Page 45 of Patrick

“You and Eva?” Ricci says.

“Yeah. It’s not like you or Darcy would bother.”

“Fair,” Ricci says and turns to me.

“I have an idea. I’ll sit with you and your parents, and we can wave a poster for Vincent.”

I laugh, but there’s an uncomfortable edge underneath it.

Why should I feel so anxious about this game? It’ll be fine. I’ll watch the game with my parents, root for Vince, and try not to cringe. Then I’ll have dinner with them, catch up, and say good-night. No problem.

“Since when did you have a crush on Vincent?” I ask.

“It’s not exactly a crush. More like a low-level interest from afar.”

I nod, pushing around my food, too uneasy to eat.

“Cheer up, Sof.” Ricci gives me a teasing grin. “It wouldn’t be the end of the world if BC won, would it?”

I laugh and swat Ricci’s shoulder lightly. “Yes, it would. Trick would be inconsolable.”

“Not as inconsolable as he’d be if he got thrown out for fighting,” Nina says, looking at her phone.

“What are you talking about?” I frown and barely stop myself from grabbing the phone from her hand. She shows me the screen.

“There’s a chat on Discord about the odds of a fight and who would win. But the consensus is that Trick would get thrown out first because Coach Zabra hates him.”

“He does?” Ricci says. “Why would he hate their best player?”

I shrug because I’m not sure, but Trick hinted it was the case. “I think it’s something about a grudge against the former coach. Maybe.”

Giving Nina her phone back, we all fall silent for a few beats, but it’s not one of those easy friendly silences. I don’t know what’s bothering my two friends, but I can add Trick’s hockey prospects to my list of worries.

“You worried about Trick getting beat up?” Nina breaks the silence.

“Not really. I’m more worried about him fighting and getting in trouble because it might hurt his future hockey prospects.”

They nod. Then Ricci slams her fist on the table, drawing attention from people nearby. “Don’t worry. He’s too good for a little fight to ruin his chances at the NHL.”

Her confidence is so sure it’s past bravado. “You know something, Ricci? I think you’re right.”