But, there at the end of the hall was Mandy, smiling at him. She was leaning against the wall, trying not to stand out. And people barely noticed her as they bumped and pushed past her. But, she stood out to him.
His dad got mad at him once. And in the middle of a fight, his dad demanded to know why he stayed with "the fat loser girl." It was the closest Kip had ever come to hitting his father, or to walking out all together.
"Don't ever speak about her like that again. She'll be the mother to your grandchildren someday."
His dad backed down from him. Everyone always wanted to know what he saw in Mandy. He'd once explained what intrigued him in the first place, maybe she needed a reminder.
So, there he was in the hallway after winning that big important game, and Mandy was standing there, waiting for him. He walked past everyone in the hall, ignoring their shouts and congratulations. "Hey," he said to her, his heart in his throat, making it hard to talk. "I'm sorry, I"m sweaty."
"I don't care. You were amazing out there."
He felt the same flush heat his face. "Thank you. I was playing for you. It makes me so happy knowing you're out there."
"I'm always out there hoping for you."
He wrapped his arms around her, picking her up in his arms. He realized belatedly that he should have removed his mask first, so he could kiss her. "Then I'm always a winner."
The shout of his name broke him out of his flashback. It was Aleksander Lundin, the teams other goalie. Kip nearly groaned, he'd just sat down and was getting undressed. There was a hot shower waiting for him and then the arms of the most wonderful woman in the world. "Yo?" he said, pulling off his helmet and running his hand through his wet hair. He looked up at the 24-year old who was standing in front of him.
"Good game man," Aleksander said, in his Scandinavian accent. Kip couldn't remember which country the kid came from.
"Thanks." What more could he say. The kid stood there, and Kip felt like he was growing older by the minute. Did he want to go over every minute of the game with Kip? "Sit down. You're making me nervous."
"Nah, s'okay. You wanna get home to your girl, no?"
"No. I mean yes." Kip let out a chuckle at himself. "I do want to." He paused mid-pad removal. "Thanks for the congrats. It does mean a lot to me."