While Kappy was fighting off his teammate, #18 clobbered Kappy from behind, which was a total cheap shot.
I was there in an instant, pulling #18 away from Kappy and giving him a taste of his own medicine. We circled each other for a second, waiting each other out. He moved first, but I easily dodged his punch and grabbed hold of his jersey, twisting the material in my fist so I had a good grip on him. After two punches, the guy completely gave up, going limp.
Smirking to myself, I dropped him and glided away. I was holding my hands up in innocence by the time a ref got to me.
Colt, who was now bleeding from his mouth, was laughing and continuing to chirp while a ref dragged him toward the box.
Kappy, on the other hand, was not laughing. He was on his knees looking wary and out-of-sorts, clearly searching the ice for something.
A good ten feet away, I spotted his stick. Grabbing it up, I glided over and handed it to him. “You good, Kap?”
“Thanks,” he murmured. He leaned on his stick for a second before getting back to his feet.
“You good?” I repeated.
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the help,” he mumbled with a serious look on his face. He usually would’ve had a great time fighting, but he seemed a little rattled today. “Kinda weird fighting without a cage, eh?” He shook off his glove to touch his jaw for a second.
“Yeah, definitely takes some getting used to.” I shifted my helmet.
“You don’t seem to be having a problem,” Kappy said as we drifted back to the team box together.
“Eh.” I shrugged as I slumped against the boards. I didn’t bother jumping into the team box yet because the refs were still discussing who’d be getting penalties. “What’s there to lose?”
Kappy jumped up to sit on the edge of the boards and let out a humorless scoff. “Our teeth?”
I snorted a laugh. “Best not to get too attached to ‘em. The longer we play, the more likely we’re gonna lose some.”
Kappy grimaced, like this clearly bugged him. He ran his tongue over his teeth. “I guess.” His eyes went up to the girls’ section, and my gaze followed.
Mer had her hands over her face, clearly stressed out by the fight, and Piper was trying to comfort her. Ali was cheering wildly, making me laugh to myself.
“That blondie yours, McQuaid?” a teammate in the box asked, making me snap my eyes forward. He was looking at her with interest. Way too much interest.
“Yeah, she’s mine,” I automatically responded.
Next to me, Kappy raised his eyebrow in question.
I scowled at him. Ali was my girl. She was. I just made things awkward, but I’d fix it. Now I just needed this game to end so I could get the chance to fix it.
________
Except after the game, the three girls weren’t in the small family room where they were supposed to be waiting for us.
“Where’d they go?” Colt asked. He was wearing a black peacoat over his game suit and a beanie over his sweaty hair. His eye and lip were already starting to swell from his fight. “I told Mer to bring the girls down here. She’s been back here before, she knows where to meet us.” A little wrinkle formed between his brows while he fished his phone out of his pocket. After a couple minutes of trying to call her, he pulled his phone away from his ear with a grunt of dissatisfaction. “She’s not answering.” He shook his head. “Where are they?”
Kappy came strutting forward, his suit jacket long gone and his white shirt only halfway buttoned. He pushed his long damp hair back. “They’re probably still up in their seats.” He nodded toward the stadium entrance.
Kappy’s words didn’t ease the tension on Colt’s face. “Worth a try,” he said before turning on his heel and striding forward.
Walking out to the stadium, we heard the girls before we saw them.
The three of them were cackling loudly in the empty stadium. The only other people present were stadium employees closing up the concession stands and shops.
Colt moved forward, but Kappy held him back. “Wait back a sec,” he said, a small smile on his face as he watched the girls. “They don't get this that often.”
He was right. While we had fun together in the locker room, at practices, and on bus trips, the girls never really got a break from the seriousness of the figure skating world.
Watching them laugh together loosened something in my chest. Mer, who resembled a fairy with her petite stature, bright blue eyes, and dark brown hairpulled back in a messy bun, was talking animatedly with her hands. Piper, with her red lipstick and blonde hair, tall enough to be a model and wearing an outfit fit for a runway, had her mouth wide open in surprise. And Ali, the middle ground between those two, dressed casually in a hoodie and jeans with her dirty blonde hair falling loosely around her shoulders, had her head back laughing. She was a true beauty, looking carefree and happy, and most importantly, healthy. Not a cast or ice bag or bandaid in sight. I absolutely loved it.
