Evan felt like a jerk, because it wasn’t like Barczyk was wrong.He didn’t think much of Barczyk’s personality and definitely didn’t approve of his style of play, but he wouldn’t say that to a teammate.Honestly, he was surprised he’d called Smith a fuckface out loud, but Smith was on another team and he’d never have to live with the consequences of that one.
“It’s okay,” Barczyk said.He knocked his knee into Evan’s.While he’d been upset about the penalty, he looked completely unbothered to hear that his own linemate thought he was a dick.“I am an asshole.I’m an asshole who snows goalies and smashes into people and punches them.But right now, I’myourasshole and I punch them foryou.So if guys like Smith are being jagoffs”—he said this last part loudly while glaring at the other penalty box, the Pittsburghism earning hoots from the nearby fans—“you let me handle it, ‘kay?”
The admission shouldn’t have meant anything, yet it tore through Evan like a bolt of lightning.He squirmed uncomfortably, suddenly too hot and his heart beating madly.Before he could figure out how to respond, though, Barczyk nudged him with his elbow.
“Think they’ll kill my penalty for me?”
Evan blinked and turned his attention back to the ice.He’d forgotten they were in the middle of a game.“Uhm, yeah.Hope so.”
They stayed quiet after that.He felt bad for what he’d said.Or almost said.After his one embarrassing attempt at a fight, Evan better understood what Barczyk went through every time he dropped his gloves.It took a lot to put yourself out there, in front of tens of thousands of people (hundreds of thousands if you included TV viewers), and he did it multiple times a season.Evan might not agree with some of the asinine reasons Barczyk fought, but he found he respected Barczyk’s readiness to stick up for himself a bit more.
He and Smith got out of the box during a stoppage, and Smith scowled at Evan.Barczyk waved at him and blew a kiss, which seemed to scare him off.Thank God.Evan wasn’t sure he wanted to continue trash talking without the safety of plexiglass between them.
“Hey,” Evan said, turning back to Barczyk before he closed the penalty box door.With his stick, he tapped Barczyk’s skate.“See you in a few?Try not to be too lonely without me.”
Barczyk grinned at him, missing tooth on full display.“Aww, Abs, you softie.Gonna miss me for my last minute in the slammer?”
“Not really,” he said, his own smile hard to control.He pushed the door shut and skated away, well aware that Barczyk was laughing behind him.
When he returned to the bench,his teammates were supportive and made a point of congratulating him on his first fight.
“Smith’s a dick,” Lawson said and patted Evan on the back.Evan preened a little whenever he got their captain’s attention.“Way to stand up to him.”
Lawson and the others diplomatically didn’t comment on the outcome beyond a neutral, “We’ve all been there.”He appreciated them overlooking how pathetic he’d looked.
Well...there was one player who wasn’t good at diplomacy.
“That your first fight or something?”Barczyk asked as soon as he’d been freed from the penalty box.They sat together on the bench, bracketed by Vassiliev to their right and Dalton to their left, waiting their turn to go on the ice.He was chewing his stupid mouthguard, per usual.He did it so often, it didn’t do much guarding of his mouth.Even to shut him up.“Sorry, I should’ve asked when we were in the box.I was kinda…”
“Distracted?”
“Something like that.”He waited expectantly.
“Ugh, yes.That was my first career fight,” Evan grumbled.“You surprised?”
“Not really.A guy who doesn’t like checking people wouldn’t like fighting them, either.”Barczyk frowned as he looked Evan up and down.“It’s just you’re so...sobig.You should win every fight.Hell, you breathe on me too hard, I’ll probably go flying.”
Evan wilted.“I don’t think I’ve ever thrown a punch before today.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I believe you.No one would accuse you of knowing what you were doing.”
A line change rescued Evan from Barczyk’s chirping.They jumped over the boards and rushed onto the ice, and Evan was happy to go back to actual hockey.The Riveters were fired up after his fight, at least.It was like they’d decided if Evan Abernathy was willing to get into a fight, they could suck it up and play better.They’d scored twice in the five minutes Evan had been trapped in the box, and they’d been buzzing the whole third.
Smith and the Pythons, on the other hand, seemed to have lost steam.Like the whole thing was embarrassing or something.Same, Evan thought.Hard same.
But he ignored his own embarrassment because he had to.
With the ice tilted in their favor, the Riveters came out of the game with a 4-1 win.
“Wish we could’ve gotten you a Gordie Howe hat trick,” Barczyk joked as they headed back down the tunnel after the game.“That would’ve been something.Could’ve redeemed ourselves if we’d pulled that off.”
Evan highly doubted he’d ever get a Gordie Howe hat trick.He very rarely got a goal and an assist in the same game, and he certainly didn’t plan on fighting again.Getting all three in a single game seemed impossible.
“Abernathy.”
They both stopped in their tracks and turned around.Coach Jack was still by the bench where Doyle was waiting to go onto the ice with Calhoun.
“Yeah?”Evan asked nervously.
