After the rest of the team follows them out, I roll my shoulders and wait for the special announcement I asked for. Tony is going to lose his mind, but I won’t be playing in this god forsaken thing the whole time… just for the warm-up.
I look down at my outfit, laughing despite myself at the neon pink tutu and bright purple barbie dress that’s a few sizes too small for me in all my gear.
“And now, please welcome, your captain… Lucas St. James!”
Show time baby.
I take a step out onto the ice and smile broadly up at the crowd, there’s a mix of confusion, laughter, and photos as they stare down at the most bizarre spectacle to happen on this ice.
Claire clamps a hand over her mouth while my teammates whistle in appreciation.
I do a lap of the rink, trying to avoid looking at Tony, before stopping in front of the bench and blowing a kiss at my girl, “this is all for you… better enjoy it while you can.”
“Oh, I’m going to get a printed photo of you and tape it to my wall” she laughs.
Tony takes a step off of the bench and motions for me to come over to him, he looks angry. I skate over and bite my tongue while I wait for what should be the biggest tongue lashing I’ve ever received. But when I stop in front of him, he breaks out into a smile. “I’m proud of you kid, the Lucas I knew a couple months ago would have never done anything like this… especially not for some girl.”
I shrug, “what can I say, she’s got me wrapped around her finger.”
“And don’t you ever forget that” he says. Slapping me on the shoulder before calling a huddle.
As I try my best to listen to what he has to say, I can’t help but let my thoughts wander. It hits me that beyond the boards we’re just a couple kids trying to figure out what the hell is going on in life. Sure hockey is my everything, but at the end of the day it means nothing if I have no one to go home to.
“I won’t be with you guys this game, but I’ll still be watching you all from the stands, so don’t eventhinkabout pulling some bullshit on that ice” Claire announces.
I want to know why she won’t be with us, but I don’t bother asking, there’s obviously a good reason why.
CLAIRE
I could have told the guys ahead of time why I wasn’t going to be on the bench this game, but that wouldn’t be nearly as fun as waiting until after. Plus I didn’t want to mess with their heads before a game.
If they knew that Chris, and his head coach, were coming to the game for the sole reason of watching them… well, lets just say they would absolutely shit the bed and probably tank whatever chances they have of impressing Leonard.
As much as Chris likes to pretend like Leo was doing this for him, it was becauseIasked. The moment Chris dropped my name, Leo was all smiles and willing to do whatever I wanted.
It’s like that with most of his team, I’m like a little sister to them, they all see me as one of their own. I’m thankful for all of them, and how welcoming they were when Chris first signed, it made the transition from having a semi-famous older brother, to full on super-star, a lot easier.
Either way, the point is that I’m sitting in the stands biting off my cuticles and chewing the inside of my cheeks raw because of how god damn nervous I am. This is the first time in years that I’ve allowed myself to be openly seen with Chris.
The only exception is when I confronted Nathan, but I wasn’t exactly focused on everyone else’s reactions.
Chris and Leo said they would come just before the game started so the guys wouldn’t notice them, and like they promised, they enter just as the puck drops. It’s not hard to know when they enter, even if I wasn’t obsessively checking the doors for their arrival, I would be able to tell they were here by the way everyone gasps and starts whispering about the amazing Chris Taylor being at their schools hockey game.
I love the guy, but I can’t help rolling my eyes. We may be siblings but the thought of girls having his poster stuck on their walls and guys having a big fat man crush on him is irritating. He doesn’t let it go to his head, but sometimes I can see in his eyes that he eats this shit up.
Chris takes a seat on my left, and wraps his arm around me. “Release that breath you’re holding angel, it’s going to be okay. I can see it in your eyes, the panicked look you get when you go into survival mode. No one’s going to do anything, and if theydo,I have your back.”
He knows me too well.
Leonard takes a seat on my right and gives me the biggest bear hug known to man, “my days… it’s so good to see you again Claire.”
When he pulls away, I give him a genuine smile. “Thank you for coming, I know the guys would really appreciate it, plus I thought you might want to get a first look at the up and coming talent that Livler has to offer.”
He releases a soft chuckle, “I know you wouldn’t have me come all the way over here to check them out if they weren’t the best of the best. Plus if it means I can possibly elbow my way into getting a couple star players on my team under everyone else’s noses, then I’m all for it.”
The pros are competitive, and every team has their rivals that they hate more than others, but Leonard is one of those coaches who is friends with everyone, yet he doesn’t let that get in the way of trying to kick their ass’s.
“I didn’t look at any old game tapes, I wanted fresh eyes on these boys. Would you mind giving me a run down on who I should be watching?”
