There’s no one else here, it’s just me.
I have to go for it.
It’s the only way.
So I line up in front of the net, winding back and shooting the puck as hard as I can.
Everyone holds their breath as the puck flies towards the net in slow motion.
I close my eyes.
Please.
The crowd explodes just before the buzzer sounds, and I’m tackled by my team.
I’m lying stomach down on the ice, laughing as everyone piles on top of me. Looking over my shoulder, I make eye contact with Lucas, and the grin on his face is unlike any I’ve seen before.
We did it, we fucking won.
But that means this is officially over.
Tears fall, cooling my heated cheeks and leaving a path I know all the guys can see. Call me a baby, I don’t really care, but in this moment, I’m so overwhelmed with all the emotions that I can’t help it.
I’m sad, scared, happy, and excited. Everything I’m feeling in this moment feels like the beginning and the end of an era.
“Fuck yes!” August shouts on top of me.
“Anyone else almost shit their pants?” Blair chuckles.
Miller pokes me in the ribs, “I knew you could do it.”
Lucas helps me up, yanking me to my feet and pulling me into a hug when everyone gets off. “Look behind you,” he whispers.
My brows knit in confusion, but I turn around anyway.It doesn’t take me long to see Steph jumping up and down with a massive smile on her face while aggressively pointing beside her.
Sasha stands there, arms crossed, and wholly perfect.
She came…
Claire runs out onto the ice, jumping into Lucas’s arms and laughing. “I’m so fucking proud of you guys!” She yells over the noise.
I keep staring at Sasha, watching her talk to Steph before turning back to me and giving me a thumbs up with the most heartbreaking smile on her face.
And then she walks away, Steph chasing after her.
I lose them about halfway up the stairs, swallowed up by the crowd flooding towards the boards to congratulate the team.
“At least she came,” Claire offers when Lucas finally puts her down.
I shrug. “I don’t think it means anything, in fact, I think it’s her way of saying goodbye for good.”
Miller tilts his head, “why would you say that?”
Because of the look in her eyes.
She’s not here to fix things —like I had hoped— she’s here to see me one last time. It’s her way of getting closure, her way of saying she hopes I achieve everything I want in life. She’s always going to cheer me on, she just won’t be by my side to do it.
“Just a feeling,” I tell them.
