Dex blinks like his brain is buffering. “Oh.”
Gregory nods his head. “Huh.”
Mason smiles slowly. “Okay then.”
That’s when it changes.
Now they’re not teasing.
Now they’re curious.
“Alright,” Dex says. “So this is the part where we stop chirping and accidentally start rooting for you. I hate it.”
Mason snorts. “Yeah, when Hayes stops deflecting, you know he likes a girl."
Gregory nods once. “Noted.”
They’re ridiculous.
But they’re mine.
And something about the idea of her seeing this, seeing me here in the middle of all of it, doesn’t feel like a risk.
It feels… right.
“I think she's coming to the game tonight,” I say.
“WE HAVE TO BE NORMAL.” Gabriel chimes in.
“WE WON'T BE NORMAL. BUT WE HAVE TO WIN.” Mason demands.
Dex slams his stick on the ice. “I will be on my best behavior.”
“No, you won’t,” Mason says.
Gregory nods solemnly. “Statistically impossible.”
Dex looks personally offended. “I can be classy.”
When practice finally ends, we’re drenched in sweat and chirping anyway, because none of us know how to shut up.
Dex follows me into the tunnel. “Okay, Captain. Serious question. Is she… like… nice?”
I glance at him. “Why?”
He looks suddenly shy, which is horrifying. “Because if she’s not nice, I need to emotionally prepare.”
Mason appears on my other side. “Also, does she have friends?”
Gregory drifts behind us like a ghost. “Single ones?”
I push the door to the locker room and the noise hits like it always does: music, laughter, tape ripping, and a bunch of guys arguing about nothing.
I sit, untie my skates, and let the familiar noise settle around me.
I’m not embarrassed.
I’m not defensive.
