Word spreads fast when you’re showing the rivals how it’s done
I glare at my phone.
Me
Were you there?
GlowStick
We have eyes everywhere
I don’t answer.
As I drive home, I can’t stop thinking that I need to end this soon. I love the masks and the fun, but maybe it’s time to stop hiding and live my life for me. Even if my brothers don’t like it.
Chapter Eleven
Knox
The buzz of the Gravepoint Arena feels different tonight. Maybe it’s because the last time I was here at night, I was chasing Leila across the ice. Or maybe it’s because I know I need to tell her the truth; this is no longer chasing her for fun anymore. I want her to know it’s me.
The roar of the home crowd hits me as I step onto the ice for the team warmups. I scan the stands, looking toward the visitors’ section. Leila sits with a small group of Stormhaven fans, wearing her Kane jersey, her brothers’ name stretched across her back.
“You good?” Riven asks.
“I want to tell her,” I say, firing a practice shot at the net. “Tonight. After the game.”
“Jagger said the same thing earlier.”
What I really want is to see her wearing our colors. In my jersey. My name across her back. But she doesn’t even know it’s us she should be cheering for yet.
The warmup ends, and as we line up for the national anthem, I stand next to Jagger. He’s staring in the same direction as I was earlier.
“I’m sick of hiding,” I murmur quietly, and repeat my earlier words to Riven. “I want to tell her who we are.”
Jagger glances at me. “Tonight?”
“After the game. Win or lose, we tell her everything.” I pause. “I want her in these stands wearing our jersey, not theirs.”
“Agreed,” Jagger says. “Let’s make it a game worth watching first.”
The anthem ends, and we take our positions for the opening face-off. I line up against Landon Kane, while Jagger is opposite Levi. The puck drops, and the game starts.
Landon is fast—he’s got quick hands and an annoying ability to anticipate where the puck is going. I catch him easily, and every time I hit him into the boards, I think about what it’s going to be like when Leila finally knows the truth. By the end of the first period, we are tied 1-1, and Jagger and Levi have been shit-talking each other all game.
At the start of the second period, they are battling for the puck in the corner, both fighting for position. I can hear the constant stream of insults from across the ice.
Then Levi says something in a low voice that I can’t make out, but Jagger’s entire body tenses.
“What was that?” Jagger snarls, getting in Levi’s face.
“You heard me,” Levi shoots back, shoving Jagger’s chest.
Jagger shoves back a lot harder. “Say it again. I fucking dare you.”
The refs are skating over, but it’s too late. Levi throws an elbow that catches Jagger square in the ribs, and Jagger retaliates, using his stick to cross-check Levi into the boards with enough force to rattle the glass.
“Fuck you!” Levi roars. He spins around and shoves Jagger so hard he stumbles backward.
