Page 27 of Goalies Don't Date Ice Princesses

“And you,” he said, his voice carrying a note of concern. “Are you alright?”

I nodded, my voice caught in my throat, unable to form words. Michael stepped towards me, his footsteps echoing through the room. His presence made everything seem still, as if time had temporarily paused to acknowledge the gravity of the situation.

“Come with me,” he said, motioning for the boys to follow him. Reluctantly, Archer and Donovan obeyed, their heads hung low. As they passed by me, I could see the tension still etched on their faces, reminding me of the raw emotions that had consumed the room just moments ago. I hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether I should follow them or not. But my curiosity got the best of me.

Taking a deep breath, I quietly trailed after them. The hallway outside, the carpet plush beneath my feet as I followed Michael and the two boys. The atmosphere was heavy with unspoken words, each step only adding to the weight of the situation. We all walked in uncomfortable silence, broken only by the boys’ heavy footfalls.

Michael led them to a small conference room at the end of the hall. The teachers and coaches accompanying us on the trip must have been using it as a workspace, since I could see Coach Irina and another teacher sitting in there when Michael opened the wooden door. Knowing I wouldn’t be allowed inside, I hung back and leaned against the wall, cringing as the wooden door banged shut behind them.

How had this day fallen apart so quickly?

* * *

It must have been at least a half an hour before the door opened again. Archer stormed out with a glower on his face, but Donovan must have still been in the room because I didn’t see him come out. Archer didn’t notice me standing there as he stomped down the hall. I practically had to sprint to catch up with him.

“Archer!” I called. I jogged to catch up with him, but even with me running and him walking, I didn’t catch up with him until we were on the other side of the building. “Archer, stop!” I called, more force in my voice now. He froze in place and I ran forward to stand in front of him.

“Hey,” I said softly. He kept his gaze low, his hair falling forward and blocking his eyes from view. I went to step toward him, but hesitated. He clearly wasn’t in a good state right now and I wasn’t sure if me being here was helping at all. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I’m fine,” Archer mumbled.

“Did you get suspended?” I asked. He shook his head silently. I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. That’s really good, Archer.”

“Good?” He asked hollowly. He lifted his head enough that I could see his eyes, which were red-rimmed. “How is any of this good, Bri? I got out of being benched or suspended or—or expelled by the skin of my teeth. And that’s good?”

I backed up a step. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just?—”

“I messed up,” Archer said. “I messed up so bad.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” I said. “Everything’s going to be okay. It was just one incident, and it’s not going to happen again, so everything’s fine.”

Archer’s shoulders shook as he vehemently denied my reassurances. His words were muffled by his hands as he buried his face in them, overcome by his emotions.

“No.” Archer shook his head. “No, you don’t—” He held his head in his hands and shook his head. “You don’t understand. I ruined everything!” He cried out, dropping to his knees and letting out a gut-wrenching sob. I couldn’t believe how quickly the situation had escalated, and I was at a loss for what to do. But I couldn’t just stand there and watch him crumble.

I dropped to my knees in front of him and gently placed my hands on his trembling shoulders. “No, you didn’t ruin anything,” I whispered, trying to convey all the love and support I could muster. “You hear me? You didn’t ruin a single thing.”

“He would be so disappointed,” he gasped between sobs. He was choking on his words, but I was pretty sure I was catching the words right. Not that I knew what they meant at all. “If he could see me now...”

My heart ached at the pain in his voice, and I wrapped my arms around him, holding onto him tightly as he cried.

“No, he wouldn’t,” I said, even though I didn’t know who he was talking about. All I was worried about right now was helping him calm down. I could find out what all this was about later. “He would never hate who you’ve become.”

“You don’t understand,” Archer cried. He tugged at his hair and shook his head. “He would hate to see who I am now.”

I didn’t care that we were on the floor of a random building. I just hugged Archer to my chest and promised him that everything was going to be okay.

eighteen

As I heldArcher in my arms, his cries slowly subsided into choked sobs. The weight of his words lingered in the air, leaving a heavy silence between us. After a few moments, Archer’s sobs began to end, his body slowly relaxing against mine. I loosened my grip but maintained a comforting hold, silently assuring him that I was there for him, that he wasn’t alone.

“Are you okay?” I asked him softly, breaking the silence. Archer took a shuddering breath and lifted his head from my shoulder, his tear-streaked face red and raw. His eyes met mine, searching for understanding as he struggled.

I could see the turmoil in his eyes, the storm of emotions that threatened to consume him. In that moment, I knew that Archer needed more than just comforting words. He needed a way to escape, a temporary reprieve from the weight of his burden. Without hesitation, I took his hand and gently pulled him up from the floor.

“Come on,” I whispered, my voice filled with determination. “Let’s go outside for some fresh air.”

Archer hesitated for a moment, but ultimately nodded in agreement. As we made our way through the dimly lit corridor of the building, I could feel the heaviness of the atmosphere slowly disappearing. The scent of stale inside air gave way to the smell of fresh snow.

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