Page 180 of The Pucking Coach's Daughter
I snicker.
We don’t see any sign of Brandon, but the volleyball teams come out of the doors on the far side. It’s not St. James, at least. The colors of this opposing team are dark green and gold. The girls are all tall and muscular, some more lean than others. I spot Dylan and smile.
What quickly becomes apparent, however, is that I know nothing about volleyball. Maddy and Penn don’t seem to really know much either. All I know is that they have to get it over the net, stay within the lines…
Yeah, my knowledge is nonexistent.
Either way, I follow along with the FSU crowd and cheer when they do. I jump to my feet when Dylan dives for the ball and gets her hands under it, saving her team from ending the volley. Get it, volleyball? No?
Oliver doesn’t seem to know much either. Whenever I glance back, he’s squinting at the court like he’s trying to puzzle it out. But I’m sure as hell not going to ask him anything about it.
When the game ends, our team comes out ahead.
Thank God.
“Do you want to go say hi?” Maddy asks me.
I force a nod.
We head down to the floor, and Maddy winds effortlessly through the crowd. I stick close behind her, and soon we’re in front of Dylan and some other girls on the team.
“Hey,” Maddy greets her. “You were awesome!”
Dylan thanks her, but her gaze is pulled to me. “You came.”
“Yeah.”
“Why?” Her tone isn’t exactly warm.
“Because I wanted to see you,” I say. “And if I was in any place to go last week, I would’ve. I’m sorry that I didn’t make it.”
Her brows furrow. “Brandon said you had some sort of episode.”
“Dylan!” Maddy smacks her arm. “Seriously?”
“No, it’s okay.” I take a breath. “I didn’t… I was in a bad headspace. I didn’t leave my room most of the week. Not until my dad and stepmom came over and forced me into action.”
Dylan grimaces. “My mom has depressive episodes that sound a lot like that. I’m sorry, Sydney, I just… I assumed when you didn’t reply to our texts that you just needed some space. This semester has been a lot, but it still hurt.”
I look away.
“Now we know,” Maddy adds. “If you go AWOL, we’ll just break into your apartment.”
That brings a smile to my lips. “Thanks.”
“Coming, Dyl?” one of her teammates calls.
Dylan glances back and waves, then faces us again. “Want to do dinner tomorrow?"
The invitation is aimed at me.
“Absolutely,” I say.
Penn appears at my shoulder. “I’ve got to go.”
“What? Where?"
His expression is pinched. “Some of the guys are planning on hitting up a St. James party. They won their game tonight, which probably means most of the players are going to be there. They want to make a scene… fight.”