“I have to be in there.”
Allie lifted a brow.
“Fine, my attendance isn’t actuallyrequiredat the game. But I can’t just leave either. Someone has to man the Storm table at halftime.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re loyal to a fault?”
Miriam smiled. “My annoying best friend tells me all the time.”
“See?” Allie laughed. “You tell me how annoying I am all the time, and we’re still best friends. Loyal to a fault.”
Miriam shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong with loyalty.”
“You’re right.” Allie shoved a chip in her mouth. “But right now, it’s holding you back. You could totally work for a bigger team—a better team—if you would get past your misguided obligation to stay with the Storm.”
Miriam shifted on her feet. “It’s not misguided. The team has been good to me.”
“Okay.” Allie rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying you might discover there’s a bright and shiny world out there if you look past the things that are right in front of you.”
“Maybe I like the things that are in front of me.”
“Like I said, loyal to a fault.”
If Allie said loyal one more time… “So, if we’re not going back in to watch the game, what are we doing?”
Allie shrugged. “Let’s go hang out at your favorite place, the Storm table. We’ll eat our feelings. And if anyone asks, you can pretend like you were talking to crazy fans who couldn’t get enough swag.” Allie smacked Miriam’s arm. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”
Miriam laughed at her friend’s idea of fun, but relented. Manning a low-traffic table would be better than trying to watch Silas play with Harris on one side and Allie on the other.
She quickly sent a text to Harris letting him know that she and Allie would be watching the table for the rest of the game, dug into her nachos, and tried to carry on a conversation with Allie.
If only her attention didn’t keep going to the cheers that came from the arena for the rest of the game.
Silas
Coach kepthis post-game talk short after their eight-to-three win against the Vipers. Once he was done, Silas had jumped up from his seat and rushed out of the locker room and onto the arena for the post-game autograph session. He was the first player on the field, and even though long tables and chairs were already set up in the center, he’d have to wait for everyone else to come out before it could begin.
Signing stuff for fans wasn’t the reason for his urgency. His motivations were entirely selfish. Silas wanted to see Miriam—especially since she’d disappeared after the first quarter. Throughout the game, his eyes kept going to the floor seats reserved for office staff, and every time he was met with Harris’ murderous expression.
As much as Silas had wanted to run over to Harris at halftime and demand to know what happened to Miriam, he had to keep his head in the game. But now the game was over.
Silas’ eyes continued to scan the arena, stopping momentarily where security was holding fans back until they were ready. There were over a hundred people gathered there waiting for the buzzer to sound. Once it went off, kids—and some hardcore adults—would run across the field in a crazed rush to get shirts, jerseys and soccer balls signed by all the players who showed up for the session.
Having no luck with finding Miriam in the crowd, Silas took a seat at the end of one of the tables. He played with the black permanent marker in front of him while he waited for the rest of the players to come out.
Finn flopped down in the seat next to him. “Don’t think that just because you got a hat trick tonight, that I’m going to start singing your praises.”
Silas gave him a tight smile. He knew it would take more than three goals to earn his way back into everyone’s good graces. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“I don’t trust you.”
Silas kept his eyes trained on the marker as he twirled it around. “What am I going to do, break my contract with the Storm?”
Finn snorted. “I’m sure if the right team came along offering the right price, you’d find a way.”
He wouldn’t leave this time. Even if he wanted to, contracts were pretty iron-clad. He’d asked a lawyer in Wisconsin to look it over after the first year playing for the Wolves. Silas had wanted to know if it was possible to leave before his two-year term was finished, and the answer had been a resounding no. The only possible out was an injury that would bench him for most of the season. The team might have let him go then, but Silas wasn’t willing to risk not playing for a slight chance to break contract.
Silas sighed. “You act like players don’t sign with other teams all the time.”
