“And when you meet the right person, I think you just know,” I add. “And timing is everything. Fletcher and I learned that the hard way.”
“Thanks, you guys.” Jere smiles, taking a long swig of water.
“Anytime.”
thirty-six
Fletcher
This championship win is so close I can taste it.
We’ve worked our asses off every year since we got to Rockford, but somehow, from day one, we all knew this season was going to be different.
For the first time since we arrived here freshman year, it’s like our team understood each other in a way we never have before.
Even when Cam and Declan were at odds with each other, before they resolved their issues, and Ember and Declan got back together, our team still moved in a way we never had before. It’s like we’re one person when we’re on that ice and know each other’s moves before the moves are even made.
We have one more game. One more game, and if we win it, we win the Frozen Four Championship title, something Rockford has been craving for ages.
“I can’t wait for the season to be over.” I hop into my car as Jeremy gets into the passenger seat. “Like, what a fucking season it’s been, but my body is aching in places I didn’t know I could ache.”
Jere glares at me as he sinks into my passenger seat more comfortably.
I drove Jeremy to his physical therapy session today, his last one before our final game of the season, and honestly, a part of me thought about joining in.
Maybe not the exercising part; I get enough nagging on that end from Coach. But watching them work on his back afterward, I just know they could loosen knots I didn’t even know I had.
“Coming from the man who doesn’t have metal in his back.”
“I don’t know why you’re saying that in such a condescending tone. You’re basically a bionic man.”
“I’m basically falling apart, and I’m not even twenty-two yet. My dad has a better back than I do.”
“Your grandpa probably does, too.” I joke as I pull out of the parking lot and onto the road. “Seriously, dude, how’s your back holding up?”
When he first hurt his back as a freshman, we had no idea if it'd be something he’d recover from, but he did. Then, when he took that hit at the beginning of the season, we all wondered if coming back would be worth the risk.
We’d never tell him that; we know how important this game is to him, but we also know how one hit could change his life forever.
“Honestly, it’s better than it’s been in a long time.”
I narrow my eyes at him, and he smiles.
“I will be taking some well-deserved rest after we win this game, I promise. And then I’ll be playing better than ever.”
I hope he’s telling me the truth. Jeremy has been practicing as if he has something to prove to us. Or maybe he’s trying to prove to himself that he can still play the game. That he can still pursue acareer in hockey even with the state of his back, but sometimes I worry he’s pushing himself too much.
There’s only so much painkillers can do for you. Sure, they numb the pain for a little bit, but eventually, all that pain is going to catch up and hit him like a motherfucker.
“I just don’t want you to push yourself too hard, okay?”
“I’m not, I promise. My back has one more game in it for this season, okay? I’m not going to let a little pain keep us from becoming champions.”
And I don’t know why, but the smile on his face as he says that is almost scarier than the sentence itself.
I’ve never felt like I was going to shit my pants before a hockey game, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.
Granted, we’ve never played in a hockey game this big. We have an entire college counting on us to bring home this trophy, and there’s a part of me that’s scared we won’t.
