“Should we tell Coach before training starts?” Sam asked. Gone was his carefree attitude. I’d seen him flip like this often in the last few days. It was an impressive trick. “Are you able to be on the ice again?”
“There’s no need to tell Coach,” I said without hesitation. I only knew two things for certain: I wanted to hear Chai’s voice and I needed to be on the ice. As soon as I put on skates, muscle memory kicked in and I wasn’t pretending to be someone else.
“I’m fine. The doctor cleared me,” I assured.
Sam didn’t look convinced and stared at me for a beat before saying, “Alright. I’ll take your word for it.”
“Good. We’ll leave it at that,” I said, hoping my words would work as a manifestation of sorts. But from the look Sam exchanged with Lincoln, I knew any manifestation I tried wouldn’t be strong enough.
Thankfully, Henrik exited his house before our conversation could continue. His amount of luggage stole the spotlight from me. I breathed a sigh.
“You’re quiet today, Mid,” Chai was saying. “The chat’s going on a proper rant about our favorite squadmates inMass Effectand you’re not saying a thing. Are you okay? Can’t have my mod slacking on his sworn duty.”
She was teasing. A couple of others chimed in on the chat, repeating familiar jokes about my sudden disappearance months ago. I winced, feeling guilt at the reminder.
MidQuest: I’m here. Not going anywhere.
“Good. I missed you too much last time,” she said. That sentence sounded effortless but left me with a bundle of nerves. Happy nerves. MidQuest was more real than Finn Howard at this point. And our relationship was more real than anything I tried to rebuild with people offline.
Chapter Five
Naomi
“Iknowthisisn’texactly what you were expecting.” Celeste placed her hand on my shoulder. “But it’s going to be great, trust me.”
My friend chewed on her lip as she watched me stare at the house in front of us. The blue paint peeled from years of neglect. The mailbox kissed the sidewalk and the window framing the front door looked cracked.
“Go on.” I kept my encouraging smile intact. Even though this wasn’t the house or the neighborhood where her parents originally said I’d be living, it was better than nothing.
“The Chester Street houses went up in popularity since last semester. The school’s basketball and baseball teams like the row. My folks couldn’t pass up the opportunity to jump on the hype and raise rent prices.”
“Right, of course.” I waved my hand. “Totally get it. Capitalism. Got to play the game or get left behind.”
Celeste blew out a breath and pulled out the house keys. “I promise, it looks better inside.”
I kept the pep in my step as we made our way up the walk. This house was about twenty minutes away from campus. Nothing like the five-minute walk Chester Street would’ve afforded me. But I had a car. It was a clunker, but it still worked…on the days it wanted to. When it didn’t, I could easily take the bus. The commute to school would give me time to mess around on some games Celeste gave me for my Nintendo DS.
“Do you know where the closest bus stop is?” I asked as we tackled the stairs. They misaligned a few panels during construction, otherwise, the porch felt sturdy enough. Plus, it faced the west, which meant it’d have a great view of the sunset every evening. Perfect for lounging.
“Um…a few miles away.” Celeste sounded apologetic.
I waved my hand. “That’s fine. It’s a Plan B sort of thing.”
“Since your car’s been giving you so much trouble, take mine for the semester.” She unlocked the front door and let me walk in first. “You know I don’t use it unless it’s an emergency.”
“Nah. It’s good you have it in case you decide to be spontaneous.” When we made eye contact, we laughed. Celeste being spontaneous? I’d sooner grow horns.
“Come on,” she said once we recovered. “I’ll give you the grand tour.”
True to her word, the place didn’t look too terrible on the inside. The Ables had freshly painted each room. The furniture was old but cute. They were going for a warm, earthy feel, using browns, greens, and blues to decorate the place.
Celeste pointed above. “The guys will be upstairs.”
“Right.” I eyed the ceiling warily as if they were already there. “The guys.”
Celeste heard the apprehension in my tone. “You don’t have to do this, you know? My folks are completely fine with you staying with us. Plus, you know I’d prefer it. You’re the sister I’ll never have. I enjoy ganging up on the boys.”
“Thanks.” I laughed, thinking about the times we won movie night arguments against her brothers. “But it’s time for me to stand on my own. I need to keep my adulting skills fresh.”
