“No,” I say.
“Yeah.” He nods slowly. “Me neither.”
“What happens now?” I finally ask.
He doesn’t answer right away. When he does, his voice is quiet.
“I don’t know. The conference will investigate. They might take the wins. The championship-” He stops. “They might take all of it.”
I stare at the floor.
“I cost you everything.”
“No. You didn’t cost us anything. Youwonus games. You won us a championship. They can take the banner down if they want. That doesn’t change what happened on the ice.”
I shake my head. “You don’t know that. The team - the scouts - your career - "
“Stop.”
He takes my hand. I don’t know when he moved it. His fingers are warm, rough from tape, steady.
“I’ve been playing hockey my whole life,” he says. “I’ve had good linemates. Great ones. But I’ve never had anyone who sees the ice the way you do.”
He turns to look at me.
“That’s not a disguise. That’s not a secret. That’syou. And I don’t care what name they put on the roster. I don’t care what the conference decides. I’m not letting you go through this alone.”
I’m crying. I don’t remember when that started either.
His thumb brushes the back of my hand.
“Whatever comes next,” he says, “we face it together.”
ZANE
The door opens later - I don’t know how much later. Tara comes back in with Coach Calloway behind her. He looks at us sitting there, my hand wrapped around hers, and something in his expression shifts.
“They’ve completed the trophy presentation,” he says. “But the guys have a lot of questions.”
I start to pull away. She doesn’t let go.
Coach looks at her. “I think you need to go and talk to them.”
She shakes her head. “I can’t. You know I can’t.”
“Take your time. We’ll wait.”
He leaves. Tara follows, closing the door gently behind her.
LEONORA
Zane looks at me.
I look at the helmet in my lap. The broken strap. The skullcap on the floor where I dropped it.
“I can’t go out there like this.”
“Then don’t.” He stands, pulls me up with him. “But you’re not hiding in here either.”
