“Fair enough. One fun-filled weekend coming up.” I tease. “You excited to share a room with me? It’ll be like when we were kids and you used to climb into my sleeping bag when you swore our house was haunted.” I shoot her a wink.
She looks at me out of the corner of her eye, a smile forming on her face. “Yep, just like old times when Monroe and I would paint your nails while you slept.”
Her mention of Monroe reminds me that we will be alone this weekend. Shit maybe she is uncomfortable with this arrangement. “I can probably stay with one of the guys if you want? I wouldn’t mind at all.” I would be alittleupset, but “I don’t want you to be uncom?——”
She places her small hand on my shoulder and squeezes gently. “It’s fine Mason really. Though if you are anything like your sister and start hogging the bed we may have a problem.So, what’s on the agenda for the next few days?” I chose not to address the bed-sharing comment…for now at least.
“Are you saying you don’t have a three-page, single-spaced, bulleted itinerary mapping out all the hidden gems and tourist shops in Chicago that you want to go to? What the hell did Vermont do to you, Vi?”
“Hey, I can be spontaneous and go with the flow. Spring break is a great time for me to get work done but I am being so chill and laid back. Look at me, I’m literally in Chicago!”
“We’ve been planning this for months. Down to when you could fly in so you wouldn’t mess with my morning practice, but also be able to make it to the game without getting stuck in traffic.” Violet was probably one of the least ‘go-with-the-flow’ people I’d ever met. Not one single Hayes-Amin vacation took place without extensive planning and preparation. She ran all of our trips like a drill sergeant, and no one was safe from her wrath if they managed to get off schedule (see the time my parents got lost in Rome because they woke up hungover and Violet refused to be late for our tour of the Vatican so she left them behind. It was their wedding anniversary trip).
“Well, I guess this just shows that I trust you so much, I’m willing to let go of my calendars and itineraries.”
I know she’s teasing but my heart races anyway. Violet had confessed to me before that her need for planning largely stemmed from her hate for the unexpected. Likely a result of all the shit she and her mom had gone through before they left her dad. I didn’t know how to respond knowing that she felt comfortable enough to let me take the lead this weekend. To avoid spilling my guts about all the things I’d been feeling lately, I clued her into what the rest of today would entail.
“There’s honestly not a lot of time between now and when we have to get to the arena, so I was thinking we could drop off your stuff at the hotel and then grab lunch at Catering. I can introduce you to some of the other…” I’m not sure how to label Violet.Friendfeels derogatory now, “...friends and family of the team. They can take you to the box.”
“Ooo box seats. I feel so special.”
“You are special, Vi.” Shit, I hope that sounded casual. “I mean, if the Hockey East Championships are any indication, you’re definitely my good luck charm.”
A faint blush forms on her cheeks. “Alright let’s reel in any talk of good luck before your teammates catch wave. Last thing I need is to be forced to follow the team around for the next few months because of some superstitious hockey players.”
My laugh fills the car. Not a bad idea, Vi.
seventeen
. . .
Mason
three years ago
chicago
“Lookslike Hayes has someone special with him here today.” Kallum nods to the suite where Violet sits alongside the wives, kids, and family members of the team. Warmups were always a great time to stake out the crowd before all the fans rolled in. “The sixth something special since he joined this team. The ladies really will do anything for box seats.”
From across the rink, I see Connor passing a few pucks with his fellow linesmen. He must hear the jab and skates over to me.
“Should we expect a Mason Hayes hat trick tonight now that yourgirl is here?”
“She’s not my girl.” Not sure why that was the one comment I chose to address.
Connor raises an eyebrow as if to say,‘You could’ve fooled me’before coming closer to me and lowering his voice. “You want her to be though. Don’t you?” Connor’s one of my closest friends on the team and knows the most about my personal life. He never explicitly asked me if I had feelings for Violet, though I guess he, like Monroe, managed to see the signs I didn’t even know were there.
“I think tonight might be the night where I tell her how I feel.”Tell her how I feel.Hell, I don’t think I have ever said that phrase. It sounds so corny.
Connor lets out a howling laugh. “You’re looking a little green man, you sure you’re good to play?” I shove him, and he changes his tone. “Listen, I'm just teasing. I think it’s great that you’re gonna put yourself out there. Just remember no one wants to date a loser, so maybe try to get your head into the game?”
“Yeah, yeah I got it, don't worry.”
Violet wouldn’t care if I had a fat “L” tattooed on my forehead; it’s what’s on the inside that matters to her. But she very well might not appreciate my choice(s) of “bedmates”. I skate over to the bench andtell myself a quick lie built on wishful thinking.Violet won’t care about your past once she hears how much you care about her and want her to be your future.
It feels like slow motion as I watch the first puck drop, hit the ice and get scooped up by a Blackhawk’s right winger. I’m quick on his back, stealing the puck and sending it flying across the ice to Connor. He attempts to bury it in the goal, but it ricochets off the top of the crossbar and deflects into the crowd. We reset and I take the face off. The puck drops and I move my stick over, sending it around the boards and behind the goal to Rowan, who scoops it up and buries it in the back of the net before the Blackhawks goalie even realizes what’s happened. A chorus of ‘boos’ fill the arena as we lead the home team 1-0.
In the final two minutes of the first period, we are still leading while Connor skates up the ice and makes a move to shoot when he gets cross-checked from behind and goes down hard. He gets up on his own, but he’s not fully there and our trainers pull him into the locker room. The Blackhawks score and we’re tied 1-1 at the end of the period. Tensions run high during the second period when Kallum shoulders their captain into the boards, dodges two defensemen, and sneaks the puck right between their goalie’s legs. The Blackhawks’ captain skates up to Kallum and starts mouthing off about a tripping penalty. A few seconds later a full-on brawl breaks out. The refs break it up and we make it through the second period with no ejections. We manage to hang on to our lead until halfway through the third period when a miscommunication between two of our defensemen costs us big time. Tied at the end of the third we head into overtime.
