Playing to Win

That hurt and did little to calm my anxiety.

“Jordan, look at me.” He waited until I did. “You have the one thing I can’t teach these other guys, and that’s heart. You want this, so go get it. Work harder than anyone, listen to what I teach you, and the rest will take care of itself. Okay?”

I nodded and he hugged me again. I inhaled his comforting scent. I’d always been a daddy’s girl. I used to love sitting on his lap as a little girl while he watched hockey on the television. My love of the game intertwined with my love for my dad.

“Thanks, Daddy.”

He squeezed the breath from me making me laugh.

“I’ll see you at home,” he said, releasing me to sit behind his desk again while I headed toward the door. “Hey, Jord?”

I turned to face him. “Yeah?”

“I love you, kiddo. As important as this is to you and as much as you want it, hockey isn’t everything. Don’t forget to live your life while you pursue your dreams.”

“I love you, too. And I’ll try.”

Dinner used to be my favorite time of day, when everyone finally got home and we sat around the table talking and joking. I’ve always loved the sense of security when we were all together. I didn’t love change under most circumstances, but especially when it came to my family. First Bobby moved out, then Joe. Now they only came around on Sunday afternoons for Mom’s pot roast and to use the washer and dryer. I’d see Joe everyday at hockey practice, but it wasn’t the same as it used to be when we were younger. With only the four of us at the table, the silence just felt awkward.

“How was the first day of school?” Mom asked, her eyes flicking between Payton and I.

The scowl on my younger brother’s face answered well enough. Mom looked at me.

“Oh, um,” I stammered. “It was fine. Good.”

Mom set her fork down on her plate. “Fine? Good? That’s all I get? How were your classes? Did you see Natalie and Kelly?”

Okay, we were sharing. I liked it better when the older boys were around to make a joke of everything.

“Classes were fine. I have some homework. Natalie and Kelly were there. I don’t have any classes with them, which kind of stinks.”

Mom picked up her fork again. “Well, that’s okay. You’ll have an opportunity to meet new people.”

“Not many new kids when you’ve been going to the same school since kindergarten, Mom.” Except Asher who I’d run into more times than I wanted.

“We have a new guy on the team,” Dad spoke to Mom but winked at me. “His name’s Asher.”

I narrowed my eyes. What was he up to?

“He’s new at school, too, isn’t he?” Dad held back a chuckle.

I rolled my eyes. Dad got a kick out of teasing me.

“A new boy at school?” Mom asked, overly interested. “What’s he like?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t talk to him much.”

I kicked Payton under the table. He looked up, ready for a fight. I widened my eyes at him, praying he’d understand my silent communication to join the conversation and save me.

“What about you, Pay? How was your day?” I asked when he remained quiet.

“And he plays hockey?” Mom asked as though I hadn’t even spoken to Payton.

I shot my brother a dirty look, but he just grinned. “Yeah, he plays hockey. And he’s a senior. That’s about all I know about him.” That and he wanted to steal my starting position.

Darn, Asher Sloane!

“Did you know his family moved into the Cunningham’s house behind us?”

My fork clatter to my plate. “No way.”

Dad nodded, continuing to eat as though he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on my dinner. “I didn’t make the connection until last night when I went over everyone’s registration paperwork and noticed the address.”

Awesome.

My teammate/enemy was also my neighbor.

For the next two hours, I avoided my favorite place, my bedroom. Being the only girl had it’s benefits, the best, having my own room. It served as a haven away from my brothers when the got on my nerves, a place to secretly stalk Shawn Mendes on Instagram without getting teased. In short, I loved my bedroom.