Page 49 of Edge of Unbroken

“I’m sorry, Dad. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I just… I—”

“You what, Kitty?”

I shake my head. “Nothing. So, when is this visit scheduled for?”

His voice instantly takes on a happier note. “Well, Vincent thought it might be a good idea to do it in March, when the weather is nice. That way you can get your first whiff of college campus life.”

His excitement at the idea of me attending Duke puts a smile on my lips, and I decide to make more of an effort when it comes to my dad’s well-meaning advice and his attempts to make sure I stay on the straight and narrow. I can obviously use it. It’s not like I’m not hiding some terrible secrets right now…

***

I get to the ice center at a quarter to six. Throngs of people are already in attendance. Drew wasn’t exaggerating when he told me about the rivalry between our school and the opposing team: many are wearing Knights hoodies and similar gear showing support for their home team, while many more have donned the dark-blue and black Warriors colors of my own school. Maybe I should’ve worn something to signal that I’m rooting for the Warriors, too—my school and Ronan’s hockey team. Man, how I would have loved to see him play, see him in his Warriors hockey gear, the letter C on his jersey signifying his captain title—a hard-earned and well-deserved ascension on his varsity team.

Drew was named captain in Ronan’s stead, and I can only imagine how Ronan must have felt when he got the news. He’s never talked to me about it—much like he doesn’t really talk about anything uncomfortable or painful with me, or anyone for that matter—and maybe losing his rank on the team was only a tiny upset in the grand scheme of what he’s had to live through these past few months. Maybe he hasn’t spent any time thinking about it, but then again, maybe he has.

I spot Cheyenne in the crowd and make my way over to her. She smiles when we make eye contact. “Hey Cat! I didn’t know you were going to the game tonight.”

“Drew finally wore me down,” I joke, and Cheyenne laughs. She’s been so much friendlier to me these past few months. I knew she had a thing for Ronan, knew they had had casual sex before he and I met, and she was obviously not fond of me. But ever since Ronan was in the hospital, Cheyenne has been a lot more cordial, even warm. Occasionally she’ll even seek me out at school just to chat or check in. It’s been unexpected but nice.

“Nice! Just you, or is everyone else coming, too?”

“Just me. Vada and Tori are on a double date with their guys. Not sure what Summer and Zack are up to.”

“Alright, well, come sit with me then.” Cheyenne hooks her arm under mine, leading me to a row of seats right behind the goalie’s net. I spot Drew immediately, dressed in his bulky hockey goalie gear as he warms up in front of the net. He likewise spots me and motions for me to come to the boards. We’re walled off by thick plastic or plexiglass, and Drew has to shout for me to understand him.

“A few of us are grabbing food after the game,” he hollers. “Wait for me and join us! Cheyenne’s coming, too.”

“Okay, sure. But my curfew is nine!” I shout back, making him chuckle.

“I’ll drop you off in time. Promise!”

***

I never knew how thrilling hockey is until I met Ronan and saw him at practice, saw him move about the ice at incredible speeds, moving the puck so effortlessly. And even though my heart aches with his absence, I do enjoy my time at the game, especially because the Warriors take home the win with a score of 3 to 1.

“So? Did you enjoy yourself?” Drew asks me once we’re in his Camaro to meet Cheyenne and the others to grab a bite to eat.

“Yeah, I did. Hockey’s definitely… action-packed. I had a hard time keeping track of the puck to be honest; I kept losing it.”

“You get used to it,” Drew says with a laugh.

“Is that hard as a goalie?” I ask him. “To just keep your eye on it the entire time?”

“In the beginning, yeah, but not anymore. You’re just so focused on it, it’s really all I pay attention to—who has the puck at any given time. What did you like the most about the game?”

“How quickly the game can change. It’s not like softball or football, where you have, like, offensive periods or whatever.” I shrug. “I like how quickly the game can take a turn in hockey. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. You’re a pretty good goalie!”

Drew did great; there were definitely a few shots I thought would make it into the net, but Drew blocked them or caught them in his gloves.

“Thanks, Cat. You can tell Vada no own goals tonight.” He chuckles, smiling at the road ahead of him. “And, yeah, I like that about hockey, too.” Drew glances in my direction. “You should come to more games. It was really nice having you there. A beautiful face in the crowd.”

“Oh, I—”

“Nobody’s been coming to the games now that Shane and Steve have graduated, and Ronan’s probably not going to be able to play again.” Drew throws me another side-glance.

My face falls, but I nod. “Probably not…”

“Do you… Can you tell me what happened to him?” Drew asks. “I just, you know, it all kind of happened so fast. Like, he was at practice one day—got the C, too, made captain, I mean. And then he was just…” He motions his right hand like leaves blowing away in the wind. “And it’s been, like, silence and rumors and just a bunch of gossip, you know? And then he was back, but like, he was obviously hurt and… I don’t know. It’s all so shrouded in mystery. And you guys aren’t doing anything to clarify things, you know?”

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