Page 138 of What If I Knew You

We’re up four to three at the end of the second period. Layken and I take part in the usual chants and cheers with the rest of the crowd, watching Lumin, the shooting star, do her thing not too far from where we’re seated and then before I know it, she’s coming this way.

“Hey Lumin! Lookin’ good out there babe!” I shout when she gets close enough. She brings her yellow furry hands to her chest and then makes a heart shape with her fingers and then pretends to sprinkle me with her stardust magic.

“Aww, thank you!”

But she doesn’t stop there.

She wraps her hand around mine and escorts me out of the seat.

“Where are we going, Lumin?”

She doesn’t answer me of course but I feel Ella squeeze my hand so I completely trust her as she brings me down to the ice. The guard opens a section of the wall so I can be on the ice where Lumin hands me off to Remi Redtail. She follows us to the center of the ice and when I look back at her, now that we’re out of earshot from anyone, I hear Remi say, “Trust me, Corri. You got this.”

Remi Redtail gives me a hug and a high five and then begins to chase Lumin around the ice—much to the crowd’s entertainment. Lumin outskates Remi by a mile and he falls to his stomach chasing after her. The crowd cheers for Lumin who twirls happily and shakes her sparkly wand.

A moment later we’re joined by Zeke Miller, goalie for the Red Tails who heads straight to the net and a member of Anaheim’s front office activities team. Her name is Marlee. With a microphone in one hand and a hockey stick in the other,Marlee hands the stick to me and then explains to the crowd what they’re about to see.

“Alright whoooooo’s ready for a little half rink hockey?”

While the crowd cheers, I happen to look down at the stick in my hands, a message written in gold sharpie along the black tape reads

Don’t miss. It’s for the kids. I believe in you – Bodhi.

“What in the world?” I mumble but shake my head in amusement.

“With us tonight we have none other than Miss Corrigan Hicks! For those of you who might not be familiar, she is the daughter of our favorite Anaheim Stars head coach, let’s give it up for Corrigan!”

The crowd cheers again and I take a moment to give them a wave and a smile as Marlee continues.

“Corrigan has no idea what we’re doing here tonight or why we pulled her out to the ice, so allow me to explain. Last night, the Anaheim Stars, together with the Chicago Red Tails, helped raise over eight million dollars for the Pacific Children’s Hospital. The Anaheim Stars family gives our sincere thank you to the Red Tails for their help and generosity in raising these much needed and very important funds. But the members of the Red Tails team decided eight million dollars is not enough and they’d like to challenge Corrigan here to raise a little more.

What the…?

Marlee turns to me. “So, Corrigan, you have one puck and you have a stick in your hands.” She gestures to the net where Zeke Miller stands. “If you can shoot the puck from right here and get it into the net, the Chicago Red Tails have agreed to paya combined one million dollars out of their own pockets to bring your total to nine million dollars raised.”

“Whaaaaat?”

My jaw drops and I cover my mouth with my hands in complete shock.

“That’s crazy!”

“Do you think you’re up for the challenge?”

Remi waves his feathers to get the crowd to cheer and Lumin claps her hands excitedly, twirling on my behalf.

I nod to Marlee. “Hell yeah, I’ll give it a try!”

Lumin and Remi lead the crowd in a slow clap for me as I position myself behind the puck and steady my stick in my hands. Glancing down once more at Bodhi’s sweet handwritten message on the stick tape, I rear back my arms and slap the stick to the ice shoving the puck forward. The crowd is on their feet cheering as we watch the puck slide across the ice in anticipation. Zeke hunkers down ready to block the shot but knowing this is for the money, I don’t see why he would ever block my shot.

My shot that is actually heading straight ahead!

My shot that is now only a few feet from the net!

Don’t stop!

Don’t stop!

Don’t stop!

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