“Is Electra coming tonight? I want to meet her,” Abel shouts from the other side of the locker room. For a split second, Exton stills and then there’s a crack and the stick he was taping is flying across the room, straight into a wall, splitting in half.
“No. She’s not.” He turns his back to the room and starts donning on the protective pads.
“Fucking hell, this is going to be a shitshow tonight,” Anze murmurs, and I couldn’t agree more.
“The energy in the arena is absolutely insane today!”
“Oh yes, you can feel the tension of that tie between the Florida Ice Devils and the Boston Outlaws.”
“And it all comes down to this game. Whoever wins this one is on to the playoffs.”
“Well, it should be a good one because Exton Quinn is back on the ice. There he is, looking as menacing as ever.”
“Yikes, I’d be rethinking my strategy if I was the Devil’s head coach.”
“Yeah, Quinn looks to be on a warpath…but how many will he take down with him? How long do you reckon until the first power play?”
“With that look in his eyes? We’ll be lucky if we get a few minutes of five on five.”
“And is it just me or is Minaev having a heated discussion with Zima right now?”
“Oh Jesus, you’re right. Something is going on there as well.”
“There’s just no love lost between these two teams.”
19
Look at me
Aurora
“Mommy!Canyoubelieveit, we’re so close to the ice! We’re like, on it with them!” Emett jumps up and down on his seat. He’s the only one who’s genuinely happy to be here.
Stella called Coach Hill as we were driving, and he made sure we got the best seats available. So, here we are, just three rows up from the ice, guaranteeing us the best view possible, and I’m still trying to figure out if it’s a good thing or a bad one.
The players aren’t on the ice yet, but the arena is packed to the brim and cast in a low light with white and blue flashing across the ice, sending a zip of excited energy through the crowd.
“Do you think Mr. Brick will notice me?” Emett asks, and my foot stops tapping nervously on the floor.
“I’m not sure, buddy. There are a lot of people here today and you know he needs to keep his focus on the game.” At least that’s what I’m hoping for.
Emett’s face falls for a second before he nods. “Yeah, you’re right. I hope he brought Lincoln with him today.”
“Who’s Lincoln?” Electra asks, arching one eyebrow at us.
“He’s the lucky teddy bear I gave Mr. Brick when he came over for dinner,” Emett answers without pause, and I can feel my friend’s eyes drilling into my profile.
“Did he now?” she coos.
“It was nothing. Emett invited him over.”
“Mm-hmm, I did. He even stayed for bedtime, can you believe that?”
“Oh, I really can,” she says, and I still pretend as if I’m not here for this conversation.
“Not now, Electra.”
“Whatever you say, Rory.”
