Chapter 5

Two Months Later

“The Atlanta Anglerfish choose Cade Bright, defenseman, as the tenth pick of the first-round.”

Cade smiled and waved at the camera as he stood. The crowd cheered as he hugged his parents and sister before giving me a high-five. “It’s you next, D. I can feel it.” He grinned, talking just loud enough that I could hear it over the noise in the stadium. There was no time to say congratulations because Cade was already walking down the stairs to the table filled with cameras and his new manager.

First round.

I couldn’t believe it. I fully expected Cade to get picked high, he was a great defenseman, after all, but in the first round as the tenth pick. Well, that was incredible.

Clapping, I smiled as I watched my best friend’s dreams come true. The same dreams we’d been talking about for nearly eight years now. I wondered what it would feel like to get drafted. To know that you had your future planned out and where you were going to live after you graduated college. It was all things I wanted, but as the night continued, I was getting nervous that it might not happen for me.

As the excitement died down, I took my seat, along with the rest of Cade’s family. As expected, his mother was crying, and his dad was watching on proudly as Cade was busy on the stage taking photos with his new jersey.

My knees were shaking, so I ran a hand through my hair, then looked at the stage again. I was nervous as hell, and the empty seat next to me wasn’t helping my mood.

“Dash, Honey?” Cade’s mom leaned over so that I could see her. “Do you think your dad will be able to make it?”

“I, uh, doubt it,” I eased out, giving her the best smile I could muster. “There was an emergency at the firehouse. He said he’ll try but I doubt they’ll let him in.”

She pressed her lips together, forcing out a sad smile. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I’ll make sure to record every second, so he’ll feel like he was here.”

“Appreciate it.” I stopped short of saying anything else because I didn’t want to get myself worked up. For someone who prided themselves in being calm, I was feeling a lot of things tonight, but none of them were excitement.

What if I didn’t get drafted at all? What would I do? I hadn’t built a plan up other than becoming an NHL goaltender and that fact was starting to make me nervous.

“Excuse me.” A woman dressed in black with a microphone smiled at our row. “Are you Cade Bright’s parents?” When they nodded, she asked, “Would you mind coming down to the stage with me for a few minutes? We’d love to ask you some questions, and also take a few pictures with Cade.”

“Of course. Can my daughter come too?” Cade’s mom asked, pointing to Madison.

Madison raised her hand. “Don’t worry. I’m fine here. I don’t want Dash to be lonely.”

Why the hell did she have to say shit like that and expect me to be fine with it?

Something passe between the Brights, and it was then I realized, she was staying behind because she pitied me. She didn’t want me sitting here on my own while I watched everyone else get picked around me, and although that was a sweet gesture, it made me feel pathetic.

“If you’re sure, Mads?” Her dad squeezed her knee, checking on final time.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Dash is going to get picked next, anyway. Want to make sure I witness it.”

“Good luck, D,” Cade’s dad said before they followed the camera crew.

I leaned back in my chair and rested my hands on my knees, not sure what to do with myself. Madison and I were alone. Something that I made sure wouldn’t happen after I got very close to admitting how much she meant to me. It was a stupid move, one that I would regret forever because I gave her something that felt a lot like hope. Hope that maybe something could happen between us. It couldn’t. I’d solidified that decision in the last two months by avoiding her as much as possible.

“You good, Big Man?” Madison asked, and I grumped out a response because anything else risked sounding like a declaration of love.

I took a sharp breath, taking my time to blow it out as I watched Cade getting his picture taken while his parents proudly watched on. We had at least another five minutes before the next pick was due and I had no idea what to talk about with Madison.

Madison crossed her legs, bringing her heeled toe into my view, and I couldn’t help myself. I followed the line of her shoe all the way up her smooth legs to the hem of her skirt.

Stop looking.

My brain was telling me things I didn’t want to hear. It was only when I realized she was discreetly texting someone that the voice drowned out.

Who was she messaging?

I straightened my back, hoping I could get a glance at her screen, but her perfectly curled hair was blocking my view.

“Who are you texting?” I asked, so intrigued that I couldn’t stop myself.

She jumped when she heard my voice and quickly turned her phone off and stuffed it into her purse before I could see anything. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she gave me a forced, sweet smile. I knew what that meant.

She was texting a guy.

Suddenly, my stomach hurt, but I put it down to the lack of food in this place, not the fact that Madison had already moved on. I might have told her that she deserved someone better in the car after that stupid party, but I didn’t expect her to go out and find another one so quickly.

I wasn’t surprised, though. Madison was hot. So hot that sometimes I forgot to breathe around her.

“No one.”

I raised a brow. “You sure? Because I’ve never heard you snort so loud at Tiff.”

Throwing her chin up, she rested her head against the theater-style seat and groaned.

“I don’t think it’s any of your business who I’m messaging.”

I growled, adjusting my jacket before slumping in my seat. “Maybe not, but it would be great to know as distraction.” I gestured to everything that was going on below. Cade was now taking pictures with his parents and it looked as though discussions with the teams over the next pick were underway.

“Fine,” Madison sighed dramatically. “If you must know, it’s Kyle. There. I said it. Go ahead and tell me that I deserve someone better. That I need someone who won’t stop thinking about me, or whatever you said last time.” She huffed out an annoyed breath. “But, honestly? It feels like I’m going to be waiting for eighty-seven years if I don’t start putting some work in.”

“That’s a little dramatic. You waited two weeks.” I was trying to hide my annoyance because it felt like she hadn’t heard me in the car. She was worth more than any of the guys in our town could give her. If she wasn’t going to willingly take that advice, then I was just going to have to force it on her, by speaking to every single guy I could.

“That’s like two years in teen years, don’t you know.”

“You are something else.” I shook my head, hoping she couldn’t see just how pissed off I was. “But I can’t believe out of all the people at North Central High, you’d pick Kyle.” My lip curled as I said his name, and I was thinking about all the ways I could discreetly text him before the end of the night.

“Why not? Just because you didn’t want to kiss me during Spin the Bottle, doesn’t mean that everyone in the circle felt the same way.” Her voice was so smug that I wanted to tell her I saw him sneaking into a room with Hayley at a different party last week, but I didn’t. After seeing how crushed she was about Henry, I vowed to never see her like that again. So, I’d just have to make sure Kyle ended it before it got that far.

“That’s not what happened,” I muttered, knowing she wouldn’t be able to hear me over all the noise in the room. What she didn’t realize was that the only reason Sidney pulled me into the game was because she said she was going to invite Madison for me. If I didn’t go, then she’d be kissing someone else and there was no chance of that happening. I fully intended on picking her when the bottle landed in between her and Sidney, but I couldn’t. Her brother was standing on the opposite side of the room, watching me like a hawk, serving as a constant reminder that she wasn’t mine, and she never would be. She was Cade’s little sister, and I was going to college. We weren’t meant to be together, and maybe the distance would do me some good.

“Can everyone please take their seats, the next draft pick is about to be announced.”

Madison squealed and when the lights went down, she leaned over and asked, “Which team is picking next?”

“The Anglerfish again. They got this spot through a trade last year.” She grinned and I hated that I knew exactly what she was thinking. It wasn’t going to happen. There was no way in hell that I was going to get picked straight after Cade, and to the same team. It just wasn’t possible.

“Good luck, Big Man.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled. My leg was shaking, and I pushed my palm down, trying to stop it. When that didn’t work, I took a few deep breaths and closed my eyes. Nope. My heel was still tapping the floor. Nothing was going to calm me in this situation.

Nothing until Madison rested her palm on top of my hand. Then, suddenly, my foot stopped. She laced her fingers with mine and I felt my heart slow, and it was as if we were the only two people in this stadium.

Without realizing, I squeezed her hand.

“You don’t need to be nervous. You’re going to get picked any second now. I can feel it.”

I felt something too, but it wasn’t the same thing as her. Deep in my chest, I felt a yearning need to be close to her. With her hand in mine, my heart suddenly thought it might be able even be possible.

“Madison, I-”

When she looked at me, I paused, completely forgetting what I was going to say.

“For the eleventh pick of the first round, the Atlanta Anglerfish have selected Daniel Bridges, Goaltender.”

My brows crossed, because, had I just heard that correctly? Had they just said my name?

Judging by the tight squeeze of Madison’s hand and the camera crew waiting at the end of the row, I’d say yes.

I don’t know what possessed me to stand, but I figured Madison must have pulled me up, realizing that I wasn’t going to move myself. She threw her arms around me, giving me a tight hug while I stood there, feeling slightly delirious.

“I knew it,” she sang into my ear while she patted me on the back. “You were always destined for greatness, and I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you for being here.” It was all I managed to say before the camera crew ushered me to the front of the room. As I stepped out of my row, I quickly kissed my fingers and pointed to the sky, thanking my mother in heaven before I took those daunting steps toward my future.