Page 159 of On His Team

Me: Night.

Mackey is still looking at me. He laughs and gets into bed.

Saturday is better before the puck even drops. Warmups feel sharper. The room is louder. Benson is talking more. Blue looks like he wants to hit somebody through the boards, which is useful as long as he chooses the right somebody. Coach changes two things in our breakout. There’s no speech today. No dramatic reset. We just play.

Stanley scores first. Benson gets the next one. Golding makes it three-one before the second ends. They get one back early in the third, and for about four minutes the building starts believing again. Then Owens scores. Stanley gets another late.

5-2.

That’s what the room sounds like when we remember who we are. Not screaming. Relief first. Then noise.

Blue throws a towel at Stanley because Stanley keeps taking credit for fixing the entire team by scoring twice. Percy is sitting in his stall drinking something from a bottle while three guys tell him about saves he obviously remembers making.

Benson looks happier than he has in two weeks. So do I.

It doesn’t erase Friday. It doesn’t erase Ohio State or Michigan State. It’s one win, but we needed one.

On the bus home, my phone buzzes before we’re ten minutes out of Bowling Green.

Gianna: THAT’S MORE LIKE IT!

I smile.

Me: Caps lock.

Gianna: Five goals deserve caps lock.

Me: Yeah.

Gianna: Stanley is going to be unbearable.

I look across the aisle.

Stanley is currently explaining his second goal to Blue.

Me: Already is.

Gianna: Rowan?

Me: What?

Gianna: You’re coming over tomorrow, right?

I read that twice. Then I look out the window.

The bus is dark except for phone screens and the overhead lights near the front. Guys are tired enough that the volume has finally dropped. We won. Tomorrow is Sunday. We don’t have anything mandatory until later in the day.

A week ago, I would have assumed Gianna meant Hawthorne. Now I know she means her apartment.

Me: Yeah.

Three dots.

Gianna: Okay :)

I stare at the smiley face.

Then another message comes through.