“You knew,” I say.
“I’m sorry. Dmitri’s application was approved.”
I inhale. I am not going to be angry at Jason. I am not.
Jason funded the lawyer working to get Dmitri back into the country. If I weren’t so close to Florian, I would be happy for Dmitri. He is Coach’s son-in-law, he played for the Blizzards for years, and everyone loves him.
“I need to find Florian,” I say instead.
“He went outside.”
“Outside the arena?”
“Yes.” The red splotches on his cheeks do not disappear.
“Fuck.” And then I run forward.
“He’s going to Nashville!” Jason calls out. “Coach found him a place!”
I don’t turn around.
I push my hands against the emergency exit and hurry into the cold Boston wind. I see Florian at once. I also see the reporters pointing cameras at him.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIX
Florian
Reporters look delighted to see me.Scheiße. Of course there are reporters here. They are going to watch the game, then speak to the hockey players after.
Now they also get to speak to me.
“Florian!” one reporter shouts.
Should I pretend not to hear them? Not to see them?
No. I had a brain injury. I cannot pretend that. They must think I am cognitively competent.
Running sounds behind me. “Florian.”
I turn around. Mateo sprints toward me, his cheeks pink from the cold, his large eyes worried. “I heard. I’m sorry. You should have told me.”
“I just found out.”
He nods, but my cheeks heat. I could have gone to see him after Jason exited the massage room.
“Is your boyfriend going to go with you to Nashville?” the reporter shouts.
My throat dries. I clench and unclench my fists.
I know the answer.
Mateo and I are not really together. Mateo and I are only together because I got hit on my head, and Mateo didn’t know how to tell me that I was single and not dating him.
Even though I spent my life single and not dating him, and that really shouldn’t have caused a medical emergency.
But I have vague memories of nurses rushing into my hospital room and being incredibly relieved when Mateo told me that he’d only been trying to tell me that my parents weren’t at the hospital yet.
