Page 19 of Breakaway

“Yeah, that’s…” I shook my head, not wanting to picture it. “I’m suddenly glad no one cares about women’s hockey.” Clearing my throat, I turned my head, pretending to look for someone. “So, do you think the school provides plane snacks?”

The guys chuckled, letting me off the hook as the flight attendant came out and went through the pre-flight spiel before the plane took off. For the first hour, the plane was quiet, and I rested my head on Fletcher’s shoulder as I drifted off to sleep. It had been a busy week as we integrated our new players into our plays.

Laughing and singing woke me, my mind curious about what was occurring. Peeking my head up, I spotted Reese and a few other kids who had asked permission to do their project together, moving through the aisles. Jack held one camera pointed at Ana, lip-syncing as she moved between the rows, stopping and singing to a few people. Reese started walking backward when she stopped, picking up where Ana had left off.

The song was an upbeat summer song, talking about friends and spending time together. I sat back down and tapped Reed, who had his earbuds in.

“How long have they been doing that?”

He peeked over his shoulder, shrugging when he spotted what I was referring to, making me laugh.

“About thirty minutes,” Fletcher provided, turning the page on the new book he’d picked up. He didn’t even look up, making me wonder how he knew. When the kids were done, I waved Reese over.

“How’s it going?” I asked.

“Good. How are you?” they asked, giving me a funny look.

“What?” I asked, looking down to make sure I hadn’t drooled.

“Are you asking as a coach or my sister?” they asked, placing their hands on their hips.

“Um, both.” Reese smiled, rolling their eyes.

“If you want to see, just follow us ‘the hockey kids’ on LiveIt. We could use the follows and likes. There’s another school we’re trying to duet with to grab some new views.”

Reese turned to go, and I didn’t know if I’d been dismissed or not.

“Did Reese just blow me off?” I asked, shocked.

“Sorta but deserved. You were being nosy and using your power to obtain information instead of just asking,” Reed said, his eyes closed.

My face heated, and I realized he was right. Crap.

“Fine. But don’t be so smug about it.”

Reed smiled, his eyes remaining closed, making it a little more bearable.

I pulled up my phone, signed into the Wi-Fi on the plane, and opened the app. I hadn’t used it in forever, so it needed a million updates as my phone exploded with notifications I’d turned off after the first Dakota scandal.

“Ugh,” I groaned, banging my head against the seat as I waited for it to catch up.

Once it appeared to have settled down, I searched for the account and clicked ‘follow.’ Hitting play on the first video, I watched as the team skated around the ice, taking turns to introduce themselves with a Spice Girls song. They all beamed at the camera, not shy, as they skated and pretended to sing with their sticks.

“It’s a fun account,” Fletcher said, watching over my shoulder. “They’ve already gained a lot of followers, and it’s creating some good buzz for the school.”

I clicked on the comments, happiness spreading as I read the love for the group. There were a few hateful ones about Reese and Ana being on a “boys” only team, but most were encouraging and supportive of the progressive approach of picking players based on their skill and not gender.

“Wow. This is great. I had no idea. I’ve shunned social media for the past six months, too afraid of what it might say about me that I forgot it could be used for good too.”

“I know you’re worried about who we’re going to be facing, fearing the Society is striking out,” Fletcher whispered, his hot breath tickling my ear. “I’m not dismissing the weight those things bring. But there’s a lot going on in the world that doesn’t include them. This is one of them.”

“How do you make chastising sound so sincere?” I asked, knowing he was right.

“I’ve screwed up a lot?” he asked, chuckling.

“Any update from the Olympic committee?” I asked.

“They will have the final list on Monday.”

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