I’m sorry. I love you.
That’s it.
I’m done with things keeping us apart.
I look at the bench. At Coach Jacobsen who’s watching with raised eyebrows.
Then I climb over the boards.
Not the normal exit. Right over the plexiglass between the bench and the stands, using my stick for leverage.
My teammates are shouting. The crowd is screaming. Security is probably having a heart attack.
I don’t care.
I drop down into the stands—awkward in skates, nearly losing my balance. She’s right there.
I reach for her, but she holds up a hand.
“Wait.” She’s crying and laughing at the same time. “The contract doesn’t end until midnight.”
I stare at her. “Are you serious?”
“The thirty-day period. It’s technically?—”
“Chloe.” I step closer. “It’s midnight somewhere.”
Her face breaks into the biggest smile I’ve ever seen.
And I kiss her.
Pull her into my arms and kiss her like I’ve been wanting to for thirty days. Like I’ll never let her go again. Like she’s the only thing that matters.
She kisses me back. Hands in my hair. Tears on both our faces. The foam ox horns fall off her head and tumble down the steps.
The crowd loses their minds.
Chanting. Clapping. Stomping.
Someone’s playing “We Are the Champions” over the loudspeakers.
The Jumbotron is showing us—I can see it out of the corner of my eye. The kiss. Us. Together.
My teammates are leaning over the boards, whooping and hollering.
“Way to go, Candy!” Torch yells.
Derek is grinning. He catches my eye and gives me a thumbs-up.
I pull back just enough to look at Chloe’s face. She’s wearing sparkly eye makeup and her mascara is running and there’s glitter everywhere.
“You look ridiculous,” I say.
“I just didn’t want you to miss me,” she says, laughing through tears.
“How I missed you.” I kiss her again. Softer this time. “I’m so sorry. For everything. For asking you to break up with me. For the contract?—”
“Stop.” She puts her hand over my mouth. “I’m sorry too. For what I said. For comparing you to—I didn’t mean it.”
