19. Isla

19

ISLA

T he sound of my name being called jolts me awake.“Isla, wake up! You’re going to be late!”

Nothing makes sense, however. Who is that? It’s not Tessa. She wouldn’t spit on me if I was on fire. I open my eyes to see Selene standing by the side of the bed, already dressed and holding out a cup of coffee.

It takes a second for me to sit upright. I swear, my heart skips a beat as I scramble to grab my phone. I glance at the clock time shining on my phone. 9:00 a.m. Crap, I’m supposed to be meeting with Bailey at ten.

I’m late.

“Here,”Selene says, pushing the mug into my hands.“You need to go now!”

“Yeah, I’m up!”I reply, jumping out of bed. I try to calculate how much time I have. Fifteen minutes to walk back to my dorm, another twenty minutes to shower and change, and then I have to drive over to Bailey’s office. It’s not ideal, but it’s doable.

“Thanks for waking me,”I mumble, taking a sip of the coffee as I try to shake off the sleepiness. The warmth of it does little to calm the anxiety growing by the second.“I can’t believe I overslept.”

“It happens, but you’re fine. You’ll get there in time.”

I nod, but my mind is already elsewhere. I grab my things in a rush, thankful that I’d packed most of my stuff last night. On the bright side, I slept in the sweatpants and t-shirt I wore here, so at least I don’t have to change.

I grab my bookbag and hug Selene before running out the door. The crisp morning air hits me like a slap in the face as I power-walk across campus. This is the last thing I need, but I can’t deny that my brain is firing on all cylinders bright and early this morning.

By the time I reach my dorm, I’m slightly out of breath. My nerves are frayed. I burst through the door, relieved to find the room empty. Tessa must have already left for class.

Thank fuck.

I drop my things, pick up the items I need to shower, and hurry to the bathroom. If there was a timer, I am confident I could prove I took the quickest shower on record. I even remember to shave. As I dry myself off, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My blonde hair is a tangled mess, and some dark circles are under my eyes.

Great. Just great.

I rush back to my room, throw on a clean pair of jeans and a sweater, and put my coat over it. I run my brush through my hair to make it somewhat presentable. With one last glance at the time on my phone, I grab my camera bag, bookbag, and keys and head out to my car.

The drive to Bailey’s office is a blur. I barely register anything outside of obeying traffic laws as I clutch the steering wheel. Since there aren’t many people there, it’s easy to find a parking spot near the entrance of the arena and make it to her office with just minutes to spare.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart as I knock on Bailey’s door. When I hear her call out,“Come in,”I push open the door and step inside.

“Isla, good morning! I’m glad you could make it,”Bailey greets me with a warm smile, gesturing for me to take a seat across from her desk.

“Morning, Bailey. Sorry, I’m a hot mess. It’s been a... hectic start to the day,”I admit, setting my bags down and sinking into the chair.

“No worries, we’ve all been there,”she says, assuring me slightly.“Now, let’s get down to business. First, I want to thank you for all of your hard work so far this season. You’ve far exceeded my expectations.”

This makes this meeting sound as if it won’t be my worst nightmare come to life. My cheeks grow warm because of Bailey’s praise, momentarily pushing aside the lingering anxiety from my frantic morning and the stress I had about this meeting.“Thank you, that means a lot,”I reply sincerely.“I’ve really enjoyed working for the team so far.”

Bailey’s smile widens at my response.“I’m glad to hear that, Isla. It is the reason why I asked to meet with you today. I have a new project I’d like you to take on if you want to.”

I tuck my hair behind my ear and lean forward in my seat. Maybe this won’t be such a bad idea.“A new project?”

Bailey nods.“We want you to create a video series focusing on one of our hockey players. The goal is to showcase their life off the ice—their community involvement, personal interests, and the like. It’s a chance to give fans a glimpse into who they are outside of hockey. If it’s successful like we think it will be, we’ll do more.”

I run a hand through my hair as I digest the information. “That sounds incredible! I’d love to take this on. Who’s the player?”

“I’m not sure yet, actually. We are still waiting for Coach to ask who is interested, and we’ll go from there. We should have an answer later this week.”

It takes everything in me to keep my mouth from dropping open. The uncertainty of not knowing who I’ll be working with sends my anxiety spiraling once again. I try to keep my composure because the last thing I want her to think is that I don’t want to do it or that I can’t handle it.

“Okay, that makes sense,”I say, chewing on my lip for a second.“What’s the timeline for the project? And how many videos are we looking to produce?”

“We’re aiming for a series of eight to ten videos over the next few weeks. Think more short-form content than something like a fifteen-minute vlog. Ideally, we’d like to release two videos per week.”

“Got it. And in terms of access, will the player be available for regular filming sessions? I know their schedules are crazy, and I don’t want to disrupt them too much.”

“Absolutely. We’ll work closely with the player and you to find a balance that works for everyone involved. Your primary focus will be on capturing their story in a compelling way, but we don’t want your or their grades or schoolwork to suffer in any way.”

To say I’m excited is an understatement. The creative possibilities are endless, but the looming question of who I’ll be working with continues to nag at the back of my mind. Particularly when one player could be in the mix.

Bailey and I spend the next half hour discussing more details of the project. At some point, I take out my phone and begin taking notes on the things she expects me to capture. She emphasizes the importance of filming genuine moments that showcase their personality and avoid scripted moments because they might come across as fake.

By the time our meeting wraps up, my head is spinning with ideas. I thank Bailey profusely before gathering my things and heading out of her office. As I walk back to my car, I’m still thinking about the opportunity that I’ve earned. I need to tell Selene, Mom, and Dad about it. My parents might already know since Dad is presenting this idea to the team at some point.

Still, they should hear it from me.

As I climb into my car and turn it on, I decide to call Mom on the way to my first class of the day. I pull out of my parking spot, hit the call button on my steering wheel, and wait for Mom to pick up. After a few rings, her voice fills the car.

“Hi, sweetie! This is a nice surprise. How are you doing?”

“Hey, Mom, I’m doing alright. Just heading back from a meeting with Bailey, my boss,” I reply.

“Oh, that’s great! How did it go?”

I take a deep breath before I begin.“Actually, that’s why I’m calling. Bailey offered me the chance to lead a new video project. It’s a series profiling one of the hockey players, showing their life off the ice and community involvement.”

“Isla, that’s incredible! I’m so proud of you,”Mom says, and I can practically hear her beaming through the phone.“You’ve worked so hard, and it’s paying off.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’m excited but also a bit nervous,”I admit, biting my lip.“The thing is, I don’t know which player I’ll be working with yet. What if they’re a dick?”

Mom doesn’t know anything about Asher and the heartbreak he caused me. I didn’t want to put her in an awkward position with Dad because he absolutely couldn’t know. On one hand, I shouldn’t have really cared about what happened to Asher after what he did to me. But something still makes me want to protect him from my father’s wrath even after all these years.

Mom is quiet for a moment before responding.“Honey, I understand your concerns, and don’t blame you for being anxious. But much like when you decided to apply for this position, try to focus on the amazing opportunity this is for your career. I know you’ll handle it well, regardless of who you’re paired with. And your dad and I will support you every step of the way. Does he know about this?”

I shrug, even though Mom can’t see me.“I assume he does because it would directly affect the team, and he’s not really one to like many distractions. So he must…and the logical choice would have been for me to produce and film at least some of the content. But maybe he was waiting for me to accept and announce the news?”

“Could be… Regardless, I’m so excited for you. How about you stop by the house sometime soon, and I’ll make you your favorite dinner? Maybe Dad will be free too, and we can have dinner as a family for the first time in what feels like forever?”

“That’s a great idea. I’m sad Grace won’t be there.”And I mean every word. It would be nice to get off campus for a bit. In fact, I might stay the night because at least that means I don’t have to deal with Tessa for a bit.

“Yeah, she needs to come visit. I’ll text you, and we’ll figure out a day that works for all of us,”Mom says warmly.“In the meantime, try not to stress too much about the project. You’re going to do an amazing job.”

“Thanks, Mom. I really needed to hear that,”I reply, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.“I’ll let you know as soon as I find out more details.”

We say our goodbyes, and I end the call, pulling into the parking lot near my first class of the day. I gather my things and head inside. At least this time, I’m on time and don’t have to worry about rushing.

Because there is some time before class starts and there are still people sitting in the classroom I’ll be entering. I pull my phone out and text Selene.

Me: I finished the meeting with Bailey. She wants me to work on short-form/vlog-style content for the team, which will provide new and different content for their social media channels.

It doesn’t take long for her to reply.

Selene: That’s awesome…I think? What does that require you to do?

I lean against the wall, sparing a glance at the classroom door as students file out.

Me: I have to shadow a player and get footage of their lives beyond hockey.

Selene: Huh. Who will you be following?

Me: No clue. I won’t find out until later this week.

Selene: So it could be Asher.

I knew I wouldn’t have to spell it out for her. She knows me well enough to read between the lines.

Me: And that’s why I’m freaking the fuck out.

The last few students trickle out of the classroom, and I stroll toward the door, still focused on my phone.

Selene: I get it. But the chances of it being him are lower than it not being him.

Me: You’re right.

Selene: You can repeat that anytime, haha.

I roll my eyes as I walk into the classroom.

Me: Haha, very funny. Well, all I can do is hope for the best.

Selene: How true that is. We should meet up for lunch. I’ll text you after I’m done with class.

Me: Sounds good.

I slip my phone into my pocket as I reach the desk I usually sit at. I settle into my seat, pulling out my notebook and pen, and in a few minutes, my professor begins her lecture. Despite my best efforts to focus, my mind keeps drifting back to the video project and the possibility of working with Asher.

There’s no way my luck can be that bad.