6. Asher

6

ASHER

I can’t fight the yawn that slides out of my mouth as I run a hand down my face. Shaking my head to clear the sleep fog does little to help my current state. I’m trying to wake up after not getting enough sleep the night before, and it’s proving to be a bigger challenge than I thought.

I blink my eyes once and then twice as I focus on forcing myself out of bed. With a groan, I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed. The first thing I reach for is my phone on the nightstand.

6:23 a.m.

Of course I would wake up seven minutes before I had set my alarm to go off.

With a heavy sigh, I unlock my phone and find a missed call and two text messages from Mom. I swipe them open and see that she wanted to check on me because I haven’t spoken to her in about a week, outside of a couple of text messages here and there.

I send her a quick message, letting her know I’m doing okay and that I’m just busy. It’s not entirely true, but I don’t have the energy to dive into anything more than that right now. I’ll call her later when I’m more awake and can string together more than two sentences.

I set my phone back down and force myself to start getting ready for the day. My head needs to be in the game because I can’t afford to let myself get distracted. Hockey is my ticket away from my past, allowing me a pathway to take care of my family the way they should be.

With that in mind, I stroll into the bathroom and turn on the shower. Once the water has warmed up, I strip off the boxers I wore to bed and hop in without a second thought.

The hot water flows down my shoulders, easing some of the tension built up there. Hopefully, I can knock the rest of this tension out because the last thing I need is to be tight on the ice. This early morning practice will also fix my bad mood.

I finish my shower and dry off. I throw on some clean clothes and grab my backpack and hockey bag, double-checking that I have everything I need for the day. My stomach grumbles, reminding me I’m hungry, but that will be solved soon.

As I step out of my room, I nearly collide with Knox, one of my roommates. He mumbles something, but I can’t quite catch it as he stumbles toward the bathroom. Our eyes meet for a split second, and he glares at me. I’m chalking it up to both of us having had a long night. In fact, I’m surprised to see him up this early.

I walk downstairs, and silence greets me. That’s not surprising. I normally wouldn’t be down here at this time either, but I promised my best friend, Levi, I would go with him to one of our on-campus coffee shops, so here we are.

I use my phone to light the way as I make my way into the kitchen. Once in there, I grab the protein-packed smoothie I made the day before, shake it up, and gulp it down as fast as possible. Once I finish and rinse the cup out, I head toward the door because Levi will be here shortly.

The vibration of my phone in my hand causes me to jump as I head toward the front door. I step outside into the cool morning breeze as my screen lights up. It’s Mom.

I swipe to answer the call.

“Hey, Mom,” I say as I hold the phone to my ear, locking the front door behind me with my free hand. “Everything okay?”

“Asher, honey, I’m sorry to call so early,” Mom’s voice comes through the speaker. She sounds tired, but that’s normal for her with everything going on. “I did see your message, but I just wanted to check in before my shift starts.”

“No worries, I was already up,” I assure her, walking down the porch steps. “I’m waiting for Levi to come by and pick me up. We have practice soon.”

“Of course, so I won’t keep you. How are you really doing, Ash? Is there anything I can do to help you?”

I let out a breath, buying some time before I need to answer. “I’m hanging in there. Just taking it one day at a time. It’s a lot, with classes, hockey, and everything, but I’m managing. How are things with you?”

“Oh, you know, the usual,” Mom says with a tired chuckle. “Working, paying bills, and making sure Avery gets to school on time. She misses you, by the way. Keeps asking when you’ll visit or if we can come to you.”

Guilt hits me square in the chest. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen my mom and sister. “I miss her and you too.” I pause for a second to think. “Let me see if I can come home for a weekend soon.”

“I didn’t mean to talk you into coming home. We know how busy and jam-packed your schedule is with it being your senior year.”

“I understand, but I want to see you both. I’ll figure something out, I promise.” The headlights of an SUV distract me for a second, and I check the time. Chances are high that it’s Levi. “Hey, I gotta run. Levi should be here in a second. I’ll call you again later, okay?”

“Okay, honey. Have a good practice. I love you,” Mom says.

“Love you too, Mom. Talk to you soon.” I end the call just as Levi pulls up in front of my house, double-parking because there aren’t any parking spots on the block.

Levi pops the trunk, and I put my bags there before strolling over to the passenger door and hopping in. “Thanks for the ride, man.”

“No problem. Thanks for deciding to wake up early to come with me to Brewed Beginnings,” Levi replies with a grin.

I can’t help but shake my head. We aren’t going to Brewed Beginnings for the coffee. In fact, it’s not about what we’ll get at all; it’s who we’ll see. Levi is all about Hailey, a barista who works there, and I have to admit it’s pure entertainment watching them interact with one another. Plus, he promised to buy me a coffee and take me to practice, so who could say no to that?

The drive to Brewed Beginnings is quick, and when he’s done parking the SUV, we hop out and walk toward the coffee shop. The building’s exterior has a charming red brick facade and large, welcoming windows. I reach for the door handle and pull it open. After the bell above the door sounds, the first thing that hits me is the smell of freshly brewed coffee. In no time, the urge to have a hot cup of coffee grows more urgent with every breath I take. The interior is cozy and has a rustic charm because of its exposed wooden beams. The soft lighting casts a lovely glow over the entire space. Local art decorates the walls, adding splashes of color and character to the room.

There aren’t many people here yet, making it easier for Levi to achieve his goal. We step up to the counter, and Levi leans his elbows on it, a grin stretching across his face as he catches sight of Hailey. She looks up when Levi clears his throat. I watch as her eyes bounce between Levi and me twice before they settle on him.

“Oh, it’s you,” she says as she sets down the rag she was using to wipe the counter. “What can I get for you?”

“Just your presence is enough to make my day,” Levi replies, his grin widening.

Hailey rolls her eyes, but I can see the smile tugging on the corners of her lips. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Levi Jamison. But it won’t get you free coffee.”

Levi clutches at his chest in mock offense. “You wound me. And here I thought we had something special.”

“In your dreams,” she responds, but there’s an underlying playfulness to it.

The first time I came to Brewed Beginnings with Levi, that playfulness wasn’t there. In fact, it could be argued that she hated us, although she didn’t know us personally. However, the shift in their relationship is apparent, and I can’t help but chuckle under my breath at their banter.

“Alright, alright, enough flirting, you two,” I interject, stepping up beside Levi. “I’ll just have a large hot chocolate with some whipped cream, Hailey. Someone promised to buy it for me.” I shoot Levi a pointed look, daring him to say something denying it or about my drink order in general. I will defend my love for whipped cream until my last breath.

He waves a dismissive hand. “Yeah, yeah, I got you. And I’ll have my usual.” He pauses for a moment and then says, “We’ll also have two of those breakfast sandwiches.”

She nods, tapping our order into the register. “Coming right up.” In no time at all, she has our drinks ready. She slides them across the counter to us, and although she looks slightly irritated, I can see a hint of a smile on her lips.

“Enjoy, guys. And good luck at practice today.”

“Thanks. I’ll be thinking of you while I’m on the ice,” Levi says.

She shakes her head but can’t hide her grin. “Just focus on not getting your ass kicked by your coach.”

“Impossible,” I chime in, taking a sip of my steaming coffee. The rich, slightly bitter flavor wakes me up better than any alarm clock could.

Levi chuckles. “I wish that was a lie... Well, we better get going before we’re late. See you later, Hailey.”

She gives us a little wave as we head out, the door chiming behind us. The cool air hits me for the second time this morning, feeling more refreshing after the warmth of the coffee shop and the coffee. Levi and I walk side by side to his SUV in silence, and soon we’re sitting in his vehicle on our way to the arena.

Thankfully, the ride to practice is even shorter than the ride from my place to Brewed Beginnings. On the drive, though, we both finish our sandwiches and sip our coffees as we walk into the arena. A chill runs down my spine as I take everything in. This is my element, where I ignore the outside noise and do my part to help our team achieve the success that I know is within reach. I’ve left all my other stressors outside, and I only need to focus on how this practice will lead to my being the best teammate I can be during our next game.

Levi and I make our way to the locker room, where some of our teammates are putting on their gear. Due to how early in the morning it is, there’s not much talking, but I prefer it that way because it helps me get my head on right.

I change into my practice gear quickly because I don’t want to be the last person out on the ice. Before we can step out onto the ice, Coach Johnson walks into the locker room, forcing our attention to him without a word.

“Alright, boys, when you get out there, I want to see you hustling because I know you can do it,” he says. He pauses for a moment as his eyes roam the room, assessing each one of us. “I know what you can do and what you’re capable of, but I need to see it. Is that clear?”

We all say a chorus of, “Yes, Coach,” before we make our way out of the locker room. I’m one of the first ones to step out onto the ice, and a few warm-up laps help loosen my muscles.

Practice is grueling, but it’s what I expect now. Coach Johnson is tough but fair, and it is one of the many aspects that makes him an excellent coach for our team. I pour a lot of my energy into the drills and scrimmages, keeping in mind that I do have two classes I need to have energy for later today. Thankfully, only one class is in the morning, giving me time to eat and nap in between.

“Bennett! Watch your positioning on defense. Don’t leave any gaps for them to exploit!” Coach calls out after I miss a check.

I nod, adjusting my stance and doubling down on my focus. By the end of practice, my legs are burning, and my lungs are heaving, but there’s a deep satisfaction in the exhaustion. I know I’ve given what I could out there. Coach gives us a few final pointers before dismissing us. After a quick shower and change, I say goodbye to Levi and the rest of my teammates and head out.

As I’m walking across campus to my first class, I snack on a protein bar and drink water to hold me over until this class is finished. I’m halfway to Carver Hall, Crestwood’s health science building, when a flash of long, blonde hair catches my eye. I do a double take just before I whip my head around because something about the image I saw triggers a memory for me. For a split second, I swear it’s her.

Isla.

But as quickly as the moment comes, it’s gone. The girl disappears into the crowd, leaving me standing there like an idiot. There’s no way that was her. She doesn’t attend Crestwood. I heard she went to NYU to pursue her dreams, and I don’t blame her.

I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts of her. Class starts in a few minutes, and I can’t afford any distractions.

Especially by ghosts and shitty decisions I’ve made in the past.