Chapter Forty-One
El
I’d been wearing Matt’s jersey my whole life, long before we were anything more than friends, so everyone was used to the sight. Seeing Jade in Cody’s jersey was something I’d have to get used to. Something everyone was going to have to get used to.
It was the first game in the tournament, and I was so fucking happy that I’d get to see Matt play.
It had been so weird seeing him benched.
For weeks, every sports broadcaster had been reporting on how strange it was for Cedar’s star defenseman to be benched with no known reasoning.
It had driven Matt up a wall every time he heard it.
I was relieved that after tonight, they wouldn’t be reporting on that anymore.
Jade and I were sitting together in the student section, filled with hardcore Cedar U hockey fanatics that drove the hour to attend the tourney game. Our parents were directly across the arena. We’d already waved to them numerous times.
Providence, the opposing team, seemed to continuously misplace the puck, probably thrown off by the crude, impolite chants hurdled at them. Their own parent’s section seemed to be getting vexed about it, throwing middle fingers and complaints our way.
None of the students seemed fazed though. If anything, it was only fueling them to chant rougher, louder. Courtesy was nonexistent in this arena. Especially not from the fanbase of the reigning champions.
Bridget and Kota wanted so badly to make it to the game, but unfortunately, they couldn’t. The boys had gotten caught up in hockey responsibilities, and all our schedules just weren’t aligning.
That was okay though. Jade and I would just have some sister time.
By the middle of the game, the boys were up by two. Matt was playing like he’d never missed a game in his life. Skating smoother than butter, he flew back and forth across the rink, dominating every moment.
I was so proud of him, both who he was on the ice and off it.
Every time Providence brought the puck into our zone, Jade tensed beside me, gripping my hand so tight that my bones were about to break. With every save made by Cody, another sigh of relief left her mouth.
I couldn’t even judge. Each time Matt stole the puck away, bringing it back into Stallion possession, I did the same thing.
Whenever the whistle was blown though, and there was a moment where the game was paused, I found myself glancing across the arena, where our parents sat.
Their section was filled, mixed with Providence and Cedar fans. But I could still pick them out easily.
Even with the distance, I could see my father’s arm around my mom as they laughed together, seated beside their best friends.
My throat burned at the sight. Was I the problem? Probably.
With Craig’s help, I was becoming more self-aware, more open-minded. I’d been holding a grudge against my mother all these years, and I needed to get over that hurdle or else it was going to chew me away from the inside out for the rest of my life.
All these years, I’d wanted things to return to how they were before the affair, when we were close, a happy family and nothing less. But I had to accept that things would never be exactly the same.
Life adapted, and I needed to adapt with it.
I made the decision right there that I was going to have those hard conversations that I’d been dodging for a majority of my life. It was going to be hard, but I had to do it.
For now, though, I let all those thoughts wash away. My favorite person was on the ice. And he was absolutely killing it.