Page 44 of Walk the Line

“Aww, you’re funny,” she says reaching for my face, and I gently pull her hand away. “Are you drunk?”

“No, I’m not. What’s your name?”

“Jalissa. And you’re um…oh, wait, I’ve got it because I was just talking about you earlier.”

“Why were you talking about me?”

“Well, you’re Captain of the Hockey team and I live with two girls on the team. Tamarah and Sierra.”

“Oh.”

They’ve both made it clear through snide comments and dirty looks that they don’t care for me at all.

“They think you’re a mystery. I kind of think so too,” she says in a lowered voice.

I fight the urge to scoff. “People tend to think that when they don’t know someone.”

“I did see videos of you at Practice, though. I wish I could play Hockey like that.”

“Can you play Hockey at all?”

“Definitely not.”

“Where do you live?”

“Not too far. It’s like a…tweleven minute walk. Fuck, I’m getting my numbers mixed up again.”

“Twelve?”

“Maybe. I think, yeah. Thingy minutes.”

I eventually manage to get her out of the house and walk her to her front door, helping her inside along the way and dodging a wide hug from her as a natural and instinctive reaction.

She doesn’t seem offended by it, she doesn’t even seem to register much about what’s happening until I see her off into her room and leave her with the parting words of, “Get some sleep.”

“Bye!” she shouts, but it comes out muffled as she’s laying face down on her bed. Before I know it, she seems to be out like a light, so I retreat out of the room quietly.

“Oh!” I hear from the person I unexpectedly bump into in the hallway.

I look up to find Tamarah. I only found out she lives here today, and this encounter just has to happen?

“Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” she says, but the lack of apology in her tone pierces through me.

“It’s fine,” I respond, my mind conjuring up talking points because isn’t that what a Captain should do?

Despite being in my thoughts, I quickly spot Tamarah looking around before turning back to me, the confusion evident on her face as she asks, “Um…do you know someone here?”

“I was dropping Jalissa home.”

“That was nice of you.” I take back my earlier thought about her tone because I know better than to make assumptions on something that is subjectiv. But I do know she’s one of the girls on the team who have made a point of not passing me the puck, even when everyone can see it’s the best option at the moment.

For that reason alone, I say, “Are you surprised about that?”

“Maybe. I didn’t think you thought about others.”

It’s been my goal to try and converse with people on the team, otherwise it’s pointless me being Captain or even a part of the team. Hockey is one of the only things that keeps me me, so I’m prepared to do things that for others feels like a walk in a park, but for me, feels like I’m losing in a game of tug and war.

“Where would you even get that from?” I ask.