Page 143 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

"It isn't genius, it's public safety."

More laughter. It echoes off the cinderblock walls in exactly the way I remember.

Nobody asks how my shoulder feels. Nobody studies me with sympathy. Nobody tiptoes around me.

To them...I'm still Jamie. Still the captain. Still the guy responsible for reminding Liam that common sense isn't optional.

Somehow, that's the best welcome home they could have given me.

I make my way toward my locker. Everything is exactly where I left it.

My nameplate.

My practice jersey.

My helmet resting on the top shelf.

Waiting. It’s as though no one ever doubted I'd come back. I run my fingers across the edge of the stall. "You kept it."

Caleb looks over. "Of course we did."

"As if Liam wasn't trying to steal it," Toby says. "I merely admired the location," Liam replies.

"It has better lighting."

I laugh, shaking my head. "You would've ruined it."

"I would've improved it."

"Subjective."

I look around the room. At Toby. Caleb. Ethan. At Liam still defending the world's worst motivational poster. And suddenly something inside me settles. For months I'd been trying to find my way back. Standing here I realize something. Maybe I never left.

***

The locker room slowly settles back into its familiar rhythm. Music hums from someone's speaker. Tape peels from a fresh roll. Someone complains about the training table coffee.

Normal. Wonderfully normal. I sink onto the stool in front of my locker, content just to sit and listen. Across the room Ethan finishes tightening the straps on his shoulder pads. When he notices me watching, he walks over.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself."

For a moment he simply stands there. "I still think about that hit."

I know exactly which one. "Ethan..."

"I keep wondering if I'd reacted faster..." I shake my head. "You stayed."

He looks up. "You got help."

A small nod. "You never left me."

His shoulders loosen just a little. "I wasn't going to."

"I know." I smile. "I'm glad you didn't."

Silence settles between us. Not awkward. Finished.