I hop over the boards for my next shift, my skates crunching beneath me, and jump into the play.
It’s moving quickly into our own zone and I’m playing catch up, having to push it to pick up my man. The Rattlers are in deep, moving the puck well, and when the biscuit pops up my way, I sweep out at it, trying to clear it out of the zone.
But their defenseman corrals it, makes a good pass to the far side.
Fucking TJ Conrad.
I grunt, shifting to get in better position, and the second time the puck comes up my side, I manage to take the hit TJ dishes out and get it out of our zone. Rome picks it up, skating hard up the middle, and I curse at the next blow to my back, pushing the fucker off and trailing my teammates.
Rome carries it into the zone, dishes the pass off to King, and?—
The crowd roars in protest at the slash from Lex Ambrose.
The ref’s arm goes up, but King doesn’t lose the puck—though he goes down on one knee. A second later, he’s dished a pass back to me and I carry the puck deep into the zone, giving Cam time to join in on the play as the sixth attacker.
We pass as the Rattlers chase, working the puck deep and around, patient as we try to find an opening.
Despite already taking a penalty, Ambrose seems determined to double down, the young fuck not nearly as skilled as his brother who plays for the Hawks and about five times as dirty.
I grunt at his slash across my hands but manage to feed the puck back over to King.
He dishes to Huddy on the point and I cut in, trying to create some traffic in front.
It works.
TJ follows me and gives Huddy some time to skate closer, to wind up for a shot and…
To pass it off to King.
Who’s snuck to the back door and even though the puck doesn’t come cleanly through to him, it stillcomesthrough.
He gets it on his stick, flicks it up…
And over the goalie’s pads.
It sails into the back of the net and the red light turns on and?—
The crowd goes wild.
And I grin.
Because I know, justknowthat Finn is watching.
By the timewe make it back to the room after the win, I’m sweaty and wound up and far too aware that the first thing I want to do is look at my phone.
So obviously I don’t.
Because that would be bordering on pathetic.
And King would probably give me shit about looking at nudes again.
So instead, I shower, get dressed, and take my time getting my bag together until the room empties out.
ThenI look at my phone again.
And the acute disappointment I feel when there’s not another text steals nearly all the breath from my lungs.
I stare at the thread like it’s personally offended me.
