We’re facing Colorado College and it's not that they’re bad, but they aren’t Bramwood that’s for sure. It’s almost mean how quickly I’m able to crowd their goalie, defense nowhere to be found. It’s not even fair how open CC has left their goalie. It’s practically a free shot.
I know it’s going in before I see it. I can feel it as I take my shot, the way the puck feels disconnecting with my stick, the angle and power. It all just feels right.
When the horn sounds, I turn, finding the camera I spotted earlier during warm-ups and blow a very obnoxious and over the top kiss. I usually mess around when it comes to scoring goals, and while I’ve never blown the camera a kiss before, I don’t think anyone in my family will actually think anything of it.
Coach rotates me in and out several more times before I’m able to crowd their goalie again. After my first goal, they started playing a different kind of defense. But when I see my opening, I skate, pushing my body as hard and fast as I can, weaving around bodies. My knee is screaming at me, but I don’t care, I feel it, It’s going in. I’m already skating backwards, winking at the camera when I hear the sound of the goal horn.
I discreetly check my phone while in the locker room between second and third period. I have about a hundred missed text messages from our mega family group chat. I also have one missed text from Kennedy to me directly.
Kennedy:You're amazing
The time stamp on that one makes me think it was after I scored the first goal. A warmth spreads over my chest as I imagine her watching me, cheering for me. There’s no way we’renot going to win tonight’s game. As I’m looking down, another text comes in:
Kennedy:When do you get back tomorrow, I think we might need to do some celebrating.
An excitement moves through me, making me feel invincible. I click my phone shut and shove it back into my locker before Coach can see me checking it. But I know all I’m going to be thinking about for the rest of the game is what kind of celebrating we might be doing.
I start the thrid period on the ice, but I know almost immediately I’m done for the rest of the game. I feel slow and every second I’m standing upright, my knee is hurting worse. I don’t put up a fight when I get rotated out and never put back in.
Instead, I unbuckle my helmet and flex my leg forward and back, trying to keep it from getting too stiff to walk out of here without getting my ass chewed out.
Luckily, Logan scores a goal, and Coach seems to forget about anything except our winning.
After the game I let the team doctor take a look at my knee and retape and rewrap it for me. I’ve started using my old knee brace after games and practices again. It’s been helping, I think.
With my knee properly wrapped, I shove my phone in my pocket and limp out of the locker room., trying my best to walk normally. My knee, however, has different plans. It isn’t doing well by the time I make it back to my hotel. I pushed way too hard earlier today knowing Kennedy was watching. With both hands behind me, I lean most of my weight on the elevator wall, trying to alleviate some of the throbbing happening.
In my room, I take three Tylenols and prop my leg up over a pillow with a heating pad wrapped around it. It’s strangethat Liam isn’t out celebrating tonight. I know most of the team is planning on going out. I don’t ask him though because I don’t want to have to explain to him that I’m not going out because the idea of standing for even one more minute might bring an actual tear to my eye. So we both scroll on our phones with the TV on in the background. Then, Liam’s phone rings and he mumbles something before bolting into the hallway, slamming the door shut behind him. Weird.
I take advantage of him not being in the room with me, and video call Kennedy. I tell her all about my game and she shows me the dress she’s going to wear to the gala next month. It was hard to tell what exactly it looks like because she didn’t try it on, but I know she’ll look sexy. We talk for another hour, during which I convince her to pick me up tomorrow from the bus so we can celebrate my win together at her place. She agrees almost immediately, causing my cock to harden at just the thought of all the celebrating we could come up. We talk for another ten minutes about her LSAT on Monday before Liam walks back in the room, and I fall asleep smiling.
NOVEMBER
Chapter Seventeen
Kennedy
“Bye,” I say, shoving Will out the front door of my apartment.
“Give me a kiss first.”
“Will.”
He smirks, standing in the doorway, blocking me from being able to close it. “Kennedy.”
“Miranda’s going to be here in, like, fifteen minutes. You have to leave.” I push on his shoulders once more, trying to make him move, but he just stands there all muscular and handsome. We don’t really kiss hello or goodbye so I’m not sure why he’s being so insistent about it. “Fine,” I grumble, pretending that I don’t have butterflies in a cage under my ribs right now. I lean forward and press my lips to his for what was supposed to be a chaste kiss. He pulls me closer, smushing my body to his and pushes his tongue into my mouth. After several seconds ofkissing me, in a quite frankly, not hallway appropriate fashion, he steps back grinning.
“See you tonight. If you can’t find me, just ask around for the hottest guy you’ve ever seen and then you’ll find me.”
“Bye,”I say once more, smiling and shutting the door on him.
Will and I still haven’t had sex. We mess around a lot. But we haven’t really progressed further than a very intense hand job. He’s not asking me for more, something I very much appreciate, and every time I think I might want to, I panic and freak out. I still make him show me his phone every time he takes my clothes off and he’s basically stopped wearing a smart watch all together.
I don’t really know what this thing we’re doingis. We’re not having sex, but we hook up a lot. He’s spent the night a handful of times, and calls me nearly every day. I think we’re exclusive, but again, I don’t know for sure. The one and only time I was brave enough to ask him about it, he said, “We're hanging out.” He then distracted me by shedding all of his clothes and laying down on my bed so we could “hang out some more.”
I was hoping to clean up my apartment a bit before Miranda came over, but all I’ve managed to do by the time she walks in is hide the random items of Will’s I have.
She knocks before opening the door on her own, holding up orange juice and a bottle of prosecco with a tote bag slung over her shoulder. I plaster a smile on my face, but seeing her causes the knot in my chest to clench so tight. I don’t know how much longer I can keep up this secret and clandestine thing we’re doing.
