“Right there along the boards in line for the next drill, with the blue penny- he's number 77.”
Canyon and Troy chose that moment to brawl with each other and fall to the ice.
Paige got a kick out of it, “Well, looks like history might be repeating here.”
Max made an appearance then. He always looked wrinkled and scruffy. He walked along the side of the boards and made his way into the team box. He ushered Grey over.
“Is something wrong with Grey’s right side?” I didn’t want it to seem like I cared, but I wanted to know.
“What makes you think that?” her eyebrows shot up, totally giving away that she did know something.
“Uh.. never mind.” I didn’t want to come off like I’d been watching him, even though I had. The whole kitchen argument was still fresh in my mind and I didn’t want to unpack it all just yet. He was Canyon’s coach, and friend now apparently, and I didn’t want to complicate the now with the past.
“You’re right though, there is something wrong. Those boys have a hard time managing their emotions, I swear,” She rolled her eyes.
I snapped my neck back towards her, “Huh?”
She balked at me, “Girl! He left your place torn up the other day, couldn’t you tell?” She held her hands up to say she was innocent. “I’m not blaming anyone. No one’s fault. The stars’ fault maybe,” she said curiously. “You guys are star-crossed lovers if I’ve ever seen a pair.”
She shook her head. I still didn’t understand what she was saying.
“Paige… what?”
She sighed and turned to face me and put her hands on my shoulders. She smudged her glossy lips together.
“Both of you are so dumb- no offense- when it comes to each other. He gave himself a panic attack after leaving your place because he was so upset over how you thought he had dumped you and left you alone for all these years. He had it in his head that you were the bad guy who dumped him. So he had all this resentment towards you for years and he just then realized it was misplaced. He was so angry and panicked that he proceeded to punch his brick house and shatter his hand.”
She raised her eyebrows at me.
“And then he came to me crying thinking I could fix his little broken wing because of his hospital scaries- but that part’s kind of cute actually in his sad puppy dog kinda way that he gets, ya know?”
I was stunned.
I felt my jaw drop. He really did think that I had dumped him…?
I replayed her entire rant in my head.
Then a giggle erupted.
I clamped my hand over my mouth.
But then Paige laughed too.
We were both losing it.
“This is so mean; we have to stop!” I said, wiping the tears from my eyes and holding my stomach.
“You’re going to make me pee, girl!” Paige struggled to say between laughs.
I took some deep breaths and calmed myself down.
“I am the worst. Please don’t say I laughed at him about this. It’s actually really sweet in a messed-up way. I am not laughing at him hurting himself, I just lost it because I know exactly the kind of sad puppy-look he gets,” I explained. “Like what were you going to do with a broken hand?! Remember when he had me butterfly his one eyebrow together because he wouldn’t go in? There’s still a hole there! It’s been like over ten years!”
“Girl, you do not have to explain to me, and I totally know,” she said, shaking her head.
“Jesus, that’s the first time I’ve laughed like that in a long time,” I told her, trying to make sure no black smudges were left on my face from runny mascara.
She patted me on the knee, “never leave me again, girl.”
