Maddie jumps to her feet.
“GO DADDY!”
He cuts across the crease and fires a shot.
The net explodes.
The red light flashes.
The arena erupts.
Fans screaming.
Music blasting.
Teammates swarming him on the ice.
Maddie throws both arms in the air.
“THAT WAS FOR ME!”
I burst out laughing.
Annabelle claps beside me.
“Lucky socks,” she says.
“Obviously.”
My phone buzzes again.
More messages.
More notifications.
The entire arena now knows.
The internet definitely knows.
And strangely…
I don’t hate it.
Because watching him celebrate on the ice…
Watching Maddie bounce beside me with pure happiness…
It suddenly feels less like something private being exposed.
And more like something real finally stepping into the light.
The rest of the game flies by.
Fast plays.
Close saves.
Crowd roaring every time Gabriel touches the puck.
