Page 154 of Collide
Coach: Not sure how you pulled this off, but I will drag your ass to Boston if you are not on this bus in twenty.
Bunny Patrol
Kian Ishida: Coach said I can talk if Aiden gets here. Pls hurry!
Dylan Donovan: Weird. I think my car just ran out of gas…
Sebastian Hayes: Just get here. Kian’s been whining for 20 mins.
Cole Carter: Can you tell him to shut up?? I'm trying to nap here.
I can barely comprehend what the conditional reversal of suspension entails, but as long as I’m playing I don't care. All the campus community hours I put in must have paid off.
“You’re still not dressed? Let’s go, man,” Dylan urges as he runs down the hall with another bag. Driving to the rink on his own is part of his pre-game ritual, so he leaves later than the team.
Summer comes in, carrying my heavy bag. “I packed everything I could think of. You just have to check if it’s all there.”
What would I do without this girl? No matter how many times I’ve told Summer that watching the game with her would be just as good, she was still upset that I wasn’t playing. Sometimes, I even caught her whispering on the phone and sending last minute emails, to try and get me cleared to play. When that didn’t work, she got a petition going. Coach made her shut it down, though, because my expulsion wasn’t unwarranted.
Summer’s rummaging through my things when I stop her. “I love you,” I say, tilting her head for a kiss. I deepen it until she abruptly pulls away.
“Yeah, yeah, you too. Now, go! Your bus is leaving.” She tosses me a change of clothes and runs out of the room. I take the quickest shower of my life and change before heading downstairs.
Summer’s standing by the door with a brown bag. “Here’s a poorly made sandwich for your carbs and a snack for your low fats. Don’t forget to eat your banana.”
“Thanks, babe.” I kiss her again. “You’ll come?”
“Of course. I’ll catch a ride with Amara.”
“Who are you and what have you done with Summer?” I tease.
“She fell in love,” she says like it’s a big inconvenience.
I know then that whatever the outcome of the game, those words sound like sweet, sweet victory.
***
Summer
WAKING UP TO find out I didn’t ruin my boyfriend’s life makes today a good day.
These past few weeks have put me through the wringer.
I spent the rest of that week meeting with Kilner and the dean’s secretary to see if an exception could be made for Aiden’s suspension. None of it worked, and I felt defeated. Even my mom was upset he couldn’t play, but mostly she was mad at me after I confessed to her about the break-in. Her perfect Aiden could do no wrong.
So, when I read that email this morning, I don’t know if it was me or Coach who got Aiden in, but none of that mattered when I saw the smile on his face. He could say all he wanted that sitting in the stands with me is just as good as playing, but I knew he was born to be on that ice tonight.
Turns out the guy Amara took home from the club a few weeks ago, Bennett Anderson, goes to Harvard, and his dad’s a dean. He’s also coming from Cambridge to Hartford to drive us to Boston for the final. It didn’t surprise me because Amara could have any man at her beck and call.
“I’ll get some drinks and meet you guys inside,” Bennett says once we’re inside the TD Garden arena. Walking through the double doors, I spot a small crowd by the entrance.
“Dad?” Lukas Preston is surrounded by fans asking for an autograph, but he slips away from them.
Amara waves. “Hi, Mr. Preston.”
“Good to see you, Amara. How’s school?”
“Oh, you know. Just representing women in STEM every day of the week,” she says. “You guys catch up. I’m going to go find Bennett.”
