“I’ll give you her number!” Lucas screams, no doubt trying to get back on his girlfriend’s good side.
“Nice man, real nice.”
“Sorry, but that girl knows where I sleep. She’ll cut my dick off if I don’t take her side.”
“I know where you sleep too, asshole.”
Yes, Johnny. Iamhappy you dragged me into this mess.
Staring at the dysfunctional family in front of me, I can’t help the soft smile that curves my lips. There is nowhere else I’d rather be in this moment. These people are healing parts of me I never thoughtcouldheal.
One smile…
One laugh…
One day at a time.
“August Write you should not be laughing right now,” Steph warns from her perch on the bed, coming to her bestie’s aid.
“What-“
Lucas, Blair and Miller burst into laughter the second she silences him with one look. That all changes the moment the two girls start walking towards the massive hockey players and they get to their feet faster than I’ve ever seen. All of them shove past Johnny and I in an attempt to escape, screaming for mercy as they book it down the stairs.
“So, am I officially your favourite again, Clarity?” Johnny asks, completely unashamed.
She nods, “yes. Yes you are.”
With beer bottles scattered around the living room, and the earlier events of the night long forgotten, I snuggle into Johnny’s side.
The girls convinced me to stay the night, to let loose and have a drink or two and I could crash in Claire’s room, but I think we all know whose room I’m ending up in tonight.
Call it a gut feeling, but I don’t think Johnny is letting me out of his sight.
Claire and Lucas lounge in a big chair next to us, trapped in their own little world while the rest of us watch a Dallas game. The two of them are so in love, it almost hurts to see.
I can’t imagine one without the other. I don’t know their full story, but from the small bits and pieces I’ve heard, I know getting here wasn’t easy for them.
Those two will last a lifetime.
Turning my attention back to the game, I realize just how crazy hockey is. I mean, sure, my brother and best friend played at the collegiate level, but I didn’t go to any games.
I was always uninterested in going, but now I’m starting to think it’s because I wastoldI would be uninterested. My attention has been locked on the TV for almost the entire game, every twist and turn captivating me in a way I didn’t know was possible.
I watch as Dallas’s number 22 gets on the ice, plowing through the other team and grabbing the puck right from one of their sticks.
It’s mesmerizing.
“That’s Claire’s brother,” Johnny whispers in my ear.
I shoot up from my position in his arms, turning to get a good look at his face. “Really?”
He nods, and when I turn to seek confirmation from Blair and Miller —who are sitting right next to me— they do the same.
“Holy crap,” I say wistfully, turning to Claire.
August snorts from his position on the ground, “she sounds like us when we first found out.”
Steph elbows August in the ribs, “shush.”
