Page 18 of Collide
“Don’t act like you’re doing me a favor. I might have used distraction but admit it, it was fair in the end.”
I sigh. “It was fair.”
Content, she skates toward the exit, and we head to Coach’s office. He’s letting us use it as long as we don’t touch anything. Once I fill out the preliminary self-assessment, she reads over it. “You’re an English minor?”
I nod. I took the responsible path and chose Economics as my major but decided to do a minor I would actually enjoy, hence English.
“So, you like reading?”
“Yes.”
“Like real books?”
I give her a blank look. “You mean those blocks of paper? Oh no, I’ve never held one, let alone read one of those.”
She ignores my sarcastic remark and skims the paper. “You left this blank. What’s your five-year plan?”
“Don’t have one.”
Alarm strikes her face. “Three-year?”
“Nope.”
“What about hockey? Don’t you have a dream team you want to go to?”
“I’m already signed to them.”
The Toronto Thunder signed me to a three-year entry-level contract a few months back, which means I’ll be playing with them later this spring. Eli also signed with them a month after me, so we’re headed there together.
“What about personal goals?”
I have no idea what she wants from me. I’ve lived and breathed hockey since I was four, there is nothing else I ever needed to focus on. I haven’t dated anyone in college because between playing, studying, and being a full-time dad to the guys, there isn’t any extra time.
“Maybe it’ll help if I give you an example,” she suggests. “I have five, ten, and twenty-year plans.”
Holy shit, she’s insane.
She eyes my reaction. “Don’t look at me like I’m crazy. I just know exactly what I want.”
“Life is unpredictable. You can’t plan it.” I know that much from experience.
“I can. When I was younger, I was in love with psychology. Everything about it, to the point where I had a thorough life plan at the age of eight. At seventeen, I would graduate high school and move here with a full ride to Dalton. Complete the accelerated degree program and get into grad school.”
I blink. “You figured that out at eight years old?”
“Yes.”
Jesus. The only thing on my mind at eight was how long my mom would let me play hockey before dinner. “What if you don’t get in?”
She stares at me as if I threatened her. “I will. I have one shot and I won’t let anything oranyonemess it up.”
I try to cut the tension. “But you’re basically done with all that. What’s your plan now?”
“After my master’s and Ph.D., I want to work with Olympic athletes as a sports psychologist. Then I’ll probably marry an accountant and have two kids, a boy and a girl.”
“An accountant? You’re into bald dudes who would rather choke on their coffee than sit in their cubicle?” I’m not even going to touch the fact that she had the kids all figured out. She probably knew what zodiac sign they would be, too.
“They’re good with math. People who excel in STEM fields are generally better equipped to last in partnerships.”
