Breakaway by Grace Reilly

Author:Grace Reilly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2024-04-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 37

Cooper

As it turns out, CBS does want an interview. The reporter catches up to me in the tunnel right when the game ends. We won in overtime, thanks to a beauty of a goal by Mickey, and I’m still sucking wind, sweat dripping from me like I’ve just climbed out of a pool. I had to literally throw myself in front of a couple of shots on the net, which means I’m sure to have a bunch of fancy new aches and pains once the adrenaline wears off.

“Hi, Cooper, I’m Kacey Green from CBS Sports. Mind if we chat for a few minutes?” she says with a camera-ready smile. She’s wearing a pine-green dress that complements her deep brown complexion, and even though she has heels on, she barely comes up to my chest. I feel like a huge, sweaty monster compared to her, but she must be used to it, because if she thinks I smell, she doesn’t show it.

I lean on my stick. “Of course.”

“Fantastic game,” she says. “Do you feel like it showcased what you’re hoping to bring to the league?”

I try my best to ignore the cameraman standing next to her as I bend down to speak into the microphone. It would be weird to talk about myself after such a great group effort, so I say, “Thanks, Kacey. The whole team played great. We had a tough loss to UMass earlier in the season, so it’s exciting to keep the Turkey Freeze trophy here for another year.”

“But you really put it all out there today.”

“Yeah.” I laugh a bit, wincing when that makes my gut ache. “Pressed well on the forecheck, blocked some shots. It was a good effort.”

“You were recently named captain.”

“Yes. I’m honored that Coach and the team chose me.”

“You and Nikolai Abney-Volkov are the highest ranked defensemen in Division I men’s hockey,” she says. “Your stats are nearly identical this season. The Sharks drafted Volkov in the first round of the first year you were both eligible, but you chose to remain undrafted.”

I wait for a question, but she pauses, so I just nod. Fucking Nikolai.

“Do you have any regrets about holding out for a deal after graduation?”

“I . . .” Before the season started, I would have said yes, I’d rather be at the pro level, putting all my energy into the one thing I care about most in the world. Let me scrap and enforce our zone and fight for my ice time like everyone else. But now? I’m not so sure. If I was in the league already, I wouldn’t have met Penny. If someone gave me the choice between sticking out the rest of college or entering the league tomorrow, I don’t know what I’d say.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see my father. He’s leaning against the wall as he talks to someone on the phone, half in shadow, but I can feel him looking at me. Maybe other dads wouldn’t wear slacks, a

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