"Your voice just cracked."
He grabbed my arm and dragged me inside.
The warmth of The Drop hit me like a blanket—one stained with beer and smelling of deep fryer oil. Evan was in the corner booth, nursing coffee.
Jake deposited me across from him and slid in beside me, blocking my escape.
"Pickle had sex," Jake announced.
Evan blinked. "Good morning to you, too."
"I didn't—"
"He walked past the door. He's doing a thing with his face. And his voice cracked when I accused him."
I put my head in my hands. "I'm fine. Nothing's wrong. I'm completely normal and having a completely normal morning after a completely normal night of—"
I stopped.
They both stared at me.
"Sleep," I finished weakly. "Like a person."
Jake turned to Evan. "He's broken."
"He's processing," Evan said. "Give him time."
"Processing what? The fact that he finally got some, or the fact that it was with a guy who's leaving in—" Jake stopped. His expression softened. "Hey. Pickle. Are you okay?"
"I think so," I said. "I just... I don't know how to do this. The morning after part. The what are we part."
Jake gripped my shoulder.
"Nobody's good at this," he said. "You think I knew what I was doing when Evan and I started? It was catastrophic."
"You're still a catastrophe," Evan said.
"But a lovable one." Jake smiled. "You don't have to have it figured out. Just sort out the next step. One thing at a time."
One thing at a time. I could do that. Maybe.
When we reached the arena, I spent forty-five minutes before practice retaping my stick. It didn't need retaping. The tape was fine. I'd done it two days ago—clean edges, good grip.
I ripped it off and did it again anyway. Then again.
"You're going to run out of tape."
Hog's voice made me jump. He stood in the doorway, watching me with the steady expression that always made me feel like he could see directly into my central nervous system.
"I'm not running out of tape. I have six rolls."
"You've used three in the last half hour."
I looked down. The garbage can next to my stall was overflowing with discarded tape strips.
Hog set down his bag and lowered himself onto the bench across from me.
"You okay?"
