“That’s fair. You guys are pretty great, though, too. I’ve been to some of the games; I think it’s a fair comparison that you all have shot some of your own crazy goals.”
I shake my head, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.
“It’s not even a close comparison. None of our crazy goals amount toanythingcompared to a number of the ones I’ve witnessed watching pro games.”
“You need to give yourself some credit.” She rests against the pantry door. “You got thrown into that game after Jeremy Moore got hurt, and you carried your own. I mean that twisty thing you did before shooting the puck; I didn’t even realize it went in because it was so smooth.”
“Thank you,” I respond. “I appreciate it. Even if I think you’re bullshitting me.”
“I’m not.” She draws anXover her chest. “Cross my heart.”
“Thank you. It’s nice playing as often as I am with the guys, but I’d rather have Jere back.”
“I know how scary things like that can be, trust me. I’m happy he got off the ice, though, and he seems to be doing alright.”
“He is. He’s still pissed, though.” I take a drink of my beer. “I can’t blame him, but it’s also not good. I think we’re all worried he’s going to push himself too hard, too soon. He’s already been drafted, but Jere thinks of everything, so he wanted to have a backup plan in case things didn’t go how he wanted them to. I think because of that, he feels as though the team will drop him if he doesn’t get back in a certain amount of time.”
“Back injuries are no joke,” she begins, turning around and moving her hair out of the way, revealing a gnarly scar. “I broke my back during my junior year of high school during my bars routine. I thought my life was over.” She turns around, her hair gently falling over her shoulders. “I had to relearn how to walk, how to use utensils, simple stuff I learned when I was a baby. And I thought my gymnastics days were over.”
“What changed?”
“I was patient.” She laughs. “I didn’t want to be, trust me. I was the biggest asshole in the world to everyone. Especially Benji. I mean, he was living out his dream, and I was losing mine. However, I underwent physical therapy and followed my doctor's advice. They made me realize that gymnastics might not be a possibility anymore, but if I ever wanted to walk again, this was important. Gymnastics might come later, but we needed to get through the basics first. A year later, I was back in the same arena, for the same competition, doing the same bars routine.”
“That’s fucking insane.” My eyes widen. “A year?”
“Yeah, I know. And that happened because I didn’t try to rush back. If I had, I probably never would’ve competed again. That competition locked in my full ride here.”
That’s crazy. I couldn’t imagine having to be that patient, but I suppose it all worked out in the end.
“I might need you to talk to Jere,” I reply. “He’s really pushing it, and maybe hearing your story, it’ll really get through to him.”
“I’d be happy to.”
“Tate and I have tried talking to him about overdoing it since he got hurt, but he keeps giving us this crap about how he’s been hurt worse and got up quicker.”
“How long have you been with Tate?” Her eyebrows pop up as she takes a long sip of her drink.
My face twists, and I tilt my head to the side. “Tate and I aren’t dating. I thought that was obvious because I’m here talking to you.”
“You sure about that?” She crosses her arms, but she doesn’t seem angry. She has a gentle smile plastered on her face.
“I’m pretty sure. Tate’s my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were kids.”
I pause, cross my own arms, and lean back against the counter.
“How do you know about Tate?”
“You’ve brought her up in every single conversation we’ve had.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“I’m not mad.” She steps towards me. “It’s honestly the reason I finished my first drink so fast. After the third mention of her name, I started taking a drink every time you said it.”
“Have I really been talking about her that much?” I question, and she nods. “I’m sorry. I hope you know that I was completely invested in our conversation. I’ve loved talking to you.”
“Oh, I know. I’m quite interesting,” she teases. “All I’m saying is the way you talk about Tate makes it seem like you’re in love with her. So, if that’s not the case, and you don’t want people to think that you are, you might need to work on that glimmer in your eye you get when you say her name.”
“I don’t have a glimmer.”
