"You didn't even tell him your name?" Abigail asked, rolling her eyes. "Sorry, my friend is shy. Her name is—"
"I can tell him my own name," Melanie said, embarrassed. Sometimes, Abigail really was too much. She needed to give her a muzzle. "I'm Melanie."
Damon offered his hand to her, and when she shook it, Melanie noted, he shook her hand a few seconds longer than he had with Abigail.
"It's nice to meet you, Melanie and Abigail."
"So, what do you do, Damon?" Abigail asked cheekily, giving Melanie a wink. She clearly liked Damon for her, and right now, Melanie was definitely leaning towards the positive side too. But she was positive that was because of looks alone, and attraction was not the only thing necessary for a healthy, long-lasting relationship. She needed to know more about Damon to know if she wanted to pursue a relationship with him.
Before Damon could respond to Abigail's question, a loud bomb sounded, nearly sending Melanie's heart out of her chest. Suddenly, practically everyone in the room stood up, cheering, and Melanie did not have to wonder for too long why everyone was so hyped when she saw Noah skating out onto the ice. He waved at the people in the stands as he effortlessly skated across the ice. It was like seeing Noah for the first time.
She heard Abigail talk about him, and she had dealt with Coach Benson's praises of him. And maybe, just maybe, she didn't necessarily believe them. But right now, Noah looked like a star even without playing the game. He was loved, and everyone was cheering for him like he was LeBron James winning the championship for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Noah Walker wasn't just her arrogant student. He was the real deal.
People continued to cheer, especially the girls; their voices could be heard louder than anyone else.
"There goes your boy," Abigail said, winking at her, as if Melanie could not see Noah clearly on the middle of the ice, receiving love and praise from everyone.
Finally, the cheers died down as the game began to start. And once it did, Melanie was lost. It's not like hockey was a hard sport to understand. It wasn't. It just really wasn't her cup of tea, and it really didn't hold her interest unless she saw one of her students playing. And it wasn't just Noah out there, but she even saw Dale and Josh playing too. She wanted to cheer for all of them. They looked so happy out on the ice, a stark contrast from how they were in her class. From what she could tell, they were good players, doing their part to help the team.
And Noah, well, Noah was something else on the ice entirely. He was a beast, running through everyone around him to get the puck past the goalie. It was really weird seeing him this way, especially when she initially thought he was nothing but a slacker, but clearly, he took something seriously, and that was hockey.
When Noah scored again, everyone cheered, including Abigail, who was practically bouncing in her seat.
"I'm telling you, Melanie," Abigail said as she sat back down. "He's going to go pro one day."
"Who? Walker?" Damon asked as he simultaneously kept his eyes on the ice. "Of course, he's going pro. He has it in the bag, and not just because of his father. No one is like Walker on the ice. If he keeps playing like this, every hockey team in the country will want him."
Suddenly, Melanie felt bad for giving Noah such a hard time. Then again, had Noah been doing his work properly, then it would have never had to come to these tutoring sessions anyway, but now she could see why he was so passionate about hockey. She still wouldn't have given him a pass anyway, but she definitely could see his passion.
The air in the room must have been infectious because the next time Noah scored, Melanie found herself jumping up with both Damon and Abigail as everyone cheered. She was super happy, and their team was dominating on the ice. It was only when Melanie clapped Abigail's hand that she realized what she was doing, and she quickly got a hold of herself, ignoring Abigail's knowing look. Gosh. She really needed new friends.
Melanie plopped back down in her seat, and both of the teams started to go back to their positions. Noah skated around the ice rink, eating up the cheers from the crowd as he flashed his grins at them, and as his eyes casually roved over the people in the stand, they suddenly stopped and landed on her. She watched as his blue eyes widened with shock through the clear face mask of his helmet before a deep grin settled on his face, revealing his dimples.
"You came," he mouthed, and Melanie couldn't stop herself from smiling. She had thought about texting him and telling him that she was there, but then she decided against making a big deal about it. Now, she was glad that she never said anything because his reaction was worth it. Who would have known that he would be able to spot her in a stadium packed with people?
Melanie hoped that Abigail wouldn't notice that Noah was looking at her, but, of course, when she glanced at her friend, she was grinning hard. She definitely would not hear the end of this.
"Watch this," Noah mouthed before he skated off to his position on the ice.
"I wonder who he's talking to," Damon said, curiously, as he glanced behind himself. And though Melanie knew, she would not say anything. When she saw Abigail fixing her lips to tell him, Melanie pinched her instead.
"Ouch," Abigail cried out.
"Are you okay?" Damon asked Abigail.
"I'm fine," Abigail grumbled out, glaring at Melanie. Melanie didn't bother to feel guilty. Abigail needed to know when to shut her mouth. She definitely didn't want some stranger thinking that she was some type of cougar, abusing her power against her student.
When the next play started, Melanie waited to see what Noah wanted to show her. Within in no time, she saw. Noah did his best play yet, practically a one-man show. Noah glided across the ice, going through his competition like a bolder and shot the puck from halfway across the ice, and it hit. What a showoff. Everyone screamed and roared. Noah skated across the ice, screaming, hyping the crowd up as he beat his chest. One of the team players from the opposing team tried to push past him, but Noah grinned and pushed him back, taunting him. Noah went around the rink one more time, only stopping at her section of the bleachers.
"That's for you," he mouthed and then winked at her before skating off. An uncomfortable feeling settled in her chest as her heart raced. For some reason, right then, in that moment, Noah looked handsome, very handsome. And now, she could see why all the girls cheered for him.
"Girl, did he just—" Abigail grinned. "I'm telling you I would."
No one else would know what Abigail meant, but Melanie definitely did.
There was definitely something in the air here. She wasn't thinking straight at all.
