Page 8 of My Athlete Neighbor

Allison's stomach dropped as every head turned toward her.

"That gold medal team?" One of the reporters pushed forward.

“How did you get it?” D’mitri asked, crowding in for a look at it.

“That’s Allison Warrant. She’s Michael Warrant’s granddaughter,” Coach Vicky said.

Well, so much for keeping that a secret.

"That pucks from your grandfather's Olympic run?" a reporter asked.

"From the Sweden game," Allison said quietly, her fingers finding the familiar mark in its surface. "He scored in the third period. Each player got to keep a puck from their Olympic games back then." Her grandfather’s Olympics story was familiar, told so many times over backyard hockey lessons. How young Michael Warrant, just nineteen, had helped secure America's first Olympic hockey gold, decades before anyone had heard of Lake Placid or miracles on ice.

"You had an Olympic game puck in your pocket?" Another reporter asked, incredulous. "The actual puck your grandfather scored with?"

"The game where we broke our losing streak," Oliver added helpfully, his social media instincts kicking in. "With Kane's first hat trick as captain."

"It's not—" Allison started, but she was drowned out by the excited chatter.

"Michael Warrant's granddaughter brings his Olympic puck to her first Chill game, and they have their best performance of the season?" Phones were clicking madly.

Oh no.

"Kane, did you know about this?" One reporter asked.

"The last American Olympic gold before the Miracle on Ice—that's serious hockey history," Liam said.

"Will you bring it to more games?" A woman Allison didn’t recognize asked.

Dmitri gasped dramatically. "Is magic puck! Like in fairy tales, yes? Bringing luck to team."

His cousin walloped him in the head. “Don’t be stupid.”

Kane raised his hand and his voice. "The puck didn't score those goals," he said firmly. "The team did. Through hard work and talent."

But Allison could see it was too late. The story was too good, too magical, too perfect for social media.

"Still," one reporter pressed, "you have to admit the timing is interesting. The granddaughter of hockey legend Michael Warrant shows up with his Olympic puck, and suddenly—"

"No comment on lucky charms or family heirlooms," Kane cut in smoothly, his captain's authority clear. "We're celebrating a team victory tonight."

But the energy in the room had shifted. Players were eyeing the puck with new interest. Allison could practically see the headlines forming.

She needed to get out of here and take her grandfather’s puck with her. When they flooded to the table to demolish the pizzas, she slowly faded into the background before making her escape back to her apartment unnoticed.

Chapter Four

Allison stepped into her building's lobby after work, juggling her laptop bag and an armful of children's books she needed to review for next week's story time. The moment she crossed the threshold, Mrs. Peterson from 2B descended on her like a hawk spotting prey.

"Are you bringing it to Friday’s game?" The elderly woman clutched her ever-present knitting needles. A Charm City Chill scarf was wrapped around her neck despite the building's warm temperature.

"Bring what?" Allison tried to shift past her, but Mrs. Peterson was surprisingly agile for someone in her seventies.

"The puck, dear. Kane's hat trick was incredible. Three goals in one period." She leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "I heard it was because you had Michael Warrant's lucky puck."

The story had spread through New Haven like wildfire. Nowhere was safe. "I really need to—"

"Is it true you're dating Kane?" This from Jenny, the college student from 3A, who'd materialized from the stairwell. She wore a Chill jersey over black leggings. "You two would make such a cute couple. Did you see his interview this week? He kept smiling when they asked about the team's luck changing."

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