Page 130 of Any Second Now
Lachlan gets sent to the penalty box for two minutes but we kill the penalty, and as soon as he’s back, I watch Rhys from the second line bury our second goal of the game. Textbook backdoor tap-in that was only possible because of Harley’s skilled moves getting their defenders to follow him, and then threaded a perfect cross toRhys for the finish.
It’s thirty seconds before the end of the second period that I take a hard fall after a check from the other team’s right wing.
I feel something in my groin—a twinge that reminds me of when I got hurt last season. I panic as I stand and get back in the game, but our defense immediately lets in a second goal and the period ends.
I’m not sure anyone even notices, and I try to quell the terror building inside of me as I follow my teammates into the locker room. I grab a sports drink and chug it, my back to my team. If Kellen or Lachlan—or even freaking Barrett—spots me, they’ll know I’m crashing out.
My breath is catching in my throat. Fuck me. I’m afraid to even stretch and check for damage. I down the entire drink, then reach into my bag for my phone. There’s a meditation app that might help calm me down. Not that I’ve ever used it, but I at least downloaded it.
That’s when I see the text messages.
Raleigh
Hey, I saw you go down. Are you okay? You’ve worked so hard on your recovery this summer, I hope you’re not freaking out. But remember, it’s probably all in your head. Not that you’re imagining it! But… didn’t your skating coach tell you it’s all a mental game at this point?
Go check in with one of the trainers
I’m sorry, I know I have no right to even message you, and you probably won’t even see this until later
Good luck, Atticus
Oh.
Yeah. Okay. I should go talk to someone. Obviously. I turn around and catch the eye of one of the athletic trainers, and he comes over right away.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m skating back onto the ice, given an all clear by the trainer after some targeted stretching.
I feel completely fine. I almost laugh with relief.
All thanks to Raleigh’s encouragement.
Harley almost scores in the third period, and I’m already cheering when the puck rings off the cross bar.
Fuck.
Kellen scores one more for the Blizzard, the other team scores, and we win the game 3-2. The crowd goes wild.
Now that I’m off the ice, my thoughts rush back to Raleigh.
Coach gives us a final pep talk, reminding us to work out andget your asses in better shape before preseason practices start in September.He reminds us that we’ll continue informal practices and workouts in August for anyone who is around.
“Buses will take those of you who are heading home to the Blizzard plane right away. For those of you staying here for the weekend or longer—try to behave yourselves, alright?” There are chuckles around the room. A big group of players are staying in New York, not just me, Lachlan, Barrett, and Harley.
Guys shuffle in and out of the showers, and Kellen pulls me aside before heading to the team bus.
“You sure you want to stay?” He furrows his brow.
“Why would I not stay?” I don’t mean the words to have an edge to them, but they do. “I don’t have shit to do in Fort Collins.”
Kellen assesses me calmly and raises his eyebrows. I can only imagine what he’d say if he knew about Raleigh’s texts.
I don’t even know what to think about that.
“Lucy tells me Raleigh isn’t leaving until Monday,” he says, his voice slow and steady and heavy with implication.
“Cool.” I knew that, kind of. I’ve heard that she’s selling the Pink Palace and giving Megghen to Bri and isn’t everything working out just perfectly for her?
Meanwhile, I’m a hot fucking mess.
