Page 135 of Falling

“Yeah,” I agree. “This is impressive.”

She nudges me. “Better not spill anything on that tux. It’d be a shame.”

I roll my eyes. “Don’t worry; I’ll be on my best behavior.”

We find our seats near the front, joining other athletes and their dates. The excitement in the room is palpable, everyone dressed to the nines and ready to celebrate the year’s achievements.

As we settle in at our table with Xavier, Michelle, Tyler, and their partner Beau, I glance at Wren. Her eyes are wide with wonder, a small smile playing on her lips. I squeeze her hand, and she looks up at me, her smile widening.

“You’re the most stunning person here, Wren,” I whisper just for her to hear. She doesn’t respond; I honestly don’t think she needs to. The way her eyes shine and her smile widens, I know she knows it just as much as I do.

As I settle into my seat, the reality of the evening starts to hit me. It’s not just any sports achievement evening. It’sthesports achievement evening, and I’m about to meet Josh Raymond. Josh Fucking Raymond. I can feel my heartbeat quicken just thinking about it.

I’ve idolized Josh since I was a kid. He was the standout player for the NU Bears, and now he’s tearing it up in the pros for the Utah Grizzlies. I’ve watched all his games, memorized his stats, and even tried to mimic his moves on the ice. He’s the reason I started playing hockey in the first place. The idea of meeting him in person is enough to make my palms sweat.

Wren notices my silence and gives my hand a squeeze. “You okay?”

I nod, forcing a smile. “Yeah, just... you know, big night.”

She laughs softly. “You’re going to be fine. Just be yourself.”

Be myself. Easier said than done when you’re about to meet your hero. What if I say something stupid? What if he thinks I’m just another fanboy? I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts.

Across from me, Xavier laughs. “Dude, you look like you’re going to have an aneurysm.”

“You do know that Josh Raymond is coming tonight, right?” I ask, scanning the room again. As expected, he hasn’t arrived in the last three seconds. Xavier shakes his head, letting out an incredulous laugh.

“Don’t act like you weren’t like that last year, Z,” Michelle says, laughing before taking a sip of her punch. “You practically shit yourself when you met Dean Mayer, and you wouldn’t stop talking about it for weeks.”

“She’s got you there,” Wren mutters, and Xavier shrugs happily. We’ve all got our particular favorites for the NU Bear’s team of ’15. Mayer was the left defense, and Raymond was the center and the captain, and they both play for the same team now. “I’m obsessed with your dress, Michelle. Where did you get it?”

“I made it myself, actually,” Michelle replies with a soft smile, pushing her braids over her shoulder. Michelle, Wren, Scarlett, and Kennedy float into a conversation about fashion and a bunch of other girl shit that I don’t have a clue about.

Wren keeps her hand on my leg the entire time as she talks to them, constantly reminding me she’s still there while I listen to another one of Tyler’s boring stories. Don’t get me wrong, Tyler is one of the funniest people I know, but there is one thing they can’t do: tell a good story.

“And that’s how I almost got arrested.” Tyler ends the rant, and Xavier, Beau, and I exchange knowing glances.

“So, you went through that entire story–—plot twists and all—just to tell us how you didn’t get arrested?” Xavier asks, running his hands down his face in exhaustion. Tyler nods with a cheesy grin pulling at their cheeks.

“Yeah. Well, you had to know the contexts, obviously,” Tyler begins before diving into another deep conversation about how things didn’t happen.

The doors swing open, and the entire gym erupts into a thunderous cheer, saving me from another one of Tyler’s stories. Legends of NU’s sports history—basketball, football, soccer, and ice hockey players—stride in, dressed to the nines as if attending the most prestigious event of their careers. They take their seats at designated tables under the watchful eyes of the current students and faculty.

The screech of microphone feedback grabs everyone's attention, redirecting it to the makeshift stage at the front of the room. There stands Billy Carhart, assistant head of the sports department, behind a podium. I thought Hacks would have presented the event, but she’s in a corner with the other faculty and hasn’t looked our way all night. What a coward.

“Good evening, everyone,” he begins, prompting another round of enthusiastic applause. Wren glances at me, beaming, completely unaware that I heard her earlier conversation. I press a kiss to her forehead, and she turns back to face the stage, nestling into my chest.

“As you’ve noticed, tonight, we welcome back generations of North’s sports stars. But tonight is not about them. It’s about each one of you—our current students—whose dedication to your sport is unparalleled.”

He continues, praising our commitment and expressing how fortunate he feels to have such talented individuals playing the sports he loves. My mind drifts, excitement building within me as I anticipate talking to Josh Raymond. Carhart passes the mic to the basketball and soccer coaches, who proceed to present awards to their top students.

I snap back to attention when they announce the skating team’s awards. Wren’s shyness from this morning is nowhere to be seen as she strides confidently toward the stage even before her name is called. Of course, she knew she’d win.

Our entire table rises, clapping for her. She throws us an embarrassed smile as she accepts her certificate, while a projector plays her best moments on the ice. My girl is incredibly talented.

Kennedy and Scarlett tear up like proud parents, and I put two fingers in my mouth and whistle. Wren’s eyes widen as she descends the stage, clearly loving and hating the attention simultaneously.

“See? I told you you’d win,” I whisper when she’s back at the table, snuggled into my side. “You are brilliant, baby.”

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