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Life seemed pretty perfect.
CHAPTER19
ARI
Game night against Dallas, and I was a bundle of nerves, pacing the locker room like a caged animal. My stomach was doing somersaults, and my mind raced thinking about what was going to happen when I went out on the ice. Were they going to boo? Throw things? Hold up signs calling me names?
Just when I thought I couldn't handle the tension anymore, Walker swaggered into the room, a massive boombox perched on his shoulder like he thought he’d gone from Disney to an 80’s rom com lead. He winked at me and the speakers blared Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off" at full blast. I raised an eyebrow, getting pretty fucking excited.
Then, one by one, the rest of the team paraded in, and what happened next was nothing short of a glorious catastrophe. Their moves ranged from hilarious to downright ridiculous, and I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven. It was like a scene from a comedy show, and for a moment, the weight of the upcoming game lifted.
I jumped into the impromptu dance party, doing my best running man move. We all looked utterly absurd, but right that second…it was priceless.
It was a moment of pure, unadulterated silliness, and it was exactly what I needed to break the tension.
As the music faded out and we caught our breath, I turned to Walker, who was grinning like a maniac. "You, my friend, have officially made it into the circle of trust."
Walker's eyes widened in mock surprise. "I'm in the circle of trust?"
I nodded with a grin. "Yeah, you're in."
He let out a whoop of triumph, and the rest of the team cheered…like the “circle of trust” actually existed.
Fools.
It was a strange feeling though, realizing that despite it all…despite all the time I’d spent this season not wanting to be here…somewhere along the way, I genuinely started liking these guys.
With newfound confidence and a lighter heart, I headed down the hallway towards the ice. Ready for whatever was to come.
As I walked though, the nerves started to creep up again. I was hoping at the very most to get the usual pre-game atmosphere, the buzz of the crowd, the excitement of another match…but as I emerged into the open arena, the sound that hit me was a thunderous roar, the entire arena on its feet, showering me with… applause.
I blinked in astonishment. Signs bearing messages like "Ari, we miss you" and "Come home" filled my vision.
I was stunned, my heart pounding as the deafening applause surrounded me. It felt like a dream, like some elaborate prank orchestrated by Lincoln. I turned to my friend, an incredulous grin on my face.
"Did you put them up to this, Linc?" I asked, only half joking, as I tried to mask the sudden wave of emotion threatening to overcome me.
Lincoln just gave me a knowing look and playfully hit my shoulder. "Welcome home, buddy," he said as he skated back to his team, his words simple but carrying a depth of sentiment that I couldn't ignore.
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I waved to the crowd, my laughter and disbelief mingling with the overwhelming feeling of being embraced by the place I'd once called home.
The game started, and the familiar rush of adrenaline surged through me as I hit the ice. I was back where I belonged, even if on the wrong side, and nothing was going to hold me back. The puck danced around the back of our net and Lincoln and I both went after it. I slammed into Lincoln, sending him crashing against the boards, and he shot me a half-hearted curse, the grin on his face telling me he was as thrilled about playing on the same ice again as I was.
When Lincoln took a shot on goal, I couldn't help but whoop as Walker stopped it with finesse.
“That’s my goalie!” I yelled at Walker as Lincoln flipped us both off dramatically as he skated by.
Later in the game, I was skating towards the bench during a break to get some water…when I noticed a sign, held up by two girls in the front row. It read:
Lincoln #13 WE SUCKED YOUR DICK IN COLLEGE!
Lincoln’s face was puzzled and faintly amused as he stared at the sign. But me…I was pissed off.
I skated over to him. “I can’t believe that sign!”
“Yeah. It’s a new one,” said Lincoln with a grin.
“No! I can’t believe it’s your fucking name on the sign. That girl right there suckedmydick!” I growled, pointing to the girl I definitely recognized—even if I had no clue what her name was. “She did not suck your dick. What the fuck!”
