“Not really,” I said. “I still keep up with the Flyers, though. Haven’t been to a game in a while, of course, but I catch them on TV.”
“Well then, we’ll have to catch a game this year.” He grinned, gesturing excitedly with his chopsticks. “I remember taking you and Mark to games when you were just boys. It’d be great to do it again.”
“Definitely,” I said, trying to keep a straight face. I didn’t want to let on about the issues Mark and I were having. Ami’s dad seemed to have written it off as his son just being in a bad mood. If I could keep it from turning into something more than that, I would.
I was rescued from further awkwardness when Ami came downstairs. “Cam, can you come upstairs for a minute?” she asked.
“Sure thing.” I got up, wiping my hands on a napkin.
“Hey now,” her dad said, jabbing his chopsticks towards me. “You two keep that door open, you hear?” He laughed, giving me a wink.
Ami and I exchanged an awkward glance.
“Phsaw, I’m just kidding with you!” Ami’s dad said. He smacked me on the arm, laughing. “Go on now, boy. And if you see Mark upstairs, tell him to look up dates for Flyers games. Maybe we can catch one before you head back up north.”
“I’ll do that,” I said, hoping I would be able to keep my promise.
I followed Ami upstairs. She led me to her old bedroom. I’d never been in there before; when we were teenagers, the idea of going into my best friend’s sister’s room had been strictly taboo. Though I’d certainly fantasized about it plenty of times.
“Cam, his is Celes. Celes, Cam.” Ami introduced me to the girl in her room.
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
“You too.” She smiled, looking me up and down, then winked at Ami. “He’s cute. Good job snagging this one.”
Ami’s face turned red. I chuckled.
“So, what’s going on?” I asked.
“Well,” Ami said, “Celes and I have been talking about it, and we think we have an idea.”
“Okay…” I waited patiently, not sure where this was going.
“We want to try a sort off…” Ami started, trailing off and looking to Celes for support.
“Mediated discussion,” Celes said.
Ami nodded. “We figure that maybe if we can get you and Mark to sit down together and talk in a calm, controlled environment, then everything will work out fine.”
Both girls nodded. They had big smiles on their faces.
I sighed, shaking my head.
“What?” Ami asked, her smile turning into a frown.
“You just don’t get guys at all, do you?”
The girls frowned at each other. They both crossed their arms, turning their frowns on me.
I held up my hands to ward off their glares. “Look, I know you’re trying, but trust me. The last thing Mark needs right now is to feel like we’re all ganging up on him.”
“That’s not what we’re doing,” Ami said.
“Oh?” I gestured at the three of us. “His sister, his girlfriend, and his old friend, all sitting there together to tell him how wrong he is? If that’s not ganging up on him, then what is it?”
“Oh. Right. I guess I didn’t think about it like that.” Ami sank down onto her bed, propping her chin in her hands.
“Then what do you suggest?” Celes asked. She leaned against Ami’s desk, waiting for my response.
I knew exactly what I needed to do. We’d tried words already, and they hadn’t accomplished anything. It was time for action.
“Celes,” I asked, “do you think you could convince Mark to meet us down at the pond by the park?”
“The one where you and Mark used to play hockey in the winter?” Ami asked.
“That’s the one. Tell him it’s something important. We’ll meet you there. I’d say we could all head down there together, but I don’t know if Mark would go if it’s not just the two of you.”
“Umm, sure,” Celes said. She exchanged an uncertain look with Ami. Ami returned the look and shrugged.
Ami gave Celes directions to the park. Then Ami and I headed downstairs.
“We’re going out for a bit,” Ami called into the kitchen.
Her mother appeared from around the corner. “All right, dear. Is everything okay?”
Ami gave me a doubtful look, but she nodded. “Yeah. Just going for a walk.”
“All right,” her mom said. “Take your jackets. It’s cold out there.”
We put our jackets on and headed outside. It had been somewhat nice out earlier, but the sun was setting, and the air was turning cold. I saw Ami put on a pair of thick gloves. I hoped that going down to the pond wouldn’t be the wrong idea, but it seemed like the best option to me.
“What’s this about?” Ami asked me as we walked. The pond was only a short distance away, about a ten minute walk. Mark and I used to ride our bikes down there whenever the pond was frozen over, slinging our ice skates over our shoulders and balancing our hockey sticks across the handlebars. Most of the time, we’d just played street hockey, but playing on the ice had always been a much more invigorating experience. Even if our parents had freaked out worried that one of us would fall through the ice.