“Well, I don’t think you have to worry about that ever again; a naked Declan Sanderson is burnt into my mind.”
“Don’t act like you’ve never seen it in the locker room.”
“I’m gonna leave now because if I don’t, I might pass out before I get on the ice, and then we’ll lose this game.”
“Because the team can’t win without you?” I joke.
“Exactly.” He messes up my hair before turning around and heading toward the locker room doors. “Plus, tonight, we’ve got our secret weapon back.”
And then he disappears behind the doors.
forty-five
Declan
I’ve been playing like shit. I’ve only played one game since Ember and I broke up, and an amateur mistake took me out in the second half of the first period. And now I don’t want to play. I know a win isn’t all on me. Several men are rotating on and off the ice during a game, but I’m supposed to be their captain. Their leader. How can I get out on the ice and play when my mind is elsewhere.
“Sanderson, you’re in tonight.” Coach doesn’t look at me as I skate back to the bench.
“What? But my ankle is—”
“Fine,” he cuts me off. “I don’t think your injury was as bad as you made it seem. I think that hit just spooked you.”
“Spooked me?” I wonder.
“I think you were more ashamed about what you let happen than hurt. That your amateur mistake could’ve gotten other people hurt as well.”
“Coach, I think—”
“But you’re their captain, Declan.”
“I just don’t think I’m—”
“You’re ready, Declan. You helped get your team this far. And none of them want to cross that finish line if you aren’t out there with them. So, what’s it gonna be?”
It’s a tied game. Unfortunately, it’s also a low-scoring game—zero zero, to be exact. It’s not like we aren’t playing our asses off; it’s obvious that we want this. But it’s also obvious the other team wants it just as badly.
It also doesn’t help that near the end of the second period, Coach benched Jeremy because he took a hard hit, and Coach didn’t want to risk further injury. Not when he’s just getting back on his feet.
“I’m fucking recked.” Jaxon squirts water into his mouth. “Like, their team doesn’t even seem tired.”
We watch from the sidelines as our guys battle with the other team. I feel like every time I find the puck, it’s with a different team, and no one ever has it for more than a couple seconds before someone else swipes it out from underneath them. I can barely keep up with all the back and forth on the ice, and with only two minutes left on the clock, it seems like this game will be heading into overtime.
Something we’ve never been good at in the past, especially in high stake situations.
But I guess anything can still happen with two minutes left on the clock. I mean, we’ve come back and scored three goals to win a game with less time on the clock.
“Sanderson, Holmes, get back out there.” Coach points to the ice, and we swap spaces with two of our players.
We aren’t on the ice long before Jaxon steals the puck from one of the Boston University players, and this moment is giving me déjà vu of our first game of the season. The two of us move like lightning down to the opposing net.
My eyes catch the numbers on the clock, rushing down to zero, and Jaxon passes me the puck. I misdirect two of their players, finding a hole right in the center of them, and then I see her.
Ember’s standing next to my sister, and everyone around them is on their feet.
She came.
After everything that happened… she showed up.
