I should have been out there.
Scouts were coming Friday. Every practice mattered. Every shift mattered. I had moved out of the Hockey House to avoid distractions because I could not risk anything interfering with the draft.
Cassie understood that better than anyone.
She had never demanded my time. Never complained about my schedule. Never acted offended when hockey came first. She simply worked around it, finding space wherever I had room to give it.
Maybe that was why I had never asked what she wanted.
My phone vibrated inside the locker again.
This time, I grabbed it.
Olivia.
Are you coming home after practice?
I typed back.
Coach kicked me out. On my way.
The typing bubbles appeared almost instantly.
What happened?
I locked the screen without answering.
I did not know.
Co
