Page 27 of Taking Sides

She backs away, then lifts one fist over her head. “Go, Coach Whitney!”

I’m laughing, shaking my head, when I turn around and head for my office. It was a long week. Long practices, sleepless nights worrying about our first real test of the season, and on top of that, two of my math classes had quizzes. I did not consider how mentally taxing it would all be when I made my plan for the semester.

The arena has emptied, and it’s mostly families waiting for the players to emerge from the locker room. As I round a corner, I see Grady standing in the hallway with two men I recognize instantly. One tall and broad with brown hair that brushes against the collar of his T-shirt and the other, a little shorter and leaner with blond hair and blue eyes a girl could get lost in. I can’t actually see his eye color from here, but I remember them well.

My steps falter. I seriously consider ducking into another room or turning around and going in the other direction, but Conrad looks up and spots me while I’m deciding which way to go. My stomach performs a series of impressive somersaults.

What is he doing here? Was he here for the game? Of course he was. He didn’t stop by after, that wouldn’t make any sense. I move slowly toward the three men. I can’t believe he was here, and I didn’t notice him until now. There’s no situation in which I would have thought that possible. Shouldn’t my body have some sort of danger sensor that alerts me to ex-boyfriends and past disaster dates?

Grady notices me when I’m six feet away.

“Hey, look who came to watch the boys play,” he says to me.

“What a pleasant surprise.” My voice is a little too high pitched. I smile at August and then briefly at Conrad before I speak to Grady. “Good thing they didn’t know they were here until now.”

I motion with my head to the locker room behind us.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Grady lets out a small laugh. “I would have had thirty boys hogging the puck and taking shots hoping to impress you.”

“They were impressive,” August says. “They’ve come a long way since the summer.”

“They have.” Grady nods and smiles. The pride on his face is a reflection of the emotions I’ve felt all night. There’s no better feeling than watching their hard work pay off.

“Do you want to say hello before you take off?” Grady hitches a thumb to the locker room door.

Both men nod their agreement. Grady heads in first.

“Everybody dressed?” he calls, standing in the doorway.

After a short pause and a chorus of yeses from inside, he waves us in behind him. Music is playing, and the boys are laughing and talking. The excitement of winning their first game is palpable.

“Gentlemen, we have visitors,” Grady yells over the noise.

Penn follows Grady and then Conrad stops and holds the door for me.

“Thanks.” My cheeks burn as I pass by him. I never thought I’d see him again and now here he is. The only small justice in the world is that he looks as uncomfortable with our run-in as I feel.

The stench of sweaty hockey gear is mixed with body spray. I hold my breath and linger in the doorway. When the boys see August and Conrad, the room vibrates with cheers and whoops.

“Nice game tonight,” August says.

The two pro hockey players are hit with a barrage of questions at once. “What are you doing here?” “Were you guys here for the entire game?” “Did you see my goal?” “Did you see my assist?” “Are you coming to our next game?”

It’s adorable how awestruck they are. My stare holds on Conrad as he smiles at the boys and answers as many questions as he can, along with August.

Grady cuts them off about ten minutes in when it’s clear there’s no end in sight.

“Okay, I think it’s time to say goodbye. These guys need to rest up before their big game Monday night and your families are waiting outside.”

It still takes a few more minutes for Grady to extract August and Conrad from the boys’ ongoing questions and comments. When the four of us step back out into the hallway, I inhale a deep breath and am hit with another scent—this one far more pleasant than whatever popular teenage body spray half the team wears—coming from Conrad. It’s light and clean with just a hint of citrus.

He’s standing next to me as Grady thanks him and August again for coming.

“Good luck this season,” August says to us.

“You too.” Grady shakes his hand, then looks to Conrad.

The latter’s arm brushes against mine as he reaches forward. A pleasant jolt ripples up to my shoulder. It’s a sad day when arm contact makes me tingle. It might be time to get back on the dating apps.