Page 223 of Staying Selfless

“If you think that we haven’t been secretly discussing this every time you’re on the road, you’re sorely mistaken, honey.”

“We’ve been waiting for this day for way too long,” my dad adds.

“I would’ve asked her the second I got back from Texas. I’ve had the ring burning a hole in my pocket since then, but you know how Logan is. I’m dating the most practical woman on the planet. She wanted to finish school before anything else.”

“Well, I’m excited for you two.” My dad swings an arm over my shoulders. “Time to make this thing official.”

“She’s gotta say yes first,” I remind them, causing my parents to burst into a fit of laughter, knowing there’s no other answer she would give.

“How about that shit-show of a brunch this morning?” Mary laughs. “I’m going to kill your brother.”

“Not if Ali kills him first.”

This morning was an absolute disaster. Ali’s family flew in from New York yesterday for her graduation, and our families finally met for the first time over brunch. But when Ali’s sister, Amanda, walked into the restaurant, my brother’s deep tan skin turned ghostly white.

Apparently, after my game last night, Marc went out for drinks with some friends from class to celebrate the end of grad school, and for the first time since Ali ended things, he brought a girl home from the bar.

The girl in question? Ali’s sister, not knowing the connection until this morning.

Ali has always been private when it comes to her family, especially her sisters, so Marc hadn’t seen a picture of Amanda or known what she looked like until she walked into the restaurant for brunch this morning. The only person who has ever seen a picture of Ali’s sisters is Logan, but we were fast asleep when Marc stumbled home with his overnight guest.

But when all the pieces were put together this morning, it didn’t go unnoticed that Marc went home with a girl who looked eerily similar to Ali.

He’s been pining over little New Yorker all year. She’s been working on herself and figuring out exactly what she wants, all while the two of them have maintained a respectful friendship. Marc knows how important it is for Ali to be ready and confident in who she is, so he’s been a good friend, not making any moves, while remaining supportive of her the entire time.

But he’s also got some major feelings for her. It’s pretty obvious.

Ali hasn’t dated. Not once. Which is saying a lot, seeing as she came to school here intending to experience as many people as possible. But I think she knows, along with all of us, that if she were ready to let someone into her life, it’d be Marc.

In the same respect, Marc hasn’t gone on a single date all year. He’s had plenty of opportunities to, but no one has caught his eye the way Ali did. It’s apparent he’s been holding out hope, waiting for her.

In fact, there’s been more than one occasion this year that Marc had plans with friends, but Ali needed help with homework or something like that, so he’d cancel just so he could go see her.

We all knew, at least we all thought, that they’d get together for real at some point. But after this morning, finding out that Marc finally slept with someone else and she happens to be Ali’s sister, I’m not sure if it’ll ever happen now.

C: Hey, you guys got room? Looking for a seat.

“Can we make room for Cam?” I ask my parents as they scoot over. I text him the location of our seats as we wait for the graduation ceremony to begin.

“Hey, man,” Cam says as I stand and hug my old teammate. He does the same to my parents before taking the seat next to me.

“Sorry I couldn’t make it yesterday,” referring to his and Goody’s graduation. “I couldn’t get out of morning skate.”

“Well, game seven of the Western Conference Finals is a pretty good excuse,” he laughs. “Besides, Logan came, so that was cool.”

Cam and Logan’s friendship has gotten even closer over the last year. He made sure to get a spot for her with his family’s seats for his senior season, the same way I did last year. She went to every single one of his home games to cheer him on, as long as it didn’t interfere with my game schedule.

And our new house became the new hangout spot. Marc lived with Logan and me, but Ali and Cam spent most nights in our little two-bedroom home, studying or just kicking it. And Goody has been over every Tuesday for his weekly baking lessons with my girl, which has become a sort of passion of his. He’s starting culinary school in the fall.

Benny and Sarah are still going strong. Benny has become one of the best goalies in the conference, and he still has another season to play. I’m excited to see where hockey takes him.

“How are you handling the loss?” Cam asks.

“This one stings a bit. Two years in a row of losing right before the Stanley Cup Finals? I need that to change, and soon.”

“You guys got it next year. Minnesota is stacked again for another season.”

“For sure.” I don’t elaborate.

---