Page 96 of Puck Me Back to Life

By the time we push through the doors, he's halfway through another story involving a disastrous blind date and a restaurant that somehow caught fire.

I don't know if that story is true either.

Kai also doesn't seem convinced. Still, he's smiling.

The locker room gradually settles into its usual post-practice routine. Equipment hits the floor. Showers start running somewhere in the background. Music continues playing through the speakers.

Most of the team immediately starts stripping off gear.

I do the same. For a while, everything feels normal.

Then it doesn't.

Kai is standing a few stalls away, still talking to Dante while he peels off layers of equipment. His shoulder pads hit the bench first. Then his jersey. Dante is in the middle of explaining why he should absolutely be trusted to plan a team vacation.

I glance over. Mostly because Kai is laughing again and I want to catch his smile before it disappears.

Then Kai bends down to pull off his compression shorts. And my entire world narrows. For a second, my brain doesn't process what I'm seeing.

Cuts?

Several thin lines crossing high on his thigh. Partially hidden beneath the hem of his briefs.

Fresh. Not old scars. Fresh. The skin around them is still angry and pink.

My stomach drops. None of it feels real. Because all I can see are those carefully placed marks. My first thought is that there has to be an explanation. A hockey explanation or a stupid accident.

My second thought is that I've spent most of my life around athletes. I know what accidental injuries look like. Those aren't them.

Kai straightens. The cuts disappear beneath the fabric of his shorts. For a moment I wonder if I imagined them.

Then he shifts slightly. I catch another glimpse.

No.

Something cold twists in my stomach. “Kai.”

The word leaves my mouth before I can stop it.

He looks over immediately. “Hm?”

I nod toward his leg. “What happened there?”

His expression changes instantly. The shift is small.

His eyes drop toward his thigh, then immediately snap back up. For the first time all day, he looks trapped.

Dante looks between us. “What?”

Kai laughs. The sound is wrong. Too fast. Too forced.

“Oh. That.”

I wait.

“What happened?” I ask again.

Kai opens his mouth. For one horrible second, I think he's actually going to answer.