I get dressed, pulling on sweats and a Mavericks hoodie, and grab my gear bag, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror and the dark circles under my eyes. I look like I feel, pissed off and powerless.
My phone buzzes, it's the group chat.
Sully: Morning, Cap. You coming to practice?
Emmett: Yeah. Non-contact.
Fish: Damn, that sucks.
Felix: It could be worse.
Of course, he is going to have his sister's back.
Sully: See you there.
The locker room is loud when I arrive with the normal pre-practice energy. Guys taping sticks, joking around while getting ready. I go through my routine and suit up. But when I reach for my jersey, there's the neon vest of shame hanging in my stall. I stare at it for a long moment. Fuck.
"At least it matches your eyes," Sully teases as he walks past.
"Fuck off."
He grins.
I pull the vest over my gear. The fabric is bright, like really bright. I've forgotten what it's like to wear it. Thankfully, the guys don't say anything. They've all been here, too, all worn the vest at some point.
We file out to the ice, the cold air hits, and I take in a deep breath, centering myself before I skate around. I test out the shoulder with some easy movements, it protests.Okay. I hear you loud and clear. Don't push it.
Coach blows the whistle. "All right, let's go! Black, you're skating but no stick work. Leave it on the bench. Just work on your edges and keep your legs under you."
I clench my jaw and hand my stick to the equipment manager like I'm surrendering a weapon. "Yes, Coach," I grumble.
I skate through drills on the periphery, no stick, no puck. Just movement, edges, crossovers, and stops, while watching my teammates battle for pucks.
Pierre catches my eye during a water break. "Hey, sorry about the shoulder. That was a massive hit you took. To be honest, it's lucky that all you have to do is rest because ..." He shakes his head.
"I know." I nod as we skate together.
"I heard you're not happy with Jo," he asks.
Shit. Here we go. The big brother speech. "I wouldn't be happy with anyone who benches me."
This makes him laugh. "I hear ya. Look, Jo would never bench someone if she didn't have their best interests at heart. I know she was worried about you."
His comment surprises me. "She was?"
"Yeah. She loves her job and takes it seriously. I know she's stressing about it. Benching the captain on her first day." He laughs. "She's a hard ass, but she is one of the best. And I'm not saying that because she’s my sister." I nod. "Just ..."
"I’m her big brother, so don't mess with my little sister?"
This makes Pierre laugh. "I only reserve that for people who are dating my sister. We all know sisters are off-limits to the team." He pauses. "You're probably one of the only guys I fucking trust with my sisters."
The compliment sits bitterly in my stomach.
Fuck.
Practice feels endless, two hours of skating in circles while my team prepares for a game I won't play in. By the time Coach blows the final whistle, my jaw aches from clenching it.
"Black, physio before you leave," Coach calls out.
