I grin. “Limited experience.”
She rolls her eyes. “That’s everyone interviewing for their first job.”
“I know, right? It’s the perfect bullshit answer to a bullshit question.”
11
Sienna
“Hi!” I answer my phone and wave at the screen while Josie goes back to drawing at her desk. My parents are crammed together on our living room couch.
A second later, Mom moves the phone to show me Allison sitting in the armchair across from them.
“Congrats, Al.” She plays on her high school junior varsity team, but got bumped to play varsity for the first time because one of their star players got injured.
“Thanks,” she says, trying to play it cool. She breaks seconds later. “It was so awesome, Sie. They turned all the lights down, and the music was so loud that the announcer had to yell our names. I’ve never felt more important in my entire life.”
She keeps rambling about her hockey game last night.
“Mom sent me the video,” I say, when she takes a breath. “The only person yelling louder than that announcer was Dad.”
She snorts. “Mom threatened to sit across the rink next time.”
“I’m going to at least need to invest in earplugs,” Mom says. She’s smiling though and just as proud of Allison.
My chest tightens thinking about how I’m missing watching her play. Add that to the selling points of Dalton. I could actually see my sister play a few games. “Did your coach say whether or not this was going to be a permanent thing?”
“I hope so. Chelsea is out for the rest of the season.”
“I’m so proud. My little sister is crushing other people’s dreams to make her own happen,” I joke with my hand held over my heart.
“Hey, it isn’t like I injured her. And I’m sorry she’s out, that royally sucks, but you have to take the opportunities given to you.” She’s all sass and fiery determination. We are alike in a lot of ways. We have the same dark hair and same green eyes. But at five foot eleven, she looks older than fifteen. In fact, by the time she was ten, she was already taller than me. I’m more quiet determination and Allison is unapologetically tenacious in everything she does.
“You’re not wrong there. When’s the next game?”
“This weekend. It’s going to be a tough game.” Her expression goes serious, and she gets quiet, presumably worrying about their next game.
My parents jump in to ask about skating and school. Dad hammers me with questions about the interview and congratulates me when I tell him they already sent over an offer.
“They’re a great company,” he adds. “Good benefits, nice office building.”
“It would be so nice to have you living closer again,” Mom says.
“You know I’ll visit more no matter what,” I tell her. “And Kelsie mentioned the great health benefits.” I roll my eyes. “Doesn’t it seem sketchy that they offered me a job without a proper interview. I don’t even have any experience!” I don’t want to tell people how to do their job, but maybe Kelsie should be fired for hiring someone without properly interviewing them.
He waves me off. “No one comes in with any useful experience. It’s about character, and Bob knows you’re a good egg.”
“Bob?”
“I worked with him when I was overseeing the program managers, remember?”
“No.”
“Handlebar mustache, wore flannel before it was trendy.”
I huff a small laugh. “Vaguely sounds familiar.”
“He’ll be your boss. He’s a great guy and has a good team. They’re at the south location with the good cafeteria.”
“Another selling point,” I mumble.
My dad looks like he’s two seconds away from giving me another lecture on working my way up, climbing the corporate ladder, when Olivia walks through the door.
“Game is in five,” she says. “Are we watching it here or downstairs?”
There’s a bigger TV downstairs in the lounge area, but Josie’s already propped up her laptop and is finding the game.
“You’re watching hockey?” Allison asks, brows raised.
“Of course. Valley is in the semifinals.” And my new crush is playing. I run two fingers along my bottom lip thinking about Rhett and wondering if I should keep kissing him.
“If they win, they play the championship at Valley!” Allison says.
“I know.” In the past I probably wouldn't have known but thanks to Rhett, I am well aware. “We’re really excited.” I move my phone so they can see Josie and Olivia.
“Hi girls,” my mom says. Except they can’t hear her because I’m wearing my earbuds.
“My mom says hello,” I tell them.
They wave and say their hellos.
“Here we go,” Josie says. I glance over in time to see the camera zoom in on Valley U’s hockey team warming up. If they win they’ll move on to the championship this weekend. If they lose, their season is over.
As the game starts, Josie and Olivia settle on the floor to do homework, and I listen as my parents fill me in on everything happening there and periodically glance up at the screen to check the score, and okay, to see if Rhett is on the ice.
Allison and my dad are talking about her last game again, all things they’ve already told me, but they’re both really excited so I let them chatter on. I’m tuning them out, anyway, watching the game. Number twenty-three comes onto the ice and I can’t tear my eyes away from him. Valley has the puck and he speeds down the ice. Several guys take shots at the goalie, but nothing makes it in. Finally after three or more attempts, Rhett rebounds a blocked shot and passes to Adam on the other side of the net for the first goal of the game.
“Oh my gosh!” I yell. Josie and Olivia look up to see the Valley players huddling up, congratulating Rhett and Adam on the goal.
My family stops talking to see what the commotion is about.
“We scored.” I can feel the blush creep up my neck. I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about a goal in a hockey game. “Valley is up by one with three minutes left in the second period.”
“That’s a lot of time,” my sister says. “Is Luke Ketcham in the net?”
“Uhh...” I glance at the screen. I’m not about to tell them I only know the name and position of one Valley hockey player. The team is huddled up celebrating, but then it pans to the goalie and he turns so I can read the back of his jersey. “Yep.”
“He’s one of the best. The highest number of games won and most saves in a single game. I think he was drafted already.” She looks to me like I might know. Yeah… nope, my hockey obsession is more a singular hockey player obsession.
The rest of the second period goes by scoreless, but when the third begins, Josie and Olivia abandon their schoolwork and I say goodbye to my family so I can sit and watch with my friends.
“Have you heard from him since they left?” Josie asks.
“We texted back and forth this morning, but just about the game.”
“I hope they win. Can you imagine? It’ll be nuts.” Josie squeaks with happiness.