That makes no sense.Evie was the opposite of a challenge from the way she came on to me initially to our first time making out in my car.If that was the advice she got, she ignored it.Without a thought for my self-respect, I ask the thing that’s been bothering me the most.So you never told her anything intimate?
Mia’s eyes widen.Are you crazy?Yes, what we did was wrong, but it’s not like we would pimp someone out.Evie was supposed to go on a few dates and then dump you.Not have sex with you.
Fuck.Once again, I’ve fallen for one of Angelica’s lies.She is truly manipulative.
MONDAY EVENING, WHEN MY PHONE RINGS WITH AN UNKNOWN CALLER, IREMEMBER THATSIDgave me a heads-up that someone from the Sharks organization might be calling.I’m not sure why I’m continuing to go through with this charade that I might keep playing hockey, other than it’s a distraction for my father.
Hello.
Is this Viktor Zelenko?It’s a male voice with a flat affect.
It is.
This is Hector Smith.He hesitates, then adds,Evelyn’s father.
Shit.Even though he can’t see me, I straighten up.Am I in trouble now?Maybe he’s going to have me taken out for all the crap I’ve pulled on Evie.Then I remember that I’m not even supposed to know what his job is.
Uh, yes?
I’ll be brief.Evelyn asked me to look into the disappearance of Marko Zelenko.His voice is completely devoid of emotion, like he’s reciting numbers rather than the vital information we’ve been searching for months.Let me preface this by saying that no information is 100% reliable.
I hold my breath.
But there are indications that he will be released in a prisoner exchange this week.
And all the hope that I’ve kept tamped down surges up.
Where?I ask.
Most exchanges are done in the Chernihiv region, near Belarus,he replies.Again, not a certainty.That’s all the information I have.I prefer that you not reveal your source.
I won’t.Thank you so much, I really—
He cuts me off.You’re welcome.
And then he disconnects.I stare at my phone for a moment.Then I pull out the tiny sunflower that I’m still carrying and bring it to my lips.
I sit down on my bed, my body rocking back and forth.At first I can’t even identify the emotions I’m feeling.Disbelief.Then true joy.Things I’ve barely dared to hope are coming to fruition.
I call my father.At first, he doesn’t believe a word I say.After all, I’m only a college student with no connections; how could I have gotten the information that he’s been searching so long to find?But I respect Hector Smith’s conditions and don’t reveal my source.Finally, I insist that we should just go and see if it’s true.After all, he’s made so many futile trips, what’s one more?We can check in on my grandmother as well.He agrees to make our travel arrangements, which are tricky since we can’t fly there directly.
Now, what to do about my team?I’m planning on going to Ukraine for at minimum one week, so I’ll miss at least two games.How can the captain do that?
As I run through plausible excuses, something smacks me in the head, like my baba getting mad at me.I have this opportunity because I told Evie the truth.I’ve kept my secrets to myself, out of guilt and mistrust.I’ve tried to be the perfect, flawless captain.And the one time I took a chance and revealed my vulnerabilities, something miraculous happened.
In the morning, I go straight to my coach’s office.Coach, can we talk?
Sure, Vik.Come in.His face is impassive, but I see the tension in his shoulders.A player request to talk is seldom good news.
I need to take a week off,I begin.There’s something I should have shared with you earlier, but at first, I hoped…My voice trails off.I started out with naïve hopes that everything would work out.Later I started to lose all hope.There was never a right time to tell the truth.My brother was helping with the war effort in Ukraine.And then in August, he disappeared.
Jesus,Coach Norman swears under his breath.
Of course, that was hell.But now, there’s a possibility that he’s alive and will be released from prison.My father and I are going in case this really happens.
Coach frowns at me.You’ve been carrying all this on your shoulders all season?You should have come to me sooner.If there’s anything I can do, tell me.Do you want less team responsibility?
I shake my head.I felt helpless since there was so little I could do for Marko, so hockey has been my escape.
