“Love you,” Caulder whispers. “I need like five more minutes. Then we can do that again.”
Grinning, I nip at his ear. “Love you too. And you can take me as often as you want.”
“You may regret saying that.”
I won’t.
CHAPTER 33
CAULDER
We’re playingNew York Lights. Thankfully. I enjoy playing this team much more than the Gulls. They’re not nearly as aggressive and, well, assholes. I don’t hate aggressive teams, but there’s something toxically aggressive about the Gulls’ plays and their overall demeanor on and off the ice.
I’m sitting on the bench when there’s eight minutes left in the second period, and we’re tied, 1-1. I scowl when New York’s Franz Bauer steals the puck from Ethan and heads down to our defensive zone. Thankfully, Astor is already hovering around Phalyn in the net. Ready.
He shoots it through Three’s legs as he comes up between him and Owen Vincent. And this motherfuckerbatsthe puck out of the air, and it just barely sails over Phalyn’s shoulder and lands in the net.
“What the fuck was that?” Meddy asks, laughing.
“Wrong sport, Vinny!” Lucas calls.
Owen looks in our direction and winks, a big grin on his face.
Yes, the goal sucks, but I think we actually like the Lights, so there’s definitely more teasing banter than there is anything with heat behind it. That’s not to say that fights don’t break out.In the next puck drop, Sacha and Pen Dickson end up in a scuffle that results in Sacha taking a two-minute penalty.
I groan as I trade places with Astor. My blades touch the ice and I join the play, chasing it toward the offensive zone. I’m pretty sure I’m playing defense tonight. Considering Astor is defense, I remember that’s my job tonight but when the puck is passed to me, I obviously take possession.
We play a game of back and forth until I get the puck again and send it through Linden Rhodes’ legs where Ethan is waiting. His stick is already back, ready to take the shot. It sinks in the lower left corner and the horn blares to life, signaling our score.
“Fuck’s sake,” Linden cheers, slapping me on the shoulder on the way by.
“Keep your legs closed, Rhodes,” Ethan teases, hitting his stick to Linden’s.
Linden laughs. “There’s no fun in that.”
We end the second period tied 2-2. I’m not unhappy about that outcome as we head for the locker room. I need a drink.
Maybe it’s wrong of me, but I don’t look at the fans anymore. I don’t stop for pictures or autographs. I remember all too clearly how readily they turned on me. How easily they blindly supported some chick insisting that I was a deadbeat who refused to take responsibility for something that I didn’t do.
I keep my attention straight ahead, even when a teammate pauses. Regardless of whether or not I hear my name.
Lo told me the other day that people have noticed this change in me. Ironically, he told me an hour before the PR asshole, Robert, stopped me in the hall on my way to practice and asked me if I realized I was doing this.
“Yes,” was my answer.
He looked at me shocked. “Why?”
I shrugged and didn’t bother responding. I’m not about fair-weather people. I get it; without the fans, we wouldn’t beplaying. Be that as it may, I’m entirely put off by them and how disgusting it felt.
Lo and I have discussed it several times and I understand Ishouldn’tlet it bother me. Honestly, I don’t let it bother me. I rarely think about it. But I sure as fuck won’t bethankfulfor their attention only now I’ve proven myself to be honest.
You can’t expect us to believe you over someone claiming you got her pregnant.
Because women can’t lie, apparently. I get it. I truly do. I’ve seen some ugly shit andI knowwomen live in a man’s world where they’re often mistreated and misused by men. But that doesn’t mean that women can’t lie.
I even understand what Meddy was explaining the other day at my house. She truly believed what she was saying. I haven’t watched the videos. Besides the handful I saw in Coach’s office, I haven’t seen another, and I have no interest in changing that. The fact of the matter is, when I said it wasn’t me, instead of backing off and handling it privately, she turned into an entitled drama queen.
Alexandra sends me updates often on the defamation case—yes, I agreed because my friends are right. There needs to be consequences in the real world. You want to be a shitty person and insist on proving an innocent person guilty, you should face consequences.
