Noah finally nods, a genuine smile spreading across his face. “Then it will work out. Somehow.” He claps me on the shoulder. “And remember, I’ve been through something like this before, so if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here for you. I know Dunaway better than most people.”

“Yeah, thanks. I’ll keep that in mind,” I tell him, and he nods and leaves me on the bench by myself. My head’s swirling with thoughts and emotions after the conversation, and for the first time since my injury, I’m almost afraid to stand up because it’s making me feel a little woozy again. I can’t tell if it’s what Noah said, my injury, or both, but I’m not feeling the greatest.

But I’ve got to get it together because I still have a speech to give at the school today. So I scrub my face with my hand and run it through my hair, then force myself up off the bench while I mentally rehearse what I’m going to say.

I’ve been practicing it a lot, timing myself in the mirror and using all the other tips we get for public speaking, but I’ve been distracted with everything that’s been going on, and then I took the hit on the ice, so everything is a little rough around the edges. I could probably cancel or at least reschedule it for a time when I’m feeling more up to it, but I don’t want to let anyone down. And I know I can handle it.

When I got back to my condo last night, Hannah came over and watched me practice one more time.

“You’re overthinking it,” she said to me when I admitted I was nervous, wrapping her arms around me as I stood in front of the mirror. “Just be yourself. That’s who they want to hear from.”

Her words play through my head as I shower quickly and head for the school, which isn’t too far from the arena. I rehearse my lines over and over while I ride, but even though I’ve gone over them a million times at this point, I’m still having trouble with a couple of them. Part of me wonders if that has something to do with the concussion, but there isn’t anything I can really do about it now.

You’re gonna be fine. Just imagine everyone in the crowd is Hannah.

That thought alone brings a smile to my face. She’s already sat and listened to me rehearsing this so many times that she could probably recite it from memory too. I wish she could be with me for the real thing, but she’s busy today, so I’ll just have to settle for replacing everyone in the crowd with her smiling, beautiful face.