Page 54 of The Rebound Play
Blair crosses her arms across her chest. “I could ask the exact same thing.”
Emmy appears at the door of one of the stalls. “They were being nasty to Kiki,” she says.
“I think you’ll find we were just pointing out some home truths to your girl here, so you can all just back off,” she replies.
“Why don’t you back off all the way out of this party?” Blair suggests. Well, it’s less of a suggestion and more of a threat from where I’m standing—and I could kiss her for it.
The woman bristles. “Oh, yeah? Who died and made you queen?”
Blair leans in closer to her, and says in a quiet and decidedly threatening tone, “I work in PR, and I know people. Influential people. People who could make or break anyone they want. So, I suggest you do as I say and leave this party before I feel inclined to call one of my friends.”
The girls share an uncertain look before Ms. Instagram Filter raises her chin in defiance. “You’re gonna make me?”
Blair nods. “I am.”
The girls share another look.
“Lana, let’s just go. It’s a dumb party, anyway,” the brunette says.
Lana throws me a final glare before both women turn on their heels and leave.
“Remind me never to cross you,” Emmy says as she gives Blair a high five. “You were excellent!”
“All in a day’s work,” Blair replies with a smile. “You okay, Kiki?”
“Yeah, thanks,” I reply, although after what that woman just said to me, I’m very far from okay.
“You know I’ve always got your back,” Blair says.
“I do, too. Especially when it comes to women like that. Women who make themselves feel better by putting other women down,” Emmy says.
“Long live the sisterhood. Am I right?” Blair asks, and we all agree with her.
But Lana’s words have cut deep. I can’t hold onto a man like Dan. I can’t compete in his world, a world I know nothing about, a world so far removed from my life here in Maple Falls it may as well be on another planet.
As we return to the party, I know my mind is made-up. When the dust settles after the last game, when the team is gone, I’ll have my memories of how Dan and I shone bright one last time before he left town, destined once more for bigger and brighter things.
CHAPTER 15
DAN
The clock reads thirty seconds left in the third period. It’s a tie game against the Lumberjacks, 2-2. I don’t want a tie in the final Ice Breakers’ game. I want a win—and I know my teammates are just as hungry for it as I am.
The atmosphere in the arena is nothing short of electric. The crowd wants the win, just as much as we do.
My legs burn as I race toward the puck, but there’s no time to think about that now, not with a win within our grasp, and the time on the clock ticking.
We need one final push for a goal. With literally seconds to go in the final period, Scotty’s voice cuts through the noise, shouting for a pass. Due to unforeseen circumstances within the team, he’s gone from coach to player for this, our final game, and right now, he’s definitely proving his worth.
I glance over, my breath heavy, my lungs on fire. And there Scotty is, exactly where I want him to be to make the shot. I slap the puck his way, feeling the connection through my stick. Scotty catches it cleanly, like the expert player he was back in the day, weaving easily through the opposing defense, like a thread through a needle. It’s poetry in motion watching him glide, and I wonder if this game will be the clincher in deciding whether to go back to the game as a player.
I dig my skates in as I chase after him, searching for any opening I can. Scotty’s eyes meet mine for a split second, communicating exactly what he needs me to know, before he flicks the puck back at me, passing me the assist.
He sees as clearly as I do that the net is in my sights. I can make it. I can do this.
With every ounce of strength left in my tired body, I line up my shot and give an almighty swing at the puck. I hold my breath as it sails through the air, as though in slow motion, past the Jack’s goalie’s glove. It crashes into the back of the net just before the red light blares.
We did it. We did it!