Page 66

Kota

I ’d been gripping onto the bottom of Crew’s jersey for the entire third period of the game, clutching it so tightly that my hands were sweating.

Or maybe my hands were sweating from anxiety.

Last night was fucking rough. After Lane’s ejection, he didn’t speak to anyone.

Not me. Not Crew. Not even Bridget.

He just locked himself away in his room, probably drenching himself in guilt and regret.

Meanwhile, Crew and I had done our best to console Bridget, wiping away her tears and dismissing her countless apologies to Crew because she felt like she was somehow to blame for their loss.

He’d scooped her up into a hug, promising her that no one was to blame besides Silas. And he assured her that their final game in this series wouldn’t end any other way besides with that trophy in their hands.

Seeing Crew be so fragile with someone I cared about was so heartening.

Now, as the clock approached zero, we could only hope that St. Cloud didn’t make another goal and tie the game to send us into overtime.

Crew’s line had played for an insane amount of time tonight, and I didn’t know how their bodies were handling it. All the callous hits. All the nonstop movement. All the pressure.

Honestly, I was impressed with how well they’d managed the stress that they were probably under during every second of this game. The fate of this game would determine if they would reign conference champions or not. In addition to that, if they did win, they’d get an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.

I knew how hard the boys had worked for another shot at the national title. They deserved it more than anything.

With two minutes left, each Cedar player held the same expression— stoic, focused, and determined. Through their exhaustion, they were playing at such a high level.

After nearly a full game, the boys were still moving at the speed of light, and if I hadn’t kept my eyes directly on Crew since the play started, I would’ve lost him in the chaos.

Crew skated so effortlessly, like this was what he was made for. I was amazed by how gracefully he glided across the ice, how naturally it was for him.

He’d told me during one of our night talks that he started skating when he was only three. And standing there watching him, I had visions of what life would be like if somewhere down the line, we did have a kid together.

I could envision Crew tying his little skates up, patiently teaching him how to skate, picking him up when he’d fall, and eventually, handing him a tiny hockey stick and a puck.

I think I might want to be a boy mom?

My heart throbbed inside my chest, and I wrapped my arms around myself, hugging myself tight.

I’d gone my whole life hating men, but now, I’d found one that might’ve changed my mind.

The roar of the student section snapped me back to reality, sounding louder than a mob of crazed fans chasing Justin Bieber. My ears were ringing painfully, but I was so zoned into the game that I ignored it.

Bridget and I hadn’t spoken in a solid ten minutes. The air in the arena was thick with tension and we were religiously puffing it in and out like chain-smokers.

As the final ten seconds hit, Bridget grabbed my hand and squeezed the life out of it. If I wasn’t so damn distracted, I would’ve yelled at her for crumbling my bones to dust.

Everyone counted down with the clock and when the shrill buzzer went off, the entire arena exploded in a heap of madness, cheering and jumping and crashing into each other.

All the boys threw their sticks and abandoned their helmets, revealing how sweaty they were underneath their gear. But still, they tackled each other with pride and excitement.

Lane accepted the trophy on behalf of the team and of course, Crew was the first one to greet him. The first thing Lane did was put the trophy down and wrap his arms around Crew, and Bridget was on it, phone out, taking pictures to make sure this moment was captured.

“Send those to me,” I smiled at her, and she nodded.

Lane and Crew each took a side of the trophy and brought it to the rest of the team, and we watched with sheer awe until the rest of the arena had cleared out.