Meant For You

sixty-five.

Miles Dempsey

Today was the day my life was going to change.
Either for the worst or the best.
Game 5. We need one more win and we're world champions.

Even though I've been ghost today and yesterday from everyone doesn't mean I haven't seen the messages. Before big games like this, I don't like to see what people are saying. In the media especially. The text messages I got were mostly from Mom and Nola.

The rest were from outside friends, Nola's parents, Bethany, and even Tiffany. She's been really busy these days but I could tell how excited she was from her message. I'm her best client for sure. She knows there's a bonus coming her way.

Drew has already given his big speech before tonight's game. A couple other guys also said some words and our coaches too. I can feel the nerves floating in the atmosphere. Most of them might be radiating off of me. Everyone does their pre-game rituals to themselves and there's very minimal chatter.

JT and Tate are both locked in. I can feel how much everyone in the room wants this. We could either become World Champs today or not. A loss wouldn't mean we're out of the race but everyone wants to shut it down today. Including me. That's the plan.

Another thirty minutes pass by and we slowly start clearing the locker room. Tate comes up behind me, "We've gotta end it here, man." I turn my head just a couple of inches as we begin getting closer to the ice. "We'll make it happen." Once the first player steps out, the crowd goes crazy. Crypto Arena is sold out tonight and the sea of fans mostly wear black and silver.

Chills go up and down my spine and the chanting just hypes me up even more. This is it. This is the moment I've been waiting for since my parents put a hockey stick in my hand. All the blood, sweat, and tears throughout my entire hockey career have led up to this point. I've never been on a stage this big.

This game was our moment.

Our moment to show all our doubters that they were wrong. No one believed in us this year. They thought we would have another terrible season and we turned that around in the first couple of weeks of the season. We've been proving our doubters wrong for months now. "Time to shut them up," I mumble to myself.

The starting line-ups start showing on the big screen and JT skates past me. "We got this, don't we?" he asks, yelling over the noise. "Of course we do, baby. Go out there and do your thing, Jay." I smack his arm and he smiles. Can't see his actual teeth since they're under a mouthguard but I still see that grin. As he skates away, I realize how proud of him I am.

Moving away from Vancouver wasn't an easy adjustment for him. JT is really close to his dad and step-mom. I remember how much he struggled the first couple of weeks. How it was affecting his game and guys on the team were talking smack about how he was a waste of a draft pick. Bullshit. From the moment I saw the kid on the ice I knew he'd be the next big thing.

All he needed was support and a boost of confidence. Tate and I were there to uplift him and show him just how to adjust. He's a special kid, man. Not just because of hockey. I've never met anyone like him in my life. JT has become a special part of my life and I'm not going to lie, I'll miss him once he finally decides to move out on his own. He's already talking about getting a car once the season is over.

I love him to death. He's like my little brother. I'm excited for him don't get me wrong, I just hope I can call him a teammate for life. Especially after he wins Rookie of the Year in a couple of weeks. I'll be there for that.