Page 98 of Hockey Player Seeking Fan

I’m going to see this through.

And we’re going to win.

And then… I’m going to get the girl.

Because sometimes in life, things do go the way that you want.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Erica

The tension is high as the teams enter the ice. The Zamboni doors close, and the warm-up music starts. Everyone around me, including Sabrina, Wes, and Miles, is chanting and screaming. The room is palpable with tension.

I feel nervous. I so badly want Tyler to win. I so badly want this to go the way it should. I want him to be MVP. I want him to get all the accolades and glory.

The three-minute warm-up countdown shows up on the scoreboard. I look over at Sabrina. She looks like she’s about to faint.

“Are you okay?” I ask her.

“I’m just really nervous,” she says. “I don’t know why, because I don’t give two shits about hockey.” She laughs. “I mean, aside from Tyler, because you love him and he’s your boyfriend, and?—"

"Do I have to hear about my sister and Tyler again?” Wes says, looking at me.

“You sure kept that one up your sleeve, Erica.”

“What? I didn’t keep anything up my sleeve.”

“I just want to say that I think that it’s great you guys are together, but I really hope you know what you’re doing. And I also hope that?—”

“Hey, can you be quiet?” an obnoxious guy behind us cuts in. I nod.

“Sorry.”

“Listen to the announcer,” Sabrina says.

“Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the championship game. I hope everyone’s in for a good game tonight. And now, the starting lineup for the New York Lightning…

“Starting at center, number one, we have Tyler Kane!”

“Yay!” I scream, and everyone else screams, too. I’m so caught up in the excitement. This is really happening.

I look over at Sabrina. “Am I really dating a hockey player?”

“Are you?” she says. “This is kind of crazy. I mean, I like him, but I never thought you’d be with a sports person.”

The guy behind us turns to us while they’re announcing the right wing, left wing, defense, and goalie for the Lightning team.

“Maybe if you?—”

“I’m sorry,” I say, “but if you’re a fan, you know who those players are already.”

He just rolls his eyes.

I look over at Sabrina, and she giggles.

“Let’s play hockey!” the announcer says.

I stare at Sabrina, and we squeeze hands.