the choice • charlie conway

chapter eighteen

charlie

Sadie has barely talked to me for over a week.

I know she's mad that I forgot our anniversary, but it's not like I forgot entirely. I went home after school yesterday, grabbed her gift, and ran it to her dorm, which made me extremely late for practice. I think that deserves a bit of credit, even if it's a week late.

She even texted me to thank me and to tell me how much she loves everything I put in it, so I think everything is fine. I think she just needs some time to cool off, which I'm perfectly fine with giving her.

At least we still did our couple costume this past weekend at Justin's halloween party, and I think we killed it. We dressed as Jessie and Woody from Toy Story, and if I'm being honest, we were the best costume by far.

The team is in playoff mode, and Orion has us skating like never before. I swear I lost something like ten pounds at practice today, because that's how much he had us skating.

As Adam, Guy and I walk into the dorm, I'm the first one to bring it up. "Man, I'm beat. Orion killed me today."

Adam shrugs. "It wasn't that bad. Wilson was way worse last year."

"Easy for you to say, Mr. All-State Athlete of the Year." Guy chimes in, and I watch as Adam's face goes red. He hates having any type of attention on him, which is pretty ironic for someone who's insanely good at hockey and has disgustingly good looks. When he won Minnesota's most prestigious athletic award at the varsity sports end of the year banquet last year, let's just say that he got a bit overwhelmed with how many people came up to him in school.

Our second playoff game is tomorrow and we're playing MPA, the team the girls soccer team lost to in the finals last year and the team Adam and the rest of the hockey team beat last year for the state championship.

I won't lie, I'm really nervous. Sure, the loss of the seniors like Rick Riley suck. They were good and left a solid mark on the program. But the biggest lost to the Warriors this school year is the loss of Scooter.

Scooter Holland was... just incredible. He's the sole reason why Eden Hall hockey was what it was for the past four years. Even though I know he's going to kill it in college, the fact that he's not here anymore is terrifying. Julie is going to need to be on her game at all times if we want a shot at winning states. We can't break the streak.

"Don't say that." Adam says to Guy, narrowing his eyes at him. "Just because I won that award thing doesn't mean I don't think Orion isn't working me. I just think the way Wilson coached is different than Orion, and in my opinion he was worse."

I look at Guy and know he wants to counter, but he shuts his mouth instead. Adam will probably win if they start arguing, because he's right when it comes to comparing the coaches. He's played under both of them and knows their similarities and differences when it comes to their style of coaching.

The vibe in the room is very tense, and I'm not sure if anyone knows what to say. After another minute of extremely awkward silence, I finally speak up. "So... does anyone want to come get dinner with me?"

Adam and Guy look at each other and shrug before getting off the couch and joining me. I text in the varsity group chat as we walk across campus, extending the offer to everyone else. Most respond to my message with a thumbs up, which makes my job to get our usual table once we're in the dining hall.

Luckily, our table is empty once we get in there and I do my best to save it while Adam and Guy get their food. Once they come back to the table, I get up and walk into the kitchen. As I'm in line, I notice a very familiar head of red hair a few people in front of me, and I immediately smile seeing her.

As soon as I'm out of the kitchen, I speed up to catch up with her. "Sade, hey!"

She turns around and looks shocked to see me, which makes me feel very unsettled. "Hi Charlie. What's up?"

Okay, this is definitely weird. "I'm getting dinner and wanted to say hi to my girlfriend. What's up with you?"

"Nothing. Listen, I have to go. My team's waiting for me."

"Oh." I'm getting more weirded out by the second, but maybe she just needs more time to cool down. "Do you want to hang out later? Maybe study in the library after this?"

"Uhhh, I'll see if I can. Bye Char." With that, she turns around and leaves me standing in the middle of the dining hall like an idiot.

I walk back to my table and sit down, trying to figure out what the hell just happened. I guess my face gave away what I'm feeling, because Caiden immediately says something. "Yo Conway, you alright?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I won't show it, but the food in front of me isn't looking very appetizing right now. Maybe I'm just overthinking this all.

"You look like you just saw a ghost. Did one of the lunch ladies poison your food or something?" he jokes, causing the team to laugh. I guess my fake laugh isn't as convincing as I wanted it to be, because now Drew says something too. "Seriously Conway, what's up with you?"

How am I supposed to respond to this? Admit to my entire team that I screwed up, gave my girlfriend the time she clearly needed and deserved to cool down, and she still isn't talking to me?

I take a deep breath and force myself to eat some food, so I can think carefully about how to respond. "Nothing's wrong Mullsie. Just your typical night before a big game jitters."

I watch as his face relaxes and he breaks into a grin. "Relax Conway, we'll be fine! MPA is no match for us. Right boys?"

The other juniors, seniors, and even Adam join in with lots of reassuring comments. Looking at the other Ducks, they seemed to have relaxed too. Drew even gives Julie a little pep talk, which she seems to appreciate.

I feel a bit better after dinner, even though Sadie and I don't end up hanging out. I guess she just needs more time to cool down, which I'm more than happy to give her.

I just hope she doesn't decide to make me wait forever, or even break up with me. I really don't know what I would do with myself if she did.

**a/n**
hi guys i'm sorry this chapter is horrifically bad i'm trying to incorporate more of sadie and charlie's respective sports seasons into it, and so the drama can last longer. i don't really have any ideas for it except for the end of the story, so this is why i keep dragging everything out. please be patient with me, i promise it'll be worth it. i'm so thankful for you all and the support you've shown me <3