Page 83 of The Power Play

Jade: We are back to the hypotheticals?

Skylar: I did have feelings for a viewer once. Fredrick. How I miss that man.

Audrey: What happened?

Jade: Fredrick?

Skylar: I get it. Not a cute name, but he was cute. Trust me. He just stopped logging on, and I don’t know what happened.

Audrey: That’s actually kind of sad…

Jade: I agree. Sorry, Sky. Lacey, I think we are past this guy just being a viewer. Are you still living with him?

Audrey: …maybe.

Skylar: And fucking him regularly?

Audrey: …possibly.

Jade: If you’re having feelings, you should tell him. Do you think he feels the same?

Audrey: …perhaps.

Jade: Lacey!

Audrey: Yes, maybe. I get it.

Skylar: If the dick is this good don’t let him go.

Audrey: Sky, you get me.

Once I’m inside, I look around and realize how much I don’t miss it here. I finally had pest people out to take care of that problem, which they said they did, but the electrical is still completely fucked.

Part of me feels like I should just cut my losses and try to sell. The idea is tempting. It would take a while for my grandma to find my new address and where to harass me, but she always finds a way.

On the other hand, I don’t know if I’d want to part with this place. It’s a symbol of my independence. Iearnedthis house. On my own.

But standing in here with all the lights off, all my things untouched for so long it just feels…empty. Like any sort of attachment I had here is gone. I grab some more of my clothes and check the mail where I’m not surprised to find yet another letter.

Once I’m in my car I decide to open this one, I don’t know why because I know all it’s going to do is piss me off, but I do it anyway.

Audrey,

Thanksgiving is almost here, and your grandfather and I would like it if you could join us for once. This would be the perfect time for you toreset, give thanks and ask for forgiveness. We are having other members from our church over and it would be beneficial for you to talk to them as well.

It’s time to come home.

I scoff, crumpling up the piece of paper and tossing it somewhere in my car before leaving. I may be debating what to do with my current house, but I know one thing for sure is that the house I lived in growing up was not a home.

Certainly, isn’t anymore. The closest thing I have to a home isn’t even a place anymore. It’s a person and he doesn’t even know it.

32

It’s our last game before the short Thanksgiving break and I know Audrey is here with Chandler. There’s something about knowing she’s here to see me that has me feeling better about the game I’m about to play.

I’ve implemented her affirmations as a part of my pregame ritual, though I’m just saying them in my head. I do so right before we go out onto the ice for the first period to start. Both of our teams want a win right before the break, but as we play it’s a mostly clean game.

The penalties that are called have all been genuine accidents, high sticking and tripping on both sides. We scored two goals in the first period, but they caught up in the second.

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