Page 111 of Unmasking Love

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Focus.

Follow the puck.

Breathe out.

Focus.

Stop the puck.

I'm about to turn around when I get a bump on the back of my mask. I turn and see Felix smiling at me.

"Good to have you in the game Young Gun. I hope Ironman is okay but you just got a primary assist on a short handed goal!"

"Yeah and then I let a goal in."

"No one could have stopped that one. And no one expects you to stop all of them. Come on, let’s play!" Felix says and then he taps my pads with his stick and goes to line up for the face off.

***

We lost three to two. And Gavin is out with a torn ACL. The trainer said it popped out when he lunged for the puck.

They'll know tomorrow if he's having surgery or not.

I am torn between sympathy for him and fucking glee.

This is it.

My chance.

All I need to do is prove to the team that I'm an asset and I won't be on the trading block come March or later.

I'm the D.C. Renegades starting goalie.

My body is buzzing.

Harper was in the stands somewhere. Johnny didn’t know where Caroline got seats but it felt good to have her there tonight.

I hope my parents were watching.

They tune in for games when I'm scheduled to play but I don't know if they watch the games I'm not supposed to be in. It's late on the east coast but they're mountain time while at the Arizona house so I call them as I climb onto the bus.

"Aiden, darling! You okay?"

"Yes, Ma, I'm fine. I was calling to ask if you saw the game tonight."

"I didn't, I had mahjong at church tonight but your father might have. Ron!" she yells into the background. "Did you watch Aiden's game?"

"I did, that was a tough one that slipped in but you blocked the rest." He says after a shuffle of the phone being handed off to him.

"Yeah, I watched the game tape of it too, the way it caught the side of my stick and then kind of flipped made it nearly impossible."

"That's what I was thinking. So what's the word on Gavin?" He asks.

"Torn ACL. They're going to decide on surgery tomorrow."

"Yikes, but either way you'll be in for a bit then."

"Yeah, that's the plan."

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