Levon is checked against the boards as Troy scoops the puck away from him on his blade, and I lean forward as he begins to skate in the opposite direction that Levon was going. My fingers curl into my jeans as I turn my video camera toward the action, standing finally so I can both watch and check my footage.
“Holy shit,” I breathe, wondering if Troy is going to sink this puck into the goalie’s net.
I can’t choose who I want to win, so I’m simply living in the moment. The puck is smoothly passed back and forth, avoiding the Scorpion’s defense line despite how hard they’re trying.
My dad is watching intently, knowing that he’s done everything he can to prepare his team. It’s all on them now, all he can do is bear witness to the next few moments.
I barely breathe as Troy gets the puck again. He was lagging badly in practice, but something seems to have changed. He’s intently focused on the game. I wonder vaguely if he’s patchedthings up with his wife and pack before pushing it from my mind.
It’s none of my damn business.
He circles around the net, looking for a chance to shoot, and my heart is in my throat as I watch as he takes a slap shot. The goalie tries to block it, and almost does. It flips over his glove, and slides into the net, making my jaw drop.
“Fuck,” I whisper, grabbing my phone. Pulling up the camera, I continually shoot as Troy realizes that he made it and every Dragon screams in celebration.
Grinning, I ignore the tears that slide down my face. I’m happy for him. If anyone deserves to hit the winning shot, it’s him. The buzzer screams, and I pan across the stands to catch the celebrating fans.
Dad picks me up as I squeal in surprise, squeezing me hard before he puts me back down. There’s a stampede of excitement from players, and I laugh as I squeeze into a corner so I’m not squished.
“Caelia!” Rían yells behind me. Wiping away the rest of my tears, I turn off the video camera and stand on the bench.
“One second!” I call out, balancing on the balls of my feet as I take a photo of the players celebrating with Dad.
It’s time for me to go. Grabbing my things, I find my way into the stands, twisting to wave at my dad so he knows I’m leaving. He lifts his hand, and the stares of the players follow me.
“Running off?” one of them yells.
“Beating the crowd!” I say back. “Congratulations!”
Turning away, I follow Rían down to where he’ll drop me off at Dad’s office. I’ll text the group chat once I’m there to figure out if they still feel like going out. I have to admit, I didn’t know who would win this one. Both sides played their asses off.
“Do you need anything?” Rían asks, looking as if he’s ready to run back out again. I don’t blame him, it’s about to get really busy.
Picking up my water bottle, I shake it to make sure there’s still some inside it.
“I’m good, thank you. And seriously, thanks for walking me out every game. It helps not to feel as if I’m being pushed around,” I explain.
There’s been one game where the crowd was insane, and Rian yelled at everyone to back the fuck up. It was kind of impressive.
“It gets crazy out there,” he acknowledges. “Are you waiting for your dad here?”
“I have a date,” I say. “So I’m waiting for Miles I guess.”
“So that’s a thing,” he muses. “Interesting.”
Rían is gone before I can ask him what he means by that and I shake my head as I get comfortable in Dad’s office chair. Grabbing my phone, I send a quick text to the group chat I was added to before I get lost in checking my footage.
Me
I’m in Dad’s office working in case you’re looking for me later.
Ugh. That sounded awkward. My laptop is always a good place to fall into when I’m feeling embarrassed, which is exactly what I do. The video from the portable camera I used pulls me in, and I jolt when there’s a knock on the door.
Miles gives me a slow smile from where he stands, and I relax at the sight of him in his suit. I think I’m underdressed.
“Hey,” I breathe.
“Hey yourself. Keeping busy I see?”
