In the Net

II

   "Ohmygod, you were amazing!" I didn't even see Emma until she smacked into me in a full-on Emma Hug. It was all I could do to keep my sticks from flying out of my hand.

   Next to me, Clink snickered. "Enthusiastic girlfriend you got there, Jake."

   Emma pulled back and stared at him. Then she shot me a look that said, "Does he know?" Clink caught it and laughed.

   "I'm just teasing," he said.

   Emma glanced at him, and I could see her eyes go up and down his lanky figure before she turned back to me. "Who is this?" she asked annoyedly, jerking her thumb in his direction. "And please don't tell me he's your new boyfriend, because I don't think I approve."

   Clink tossed his head back and let out a roaring laugh. My face went bright red. "Emma, no! He's..."

   Clink winked at me and stuck his hand out to Emma, dropping his hockey bag to the lobby floor at his feet. "Name's Sam, but you can call me Clink. I'm a friend of Jake's."

   "Emma." Crinkling her nose the slightest bit as though about to pick a sock out of Clink's reeking hockey bag, she took his hand. He grasped hers tight and shook it hard, as only Clink could, a huge, toothy grin on his face. Her whole face scrunched up and she tried to pull away. I couldn't help laughing a bit.

   Finally, Clink released her. "Pleased to meet you, Emma!" He was enjoying this.

   "You too," Emma said, her voice dripping sarcasm. She wiped her hand on her jeans and grabbed my sleeve. "Come on, Jake, let's go grab some lunch."

   "Well, I can see I'm not invited," Clink said in a voice that reminded me of a cheesily cheerful Santa Claus. He punched me on the shoulder and dropped the act, his lop-sided grin spreading itself across his face. "I'll catch you later, Jake."

   Emma shot him a look out of the corner of her eye and began pulling me across the lobby.

   "Don't forget, results'll be posted back here in about an hour!" Clink called after us. I turned and nodded as best I could with Emma holding me hostage. But he wasn't done. "And, hey, Emma!"

   With a huff, she dropped my arm and whirled. "What?" she growled through clenched teeth. She was falling so hard for his bait.

   "I'm straight," he said, flashing her a wink before turning and heading in the opposite direction.

   "Ugh, what a prick!" Emma banged the lobby doors open and marched through them. I had to do some crazy footwork to avoid their rebound as I followed her, but I was grinning. I couldn't wait to get Clink and Emma back together.

   "So! Let's talk hockey!" There was a loud sucking noise as Emma's mouth pulled in half of her milkshake in one go. She swallowed and put a French fry between her teeth. When I made no move to answer her, she raised one of her enviable eyebrows and nodded at me to say something.

   "Hockey...well, it went well, I guess..."

   She rolled her eyes and pulled the French fry out of her mouth. "Come on, Jake. I wanna hear every little detail! Were the locker rooms bad? Were there any cuties?" She wiggled her eyebrows at me, trailing the French fry absentmindedly in her ketchup. "Tell me about your try-out! Were you freaking out? You looked fantastic! What were you thinking when you passed off the puck right before the buzzer went? What was it like to play hockey in a real arena for once?"

   "Emma, slow down!" 

   But she didn't hear me. "That guy was kind of cute, you know, that one who made the shot? And that other guy, the one who tried to block you? Was that Clay Wagman? Ew... The other kids weren't very good, were they..."