Despite us working our asses off, she still hasn’t checked off all the skills on that damn list.
And it’s not on her. Not really.
That list was stacked against her from day one, and with the number of games I’ve had this month, plus traveling, practices, film… I just haven’t had the time I wanted to give her, which kills me.
She’s been trying so damn hard, and she trusted me to help her.
I feel like I’ve let her down…again.
“What are you looking at?” Alex asks, peering over my shoulder when he should be putting his skates on.
“Nothing,” I say, turning my phone off. “Just a list of notes for one of the students I’m privately training.”
They don’t know. It’s been nearly a month since I agreed to help Laura, and not one of the guys has figured out what I’m doing with the scraps of free time I’ve got.
And honestly? I’m doing everything I can to keep it that way.
She wants to keep it a secret, and I need to prove I can keep it.
Will that matter though after this audition?
She’ll probably drop me again because she doesn’t even want to look at me.
I push the thoughts aside; the distraction won’t help me with this game against Brighton U, and we need to keep winning to have any chance of getting into the Frozen Four this year.
“Are you okay?” Alex asks. I was so lost in my own thoughts, I completely forgot he was sitting there.
“Yeah. I’m good.”
“Are you sure? You’ve been acting… cagey these last few weeks.”
“Cagey?” I wave him off, focusing on untying and then retying my skate laces. “Nah, I’m good.”
The locker room goes quiet. Too quiet. When I glance up, every single one of my teammates is staring at me with way too much interest.
“Wait, what did I do?” I ask, confused.
Brooks groans. “I told you we shouldn’t do this right before a game,” he mutters, strolling out of the room to the rink. I wish I was walking with him, but I have a sneaking suspicion that if I attempt to move, I’ll be stopped by the rest of the team.
Alex’s hand rests on my shoulder. “We’re here for you.”
“What are you talking about?”
Silence.
No one wants to answer me.
“Is everything okay at home?” he asks. “Are your parents and sister okay?”
“If you want an update on my family, just turn onChally SportsMonday at nine. They’re always there.”
“Well, if it’s not your family, then what’s going on with you?” Alex asks, the rest of the team watching with interest.
Why do I feel like I’m in a group therapy session where I’m the only one forced to talk?
“Nothing’s going on with me.” I raise a brow.
That’s when Erik coughs. “Yeah, and I don’t have two giant nutcrackers at the end of my bed,” he says sarcastically, because he does. Much to Alex’s disappointment since he’s afraid of clowns, but that’s another story. “They think you’re doing drugs,” Erik states.
