by Leah Rooper
I hold Bell’s gaze. Her face, for the first time, looks unsure. “The Falcons are with you,” I say.
Tyler Evans raises his stick in the air. “We’re with you, Al!”
Gervase Gerver stands up. “Is this what we’re wasting practice time over? Come on, let’s get on the ice.”
Bell seems to breathe a sigh of relief. But Coach Zabinski walks over and gives Gerver the evil eye until he sits down. No one leaves without being dismissed by Coach Z.
“I’m not through,” Coach Z says, his voice deep and grumbling. It always sounds a little muffled through his giant white mustache. “I’ve, uh, I’ve come up here to say…I was wrong.” He turns to Bell. “I should have put you on the team at the start of the season. That was wrong of me. But you’ve proved you’re a good player, a great player even. It’s not often this old man admits he makes a mistake, but I owe you an apology.” He averts his gaze. “Al, err, Alice…you can stay on the team. We’re not the Falcons without you.”
I can tell Bell has been holding herself back because a huge smile breaks across her face and she throws her arms around Coach Z’s neck.
His scowls stays as he snarls, “But never do that again.”
“Oops, sorry.” Bell backs away with a shy smile. “Okay, boys, who wants to face off against me first?”
We file out onto the rink, but my brain feels clouded. Heavy. That was a hell of a secret.
And we all have one. Some secrets are bigger than others. As we skate around the rink, every one of us Falcons is thinking about what secrets we hope never make it to the ice.
At least, I know I am.
I savor the surge of adrenaline rushing through me as I sprint across the rink, the feel of the crisp air on my hot face, how my body knows exactly what to do. This is the Falcons’ last skate before we break for the summer, and I’m not going to let my thoughts ruin it.
Instead, I focus on the game of scrimmage we’re playing. The Falcons have been giving Bell a five-foot bubble this whole practice game. That doesn’t fly with me. I pick up some speed and get right in close to her, scoop the puck up, and knock her into the boards. Everyone stops playing. It’s like I’ve just punched a baby. I just shrug and say, “Bell can cream you all when you’re playing your best, and now you’re making it easier for her?”
She smirks when I help her up, and I know I’ve done the right thing.
“So now that we’re buddies,” I say, before she skates off, “can you hook me up with one of your cute figure skating friends?”
She chews her mouthguard and narrows her eyes at me. “Not a chance, Sacachelli.”
“Aw, come on.” I smirk. “I’ll hook you up with one of my cute teammates.”
Tremblay skates over, grinning like a wolf.
“Like him,” I say, nodding toward Tremblay. “What do you think? Tall, handsome, has a certain Canadian charm.”
Bell skates into his arms. “I think I’ve got it covered. Thanks anyway, Sacs.”
Coach Z’s voice booms over the ice: “Tremblay and Sacachelli, if you don’t stop distracting my star player, you’re going to be benched for the season-opener! Center ice, NOW!”
Bell gives a mocking bow and skates backwards. “Later, boys. The star player is needed elsewhere.”
Tremblay laughs as we skate toward center ice. “Now that’s all I’m going to hear this summer.”
I chase down the twinge of jealousy. Tremblay gets to spend all summer, and all season, with the girl he wants.
“So,” Tremblay asks, “did you ask her?”
“Ask who what?”
“Ask Madison out?” he says, keeping an eye on Bell, who’s far ahead of us. “Like you said you were going to?”
“Oh. That.” I spin in a circle, then skate backward. “Nah, I thought better of it. Who wants to be tied down like that?”
Tremblay hasn’t taken his eyes off Bell. “Suit yourself, dude. Just don’t want you lose out on something good.”
“Please. A guy like me with a girl like Madison? Where’s the fun in that?” I hold my pride tight, hoping Tremblay doesn’t notice that I can’t meet his gaze. He’s way too enthralled with Bell to even look at me.
After a few more rounds of scrimmage, things are pretty much back to normal, including #44 kicking all of our asses. If it’s even possible, she’s playing harder than usual. Maybe with her secret out, she feels like she has something to prove. But by the time we meet next fall, Bell’s secret will be long forgotten.
I can’t help but feel a shudder as the thought moves through me—what would happen if the Falcons found out my secret? And not the one about Madison. The other secret, the one that I keep buried deep in my chest.
I feel my hands grow slick under my gloves. The puck whizzes past me and I skid on the ice to grab it. I need to remember who I am—just a Long Island kid in Chicago. Everything else is background noise.
As practice wears on, we all start goofing off a little, seeing how far we can push Coach, it being the last skate of the season and all. Tyler Evans tries to replicate one of Bell’s trick shots and falls on his face. I snatch a sweet goal off a perfect pass from Tremblay just as Coach blows the whistle. We head to the bench. I feel that tightness growing in my chest.
Hockey is over for the summer. Sure, I won’t miss waking up at 5 a.m. for practice, or heading to bed with muscles so stiff, I can barely move. And it will be nice to actually have time to sit down with Ma for a meal together. I’m sure the guys and I will make it down to the rink over the summer. There’s no way Tremblay’s gonna let his team get soft. But it’s not the same. There’s just something about all of us decked out in our jerseys, the roar of the crowd, Madison getting on my case about what I’m eating, even the blare of Coach yelling in my ear—it makes me feel like I belong here. That I somehow have a place in all this.
The chatter of my teammates pulls me out of my thoughts.
“Hey, Sacachelli,” Gerver says as I step off the ice. “What are you doing tonight?”
“I dunno, why?”
“My brother’s having a party. Gonna be a lot of hot college girls there.” He flashes a wicked smile. “You should show.”
A college party is exactly my scene…and exactly the kind of thing that keeps getting me in trouble. That keeps making me not good enough for Madison. “Yeah, thanks, man. Think I’m just gonna chill tonight.” Maybe I’ll text Madison and see how her talk went with her parents. Maybe she’ll want to hang out, just the two of us.
“Suit yourself, bro. You know where I live if you change your mind.” Gerver claps me on the shoulder.
The whole team files out but I hold back. I want one last look at the rink, before it’s all over for the summer.
But my eye catches something else.
Someone in the stands.
A huge, hulking man with tanned skin and a shiny bald head. He’s wearing an all-black suit and a pair of dark sunglasses, even though he’s inside.
It looks like my secret has found me all the way in Chicago.
My whole body freezes and I can’t even take in a breath. Because the last time I saw this man in Chicago, he had come to tell me my father was dead.
The man gestures for me to come toward him. I can hear the upbeat voices of my teammates in the locker room, but I’m alone out on the ice. Somehow, my body moves of its own accord, and I skate across the rink, and climb up into the stands.
Each step I take is filled with dread as I go up the stairs toward the man. He stands still as a statue, his mouth a thin line.
My throat is so tight by the time I get to him, I can barely form the words: “E-Eva? What’s wrong with her?”
The man, Dwayne Boulder, says nothing. His massive body looks out of place against the tiny stadium seats. He only gestures to the door at the top of the stands, which leads to the lobby.
I stare at the door, then dart past him, my skates nearly catching on the top step.
When I get to the lobby, my heart nearly stops.
There she is. “Evangeline,” I breathe.
She looks up at me, and smiles that pert, impish smile I love so much. “Big brother.”
A giant grin stretches across my face. I grab her in my arms and lift her up in the air. “What are you doing here?” I say, as her arms tighten around my neck. “When I saw Dwayne, I thought something was wrong…”
“Oh, you know Dwayne,” she says. “He had to make sure your teammates weren’t actually foreign agents, or anything like that.” Her posh accent always takes me off guard when I haven’t been around her in a while.
I pull back so I can take her in. Every time I see her, she looks so much older. I guess that’s because I only see her once a year. Man, for sixteen, she certainly looks grown up. Her reddish-brown hair is swept up in a bun, and there’s enough jewelry around her neck to fill a treasure chest.
“Come on,” I say, “what are you doing here?”
Eva has never once come to visit me in Chicago. I don’t think she’s ever left Europe.
“Can’t a loving sister come watch her big brother play,” she says, giving a smarmy grin, “whatever game this is?”
“You stay around, and I’ll get you out there with a stick in your hands.” I smile and poke her ribs. “If Dwayne doesn’t kill me first.”
She looks behind me and I can feel his presence there. “Maybe some other time, Dan-Dan.” Her amber eyes glint mischievously.
As happy as I am to see my little sister, something gnaws in my gut—a hunch she’s not just here for a visit.
I throw an arm around her shoulder. “Seriously though, Eva. What are you doing here?”
She wiggles out from under my arm and walks ahead of me. “I’ve…I’ve come to bring you home.”
My whole body freezes. “Eva. I am home.”
“No, this isn’t the home of…” she says without looking at me, “…the future King of Eldonia.”
…
Madison
I just stand there, staring at the empty couch where, a couple moments ago, my parents had sat. Behind me, my slideshow flashes blue light on my back. I’d only gotten to the second slide. I’d been so prepared… I’d made graphs, a budget, cited examples—an entire presentation on why my parents should allow me to follow my dream of being an actress. I had a million and one reasons why going to Juilliard was a good idea, but my parents only needed one to destroy it all…
Our money. Our rules.
Calmly, I unplug my laptop from the TV and head for my room. Just as I reach the bottom of the stairs, Eomma pokes her head out from the kitchen. “Want some apple pie? We’re going to watch Survivor.”
A lump forms in my throat. To them, it’s like nothing ever happened. To me, it’s as if my whole world has crashed down.
It’s not like they were mean. It’s not like we fought. It was just a no—as swift and permanent as the slice of a blade.
“Maybe later,” I say, trying not to let my disappointment creep into my voice. I’m not really into hearing their excuses again.
Sure, it makes sense. Being a doctor means security. Prestige. Following in my family’s footsteps. But I feel like my ankles have chains.
Eomma gives me a sympathetic smile and I head up to my room, then throw myself down on my bed like an overdramatic Disney princess. I even allow myself one long sigh.
I roll over and stare at the movie posters pinned all over the walls. From my favorite Korean dramas to indie films to giant Hollywood blockbusters, I love them all. Usually looking at my posters fills me with inspiration, with hope. That’s how I’d felt when I’d walked downstairs half an hour ago, laptop loaded with PowerPoint presentation in hand, ready to convince my parents. I had every point thought out, every argument countered. But in the end, it didn’t matter.
My parents had moved to Chicago thirty years ago from South Korea. They’d had to work hard for everything and built success from nothing—as they so love to remind me. And to them, acting would always mean instability. I know my parents want what’s best for me, that I’m lucky to have two parents who love me enough to pay for my schooling, who want me to succeed.
I just don’t feel very lucky right now. All I can hear is Appa’s voice in my head: “It’s time to put away these foolish dreams, Madison. The future will come sooner than you think.”
Every one of my favorite actresses stares down at me from the wall.
I can’t stay here, being judged by Jun Ji Hyun and Kate Winslet—I need to get out of the house. I grab my cell phone. I could text my favorite brother-sister duo, Alice and Xander, but instead I pull up my messages with Daniel. Without letting myself think too much, I send:
Hey, I’m having a pretty bad night. Burgers and shakes?
I stare at my phone, willing it to flash with his name. One minute turns into five, five minutes turns into ten, and before I know it, I’ve been sitting on my bed staring at my phone for nearly half an hour. I don’t know why I’m so anxious to hear from him. I text Daniel every day about nothing. But…I could really use his company right now.
Then, his name flashes. My heart leaps. I click on the text.
Can’t. Sry.
Can’t. Sry. That’s it? That’s all I get? With a growl of frustration, I throw my phone down on the bed.
I shouldn’t be surprised. I heard there was some college party going on at Gervase’s house. I’m sure Daniel would much rather be there, drinking himself into oblivion and pressing up against some pretty college girl, than hanging out with boring old me.
I jump up and throw on my jacket. Well, I’m not going to sit around moping here. I’ll be my own company. I tell Eomma and Appa I’m heading to a movie with Alice (I’ve gotten awfully good at lying to them) and take an Uber down to Ms. Sue’s Diner.
When I sit down at my favorite table, I’m relieved to see it’s a slow night. Hopefully Ms. Sue will have time to listen to my tale of woe.
Ms. Sue walks over and looks down at me. “What will it be, kid?” She knows I don’t need a menu, since the gang and I frequent her place so often after hockey games.
“Just a chocolate milkshake.” I pause. “Wait, no, make it strawberry. No, wait…make it both.”
Sue smiles at me and heads to the back. Just as I’m prepared to drown all my sorrows in whip cream deliciousness, I catch a glimpse of someone heading into the shop.
He’s tall, with slicked-back hair, tanned skin, big brown eyes, and a slightly crooked nose that makes him instantly recognizable as a Falcon.
Daniel Sacachelli.
My nerves all fire at once. What is he doing here? Why isn’t he at Gervase’s party?
My heart hammers hard against my chest. Daniel must have known I’d be here. He came to surprise me…to show me he cares. To let me know that no matter how many amazing parties are going on, he’d still rather be here, in a booth with me…
Then a girl walks in behind him and grabs his arm.
My chest crumbles.
She’s gorgeous—like, so gorgeous, she looks very out of place in the diner. She’s wearing a black Carolina Herrera coat, double breasted with gold buttons and a pleated bottom that ties tight in the middle of her waist to accent her curvy figure. Underneath, she has on thick wool tights and tall lace-up leather boots.
It’s not like I’m not used to seeing Daniel with other girls. Usually there’s a new one each weekend. But something’s different about this girl. She’s stunning.
There’s also an unsettling giant man lingering behind them, but I can’t quite tell if he’s with them or not. There’s something off about Daniel—his dark brows are furrowed, he’s got his hands in his pockets, and he looks like he’s just received an unfair penalty against the Ice Wolves. With a girl like that, I’d expect him to be grinning from ear to ear.
I know I shouldn’t stare, that I should just let Daniel enjoy his date. But I’ve just had the shittiest day in the history of shitty days, and now Daniel’s coming to OUR spot with some random model-like girl. I
can’t just leave or ignore them. I’ve got to figure out who she is.
Because what if she isn’t just a Friday night hook-up? What if this is a date-date…and Daniel might realize he’s actually not as afraid of commitment as he thought?
My stomach feels heavy. That would be the worst. For him to choose someone else…over me.
Sue brings my milkshakes to me, and with her blocking my view, I quickly move to the other seat, so that my back is to the booth behind me, just as Daniel, the girl, and the giant man sit down.
I crane my neck so I can hear their conversation.
“So spill it,” I hear Daniel groan. “What the hell is going on?”
Chapter Three
Daniel
“So spill it,” I say. “What the hell is going on?”
“What’ll it be?” Ms. Sue walks over and asks, interrupting us.
“The bacon burger, fries, and a Coke,” I say. Most people would lose their appetite at times like this, but not me. I hand my menu back to Ms. Sue and squirm uncomfortably in my seat. I’m not sure why Dwayne, Eva’s massive bodyguard, decided to sit next to me, but it’s making this booth very confining.
“And you, sweetie?” Ms. Sue smiles down at Eva. “Daniel, I haven’t seen your charming friend before.”
“She’s not staying in town long,” I mutter under my breath. Eva shoots me a glare and I half expect her to stick out her tongue at me, but instead, she smiles sweetly up at Ms. Sue.
“I’m from Eldonia,” Eva says, and Ms. Sue’s eyes widen at her posh accent.
“Is that close to Pennsylvania?” Ms. Sue asks.
“It’s the most lovely and quaint country in Europe, actually,” Eva drawls. “Famous for our tomatoes, our lantern festival, and our rich history.” She flicks a strand of hair behind her shoulder. “It’s the most stunning place in the world. Don’t you agree, Dan-Dan?”
“It’s peachy,” I mutter.
Eva orders the same as me while Dwayne asks for a salad. Ms. Sue looks thankful to escape, and I’m just as happy. Now I can finally get an answer out of my sister. Eva’s always loved bugging me, so maybe this is just some elaborate prank. But whatever it is, it has to be big. Princess Evangeline does not travel from her kingdom for nothing.