Page 249 of On His Team

“Did you eat?”

“Yeah.”

“What?”

“Chicken.”

I stare at him. “And rice?”

He laughs. “It’s food.”

“I will never look at chicken and rice the same.”

He smiles again.

Around us, everybody is talking too loudly, and nobody has enough personal space. Benson is across the room with Lucy and our parents. Stanley is being hugged by three people at once. Penelope is talking and kissing Percy every other word.

I look back at Rowan.

He catches my hand and pulls me closer. “Stay until they kick us out.”

I kiss him. “Okay.”

The next day, Denver scores first. And I hate them immediately. It’s not personal, but it feels personal. The entire game feels sharper than anything before it because there is no room for the idea of later. No series. No redemption tomorrow.

Camden gets one back before the end of the first period. Stanley scored. I look at Aspen, and she’s unfazed. Then Denver takes the lead again early in the second period, and she’s screaming.

2-1.

I spend the entire middle of the game with my hands wrapped around the sleeves of my sweatshirt.

Mara notices, so she grabs my hands. “I know, G.”

I squeeze her hands while the second period drags. Camden gets chances, but Denver blocks everything. Rowan takes a hit near the boards that makes my stomach drop until he gets back up like nothing happened.

By the third period, I stop trying to will the win. I just watch him. Rowan’s calm on retrievals. He’s moving pucks before pressure arrives, keeping guys outside, and winning small battles.

Then I watch my brother. There’s something so natural about my brother on the ice. The way he moves and reads everything before it happens. Benson ties it, and I scream out of my seat. Lucy grabs my hand.

2-2.

Then, with under six minutes left, Blue gets the third.

3-2.

The entire Camden section stands. We scream with Melly. Blue looks up at her for a moment, and she’s beaming.

I do not sit down again. The last two minutes feel violent. Every second feels like something can go wrong. Denver pulls their goalie. Percy makes one save. Then another. The puck gets stuck near the wall. Rowan is there immediately. Two Denver players lean into him. He pins it and waits. When it finally kicks loose, Mackey clears it.

The horn goes.

I’m screaming.

The girls around me are all screaming and jumping. I hop onto my seat and scream louder.

3-2.

We win.