THE FINAL PERIOD

SCORE AND I KILL

The first message arrived seven hours before the semi-final.

I was sitting on the edge of my bed, tightening the laces of my hockey skates and shaking my head to the music from the headphones when my phone buzzed. And it was a message from an unknown number.

DO NOT SCORE TONIGHT.

I stared at it for a few seconds before laughing out loud.

A prank…It had to be.

People did stupid things before important games. Maybe someone from the opposing team had found my number, or one of the girls was trying to mess with me. I deleted the message, then forgot about it…Or at least, I tried to.

Eight hours and eighteen minutes later, the scoreboard glowed above the rink.

ST. BERNARD —2

WESTBROOK —2

The entire arena was on its feet for the remaining twenty-three seconds, and more than ten thousand voices blended into one enormous roar that shook the glass surrounding the rink.

My lungs were burning, my legs felt like they had been filled with lead, and all my bones were rattling under my flesh, but I kept skating.

Suddenly, I saw the puck sliding across the ice toward me and, at the same time, felt my phone vibrate against my waistband. For one stupid second, instinct took over, and my hand moved toward my waistband.

“Focus, Tori .”

Our coach's voice jolted me back to reality, making me drop my shoulder, accelerate, and reach for the puck.

A defender closed in, but it was too late; I had already pulled the puck toward me, slipped past her, drew my stick back, and shot toward a narrow opening between the defenseman and the goalkeeper.

The puck flew like a bullet, and for half a heartbeat, the entire world seemed to hold its breath as it struck the inside of the post and ricocheted into the net.

Goal!

The horn exploded through the arena, and the goal light flashed red.

The arena erupted into chaos; my teammates screamed from the bench, and someone jumped over the boards, while another player crashed into me so hard that I nearly lost my balance.

"Tori!"

"We're going to the final!"

"You did it!"

ST. BERNARD — 3

WESTBROOK — 2

There was still time on the clock, but only seconds. Yet, the opposition took the face-off and tried to rush forward, but we shut them down until the final horn sounded.

I had done it!

I had taken us to the final!

Over ten thousand voices rose around me and chanted my name, and I lifted my stick above my head. And for a moment, I felt invincible.

This was what I'd dreamed about since I was a little girl. The reason why I'd endured the bruises, injuries, early morning jogs and exercise, and endless training sessions.

For the nights when my legs hurt so badly, I could barely climb the stairs.

My heart skipped a beat when my phone vibrated again, and I slowly slipped my hand beneath my jersey, pulled the phone out, and opened the message icon.

SCORE AND I KILL.

The smile disappeared from my face, and for almost a minute, I forgot how to breathe.

"Just a prank," I whispered. "A stunt taken too far."

Someone must have found my number online.

That was all…It was nothing.

But the words sounded weak, even to my own ears. Yet, I locked my phone and shoved it back into my waistband.

Two arms suddenly wrapped around my neck from behind, and a tiny squeak escaped my mouth.

Vivian was grinning at me when I turned.

"Hey, superstar. What's up?"

"Oh, Vivian…I'm good."

The smile slowly disappeared from her face as she studied me. She'd known me since kindergarten, so she could tell I was lying before I even finished.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"I said I'm fine."

Her eyebrows knitted together when she asked, "Are you sure?"

"Actually, I just—"

"Hey, Tori!"

Just like a kid who had just been told Christmas was coming twice this year,

Coach Miller had the kind of grin I'd never seen on him before as he skated towards us.

"You girls!" he shouted. "Get your arses over here. We're all waiting for you!"

I exhaled deeply and said to Vivian, "Come on, we'll talk about it later."

She didn't look convinced, but she followed me.

The locker room was chaotic: music blasted from a portable speaker, someone danced on a bench, another sprayed water everywhere, and the smell of sweat, champagne, and ice clung to the room.

And in the middle of it all stood Sarah, who had, as usual, appointed herself the official entertainer of the team.

She was wearing nothing but her sports bra and underwear, holding a microphone she'd somehow stolen from the arena announcer, and then screaming with all her might as she raised the microphone dramatically.

"And here comes the woman of the match… The unstoppable Tori Hayes!"

The room exploded with the chants of my name, and I could not help but smile when Sarah pointed the microphone at me.

“Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome the woman who just dragged St. Bernard into the championship final with a round of applause .”

"Dragged huh?"

I placed my palms over my heaving chest. " I carried you guys to the championship. "

The room erupted with laughter, and I bowed and smiled when they chanted my name.

"Tori!"

"Tori!"

"Tori!"

For a moment, I wish this moments would last forever.

Coach Miller appeared beside me and handed me a champagne bottle.

"Say something, Tori."

I looked around at my teammates, at their faces flushed with excitement. And the room slowly quieted when I lifted the champagne.

"In five days..." The room was as quiet as a graveyard.

"In five days, I'm going to be standing right here with the championship cup in my hands."

"The cup!" The team roared as I popped the cork, and Champagne exploded into the air.