Page 43 of Fear of Falling

“At an event. I was working and suddenly Bryton was there asking what he could help with. It was some charity work thathis manager had him do. We ended up spending the entire day together and he asked me out later that night.”

“That’s really cute.”

“You should have seen how nervous he was asking me out. It was adorable.”

I grinned, picturing a hockey player like Bryton Young nervous in front of a girl.

“What about you Tasha? What do you do?”

“I’m a counselor. Think of a psychiatrist but without prescribing medicine.”

“Wow.”

“And she’s really good.” I reached over and squeezed Tasha’s arm. I know how hard she’d worked for her job. One her parents hate, but what they can’t comprehend is how amazing Tasha is at what she does. She loves it and she helps people. Not everyone can say they do that.

“Where did you two meet?” Mila asked. “Sorry for the twenty questions, I’m just a super curious person.”

I laughed. “It’s fine! We met at uni, and we’ve been friends ever since.”

“Nice! What uni?”

“Toronto,” Tasha and I said in unison.

“No way.” Mila said, her eyes wide. “That’s where I went!”

“Wow, what a small world,” Tasha said. “How have we never crossed paths before?”

Before we could ponder on it further, the warning bell sounded, telling us the game would soon start again. Finally, we got our drinks and headed back to our seats. The whole time the three of us chatted. As I watched my best friend and my new friend talk, I found another reason to feel grateful that Wyatt gave me the tickets.

“Get the damn puck!”

There were three minutes left of the game and the Knights and Huskies were currently tied 2-2. As the clock ticked down, the tension in the arena was palpable. The fans grew antsy the longer we went without scoring. The player's hits became increasingly violent and aggressive.

There was a sense of desperation from the Knights fans and players alike. The need to break their losing streak. From what Wyatt had said, the team needed a win to regain their confidence.

Trevor had the puck and was scrambling to take a shot, but he was tripled-teamed, the other team crowding him, leaving him nowhere to go. When an opponent snagged the puck, all the fans around us booed.

My knee bounced as I shifted in my seat, the anxiety growing. I wanted the team to win just as much as everyone else, but mostly, I wanted that for Wyatt. Wanted him to see that he could come back from an injury better than ever. Just because they’d lost a few games didn’t mean their season was over. They had plenty of time to rally back.

With sixty seconds left on the clock, everyone around us jumped to their feet. I didn’t hesitate to do the same, my eyes glued to number 8.

When Trevor approached and slammed a player against the glass right in front of us, I didn’t even flinch. I was too focused on the fact that the puck hurtling towards Wyatt.

Chewing on my bottom lip, I dared a glance at the clock.

Thirty seconds.

I watched with bated breath as Trevor, Bryton and Wyatt came together. They formed a triangle with Wyatt pulling up the rear. A tense silence fell over the arena, everyone’s eyes fixed on the trio as they barreled down the ice towards the other end of the rink.

Trevor or Bryton shoved any opposition out of the way, clearing the space for Wyatt. I’d seen the three of them play on the television, but that was nothing compared to witnessing their skill in person. Now, they were only a few feet away from us.

“Shoot!” Mila screamed next to me.

As though hearing her, Wyatt brought his hockey stick back seconds before launching the puck towards the net. I swore it happened in slow motion as the puck soared across the ice. The goalie lunged to the side but was a split-second too late.

The puck slid right past into the net.

There was a moment’s pause. Then the crowd erupted in a deafening cheer. On the ice, the Knights jumped the boards and headed straight for Wyatt, who had already disappeared behind his teammates.

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