Offside in the Friend Zone novel · Chapter 24 of 24
Chapter 24: The Friend Zone
The Boxing Day skate at the Harbor Falls arena is the one day of the year the town fits inside the building.
By noon, six hundred people had packed the bleachers and the boards, and the air smelled of hot chocolate and wet mittens.
I stood at center ice with a microphone that squealed twice.
Rolf was at the gate with his whistle and a face like a man waiting to see a penalty shot.
Henrik stood beside him with his cap pulled low and the puck in his pocket.
I had promised the town a speech, and I had written nothing down.
"Thanks for coming," I said.
"Before the free skate, I have something to say, and it's about me."
The bleachers murmured.
Somebody's toddler yelled for cocoa.
"Five years ago, Henrik Aldahl left this town for the pros," I said.
"Most of you think he walked out on me, and I let you think it."
"I let you say his name like a curse at the hardware store and the bakery for five years."
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–12 of Offside in the Friend Zone are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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