Page 42 of On His Team

I put up my hands. “I know. Sorry. Finish.”

“You’re a student before you’re staff. You email every professor today and tell them exactly which sessions you’re missing. Athletics will send documentation for the absence. That does not mean your work stops being due.”

I nod. “Okay.”

“Say the last part back.”

I try not to smile. “Whatever’s due is still due.”

“Good. Be back here at twelve-thirty.”

He walks away, so I look at Cole. He gives me a weak thumbs-up. Then I check the time.

I have less than forty minutes.

“Oh my God.”

I’m halfway to my apartment before I finish emailing my professors. Statistics homework is due Sunday night, so that’s manageable. Finance is fine. Sport Law is fine.

SPM 240 is not fine.

We’re supposed to bring our one-page event pitch to Friday’s session and get it torn apart in groups. I email Professor Ives while I’m speed-walking through the cold and explain exactly what happened.

She answers before I get home.

Bring it Monday. You’ll workshop it with me instead of a group, which is worse for you.

Great.

Lucy looks up from the couch when I fly through the apartment.

“What happened?” she asks, worried.

“I’m going to Minnesota.”

She follows me down the hall. “What?”

“Cole’s sick. Donovan needs somebody to fill in.”

I pull my backpack from the closet, throw it onto my bed, and start grabbing clothes without thinking very hard about what matches.

Lucy smiles. “That’s huge.”

I smile back. “I know.”

The words come out too fast. I stop with a sweater in one hand. “He picked me.”

Lucy’s smile gets softer. “Yeah. He did.”

I look back into my closet because for some reason that feels better than looking at her. “I have thirty minutes and no travel-size anything.”

“Take mine.”

I huff. “You’re a saint.”

I pack like somebody is timing me.

On the way back to the rink, I text Mara to tell her I’m bailing on the frat party we were supposed to go to tomorrow.