Page 112 of The Drop

"Oh, well, sweetheart, you just learn to hide it better after the hundredth game." They all laugh like it's an inside joke of being a hockey parent, and Cami and I smile.

"Have you said hi to Grant's parents yet?" Mrs C asks, and I blush.

"Oh, um, no." I shift to my feet, biting my lips with nerves. "I haven't even met them yet."

"Oh well, I saw them sitting two rows in front." She winks at me, nodding her head towards their seats, and I smile at her for giving me the heads-up. "We'll see you girls later?"

"Absolutely." We wave as we head down to our seats, which are directly in front of Grant's parents; Cami chuckles.

"You're a really B.I.T.C.H., you know," I whisper at her as we settle in, too nervous to turn and introduce myself.

"I know, but better than being an S.L…" I clap a hand over her mouth, and she pushes me off laughing.

We are close to the ice here, and the boys have come out warming up; Gunnar flies past us, followed by Adam, and they double back when they see us jostling each other to grab our attention. We laugh at them as Bear notices from the goal and joins them.

"That's my scarf," Bear shouts at the glass, and Gunnar pushes him out of the way.

"My jersey," he shouts, and Cami shakes her head at them for being silly right before an important game.

"You better be wearing mine, Brookie," Adam whines, and I point at my hat, which has his number on it; he lifts his stick, hooting as they skate off.

Cami and I try to chat while waiting for the game to start, but I can't help but focus on Grant as he skates around to each player, checking in and chatting with the coaches by the bench.

"They look ready," Cami whispers, and I nod as they skate back out to start the game. They all look locked in, knowing how important this game is. I look around the stands, and it seems like a lot of Huntington U students have travelled to support them, with green dotting the crowd.

The first period is tense, with both teams unable to score and the puck being evenly moved back and forth. However, when the second period begins, Gunnar and Grant take the ice and charge toward the Boston goalie, with Gunnar assisting in Grant's first goal!

The crowd goes wild as Grant celebrates by lifting his stick, and his teammates swarm him in excitement. Cami and I turn to each other, screaming and hugging while jumping up and down. Suddenly, I hear a thud against the glass in front of us. It’s Grant, pointing at me as he skates backwards. I bite my lip to suppress the huge smile threatening to spread across my face.

“I’ve never seen him do that before!” Cami exclaims, jumping up and down while grabbing my arm. I laugh, shaking my head and still smiling, as we settle back down to watch the game resume.

We continue to cheer on the boys until we break for the third period, and people around us get up to make use of the break.

A phone clatters on the floor next to me, and I bend down to pick it up. I look over my shoulder to see a pretty blonde girl wearing a Huntington U jersey smiling at me.

"Sorry," she says as I lean back and pass her the phone. "I'm so clumsy."

"No problem." I smile, I start to turn around, and she speaks again.

"My boyfriend's family went to grab drinks, and I get so awkward by myself that I just start fiddling with my phone." She makes a face, and feeling a bit sorry for her, I decide to introduce myself.

"I'm Brooke, and this is Cami." Cami waves but quickly goes back to munching her popcorn while looking at her phone. "Are you at Huntington?" I nod toward her jersey, and she shakes her head.

"I'm Grace, and no, I'm not; I travelled with my boyfriend's family to watch him. You're wearing his number."

My heart stops. Wait, I'm wearing Grant's number. As far as I knew, I was still his girlfriend. What is happening? This can't be real. Panic starts to bubble up inside me.

Cami chokes on her popcorn next to me having heard, before turning around.

"Grant Anders is your boyfriend?" she coughs. I hit her on the back distractedly, but my mind races. Should I confront her? Call her a liar? No, must keep cool.

"As in current boyfriend?" Cami’s voice breaks through my thoughts.

"Yeah, my high school boyfriend," Grace says with a smile, glancing at her phone. "Sorry, I have to take this."

We both turn to each other as Grace gets up and walks toward the concession area.

"She's lying," Cami says instantly, shaking her head and grabbing my arm. My mind reels. What if she’s right?

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