“You know what, nevermind.” I sink down low into my seat.
“Jordan. Tell me.”
I dart my eyes around the plane, making sure no one is listening. My teammates are still filing onto the aircraft, too absorbed in their own worlds, as well as the coaches, equipment managers, the social media and broadcast personnel, team physicians, and everyone else who travels to away games with us. To be honest, some of these folks are new this season, shoot, even the last few games, and I haven’t seen them before. Still, I don’t want anyone to hear my business.
Clearing my throat, I fiddle with my headphones. “Let’s say I like this girl. But she wants nothing to do with me. And every time I try to talk to her, she kind of, totally, entirely ignores me. I didn’t know what to do, so I started sending her presents anonymously, and now?—”
“Jordan,” he interrupts, “Are we talking about Kennedy?”
My eyes nearly pop out of my head as I swallow hard.Fuck…how does he know too?!
“What? No. I mean…maybe? I mean…shit! How do you know?!”
“Do you truly think Maggie wouldn’t drag me down the hall to see Kennedy’s diamond-encrusted leopard? No one else would send a gift like that but you.”
Goddammit.“Okay, so let’spretendit is her.” He raises his brow. “What…what do I do? I stopped sending gifts because that wasn’t working, and I realized I don’t even know how I’m going to tell her they were all from me. But that doesn’t matter because I still don’t know how I can get her to talk to me.”
He rubs his hand along his jaw, staring at the back of the seat in front of him. “I can tell you she doesn’t seem to be into grand gestures. She travels a lot, and she’s seen parts of the world we’ve probably never been to. A giant animal statue is not the way to her heart. She seems like the type to be more about small gestures—ones that don’t cost anything but have meaning. You actually do many of those things despite hoping people neverknow that about you. Try to find a way to show her that side of Jordan Boucher. Obnoxious gifts will not work.”
Apparently, Russian Yoda is back now that he has his own love life figured out.
“Let’s say you’re right. I wouldn’t even know how to do that.”
Vladi nods with a smile as he slides his earbuds into his ears. “You’ll figure it out.”
Well, that was zero help. I groan, banging my head against the seat.Russian Goalies.
“Thanks anyway, Vladster.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“But you love my nicknames, Vladinator!”
“I do not. Now, leave me to my music, or I will rat you out to Olivia, who we all know can’t keep a secret.”
I swear my eyes pop out of my head. “Point taken.”
When we finally land, I jump up to grab my things and walk single file toward the front of the plane. I swallow hard, my pulse racing even more than usual. Standing in the front galley is Kennedy, smiling and nodding at everyone as they exit. And there, in her hand, is my bobblehead. She’s holding me. In. Her. Hands.Oh. My. God. Breathe Jordan. Breathe.Holy shit. What do I do? Do I say something? Do I see if she wants me to autograph it? Is this one of those moments where I can do something that doesn’t cost any money? As I step closer and closer, she’s still smiling.Does she see me?Oh God. I’m going to vomit.Pull it together. You can do this.
As I finally make it to the front of the line, I stand right in front of her.This is it. This is my moment.
“Hi. Did you, um…want me to sign that for you?” I ask with a shaky voice, pointing to the box in her hand.
She tilts her head, her eyes squinting at me like a book she’s trying to decide if I’m worth keeping or donating to the library.Be brave. Stay calm.Maybe she’ll read the first chapter and want to get to know me more.
“I have a Sharpie in my bag; I don’t mind…if you want?—”
“I’m good.” She dismisses me with a snarky smile, turning around to grab her roller bag, acting like she’s busy with anything else so she doesn’t have to talk to me.
Donation bin, it is.
Shit.I nod quietly, hoping none of my teammates paid much attention as I step off the plane. My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach as if it were the Heart of the Ocean necklace from Titanic. And it’s probably going to stay at the bottom of the ocean for eighty-four years with how bad this hurts.
8
kennedy
Sitting at the hotel bar, my best friend Ginny in my hand, I squeeze my lime in and swirl her around as I replay today’s events like a re-run of The Office. Except Michael Scott isn’t funny. He’s super annoying, and his name is Chaddwick. I swear, some days I want to strangle people like Chadd. Okay, maybe I just want to strangleactualChadd. Who the hell talks to a co-worker like that? We are supposed to be a team getting the Riders to and from their destinations as safely as possible. This isn’t some pissing contest about who has more power. There’s an element of trust between the flight crew to do our jobs, and I didn’t have that today. I love flying, but people like him, days like today, make me despise it.
