Chapter 31Theo
Theo
The lights in the arena dimmed, and the crowd erupted. I looked at Asher and Quincy and attempted to make some kind of casual joke, but the music began, drowning everything out.
Blinding lights in shades of red, white, and blue turned on, and spotlights scanned across the stands, the fans going nuts when the spotlight finally reached them.
We stood behind a sparkly curtain with the other teams, ready to make our entrance. We Will Rock You by Queen came on, and the entire arena started stomping their feet in time with the music. The floor beneath my feet rumbled, and for the first time, I felt nervous.
Jesus, this is fucking serious.
In years past, the PCSHL Championship would feature the top two teams of the league. It was the first year the league did a single-elimination championship with seed pairs. The best team will play the worst, the second-best team will play the second-worst, and so on.
Each game was do or die—just one loss and the team was done .
The music died down, and an announcer delivered a speech with a canned, shmaltzy voice:
“Welcome to the 2025 Premier Collegiate Summer Hockey League championship!
Over the past few months, we’ve watched some incredible talent, fierce competition, and unforgettable moments. Today, these athletes will step onto the ice once more, showcase their skills, and battle for glory…”
My stomach rumbled as the players in front of me began to move, bracing themselves for the moment when the announcer introduced the teams.
“Please join me in welcoming our teams onto the ice and get ready for a tournament filled with skill, passion, and unforgettable moments. Thank you, and enjoy the games!”
The curtains opened, and we began making our way onto the ice to the thunderous applause of the fans. The moment my feet touched ice, my jaw dropped. My goal had been to try to find my family, but I couldn’t look past the sea of rainbows in the stands.
Asher took my hand, a gasp so powerful leaving his mouth that it overpowered the music and cheers.
There were signs with our names on them, rainbow flags being spun around in the air, and one poster even had the tongue and peach emojis drawn on it!
These people are wild.
Miraculously, I was able to find my family. They were seated right behind the glass, and my mom and sisters were crying. My dad gave a strong, determined thumbs up as he nodded in approval.
It didn’t feel real. None of it felt like it was really happening. Part of me thought I’d wake up in the hotel room, shake Asher, and tell him about the cool dream I had.
But it’s not a dream.
I nudged Asher’s shoulder, and he looked in the direction my finger pointed. He saw my family, and the moment they locked eyes with him, they raised a sign:
ASHER + THEO
WE LOVE YOU BOYS
It was so freaking adorable. I turned to Asher, and the look on his face will never leave my memory.
Tears fell down his cheeks as he smiled at them. He made his hands into a heart and mouthed that he loved them. They responded, mouthing that they loved him too.
I completely missed the rest of the announcer’s speech. It wasn’t until they introduced a country western singer with long blonde hair to sing the National Anthem that I realized the ceremony was almost done.
The anthem filled the arena, and silence washed over the fans. I watched as people of every race and ethnicity mouthed the words. More than a quarter of the arena held some kind of pride paraphernalia.
I let the moment take over, my chest swelling as I realized how lucky I was. There will always be more work to do, but I was allowed to stand next to the person I love, a person who was the same sex as me, and proudly love him without fear of punishment.
It’s not like that everywhere else. Hell, it was barely like that in the United States until fairly recently, which was why I decided to take Asher’s hand in mine at that precise moment.
Visibility is important, and I decided to visibly show my love for Asher while mouthing the words to our National Anthem .
Because our rights were worth fighting for, love was worth fighting for, and Asher was the love of my life. I knew I’d fight for him until the day I died.
His fingers squeezed mine, and our eyes met. I could see in his face that he was thinking something similar to me.
We’ll fight for each other, Red, because this is worth fighting for.