I know he yearns to repair our relationship someday—in fact, he’s even extended an offer for us to attend therapy together. (Trust me, the old Sal Capuano would havenever.) I will take him up on that offer someday … but I still need alittlemore time before I dive back into that trauma. My emotions about that whole situation are all still quite raw. Obviously, alothappened, and there’s a lot to unpack. Then again, that’s exactly what the therapy is for, eh? It just won’t be easy. But then again, the things worth doing never are—and if I never gave Dad a chance to redeem himself, I know I’d regret it later in life when he’s not around anymore.
As for Leo? Leo’sjustfine. Better than ever, in fact. He’s also gotten out of politics and is going to cooking school instead.Cooking! His new passion! Who knew?! He’d never cooked a thing in his life that I can remember. But it’s been such a joy to watch Leo break out of his shell and rediscover himself now thathedoesn’t have to pretend to be someone else, either. Not only are we still friends—but he and Dakota became friends, too! In fact, Dakota set Leo up on a date with a fellow professional hockey player who confided in Dakota that he’s gay. The two dated for a couple months, but Leo broke it off—and why? Because the athlete “wasn’t ready to come out yet,” and Leo wasn’t willing to waste any more of his life living a lie.
Amazing,right? I’m so happy for him.
It’s crazy to think how many lives changed for the better when Dakota and I met … but I guess, when you really love someone, that love tends to pour out and touch other people, too.
The chant we ignited spread like wildfire, engulfing the entire arena in an overwhelming display of unity. Nineteen thousand fans stood on their feet, their collective voice merging into a single force as they chanted, clapped, and stomped their feet to the beat:
“Let’s go, Ve~gas!”
Clap, clap, clap clap clap!
“Let’s go, Ve~gas!”
A tidal wave of energy electrified the air and shook the foundations of the building. As the chorus echoed in perfect harmony, and the arena trembled beneath my feet, the hairs on the back of my neck stood tall.
“This is wild,” Sofia said, a shiver dancing up her spine.
“No joke! I’m freakin’ out right now!” Isabelle offered me her arm. “Feel, Ottavia.”
I ran my fingers over her skin, already knowing her skin was covered in goosebumps—because I had a million little thrills popping up all over my flesh, too.
“Same!” I said, letting her feel my arm.
At last the lights dimmed, and the players’ intro music began to play, but the fans showed no sign of quieting down as our boys emerged from the tunnel. The fans roared even louder, their powerful chorus reaching a thunderous crescendo, as the players raced out onto the ice like gallant warriors.
And we girls, of course, went absolutely wild cheering for our boys.
“I’m so nervous!” McKayla confided in me. “Think they can do this?”
I could tell she was afraid to get her hopes up—but I had no such fears. I could sense it in the air. We were winning the Cup tonight.
“They can,” I said with a determined nod of my head, “and they will.”
37
The One Thing He Never Won
Dakota
Adigital clock on the locker room wall counted down the time until we took the ice for Game Seven. With hours still to go before puck drop, a tension lingered in the air of the Vegas Sin locker room. The boys were a mess of nerves—legs bouncing relentlessly, fingernails chewed to nubs, thousand-mile stares. Most concerning of all?
No banter and zero laughs.
“It’s just sixty minutes of hockey, boys,” I said as I nonchalantly taped up my twigs, as if this were any other game. “That’s it and that’s all.”
“That’s right,” Rust said, trying to keep the boys calm. “Think of it like any other game. We’ve all been here a million times.”
The boys bobbed their heads in agreement. But you could see the fear in their eyes. They were rattled.
I wasn’t nervous. Iusedto get nervous before big games—my big problem was that I couldn’t sleep, if you remember, which was what always got me into trouble—but I’m happy to report that I’d lost that affliction this year.
Maybe it has something to do with feeling like my career had a near-death experience. Because after the way last seasonended, I truly thought my playing days were done and I’d never get another shot again. And man, once you’ve been throughthat,you can go through pretty much anything else.
But theotherreason I wasn’t nervous?
Well, it all goes back to a little conversation I had with Killer shortly after the season started. We got off to a hot start, winning nine out of our first ten games. After the fourth or fifth game, Killer called me into his office for a chat.
