w 1 t n e s s

twenty-four

halle

Emily still didn't make an appearance at my apartment. In fact, I arrived home to a note along with a check.

Halle,

I've contacted the land lord about breaking my part of the lease. Here's my portion of the rent for October. Hopefully you can find a roommate who is a better friend. Don't be stupid.

Em

I threw the note away. I didn't want to rekindle things with Emily. I didn't want that friendship back. She'd said cruel words to me that I didn't think I could forgive. I didn't need any more reprimands.

So I moved on from Emily. I saw her on the rare occasion on campus, but she was always accompanied by those guys from our old dorm and another girl I vaguely recognized. I, on the other hand, was always alone. Except I wasn't, not really. I had a whole group chat of supportive women who would respond to my text or calls the second I asked sent them. They didn't complain about my loneliness. They didn't make fun of my need for attention. They supported me and kept me company over FaceTime on the loneliest of nights. When Tyler couldn't text me, there was always Tayler, or Lyndsey, or Alex. Sometimes it was Britt Murphy, or Chaunette Shaw. I'd even started texting Patrick Kane's girlfriend, Amanda.

I had an even balance of school, hockey games, and contacting my friends. And Tyler, of course. He was just less available. I didn't mind. I let him do his thing, not expecting a fast reply. It would've been harder without my girls. We FaceTimed on occasion when he was in hotel rooms. Another teammate, usually Adam or Dominik, was always present. Dominik was usually more respectful to our calls, but Adam shamelessly teased Tyler and I. I missed the quieter days of our sessions. Still, I wouldn't and couldn't complain. Tyler hadn't lost focus in a game yet. The Hawks had only lost three games; one to the defending Stanley Cup champions Tampa Bay, one to Washington, and one to the class act that was Edmonton this year.

The Blackhawks and the Oilers had played only once this year, but the game had been back and forth for the whole three periods. After ending regulation and overtime at only one to one, Chicago had lost in a bad luck shootout where Alex and Dominik both hit the post. Unfortunately, neither shot had been bardown in the desired way. Tyler had been particularly annoyed after that game. I knew why. The team from Edmonton consisted of two ridiculously skilled players, both major competition against Tyler's point range. He'd been neck and neck with them almost all of last season, before finally pulling away at the end and completely blowing the league out of the water. This season, there was a noticeable gap between Tyler's points and the other two leaders, but I knew he was still under pressure.

It was my goal not to be a burden on his already full plate. Half-way into October, I had to admit that I was doing a pretty good job flying under the radar. I sat back and let Tyler live his life. I supported him where I could. He didn't ask it, but I was always there when he was stressed or upset after a game. Especially after tough losses on such a stellar team. I knew what Tyler's hopes for the season were. They involved improving and not losing any more games.

Tyler invited me up for a visit closer to Halloween. I was already planning the days. It pained me to miss Monday's classes on the second, but the first day of the week had the least important classes for me. It would be so much easier if Tyler could come here. I'd be able to go to classes but still spend time with him. This time, he had two games I would be attending. They were Saturday and Sunday, double headers that would leave Tyler tired and sluggish the following mornings. At least I had Friday night to spend with him.

I knew Tyler was excited for the Calgary game on Saturday. He'd told me all about the physical and agitating player on the Canadian team that was a good friend to him. Just like the two Hughes brothers, another set of siblings had grown close to Tyler over years of junior league playing and being on the same team. I knew each of the young players on various teams by name now. I even had Mitch Marner's number. My parents and brothers would lose their minds over that one. In the past month, my contact list had grown considerably. Each week left me with a new number to add. Tyler insisted, in case I ever needed help from one of them. His exact words were: