“You don’t even live here,” Kelsey reminds her as she passes.
Mac struts around beside me, still buzzing. “Did you SEE that finish? I’m incredible.”
“You’re unbearable,” I say, rolling my eyes at her, but not really meaning it.
“Unbearably talented,” Mac corrects me.
“Cassie points at me. “And YOU! Miss pick a new hobby. You were a savage today!”
I shrug. “She started it.”
Cassie flicks water at me. “You love starting it.”
Before I can respond, music begins blaring loudly from the speaker behind me. It’s loud, chaotic, and way too much bass. Half the team immediately starts dancing like they hadn’t just run themselves into the ground.
Mac grabs me by the wrist. “Come on, Hen! Let’s celebrate this win!”
“I’m sitting for right now,” I reply.
“You should party with us,” Mac says, dancing around.
“I kept a clean sheet,” I say to myself, smiling, not realizing how much I needed this based on how the last game ended. A smile spreads across my face.
Mac flops down beside me. “Good game, Hen.”
I nudge her shoulder. “You too.”
“You’re delightfully evil,” Mac replies, grinning at me.
“Strategically evil,” Cassie adds from the other side of the bench.
For the first time in a while, I feel weightless.
Like the world wasn’t pressing down on me because I blew a big game.
Like I’m exactly where I belong.
Chapter Twenty-Six
~AUGUST~
The game was amazing. The team played well together, and we came out with a win. Best outcome ever.
I can hear the team celebrating in the visitor’s locker room. Mac’s lone goal was enough for us to win. The look on Hendrix’s face when she headed into the locker room was the best part of my night.
Her two saves were great. They weren’t anything special because they didn’t fire the power at her that some players normally do. I had to laugh when she dove and then stood up. The woman had the audacity to look bored. Like this wasn’t really worth her time. I could tell that she was toying with the forward from the other team and that they were trash-talking on each other. But I could see that she was focused each time. Helped us get that win.
The team didn’t go out tonight. Coach Watts had called them all back to the hotel with a pizza party. Based on how loud the locker room was, I would have thought they would have loved to go out and celebrate on the town.
But Coach said no.
And that was that. I wasn’t entirely disappointed.
The announcement of the new team that my father is planning has kept me up at night. Hendrix has been staying at her own place because she was training for this big game. I know better than to mess with an athlete or their mojo before a game.
We haven’t spoken much about it since. I feel like she is just biding her time and waiting to see what is going to happen. Is this, in fact, a repeat of the college years or haveIreally changed? And can my father really still screw us? I know the answer to the first question, but the latter is keeping me up at night. More than I’d like to admit.
My phone buzzes from the nightstand.
