Face Off

by P. J. Trebelhorn

  “I can’t tell you that.” Gail sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She shook her head and looked Savannah in the eye. “You’re coming with us to Chicago, but you’re sitting out the game.”

  “Why?”

  “Looking at your face right now, you probably shouldn’t have come back in this one, but I listened to you when you said you were ready to go.”

  “I was ready.” Savannah stood and walked to the door. With her hand on the knob, she glanced back at Gail. “I’m fine to play.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Gail said after a few seconds, but Savannah knew once she’d made up her mind, Gail rarely changed it.

  Savannah went right to Kelly and placed a hand on her shoulder as Kelly was tying her shoes.

  “I’m not going out drinking tonight.”

  “Yeah, I figured.” Kelly grinned at her. “Damn, that’s a fancy shade of purple.”

  “Fuck off,” Savannah said good-naturedly as she shoved her. “I’m just going back to the hotel and get some sleep. You can go out if you want. Don’t worry about me.”

  * * *

  Savannah still hadn’t spoken with Maddie since she’d left, and a part of her didn’t even want to turn her phone on. She knew there’d be messages from her, and she didn’t feel like dealing with any of it tonight. But she knew Lisa and Faith had listened to the game on the radio because they always did, and they would no doubt be worried about her. She had to turn her phone on so she could call them.

  Just as she suspected, there were four voice mails, and more than a few texts, all from Maddie, and all imploring her to call. She decided she would, after calling her moms.

  “Lisa’s going crazy,” Faith said when she answered her call. “It’s a good thing you called.”

  “I figured.” Savannah chuckled. “I’m fine. A cut and a bruise. No big deal.”

  “Yeah, I think she was more worried about the profanity laden tirade you went on after getting your misconduct penalty.”

  “Not my finest moment,” Savannah admitted with a sigh.

  “Are you going to get a suspension for it?”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised. These officials were assholes.” Savannah closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the pillows she’d propped up on her bed. A suspension wasn’t something she’d even considered, and even though she didn’t remember the bulk of what she’d actually said in the heat of the moment, she supposed she did verbally abuse the officials, which was grounds for suspension. What a perfect end to an utterly horrible weekend it would be.

  “What’s going on with you and Maddie?” Faith asked, her voice not much more than a whisper, which Savannah assumed was so Lisa couldn’t hear the question. “She called here earlier and wanted to know if we’d heard from you. I didn’t tell Lisa she called.”

  “It’s nothing,” Savannah said, closing her eyes again. She was a horrible liar but thought maybe it would be easier over the phone, when she wouldn’t have to look the other person in the eye as she lied. “I’m going to call her when I hang up with you.”

  “Well, I don’t believe you, but as long as you work things out, I guess it doesn’t really matter. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

  Savannah nodded even though she knew Faith couldn’t see her do so. She felt tears welling up, but she swallowed them down. Why hadn’t she ever confided in Faith about what happened with Shauna? It was the one big regret she had in life.

  “I do know, and I love you for it,” she finally managed to say.

  “All right. I’ll tell Lisa you’re fine, and we’ll see you when you get back on Friday.” Faith sighed. “I love you, Vanna.”

  “You’re such a dork,” Savannah said with a laugh. They hung up and Savannah stared at her phone, dreading the next call she had to make. She half expected Maddie to call before she had the chance. She took a deep breath and pushed the button to call her. She answered after only the second ring.

  “Thank God, Savannah, where have you been?”

  “I left a message last night, then I turned the phone off so I could get some sleep,” Savannah said. “I completely forgot it was off until I got back to the hotel after the game tonight. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m just glad you’re okay,” Maddie said with a sigh of what Savannah assumed was relief. “Or are you? I listened on the radio tonight. What happened?”

  “I took a stick to the face. It’s just a cut and a bruise.” Savannah sat up and put her feet on the floor. “It’s one of the hazards of playing hockey.”

  “I thought they were supposed to blow the whistle if someone’s helmet comes off.”

  “It happened pretty fast. There was a scramble in front of the net and somehow it came off, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ice and there was blood all over the place.”

  “But you’re okay now?”

  “I’m fine, Maddie,” Savannah said, even though she was starting to get one hell of a headache. “I might not play the next game though, and there’s a possibility of a suspension because I said some pretty nasty things to the officials. I might need you to pick me up before Friday if that happens.”

  “Just let me know, and I’ll be there whenever you need me to be,” Maddie said, but Savannah thought she sounded reluctant. She decided not to ask her about why.

  “I need to go,” Savannah said after a moment. “We have to be on the bus early in the morning, and I really need to get some sleep.”

  “Oh, okay.” Maddie was disappointed, that much was obvious. “Are we okay?”

  “Of course we are,” Savannah said, remembering what Kelly had said the night before about being in the can’t keep your hands off each other phase, and hoped they really were okay. “I’ll call you if I’m coming home before Friday.”

  They ended the call with both of them saying they missed each other, which caused the worry to grow in the pit of Savannah’s stomach again, but she did her best to ignore it. Kelly was probably right, and there was nothing to fret about. Everything she’d learned about Maddie in the past few months led her to believe she was nothing at all like Shauna, and she clung to the thought as she tried to fall asleep.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Maddie really had no choice but to believe Savannah when she’d said they were okay. She hadn’t sounded upset about anything when they’d spoken the other night, but Maddie couldn’t get rid of the sense something had gone wrong between them somewhere between leaving Faith and Lisa’s and when she’d dropped her off at the bus Saturday afternoon. She tried to shake the feeling off, and tried to convince herself everything would be all right when Savannah got back.

  But right now, she was dreading the fact Mary was going to turn up at Dana’s house sometime today. Part of her wanted to just hide away at home and try to avoid her until she gave up and returned to Chicago, but the more mature part of her knew she should just find out what Mary wanted and get it over with.

  Dana was going to call her when Mary showed up, so there was no point in sweating about it until she got the call. Hell, it was almost four o’clock now, so maybe she’d changed her mind about coming. She threw on a sweatshirt and took Duke out into the backyard to expend some of his energy by playing fetch with a tennis ball. By the time he brought it back for the third time, her phone began vibrating in her pocket. She tossed the ball one more time before swiping the screen to answer.

  “Hi, Dana,” she said. “I take it she’s arrived?”

  “She has,” Dana replied with a sigh.

  “Did she tell you what she wants?”

  “She wants to talk to you. She’s offered to buy us all pizza if you’ll come over for dinner.”

  “Damn it, I have nothing to say to her, Dana.” Duke dropped the ball at her feet and sat as he looked up at her, his tail wagging. She threw it again before turning and going back into the house. “Did you tell her that?”

  “I did. She’s being really nice, Mads, it’s kind of creepy.”

  “Of course
she’s being nice. She wants something.”

  “What could it hurt to come over here for dinner? We’ll all be here too, so it isn’t like anything bad is going to happen.”

  “Fine. I’ll be there at six.” Savannah disconnected and resisted throwing her phone against the wall in the kitchen. She leaned forward with her elbows on the counter. She usually took Duke with her when she went to Dana’s, but she wasn’t going to do it tonight. Maddie wasn’t completely sure Mary wasn’t here to try to take Duke back, so she wasn’t going to risk him being there and vulnerable.

  She sighed and headed to her room to get dressed but stopped when she heard Duke whining at the back door. She let him in and sat on the couch with him for a few minutes, telling him how much she loved him, and how she was never going to let Mary take him away from her. He stared at her as she spoke, his head tilted to one side as if he actually understood what she was saying.

  “You’re such a good boy, Duke.” She held his face in her hands and kissed him on the snout. She took a deep breath as she stood. Might as well get it over with.

  * * *

  “Hi, Trent,” Maddie said when he opened the front door to let her in. She looked into the living room but didn’t see anyone.

  “She’s in the kitchen with Dana,” he said, obviously able to read her mind. “Where’s Duke?”

  “He never really liked Mary, so I left him at home.”

  “He has good taste.”

  “I should have taken the hint when he attached himself to me after she brought him home. Dogs are good judges of character.”

  She gave him her jacket to hang up, then followed him into the kitchen. When she saw Mary standing there talking to Dana, Maddie wanted to strangle her. How dare she show up here after what she’d done to her? She took a deep breath and then plastered on her best fake smile before going to hug her sister.

  “Hi, Maddie,” Mary said. When Maddie looked at her, she could tell Mary was going to try to hug her too, so she put a hand up and stepped back. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “Wish I could say the same.” Maddie folded her arms over her chest and leaned her hip against the counter. “What are you doing here, Mary?”

  “I just wanted to see you.”

  “Why?” Maddie could feel herself starting to shake, but she thought she was doing a good job of hiding it. “I’m pretty sure we didn’t end things amicably, and I seem to remember telling you I never wanted to see you again. And to ensure that, I moved here.”

  “Can we talk please?” Mary asked, strangely calm. Maddie was surprised because Mary was always quick to lose her temper. The woman standing before her was at odds with the woman she once knew. “In private?”

  “Whatever you have to say you can say in front of Trent and Dana. It will save me the trouble of having to tell them everything later.”

  Mary shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she stared at her feet, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze. Maddie almost felt sorry for her, but then she recalled Mary’s infidelity and subsequent claim she’d never loved Maddie, coupled with the possessive way she treated her, and her anger was instantly back.

  “Fine,” Mary said with a sigh. She looked at Maddie with some of her old defiance. “I want you back, Maddie. My life is so empty without you. I came here to convince you to come home with me.”

  Maddie barked out a laugh. She couldn’t help it. Did she really think there was a chance in hell Maddie would go back to her? She knew she was standing there with her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. Maddie was that shocked by her statement.

  “I think it’s pretty safe to say it is not going to happen,” Dana said, looking at Maddie as though she was worried about her. She squeezed Maddie’s arm, and that seemed to bring her out of her stupor.

  “Never,” Maddie said, shaking her head. “Not in a million years, and not if you were the last woman left on earth.”

  “At least say you’ll think about it,” Mary said. Trent laughed this time, but he didn’t say anything.

  “I don’t need to think about it,” Maddie said, trying her best to keep her voice at an even keel. “You cheated on me. You. And, I might add, you made it pretty clear you were never in love with me. You wouldn’t let me have friends of my own or even go anywhere without you, so why the hell would I even consider going back to you? Have you lost your mind in the months since it all happened? Or did your new girlfriend dump you because you cheated on her too? You’ve got a lot of nerve.”

  “Mom, Dad, I’m home!” Amy yelled as the front door slammed shut. She was just getting home from basketball practice. “The game’s on at eight tonight because the Warriors are in Chicago. Oh, and Aunt Maddie’s girlfriend did not get suspended.”

  Maddie cringed as she felt Mary’s eyes boring into her. She’d never planned to tell Mary she was seeing anyone, mostly because it had nothing to do with her. Mary’s face was turning red. At least the Mary she knew was finally making herself known, though she had absolutely no reason to be pissed. They were done.

  “Girlfriend?” she asked, her voice tight. Trent left the room, no doubt to stop Amy from coming into the kitchen. “You have a girlfriend?”

  “Yes, she does,” Dana answered for her. “And they’re very much in love, so I suggest you go back to Chicago and get on with your life.”

  “What’s her name?” Mary asked, completely ignoring Dana.

  “It’s none of your fucking business, Mary.” Maddie gritted her teeth.

  “This isn’t over,” Mary said, stepping close to Maddie. “I’m here through the end of the week, so don’t think I’m just going to go away. I’m taking Duke back with me. He was my dog before you stole him.”

  “He’s not going anywhere with you. He doesn’t even like you.” Maddie followed her out of the kitchen toward the front door.

  “We’ll see how true that is when he sees me.” Mary grabbed her coat from the closet and slammed the door before turning back to Maddie. “Obviously, it was a mistake coming here, but I thought you’d appreciate the grand gesture being the hopeless romantic you are.”

  “You don’t know me at all.” Maddie opened the front door for her to make her exit easier. “Leave me the hell alone.”

  Mary laughed as she walked out the door, but Maddie slammed it as soon as she crossed the threshold. She rested her forehead against the door, her eyes closed. She was so angry she wanted to punch something, but since Mary was the only thing she really wanted to punch, she took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart.

  “You’ve never referred to Savannah as Aunt Maddie’s girlfriend,” she heard Trent saying to Amy, and Maddie felt a laugh bubbling up from her chest. “Why tonight, of all nights?”

  “I saw her car in the driveway,” Amy said, sounding panicked. “I only said it to tease her. I didn’t know Mary was here.”

  “It’s okay,” Maddie said, finding the entire situation humorous for some reason. She supposed it was simply the relief washing through her that Mary was gone. She turned and walked to Amy, gathering her in her arms for a hug. “It isn’t your fault, honey.”

  “I’m still sorry,” Amy said, speaking into Maddie’s shoulder.

  “So, Savannah wasn’t suspended?” Maddie asked as she pulled away from her and kissed her forehead. She wondered why Savannah hadn’t called and told her about it, but she didn’t dwell on it.

  “Yeah, but that’s all I heard.” Amy put an arm around her waist as they followed Dana back to the kitchen. “I’m sure they’ll talk about it on the radio tonight.”

  Maddie nodded. She couldn’t wait for Friday when she could see Savannah again.

  Chapter Thirty

  Savannah sat in the stands for their game in Chicago because Gail benched her as an example to the rest of the team. She didn’t really mind though, because she was able to sit with Lana who was there on a night off from the orchestra she played in.

  “So what hap
pened in Columbus?” Lana asked when she sat down before the start of the game. She turned in her seat to look at her and smiled. “Nice colors, by the way. Does it hurt?”

  “It looks a lot worse than it feels, to be honest.” Savannah touched her cheekbone lightly and shook her head.

  She explained everything that went down in the previous game, pausing a few times to watch the action on the ice before them. They were sitting right behind the team benches which gave Savannah great access to hear what was going on.

  “Court said you were probably facing a suspension,” Lana said when play stopped for an offside call. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but why didn’t you get one?”

  “The head of officials was present for the game, and he saw everything, including the high-stick the on-ice officials missed,” Savannah said, remembering back to earlier in the day when Gail told her about it. “Yes, I taunted her, and yes, I verbally abused the officials, but they understood my frustrations. Because I’d never been disciplined before, they gave me a warning this time. But the kicker is the referee has been suspended for three games.”

  “Wow.” Lana nodded her head in approval. “Well, congratulations. Why are you sitting out tonight then? Is your injury worse than the team’s letting on?”

  “Nah,” Savannah said, shaking her head. She watched as Hilton skated in on the goaltender and sent a wrist shot in that was easily turned away. I would have scored on that play. Most of the team would have. She wondered, not for the first time, what the brass saw in Hilton. She really wasn’t that good of a player. Savannah turned her attention back to Lana. “I woke up with a pretty nasty headache yesterday morning, and even though they put me through the concussion protocol during the game, they looked me over again. No concussion, but they thought it would be best for me to sit out a game.”

  “It’s good they’re erring on the side of caution,” Lana said.

  “I suppose, but I’d really rather be out there,” Savannah said, then she realized how it sounded. “No offense. Honestly, if I had to miss a game, this is where I’d want it to be. At least I have you to keep me company.”