The players trusted me. And that was immensely satisfying.
But I couldn’t help but think about the gentle way Elias had touched my cheek, and wondered if there was something more behind it…
The next day, Coach Jay announced that the backup goalie was starting the game. When I asked him about it, Jay said something along the lines of Elias needing a rest day.
I didn’t say anything, but of course I knew the truth. During the game, Elias looked like he might throw up all over the bench, and the other players gave him plenty of room.
When he caught me watching him, I quickly looked away.
We lost that game, as well as the next game in Montreal. Two days later, we scraped together a win against Toronto in a shoot-out, then flew to Vancouver for the last game of the road trip.
“I was thinking of visiting again tonight,” I whispered to Cole in the hotel lobby while everyone was getting their room assignments. “Your knee looks sore, in my medical opinion.”
“Ah, I’ve got plans tonight,” he said while texting on his phone.
“Plans? We have a game tomorrow. There’s a team curfew,captain.”
“Yeah, I…” He was preoccupied by his text. “I’ve got a thing. Coach knows.”
He turned away, but not before I got a split-second glimpse of the name he was texting:
Alice.
I turned on reruns ofThe Officeto kill time in my hotel room, but my mind was racing. I shot a text to Cole to ask if he wanted to come back to my place when we got home from the road trip.
When he didn’t respond, I texted Rhett instead.
Me: Hey, does Cole have a sister?
Rhett: Don’t think so. He’s never mentioned one to me, if so. Why?
Me: Does the name Alice mean anything to you?
Rhett: Is this related to your last question, or a new train of thought? Because there’s Alice in Wonderland. Alice my middle school girlfriend. Alice Cooper, of course.
Me: Forget I asked. Want to come over when we get home from the road trip? I was thinking we could watch another Gene Wilder movie.
Rhett: Hell yeah. Blazing Saddles should be next, in my very humble opinion.
Me: Sounds good, but only if we watch Willy Wonka after that.
Rhett: Obviously.
My room overlooked the parking lot, so I turned off the TV and read my book in the chair by the window. I wasn’t a snoopy person by nature, and I didn’t consider myself the jealous type, but curiosity was getting the better of me. Especially since Cole wouldn’t tell me what he was doing.
It was eleven o’clock when a taxi pulled up and let Cole out. He had been gone about three hours. A few minutes later, he responded to my text from earlier.
Me: When the road trip is over and we’re home, want to come back to my place?
Cole: Sure
The one-word response didn’t set my mind at ease.
31
June
We lost the game against the Vancouver Canucks the next day, then boarded the plane to go home. The mood was somber on the flight.
