kid. I’m sure you and the others must be aware that Levi’s final season with the Brookside Badgers is coming to an end, and that I’m on the lookout for someone to replace him for the big job,” he says. “Levi here has told me great things about your leadership and drive. Kind of pestering me with it, really. Look, I admit I had my doubts, given your record, but even I see how much you have changed for the better these past few months. So I’ve decided you deserve the chance to prove yourself. I’m officially offering you the captain’s position for next season.”

A smile breaks out on my face, so big and wide it hurts my cheeks. Mother would lose it if she found out. I can hear her voice in my head as she brags to anyone who will listen. Her little boy, captain of a winning hockey team, headed for the NHL!

Ah, well. Sucks to be her.

“Thank you, sir. It is an incredible honor that you would even consider me.” Not a lie. This sliver of approval will fuel me for months to come. “But I cannot justify taking that jersey when I know Rafael would be much more suitable for the role.”

In my peripheral vision I see Levi’s lips curl, like this was some sort of test all along. Or maybe he just really likes watching me make a fool of myself. Either way, he knows I’m right just as well as I do.

“I might have the drive to lead us to victory, but Raf has both the skill and the ambition to take this team to a higher level. He should be your next captain, not me.”

Confusion practically drips off Coach Tucker’s face, though he doesn’t say a word. I’m sure it took a lot of effort on Levi’s part to convince Coach of me, and now I am turning down what I once thought was the chance of a lifetime. He looks at me for a long time, trying to make sense of it all.

“You’re sure about this?”

“Fully convinced. I love the sport, sir. You know I do. But it’s not my future, and I would not give it the same kind of attention as someone for whom it is. For Raf, hockey is his whole life. He even studies old games for fun, games he’s not even in. He has shit to learn, sure, but I know he will not let you down.”

Coach Tucker glances at Levi, then back at me. “If you and Levi are willing to take him under your wings for these last few months, get him ready, I don’t disagree.”

I meet Levi’s gaze with a nod. Our relationship, while still rocky, has been improving since Christmas. But we both care about this team and the people in it; it is one of the few things we fully see eye to eye on. So we will do everything we can to whip this team—and its new captain—into shape before Levi graduates, even if it means we need to call a truce between the two of us.

He is going to have to get used to me anyway.

After practice, I swing by the local flower shop before rushing to Alexis’s dorm. The scent of homemade lasagna wraps around my nostrils the moment the door opens, with Bill hard at work in the small kitchen to give his daughters a nice hot meal. Nora hugs me before I’ve even had a chance to close the door behind us, and it takes me by surprise the same way it did the first time.

This feeling of unexplainable warmth, of true acceptance, of family …I don’t think it will ever feel natural to me. To have a support system like that, with sibling rivalries, inside jokes and open arms after a bad day—I thought that was something that only happened on television. But it’s real, and it’s here, and one day…one day it might actually be mine.

I drop my bag next to the door and help Nora set the table in a comfortable silence, and when we’re done she pinches my cheek with a smile. Alexis and Alissa emerge from the latter’s room with freshly done nails and quiet laughter. I wave as she spots me, and she surprises us both by bounding into my arms and wrapping her legs around me. “I missed you.”

It’s only been a day, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same way. “Missed you too. Did you have a nice spa day?”

“It’s so she will look extra beautiful in her dress tomorrow!” Nora says, making Alexis roll her eyes.

“Mom, please.”

I set Alexis down and give my signal to Alissa, who disappears into her room. “Speaking of dresses, I wanted to do something special for you, to make sure the night is truly memorable. So me and Alissa did a little online shopping.”

As if on cue, Alissa appears in the doorway with the dress hanging from a hanger. Nora gasps, causing Alexis to turn around and look.

Tears flood her eyes and she swats at my arm. “Stop spending money on me!”

She hates it. Shit! I knew I should have let her pick something out herself! Alissa insisted that their ‘Twintuition’ was a thing, but it’s obviously bullshit.

Alexis crosses the room to look at it from up close. Does she notice her nails match the soft pink flowers perfectly?

“It’s beautiful, Lis,” she breathes, running her fingers down the soft fabric. “You picked this out?”

“I know you enough to know you’d hate whatever Blake picked out,” Alissa smirks. My choices weren’t even that bad, but compared to this one I can see how she would have hated it.

Alexis stares at the dress again, pausing a moment before coming back to me. “No more surprises, you hear me?”

“No more surprises,” I agree, though I can’t keep the smile off my face. There is one surprise heading her way still, just waiting for the right moment.