Page 3 of Face Off
“Love you too, asshat.” I poke his side and pull away. “There will be a ticket waiting for you at will call if you make it out east.”
I head for the door that leads to the practice facility’s lobby and glance over my shoulder. This is the biggest step I could ever take in my career, and when Grady smiles at me, I know I’m going to be okay.
TWO
EMMY
A monsoon greetsme on my ride from the airport to Piper Mitchell’s apartment, and I’m drenched by the time I make it to the entrance of the upscale residential building.
The ride up to the eleventh floor is quick, and I wrestle my suitcases down the hall to Piper’s door. I knock twice, and it flies open.
A five-foot-three blonde with bright blue eyes greets me with a hug that knocks the wind out of me, and for the first time since I touched down at Reagan International, I smile.
I never had a lot of female friends growing up. I gravitated toward sports and made it my mission to get picked for the boys’ teams. All my spare time was spent training, clearing my schedule for practice and trying to prove myself. It was exhausting.
Not like the other girls, the guys on my recreational hockey team would say after I took an elbow to the face in a game.One of us,they cheered when I wiped blood from my nose.
I’d laugh it off, but deep down, Iwantedto be like the other girls.
I wanted someone I could talk to about first kisses and bad dates. Period cramps and hot substitute teachers.
It’s been hard to recreate that girlhood as an adult, though. People like to tell me I’m difficult to get along with. Closed-off and too snarky. It’s how I’ve always been, ever since I can remember. I’m not angry but unsettled, which is why I’m always chasing the next big opportunity. Why I’m looking for the next place to go.
That usually translates to leaving before any real connections are formed, and the cycle continues.
Piper was different.
She snuck her way in when we were partnered up in English Lit our sophomore year, and it stuck.
If she’s the sunshine, I’m the storm cloud.
One of us is the people-pleaser and the other is the people-avoider.
Two total opposites who found a friendship that works.
We lost touch in college—I was busy keeping my grades up to maintain my athletic scholarship. She was busy with broadcast journalism and falling in love with the legacy-student-turned-tech CEO who, as it turns out, ended up being a massive douche.
They split up last year, and we reconnected through Instagram DMs that turned into weekly FaceTime calls.
I’m not a big believer in soulmates, but I think Piper might be mine.
She found me when I needed her the most and made me feel lovable. Capable.
When I called her and told her I was coming to play for the Stars, she invited me to stay with her. It was like no time had passed in our friendship, and she was so excited for me, you would’ve thoughtshewas the one who made the team.
“You’re here,” Piper exclaims.
“I’m here, and I’m soaked. I’m going to ruin your floors,” I say.
“Who cares about the floors?” She lets me go and motions me inside. “How was your flight? Do you want to take a shower before I give you the tour and help you settle in? Are you hungry?”
She’s talking a mile a minute, and my jet-lagged brain is slow to catch up.
“Do you mind if I rinse off?” I look down at the puddle forming at my feet. “The guy in the middle seat ate an onion sandwich, and I think the stench followed me.”
“An onion sandwich?” Piper leans forward and sniffs my shirt. “That’s disgusting. What comes on an onion sandwich?”
“Bread and onion. That’s it,” I say. “My poor rideshare driver gagged the whole way here, so I’m definitely losing my five-star rating.”
