Rhys takes a second, then nods somberly. “You’re proper.”

“In fact I’m proper,” I say.

“We’ll play like a group for us. And since she reminded us that we’re,” Hollis provides, a nod to our chats with Briar.

I’m glad we’ve cleared the air considerably, however that’s not all I wished to say. We have to discuss her. Right here. What’s subsequent, as a result of I’ve missed her. I’ve missed her so rattling a lot I really feel hole with out her. Right here goes the laborious half. “She’ll be right here tonight. It’s an enormous fucking deal.”

“Yeah, as a result of,” Hollis says on a tough swallow, “I feel…I’m just a little in love together with her.”

Rhys snorts. “Attempt quite a bit.”

Hollis laughs. “Fucking showoff.”

“I used to be saying you have been quite a bit in love together with her,” Rhys corrects.

Clearing my throat I minimize in, gesturing from Rhys to Hollis and again. “Pot. Kettle.”

“Fantastic. Lots,” Hollis provides, prefer it was the simplest factor on the earth to say.

Rhys blows out a breath, then shrugs in admission. “Yeah, me too. I’m in love together with her too. Lots.”

I don’t disguise a smile this time. I can’t disguise it as a result of I by no means anticipated this. I completely by no means thought this is able to occur. But when I’ve discovered something in my twenty-seven years on Earth, it’s that life is what you make it, and also you’d higher make it every thing you need. I supply a fist for knocking. “That makes three of us.”

A bit later we hit the ice, one after the other. I race out first, my gaze swinging instantly to the seats on middle ice.

There she is, carrying the cutest white knit cap I’ve ever seen, her lengthy, blonde hair curling on the ends, and a plain black zip-up hoodie, together with a pink scarf. Too dangerous we couldn’t ship her a Golden State Foxes jersey, however her boss would flip if she wore one.

Briar’s sitting subsequent to her buddies, Trina and Aubrey. We obtained tickets for them whereas Ivy works the sport because the group’s mascot, dressed up in her fox costume.

The three of us skate by Briar throughout warm-up drills, and she or he cheers for all of us collectively and every of us individually.

It’s early within the first interval and the gang roars, their power fueling me. Pressure—and that hope for a win—crackles within the air, a palpable present that electrifies me.

Arizona’s group is formidable. They’re stacked up and down, however I’ve obtained one thing nobody else on this rink of twenty thousand has—effectively besides for 2 different guys.

I need it extra.

I need it tonight.

I need it for her.

The puck zips throughout the ice, a blur of black amidst the swirling chaos of gamers. I zoom in on it, a rush of adrenaline charging by way of me as their forwards hoard it, passing it forwards and backwards down the ice, chasing towards Dev within the web, however not on my watch. I’m there too, battling for the puck then…growth, I strip it from the Arizona participant, spin away and dash down the ice, flicking it rapidly to Rhys.

Very quickly, he’s flying towards their purpose when a pack of D-men swarm him, so he slips the puck simply to Hollis, who sends it screaming into the online.

Similar to that, the lamp lights and the gang goes wild.

I flip to middle ice. Briar’s cheering us on, her voice echoing by way of the rink. It’s not likely echoing. In fact it’s not. However I really feel like I can hear solely her.

When the sport ends with a W, all of us skate towards her with out even planning it, like she’s our North Star. She’s what guides us. The three of us kind a semi-circle in entrance of the glass the place she is. She comes proper as much as us, glances round, checks to see who’s watching, then glad it’s protected, she unzips her hoodie, giving us—simply us—a sneak peek.

Beneath, she was carrying a Foxes jersey in any case.

There goes my final shred of resistance. I’m up to now gone for this woman.

That’s why we wanted to win. We now have her friendship, and now it’s time to earn her coronary heart.

62

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