“No way I’m going to let Elijah or Bonnie get in the way of your dreams,” he assures.
“I need you to put me down,” I croak because my ribs feel like they are being crushed.
“Sorry,” he chuckles.
“Elijah resigned from The Gazette. He instated me as interim editor,” I say.
“That’s amazing, Poppy. I told him that the only way I would agree to have the Spotlight written on me is if you write it. He isn’t an idiot. Those Spotlights bring in a lot of readership for the paper. What Bonnie wrote was a bunch of lies.”
“Thanks for standing up for me,” I say, and plant a kiss on his lips. I’ll eventually have to explain where all those lies Bonnie told came from but, for now I want to embrace the moment.
“I love you, Poppy. You’ve profoundly changed my life for the better. If I can be there for you and help you in any way, then I want to do that. I want to be that man,” he says. I know somewhere deep down in those words is a little boy who feels alone because his father has walked out on him and never came back.
I wrap my arms around his neck and place my head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. “I want that too.”
THIRTY-EIGHT
THE GAZETTE
Spotlight
By: Poppy McGuire
Hotshot playboy and devilishly handsome hockey winger, Declan McAvoy, is a big man on campus. Some of you may know him as the brooding player who brings it on the ice, but there is so much more to Declan McAvoy besides his good looks and amazing hockey skills.
Declan grew up in a poor neighborhood in Detroit. His father left their family when Declan was only seven years old, leaving Declan, his younger brother, and mother to fend for themselves. Declan’s mom had a hard time maintaining a stable job and so money was scarce in the McAvoy household.
We associate Detroit with frigid temperatures, lots of snow, and frozen ponds, which also means free opportunities for ice skating. At almost ten years old, Declan found a used pair of skates and started to skate. While skating he came across a hockey league practicing on the ice. Although he wanted to join the organized activity, his family was unable to afford the equipment or participation, so he sat on the sidelines as an observer.
Declan didn’t remain an observer for long though. With determination and perseverance, he found a used hockey stick and began to practice. He watched YouTube videos and began training himself, along with his younger brother by four years. Declan had his little brother Logan on skates, teaching him everything he knew. Yet there were always obstacles in place for Declan. While he excelled on the school’s varsity team, it wasn’t enough for him as a young man. He wanted to make it onto a Division 1 NCAA team for college. Problem was his chances of making it happen were limited since he didn’t play on the Tier 1 league or a triple A team. Already a junior in high school, his chances looked bleak until one day the very first coach he met at age ten on a frozen pond came up to him and gave him a sizable donation. He told him to try out for the Detroit Tier 1 team. Declan followed his old mentor’s suggestion, and not only did he make the team, but he went on to break records. It’s not surprising he was noticed by Westfall U’s scouts because from the ashes Declan was rising to be a star. The scouts took notice and now he is here in his final year as a Westfall Dragon. He is a dedicated friend and teammate. He not only eats, breathes, and sleeps hockey but on the side, he has time to play with his friends’ baby daughter and be there for important moments in his friends’ lives like the current engagement of Westfall U’s very own alum, Wolfe Judd, and Rebel. Wolfe is now playing in the NHL and Declan is on his way, having received over three offers from NHL teams already. This young star has a bright future ahead of him and we at Westfall U will be cheering for him every step of the way.
THIRTY-NINE
Three months later
Poppy
The team is on fire tonight. They made it to the finals. I can’t believe we are here in St. Louis but the guys did it. Declan is killing it.
The rest of the year has been a whirlwind. I ended up rewriting the Spotlight after an editorial retraction was done, apologizing for the gross lies Bonnie told. I remained interim editor for a few weeks but it wasn’t customary in the university to have a freshman editor. I was later replaced by Gaby Senator, a senior, who was lovely to work with. She gave me great stories to write and instituted positive changes in The Gazette, making it more laid-back and opening up stories to be written by outsiders. Gaby made us into peers instead of competitors and worked hard every day to drive the point home since some people still held on to the cutthroat mentality.
The day I moved out of my dorm, Bonnie confronted me. She called me a string of bad names. But hey I never asked her to snoop in my things and read my personal journals. I may have set her up but her snooping never should have happened. My only words for Bonnie were that karma was a bitch named Poppy.
She stuck her nose up at me after that comment and left the dorm, while Declan helped me pack up my stuff. I moved into the empty room Holland had in her house. Having private time with Declan became difficult though. Obviously, I didn’t stay over at the hockey house because he lives with my brother and my brother still thinks I’m a child. Holland was pretty cool with Declan staying over, but it’s a busy house with Mary staying over a lot and CC walking around. I love that little girl though so no complaints there.
Tonight the Dragons are fighting for the title against the Saklan Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are getting a run for their money. Declan has already had two assists and my brother has had one assist. Blossom and Paris came out to St. Louis with me for the weekend and Max stayed behind with Holland since she had too much work to do.
We cheer for the Dragons as Bozeman steels the puck from Saklan. He stickhandles past some players. If he makes this shot, the guy is getting a hat trick tonight. He zigzags to the left and another player from Saklan sweeps in, but he doesn’t catch up to Bozeman. He shoots for the corner of the net and their goalie lifts his hand to catch the puck and misses. The puck enters the net and it’s a goal. Westfall has a lot of students here tonight supporting the team so the crowd is wild. Adrenaline pumps through my veins. The score is now 2-1. The guys leave the ice for a break between periods. We leave the stadium to use the ladies’ room and grab a Coke.
“They’re so going to win. I can just feel it,” Blossom says.
“I hope so,” I say.
Paris is on her phone scrolling.
“What are you looking at?” I ask as we walk back to the arena.
“I don’t know. Just places to go out in St. Louis. We need somewhere fun to celebrate after,” she says.
“I could use a fun night out,” Blossom adds.
We head back into the arena for the third period. Saklan ends up scoring on us and the game is tied. Ryse and Declan are on the ice and they’re really killing it. I’m so relieved that everything worked out well between them. Logan wanted to be here for the game, but he had a game of his own he couldn’t miss this weekend and Declan’s mother wasn’t going to come. She never really supported his career and I don’t see that changing. My mom wanted to come out for Ryse but it would have been an expensive flight. Declan bought my ticket to come here. He insisted I was his good luck charm, so I needed to be here for the Dragons to win. I couldn’t argue with my man.