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"I threatened to break the kneecaps of a soccer player who was trying to date her to win a bet. Word got around, and no figure skaters would partner with her. They were afraid of me, I guess."
"And Sam sent you to a farm team to defend Penelope? That doesn't seem right."
"Sam sent me to Canada for a rumor that got spread about Penelope. A rumor that I didn't start," though I had hoped it would get around campus. "What do you think he would have done if he found out some asshole was only trying to date her to win a bet for dating the coach's daughter?"
He doesn't have to answer. We both know that Sam Roberts would probably be in prison for murder by now… assuming they ever found Sean's body.
I made the right call even though it cost me.
"Ok, I get it… but you gave up four years of your career for Penelope. That's insane…" he shakes his head. "You're fucking in love with her, aren't you?"
I just wet my bottom lip and glance back down at my boots.
Seven's smart enough to know the answer. I doubt it was even a question.
"You're going to have to tell her," he says.
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because she gave up her skating career when this happened. If I tell her that the truth is worse than the rumor, how do you think she'll take it? I need to find another way to get her to forgive me."
Seven stands back up and then grabs his cell phone from his bedside table. I'm guessing my five-minute therapy session is just about over.
"She's pissed off at you for lying. If you want forgiveness… you'll have to tell her the truth. That's the only way out of this. And considering all the times she thinks you fucked up, I'd say it's your only shot. There's my advice," he says, slipping his phone into his back pocket. "Now I'm hungry. Want to get some food?"
His resolution doesn't help me. I'm not telling Penelope about the real reason I threatened Sean. But I don't think he's wrong.
I might have no way back to redemption for WinTheDay067. And that one is no one's fault but mine.
I stand and grab my wallet and phone off the nightstand by my bed.
"Yeah, let's go."
Chapter Twenty-Five
Penelope
It’s been a week since I found out that Slade is Win.
With the craziness of the final round in the playoffs and the team in and out of town, I’ve been fortunate enough not to see Slade around the stadium.
I’ve used studying for my college courses as an excuse for not coming to any Oakley's celebrations when anyone outside of the girls asks. Tessa, Autumn, Isla, and Toby already know the details of what happened that rainy night out at the rink with Slade.
Now that Toby and I are skating with Jenny’s team again, I don’t spend my mornings at the stadium risking a run-in with Slade.
He’s honoring my wishes to stay away, and even the morning dirty chai and sticky buns have stopped showing up on my desk.
Toby and I are skating better than ever, and with Toby having been actively competing for all these years and Jenny pulling for us, we secured a spot to skate in our district championship. If we can pull this off and place high during competition, we could be looking at tryouts for the Olympics. It's a long shot… but it's still a shot.
I never thought I'd be back in competitive figure skating again. Least of all, looking at my chance to compete in the Olympics after so many years out of the world of figure skating, but here we are. And though I don't want to admit it, I wouldn't have done it without Slade calling Toby.
Right now, the Hawkeyes game wins against the other team are tied 3-3. Whoever wins tonight takes home the Stanley Cup, and since we rarely lose at home, we have a good chance.
Toby and I get to the stadium a little early so that I can show him the owner's box and a few other places he hasn’t seen since we have spent most of our time practicing on the ice for the last couple of weeks.
We pass by the life-size cardboard cutout Juliet and Shawnie had made for today's event.
