Austin:It didn’t go the way we wanted, but this season was a blast. I appreciate everything you did for me, Cap. Let’s kick the ball around tomorrow afternoon.
And then a few minutes later he sent another.
Austin:Are you coming out to Doyle’s? Lacey’s looking for you.
The next one is from Rowan.
Rowan:Are you hiding in the locker room? Nvm, I’m coming to find you.
Then about fifteen minutes ago he sent me a picture of a bottle of Jack Daniel’s.
There are similar messages from the rest of my teammates. They want to celebrate the season, but I’m not ready to shrug off the loss yet.
I save Lacey’s text for last, hoping it’ll pull me from mymisery.
Lacey:I’m so sorry. Heading to Doyle’s with Claire and Austin. Text me if you need anything. See you there. X
No smiley faces or exclamation points. Such an un-Lacey-like text that it just makes me feel worse. I bet she toiled over what to say, muting her usual optimism for my ego.
Glancing toward the cabin, I wonder what she’s doing in there. Is she drinking with Rowan or chilling with Claire? Is she happy and smiling? And more importantly, if I walk in there, am I going to kill the vibe and her mood all at once?
I want to see her, but I can’t seem to make my legs carry me inside. I open up the sports news app on my phone. The headline guts me: FROST LAKE KNIGHTS FALL TO PACIFIC SHARKS.
My emotions bounce all over the place as I read the article. They call out the talent of both teams, how Frost Lake looked like we were going to come out ahead for most of the game, and that it all came down to defense. The reporter suggested we weren’t as sharp as we have been in other games and wanted to blame it on the long season and playing Mountainview two days ago.
I’m skimming by the time I get to the end, but my dad’s name brings me up short.
Jude Collins, Head Coach of the Knights, said after tonight’s loss, “We’ve had our share of setbacks this season. The boys played well tonight, but Pacific kept their composure and focus until the end.”
Focus? The word rankles at first. I’ve lost count of how many times he’s used it to get me back on track. But this time I wonder if he’s right. And the “setbacks this season” is definitely a jab at me.
Maybe he’s right. If I hadn’t had to sit out and force the team to shift our game play, then maybe that time would have been better used to prepare us for today.
A knock on my passenger window pulls my attention from the phone. I hit the button, and the window rolls down revealing Eddie Whitlock.
“Hey,” I say to him.
“Are you coming or going?” Eddie asks. He tries a hesitant smile like he isn’t sure how he should act in front of me.
“I just got here.”
I don’t make any move to get out, and he eventually nods.
“See you inside.” He taps his fist on the side of my vehicle once and then heads off toward the party.
By the time I’ve rolled up the window, I’m only certain of one thing. I can’t go in there. Not tonight.
Chapter Thirty-three
Lacey
“He’s not coming,” I say to Claire as we stand around the bonfire at Doyle’s camp.
“Yes, he is. He won’t miss this.” The certainty in her words does little to convince me.
It’s been almost two hours, and he hasn’t shown. Something is wrong. I mean, of course something is wrong. They lost, and I knew he’d take it hard. But this feels bigger than that.
“I have a weird feeling.” My stomach is tied in one big knot.
