38: Celebration at Last

With some cajoling, Aiden convinces me to accompany him back down to the rink. Fans on all sides call out to get our attention as Aiden leads me back to the crowd of his teammates. I feel a bit embarrassed by the attention, but I’m bursting with too much pride to focus on that right now. As soon as Aiden and I return to the team, they start cheering for him and slapping him on the back. A few teammates share excited smiles with me — it’s not much, but it certainly feels like a start to some kind of acceptance. Even I feel swept up by the excited energy as they all begin to chant. “Freeze! Freeze! Freeze!” Soon enough, the whole audience is whipped into a frenzy of chanting. I can’t help but chant along. Aiden wraps an arm around me as I do, looking like he’s on top of the world. I feel inspired by the spirit surrounding us. I lean up to whisper in Aiden’s ear. He tips his head so that I can reach him. “Why don’t we host a celebration at our place?” Aiden’s eyes light up with even