The day passes slowly. Practice is brutal—Coach is riding us hard before the break. My finger is mostly healed but still a little stiff. I compensate without thinking about it.
"Hayes!" Coach calls me over during a water break. "You favoring that hand?"
"No, Coach."
"Don't lie to me. I can see it." He studies me. "You going to be ready after break?"
"Yes, sir."
"Better be. We need you at a hundred percent." He pauses. "Everything else okay? You've seemed distracted lately."
"I'm fine."
"You sure? Because if something is going on—family stuff, girlfriend drama, whatever—you need to handle it. Can't have it affecting your playing. Think of me as your camp counselor."
"It's handled."
He doesn't look convinced but lets it go. "All right. Get back out there."
I skate back to the drills and focus on practice.
By the time Sutton gets home after her shift, I'm showered and waiting in my room for her.
I hear her climb the stairs, go into her room first, and then come into mine. She’s still in her uniform but has taken her hair down and kicked off her shoes.
"You look tense,” she says.
"Long day."
She sits beside me, and I pull her close. She smells like French fries and that vanilla body spray she always wears. The combination is weirdly comforting.
"So what's up with Thanksgiving?" she asks.
"I'm not going home."
“Your mom?”
“She’s off eating cheese or something.”
She laughs. “Interesting. You’re welcome to come home with me.”
“Nah. You need time with your dad.”
"So, what are you going to do instead?"
"The guys invited me to Miami. Their annual Thanksgiving trip. Beach house, no responsibilities, total escape."
She's quiet for a moment. "Sounds fun."
"You could come with me if you want. The guys are cool with it."
“Or you could have a normal, low-key Thanksgiving. Nothing fancy. Just me, you, and my dad. Well, my Aunt Gina and potentially a cousin or two."
"I…" I don't know how to say this without sounding like an asshole. "I kind of want to blow off some steam, you know? Just be with the guys. Not think about anything serious for a few days."
Her expression closes off slightly. "Yeah, that makes sense."
"You understand, right? It's not about you. I just…I need to not think for a while."
