Page 29

Chapter

Twenty-Four

We entered the commons area of the North Centre and the rich, buttery scent of popcorn hit me first. Someone had dragged in a popcorn machine from the theatre department and set it next to a massive drink cooler labeled “Outlaws Fuel” in red marker.

Two hours before puck drop, the place was already half full.

Shar, Crystal, and I had spit-balled a thousand ways to be in person for the Outlaws games at Nationals, but when Douglas announced they'd be playing them on the big screen, we decided to stay put with the rest of the student body.

In the middle of the tables, a mammoth projector unit faced a makeshift screen mounted to the far wall. Someone had hung fleece Outlaws blankets over the windows to darken the space. Brilliant.

"I'm so nervous, my hands are shaking." Crystal clenched her fists as we claimed our spot at the front-left table. She dropped her bag with a thunk and immediately pulled out her scarf. "I want more hockey tournaments."

"Just so you can skip class?" Shar asked.

I grinned. "It's not skipping when the professor okays it." Kowalski let us out early as long as we promised to do an extra problem set and turn them in over the weekend in his drop box.

Shar eased into her seat beside us, tugging her coat off and exposing her barely there baby bump. “I got a full extension on my term paper. I told them I was emotionally compromised. Technically true.”

We waited while one of the more techie staffers at Douglas got the feed going, then focused on the warm-ups.

Our bracket was steep. It was double elimination, but we had to win our way through the gauntlet.

The Outlaws had drawn one of the strongest BC teams in the first round.

Okanagan’s Silverhawks. I was already regretting leaving Chase's office instead of actually looking at the data he had.

The room erupted at puck drop. We only left our seats between periods to use the washroom and grab snacks, and when the final buzzer sounded, there were hugs and congrats all around. Final score: Douglas 3–1.

Game two against the Langley Northstars was tighter. They pressed harder. Rob went bar-down in OT, and the screen flickered just enough that for one heart-stopping second, we weren’t sure if it had gone in.

We were hoarse by game three. The Outlaws took on Red River College, and the game was a grinder from start to finish.

No clean plays, no flow. Just grit and persistence.

Somehow they pulled out 4-2 by the end of the second.

But in the third, Red River scored in the first three minutes, then again on a power play with three minutes left.

Blakely pulled Tim at two minutes, but an empty netter from one of the Red River forwards sealed our fate.

The mood on campus was somber until we realized they were still playing for third.

Somehow we managed to turn in our homework and take care of basic living while spending four-plus hours in the North Centre every day. When we showed up for the bronze medal match, we found familiar faces on the big screen.

"Shut up! Interviews!" someone shouted, and we tuned in to Blakely talking about the Douglas offense. I was about to hit the washroom before puck drop when Chase's face filled the screen. My stomach flipped.

"I know that loss in the semis probably still stings. I'm sure you've been making some adjustments,” the reporter said. “What do you think will be the difference tonight?”

Chase nodded. "Yeah, honestly? I'm not upset about that loss. We played good hockey, and the puck happened to bounce in their favour a few times, but we're going to stick with our game and play steady tonight."

"And what is it that defines your game?"

Chase considered a moment, then answered, "If you would've asked me that before the holidays, I probably would've given a different answer, but now I'd say it's preparation.

Discipline. Paying attention to the numbers.

" Chase looked up, straight into the camera.

"We've been lucky enough to have some fantastic training, helping us work on analytics.

It's helped us put our guys in the best position to use their strengths. "

Crystal grabbed my arm. I couldn’t breathe. Chase hadn't said my name, but he'd just given me a shout out on national TV. The interviewer thanked him, and Chase shook his hand, then looked up again and?—

"He winked!" Shar pointed at the screen. "Did you see that?" She whirled in her seat, grinning. "Maddie?—"

"I saw it." I gave her a look, willing her not to draw any more attention.

I escaped to the washroom, his words replaying in my head.

What the hell did Chase Wilson want? He wanted me, but then wouldn't let me make choices to want him back?

He wanted to coach, but then wouldn't say out loud what type of position he was looking for?

He wouldn't make plans or admit that there was anything worth trying for, and while I understood where that came from, I didn't like it.

I plopped down next to Crystal and Shar, hoping I could forget for the next few hours and just get lost in the game. But I knew I'd be disappointed. Because Chase's touch was the only thing that did that for me.

The Outlaws came out against Manitoba Tech like they had something to prove. Chase and Blakely worked the bench like a chessboard. They rotated lines with precision. The guys played loose, fast, and electric. It was 3-1 before the second period even started.

Manitoba rallied in the beginning of the third, but Douglas held them 3-2 until the buzzer sounded.

Douglas had medaled. At Nationals.

People in the North Centre screamed, hugged, and cried. Sharla, Crystal, and I stared at the screen in awe. It was the first time that Douglas had ever placed, and it was our boys that did it.

_____

Three days later, the crowd outside the Douglas Dome pulsed with cheers and whistles, the tinny bray of the student pep band squawking out a peppy version of “We Are the Champions.” I stood shoulder to shoulder with Crystal and Sharla near the edge of the crowd, wrapped in our maroon-and-gold scarves.

"Isn't there another victory song we could pull into the mix?” Crystal muttered as the chorus kicked in for the third time.

“It's Queen. It never gets old,” I teased.

Sharla was quiet, her hands tucked over her belly.

"Nervous?" I asked.

She sighed. "Just thinking."

"About what?" Crystal undid the buttons of her jacket. It was getting warm in the sun.

"All of this. Rob. Hockey." She grazed her teeth over her lower lip. "I don't think he can be happy without this. And I know that if he played pro he'd find a team and we could be more settled, but . . . "

I let out a breath. "If he doesn't."

She nodded. "Right. If he doesn't."

My conversation with Chase flickered in my head. This is their backup plan. My thoughts moved from Rob to the rest of the guys on the team. The ones who hadn't been invited to join the summer travel team. One year left, and then what? Beer leagues?

A shout rippled through the crowd as the players filed onto the makeshift stage set up in front of the Dome. Cheers swelled as Bear waved his arms to pump everyone up. Axel blew a kiss to a group of freshmen at the front.

"They're so much more creative than we were," Crystal noted, staring at signs that read “Bear Down” and “#47 is my Daddy” in glitter glue.

Blakely stood behind them, arms folded, squinting into the sun. I waited, watching for Chase, but when Blakely stepped up to the mic and launched into a speech, he still wasn't there.

“First-ever Nationals medal for Douglas. I’d like to say I always believed we’d get here, but the truth is, these boys surprised the hell outta me.”

Laughter. Cheers. He clapped a hand on Rob's shoulder and continued, but I wasn't listening. He wasn't there. Why wasn't he there?

"If I could take just a minute."

My head snapped up at the sound of Rob's voice. Sharla straightened next to me.

"This has been the best season of my life. Not just because we won bronze. But because of what this team’s become.

A family.” He looked down at the crowd, searching until his eyes landed on us.

His smile widened. “I got offered a spot on a development team,” he said to cheers and whoops.

“Everyone says it could be a foot in the door. Said it could lead to something big.”

The cheers continued, but he held up a hand and the noise faltered.

"I was all in, ready to pack up and leave at the end of May, but something happened while we were gone at Nationals. I realized that I didn’t care about the door anymore. Or what was behind it. Not if it meant missing out on the family I found. The family I'm building.”

The crowd cheered at that, and Rob raised his voice.

"I'll be staying here at Douglas because there's someone outside of these guys behind me who stands by me every step of the way.

She's the most important person in my life, and Sharla, if you'll get up here, I have a question for you.

" Rob dropped to his knees as the crowd exploded.

Sharla stood shaking next to me. "He's not joining the team?"

I laughed, tears stinging my eyes. "Doesn't look like it."

"But—"

I gave her a little nudge, and that was all she needed. The crowd cheered as she walked to the stairs, then quieted when she ascended to stand in front of Rob. He pulled something from his pocket, and Axel grabbed the mic, holding it to his mouth.

"You hate being in front of people," Sharla whispered, the mic barely picking her up.

"Unless he's on skates!" someone shouted, and they both laughed.

"Yeah, well, I needed you to know that I'm serious." Rob lifted his hand, holding up something that glinted gold. "Sharla, I love you." His voice broke as he reached for her hand.

"I'm going to pass out," Crystal hissed next to me, and I wrapped my arm around her. I was also currently struggling to breathe.

"Will you marry me?" Rob asked.

Sharla didn't hesitate. She yelled a "Yes!

" then shoved the ring on her finger and yanked him up to kiss her. Axel whooped, then pulled out a tiny, red Outlaws onesie. Crystal and I awww’d in unison.

I'd ogled the baby stuff in the bookstore on more than one occasion, and I couldn’t handle it when he turned it around.

On the back, stitched in gold letters, was the number twenty-three.

"Like dad!" Axel crowed, and the crowd went bonkers.

Crystal wrapped her arm around my waist. “Is there any part of you that worries?”

I nodded. “You know me.” Every part of me worried for them. Shar was going to have a baby, and even though they lived under the same roof, they’d only been together together for a few months.

I sighed. “But if anyone could make it . . . “

“Yeah. I know. It’s them.” Crystal swiped at her eyes. "I shouldn't have worn mascara."

I laughed, pulling her toward the stage.

Our friends were getting married. Our friends were having a baby.

Awe, elation, gratitude, fear, grief, and a thousand other emotions swirled inside me as we approached the stage.

Blakely and a handful of other Douglas administrators, including Lamont, congratulated our players.

We squealed and celebrated with Shar, inspected the ring Rob had chosen—a thin gold band with beveled edges—promising to come over later. Crystal moved over to talk with Rory, and with everyone momentarily occupied, I slipped between Tim and Bear to snag Axel. "Hey, where's Coach Wilson?"

Axel frowned. “Why?"

"Just—" I pursed my lips. "Do you know or not?"

Axel's eyes narrowed. "He had to go home. Said it was a family thing.”

My throat thickened, all of my suspicions ringing true. A family thing. "When you called him, when I didn't answer the day I was supposed to show up at your meeting, how did you get his number?”

Axel shrugged. “I just got it from Coach Kaplan’s office. They keep a file. He’s got a personal info sheet in his file folder.”

Of course he did. But Kaplan’s office was now Chase's, and if he wasn't there— "Thank you." I gave him a quick hug. "Congrats!"

"Maddie—"

I rushed off, feeling only a little guilty for ditching him mid-sentence, and headed straight for Blakely.

“Coach!" I snagged him before he turned to the stairs.

“Do you happen to have Chas— Coach Wilson's address?

" His brow furrowed, and I quickly added, "I wanted to take over some cookies. To thank him for letting me work with the team this semester and to say congratulations.” I gave my most innocent smile.

No we were not making out in his office with the door locked less than a week ago.

Blakely eyed me for a long beat. Then he nodded slowly. “Sure. I’ll jot it down." He pulled his folder from the microphone stand and flipped it open, then pulled a pen from his jacket pocket. I tapped my foot impatiently. When he handed me the paper, I blinked. Two addresses. His and Chase's.

I flashed a smile. “You’ll get the first dozen.” Then I turned and bolted from the stage.