The arena was buzzing, that smell of cold ice and sweaty hockey gear was everywhere, but I didn't even care. The Blue Bulls just took second place in the championship, and even though they didn't win the whole thing, Mitchell looked so good out there. My man. My blonde-haired, brown-eyed star.
He grabbed the mic, and his voice echoed through the whole place, making my heart start thumping as if it was going to explode.
"I have a very important question to ask the love of my life," Mitchell said, and the crowd went absolutely feral. "And the most important person I could invite to witness it is already here."
"Ouuuuu, finally we get to see that important person!" the fans were screaming.
I was literally vibrating in my seat. I held my hands together, trying to keep my breathing steady. Catherine, my literal ride-or-die bestie, tapped my shoulder. I looked into her dark eyes and she was just beaming.
"Congratulations, girl," she whispered. "Finally you get to be a fiancée."
I smiled so hard it hurt. Right next to Catherine was Jessica, my twin sister. And look, I know what you're thinking, twin sister? Yeah, but we only share the same time. We aren't identical at all. I'm the one who looks like our dad; dark skin, 5'8, curvy, blue eyes. Jess? She's our mom's mini-me. Straight black hair, petite, and, well, let's just say she's got a huge cup size that she's never been shy about. She's got that "pretty privilege" that makes heads turn the second she walks into a room. Me? I usually just end up getting sexualized while people actually look at her. But honestly? Having her as my twin was the best thing that ever happened to me.
Mitchell started walking toward the stands. He jumped over the iron fence like a total movie star. Reporters were tripping over themselves, cameras flashing everywhere because everyone wanted to see who this "guest" was.
"Get up, sweetheart, he's here!" Catherine squealed, showing all thirty-two of her teeth like she was the one getting the ring.
I stood up. I held my hands out, looking at him so intensely, waiting for him to grab them and tell me he loved me. My blood rushing, I could hear it in my ears whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
And then... he walked past me.
"Mitchell?" I called out. My voice sounded small to me, but he was right there. I know for a fact he heard me.
He didn't stop. He walked right past Catherine, too. Everyone following him stopped a few feet behind. A reporter literally shoved me out of the way, but I fought to stay close to Catherine. I grabbed her hand, my fingers trembling. Then, Mitchell dropped. He got down on one knee.
"Is he not seeing well? What's wrong, Mitchell?" I shouted, my voice cracking. "I'm right here!"
I actually stood up on top of my chair so he could see me over the crowd. But then... I felt Catherine's hand leave mine.
"Oh my ghaaaaad, finally!" she screamed, covering her mouth.
I looked at her, then followed her eyes. My heart didn't just drop, it died. Mitchell was kneeling right in front of Jessica. My twin. My sister.
He opened the red box. A diamond ring was staring back at her, sparkling under the arena lights. Jessica's hands went to her mouth, but she didn't look surprised. Not even a little.
Catherine didn't even look at me. She climbed onto her own chair because the crowd was swarming us now, everyone trying to get a glimpse of their favorite player.
"Catherine, that's supposed to be mine," I said, reaching for her hand again, desperate for her to tell me this was a joke. "Catherine?"
She didn't just ignore me. She shoved me. Hard.
I stumbled back, my feet catching on the seats. I fell so badly, landing in the next row right on my butt. My eyes blurred, tears stinging as I tried to process the literal ground falling out from under me.
"Jessica Simpson," Mitchell's voice boomed through the speakers. "You've been my backbone since I started hockey. You supported me in ways no one ever did. And now, I want us to take this relationship to the next level."
The crowd started chanting: "SAY YES! SAY YES!"
I saw Max. I saw Richard. All his teammates were there, circling them like a protective wall. And they were all cheering. Catherine was screaming the loudest.
Maybe she's about to tell him he's making a mistake, I thought. My brain was literally melting. I got up, pushing through the bodies, ignoring the bruises forming on my legs. I finally broke through the circle and met their eyes.
"Jessica? Mitchell?" I called out.
Nothing.
I stood right there, two feet away from them. I looked at Jessica, waiting for her to look at me with guilt, or confusion, or anything. But they both looked at me like I was a smudge on the glass of the rink. No it was worse. They looked at me with this cold, "why are you still here" expression. It was like I was a ghost. Completely invisible.
I felt so embarrassed, so small, that I couldn't even breathe. My legs felt so stiff, like they were made of stone, but the heat in my face was screaming at me to move. I staggered, mixing my steps as I turned around and just started running. I didn't care who I hit or what I dropped. I just had to get out before I completely shattered