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Iwanted to sleep on the plane, but I couldn’t. Between Jonah and Astrid, I’d been properly put in my place, and I had to laugh. Until Jonah had pointed it out, I hadn’t seen the similarities between me protecting them and Beck holding secrets. But now, I couldn’t deny it, even if the situations were completely different.
After I’d given in, I had wanted to let the stress go, but I hadn’t been able to. Not completely. Even with Astrid holding my hand and talking about all the things happening at school, her upcoming showing for her art scholarship, and Thatcher filling us in on Trinity, I constantly scanned the cars around us, looking for a photoflash or a creep staring at us.
It was starting to be a problem. The paranoia. I’d never considered myself a paranoid person, but shit, they were making it hard to live my life when I was constantly worried what they would print about my friends and my girl.
They said it was their choice, and I respected that. And yet, the thought that my shit could affect any of their futures, whether directly or not, bothered the hell out of me.
Breathing deep through my nose, and letting it out through my mouth, I tried once again to let it all go.
I glanced over at Astrid and taking in her small smile while we rode down the escalators to the main floor helped. We were almost fifteen hundred miles away from home. Dull conversation, kids screaming, and the sounds of suitcases being wheeled through the airport echoed around us, making me feel small, insignificant.
With the media stuff going on with Dad, this was the best feeling in the world.
Just a trip with my girl, my friend, and the possibility of a future. The only things missing were Jonah and Beck.
“I’m glad we decided on carry-ons. I’d hate to stand in that line back there.” Thatcher pointed to the baggage terminals with crowds six or seven people deep all watching the conveyor belt while it did absolutely nothing.
Astrid laughed. “Is it just me, or does this remind you of some kind of zombie movie? They’re watching it because they think they should.”
“Totally.” I grinned over at her.
At the bottom of the escalators, we rounded toward the exit where several people were standing with name signs. There was one man in a UofM collared shirt off to the side who held up a Mr. Bennett sign. Was that purposeful? Did the school think they’d be mobbed if Rhys Bennett was in plain view of the public?
There went my paranoia again.
The guys were right. Hardly anyone cared. Looking around at the tired crowd of people, they couldn’t care less who I was. It was the schools, employers, and other institutions my friends would come into contact with that worried me.
“Hey,” I nodded as I approached the man. He was mid-twenties, on the skinny side. Not big or muscled enough to be a past player. The smile he wore was too cheesy, he was probably a sports management major or something.
“Mr. Bennett, nice to meet you. I’m Corey Wilson, your tour guide for the weekend.” He extended a hand.
I released Astrid to shake his and then stepped back to put my arm around her shoulders. “Nice to meet you, too. This is Astrid, and my friend Thatcher. They’re joining me for the tour this weekend.”
Astrid waved, then clutched her hands to her stomach as Thatcher stepped forward to shake his hand. I smiled at Astrid. She wasn’t the same girl I met months ago, but part of me hoped she always retained some of the social awkwardness. It was part of her charm.
“Great, well, we have a car parked outside. Lodging is of course taken care of, but unfortunately, they’ll have to cover their own meals. Mr. Johnson also secured a couple tickets for the home game this weekend. I’ll have to check, but you may need to purchase a third,” Corey said over his shoulder with a smile as he led us outside.
A maize and blue university branded car sat at the curb, and he opened the trunk so we could throw our bags in. I opened the back door for Astrid to get in, touching her hip because I needed the small amount of affection while I wasn’t amped up from potential journalists on our tail. Then I took the front seat while Thatcher got in on the other side.
“Have you already eaten dinner?” He asked with a wide smile as he pulled out into traffic as we were fastening our seatbelts. Man, this guy was hyped. I doubted I could show this much enthusiasm for anyone outside my friend group ever.
“We did at the airport.”
“Good, good. I’ll be dropping you off at the hotel, and since it’s so late, there’s nothing on the agenda tonight. Tomorrow, Mr. Johnson will show you a tour of the facilities and talk to you about what it means to be a Wolverine. The ride isn’t that long, but I’m happy to answer any questions for you on the way…” He left it open in case I wanted to jump right in for questions.
I didn’t.
Corey filled me in on what I was supposed to expect, and if he knew anything about my dad, he hadn’t said. Mom was so caught up in what was about to happen that she completely forgot about this trip. I didn’t remind her, and I was glad I hadn’t had to turn her down.
She wasn’t going to be an active part of my future and we weren’t close. There was no reason for coming with me and giving her unsolicited opinion. Now Thatcher and Astrid, I glanced at them in the backseat as they both watched the night lights flash by as we got closer to the hotel. Now their opinions, I valued more than anyone else’s.
“Nah, I have a good idea of what to expect.”
“That’s great! We’re excited to have you here. I have to say, I looked at your stats and watched a few clips of your games, and you’re talented. We’d be honored to have you,” he nodded to himself. Yeah, he was a goofy salesman. “How’s the injury?”
I wasn’t sure if I should be concerned that my recent injuries were public knowledge or not. “Really good. I’ve been skating this week, and outside of a few leftover twinges of pain, I’m back to normal. The doctor said those will go away as I practice.”
“Nice.” He smiled at me.
