Chapter 39
Nick
Ispeed across the ice and chase after the Boston College player in possession of the puck.
“Let’s go, St. George,” Coach Sawyer hollers from the bench as I skate by.
He’s been riding my ass this whole game, even more than usual. I don’t blame him, though. Because there are NHL scouts in the stands tonight, and he wants me to play my ass off. I do too.
That’s why I’m pushing myself beyond my limit tonight.
Yeah, I always play hard every game, but tonight I need to do better.
I need to work harder, skate faster, and perform better than I ever have.
I want to show those scouts that not only am I the best player on this team, but that I’d be an asset on a professional hockey team too.
Nerves fire off inside of me. So much is on the line, but I can’t let my anxiety get the best of me.
I breathe hard, my focus sharpening as I zero in on the opposing player. I block out everything except what’s happening on the ice. I don’t hear the noise from the crowd. I don’t see the stands. All I see is a guy in a white jersey that I need to catch up to.
I close in on him while he heads for our goalie. Travis is in the net tonight, and he’s kicking ass. He’s blocked almost every shot from Boston College, except for one.
We’re tied, it’s nearing the end of the second period, and no way in hell am I going to let this guy score before we head off the ice for intermission.
I check him right as he winds up to shoot the puck. It goes flying toward the boards. A second later, Blake runs over and grabs it, then takes off. I race after him and watch as he manages to avoid a hit from a Boston College defenseman.
He takes a shot at their goalie, but it bounces off the goalie’s stick. There’s a scramble in front of the net for control of the puck. I jump in but get shoved away. Leo has it now, but there’s a Boston player that’s all over him, so he can’t get a clean shot.
He fires it off over to me. The second I have it, I wind up and smack it. It soars over the goalie’s glove, sinking into the back of the net.
I holler and pump my fist as my teammates surround me. The home crowd roars.
“Glad you were open, because there was no way I was making that shot,” Leo says to me.
“It was pure luck. Right place, right time,” I say.
Leo just laughs. “Don’t even try to be modest, dude. You know you rocked it.”
I turn around and glance into the stands. A second later, I catch eyes with Poppy. She beams at me.
This is the first time I’ve seen her this whole game. I’ve been so focused on playing at my best in front of the scouts that I didn’t scan the crowd for her, like I did the first time she came to watch me play.
When I see what she’s wearing, my eyes go wide, and I almost drop my stick.
She’s wearing my jersey.
I skate over to her. “Nice jersey,” I say.
Her smile turns teasing. “You like it?”
“Hell yeah.”
I motion for her to turn around. When she does, she swipes her hair over her shoulder so I can see my name and my number on her back.
St. George. Seventy-four.
My girlfriend is wearing my jersey with my name and my number.
I ignore that silent reminder in my head telling me that she’s not really my girlfriend. We’re still fake dating. We’re just two friends who are fooling around.
I don’t fucking care, though. This moment, looking at Poppy wearing my name and my number on her body, feels more real than anything I’ve ever felt in my life.
My chest squeezes, and that happiness from scoring that goal intensifies. It’s overwhelming, but in a good way.
A pretty pink blush paints her cheeks. “That was an amazing goal you scored,” she says.
“I did it for you.”
Her full cheeks flush. “You didn’t even notice me until a minute ago.”
“Every goal I score is always for you, wild girl.”
I don’t miss the way those gorgeous hazel eyes light up. I wink at her and skate off to rejoin my team, a bubbly feeling in my chest seeing her reaction. At how happy she looked. At how I’ve never seen her face brighten like that before.
I’m the one who does that. I’m the one who makes her happy.
We manage to hold on to our lead against Boston through the rest of the period. When we walk off the ice, I flash another smile at Poppy. That dazzled, dazed smile is still on her face.
In the locker room during intermission, Coach gives us a few motivating words.
When we hit the ice again for the final period, I’m fired up.
It’s different from the energy I felt earlier in the game.
That was more frantic and desperate. All I could think about was playing my best so that I could hopefully get the attention of the scouts and they’d be impressed by me.
But now I feel lighter as I play. Almost like the pressure is off. All because Poppy is wearing my jersey, cheering me on.
That feeling stays with me the rest of the game. Halfway through the third-period, I manage an assist. A few minutes after that, I score another goal.
As my teammates surround me and the home crowd goes wild, I look over at Poppy. I wink at her and grin. “For you,” I mouth.
She gives me another smile that makes my heart feel like it’s bouncing around in my chest.
I’m crazy about this girl.
“Hey, St. George. Nice work out there tonight,” Coach Sawyer says to me in the locker room after the game.
I pause from shedding all my sweaty gear and sit up. “Thanks, Coach.”
“I think you really impressed the scouts.”
I try and fail to hold in a smile. Hope zooms through me. I hope he’s right.
I clear my throat. “You think so?” I try not to sound too giddy. As excited as I am, I want to come off measured and mature.
He nods. “A scout from the Bashers told me he’d be back to watch our next home game. That’s a promising sign.”
That hopeful feeling amps up. Holy shit, it would be my dream to get drafted by the Bashers.
That’s the team my big brother Ryker plays for.
That’s the team I grew up cheering for since I was a little kid.
I’ve been to so many Bashers games over the years.
I’d lose my mind if I could play for them some day.
I grin up at Coach. “That’s awesome. I’ll be sure to play hard that game too.”
“Good,” he says before walking over to Travis, who’s coming out of the showers.
He speaks to him for a minute. Travis’s serious expression doesn’t budge the entire time.
Coach could be showering him in praise or quietly ripping him a new asshole.
You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference with a guy like Travis.
His expression is always the same: hard and serious.
Travis nods once before Coach walks out of the locker room, then sits on the bench next to me in front of his stall.
“All good?” I ask.
He nods. “Yeah. Coach was just telling me that I did well tonight and that the scouts in the stands noticed.”
I grin and grab his shoulder, giving him a shake. “Dude, get excited. That’s good news.”
He just frowns at me. “This is my excited face.”
My head falls back as I laugh. I shower and get cleaned up, then throw on some clean clothes.
“I’m starving. Let’s go to the diner and get some food,” I say to Travis.
“Yeah, I’m in,” Travis says.
Leo and Blake say they’re in too. I grab my phone and text Poppy.
Hey, wild girl. I wanna see you.
She texts back a minute later.
I want to see you too :)
There’s a swoop in my chest when I see the emoji. She hardly ever uses emojis when she texts me. Maybe that means she’s starting to catch feelings for me too.
Happiness and hope ignite in my chest.
Me: We’re grabbing dinner at the diner. Will you come?
Poppy: I’ll be there :)