Page 78 of On His Team

We have never seriously talked about what happens if we don’t even get the opportunity.

Hawthorne is miserable when we get home.

The heat is turned down, so the house is freezing. Blue turns the thermostat up and sits on the couch without taking off his coat. Percy goes upstairs immediately.

Benson opens his laptop at the kitchen table and starts watching Friday’s third period. Stanley stands behind him.

I sit down on the couch.

Nobody turns music on.

That might be the strangest part.

After several minutes, Benson says, “Look at this.”

I don’t. “We know what happened.”

“Clearly we fucking don’t.” His voice is sharper than usual.

I look over. He drags a clip back and plays the same ten seconds again. Michigan State gets the puck. We turn it over. Numbers the other way. Goal.

Again.

Again.

I rub both hands over my face. “Fuller can tell us Monday.”

Benson looks at me. “I’m not waiting until Monday.”

Nobody answers.

Stanley attempts one joke about the Michigan State player who lost a tooth. It isn’t even bad, but nobody gives him anything.

“Yeah,” he says quietly after a second. “Okay.”

He sits down.

I order food because nobody else is doing it.

When it gets here, I send one message to the house instead of knocking on doors. Everybody eventually comes down except Percy.

I go down the hall and knock once. “Food, Pers.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Okay.”

I leave.

Five minutes later, he comes down anyway. Finally.

We eat.

The girls show up later than usual. I’m pretty sure they discussed whether they should come at all. Lucy goes straight to Benson. Aspen sits beside Stanley and puts both hands around one of his. Melly drops onto the couch next to Blue. Penelope goes down the hall. Gianna comes in last.

She starts through the doorway, talking. “Okay, why is it colder in here than—” Then she sees the room. She stops.

Nobody says anything.