Page 54 of Hockey Heart

“So, yeah. Like I said, Sarah’s not here,” Kensy said.

Fuck.

“I need to find her. Please, help me.”

“Okay. Well, let’s not do this in the street, come inside Hayden.”

I followed her inside, my feelings softening at seeing the inside of Sarah’s apartment again. I already had already memories tied up in that place. That sofa, the kitchen, her bedroom. She got her phone and held it up to her ear.

“Okay. She’s not picking up. What happened exactly?”

“I don’t know. Cara maybe did or said something to her. She just disappeared.”

“Oh, Cara? Yeah, she gave Sarah the stick when we came over the other night.”

“Wait. You came to my place?”

“Uh-huh. Sarah came to tell you she’d come to the ball with you, but then Cara answered and after that, we left pretty sharpish.”

“Cara didn’t tell me about that.Of course,she didn’t tell me!”

Kensy stared at me with a sympathetic look. I wasn’t used to people looking at me like that and I felt embarrassed by it.

“Look,” she said, pondering the situation, “If it was me. Well, I’d either go home and cry it out, or I’d take myself to the nearest bar and try and shake it off. Where else is there to go at this time?”

“Do you know what bar?”

“Any place is as good as any other, I’d say. Probably not somewhere I’d be noticed by anyone I knew, though.”

“Somewhere between here and the ball then,” I jumped up, ready to leap into action. “You coming?”

Kensy looked at me ruefully. “I want to. I really do. But I think this one you have to do alone, Hayden. Just promise me something.”

“Okay. What is it?”

“Really mean it, okay? Sarah’s not someone to play with. She’s terrified you’re going to walk into her life and ruin it. If you want to find her, it has to be real. None of this Hellraiser bullshit.”

“Fair. And trust me, that’s a promise I can keep.”

The first two bars I stopped at were a bust. I was starting to lose hope that I would ever find her as I pulled up to The Jackalope. Would she come here? It looked kind of wild.

The great thing about being my size is that you can see most people in a crowd at a glance. My eyes swung over the bar and she wasn’t there. But then, just as I was ready to turn and leave, I saw the door at the back of the bar swing open and I caught the vivid shimmer of a dress I recognized. The one she had been wearing. And there she was. Outside,staring gooey-eyed at some guy. My stomach grumbled with anxiety.

“Hayden Raynor!” someone suddenly yelled at me, drawing looks my way.

“Out my way,” I growled at him.

I was there for one thing.Her.

As I made my way across the room, the door swung open again. Sarah’s head turned casually away from that short guy and her eyes widened in recognition as she glimpsed me. She was so small and beautiful that it made my guts rumble again. Damnit, I could skate out in front of thousands of people, cameras, photographers, hockey bunnies, and superstars, but out here I was nervous. This wasn’t a battle of strength and sweat and power. I had all the tools for that. This was about feelings, and I felt woefully under-prepared.No. You got this Hayden, go get the girl.

She watched me as I pushed my way through the crowd to her, people all around jostling and grabbing at me.Hayden Raynor’s here! Hey, Hellraiser!

Forcing my way through the wild-eyed crowd, finally I made it and stood in front of Sarah. I might’ve been 6’ 8” but at that moment I felt tiny in her presence. My mouth opened, but no words came out.

“Hayden?” Her soft words reached me. “What are you doing here?”

I gulped hard, feeling my skin redden, my bravado turning to weakness.

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