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Get it together.
“What are you thinking?” I asked because he expected it. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. I wanted to know. Seeing Audrey upset made me feel aggressive, protective, and feral things I wasn’t accustomed to. So if he could make her less upset, that would be great for me.
“She loves reading, I think.” He paused and glanced at me, like I was supposed to confirm for him or something.
I kept my face neutral. He cleared his throat and continued, “I’m gonna get her a few books and bring her favorite drink. Tea, if I remember.”
“It’s coffee.” I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “I’m glad you want to do something nice.” The intros ended, and I hit Quentin on the arm as a goodbye before skating over to Reiner. He held a fist, and I hit it.
Instead of running plays last week, we switched positions and ended up having a fun practice. I played goalie and fucking sucked. Hannigan played forward and scored twice on me. It went to his head, but by the end of the two hours, we felt like a team instead of separate individuals all playing hockey on the ice.
Right as I got into position and the puck dropped, my mind switched to hockey. My sole purpose was to play the game, and every other thought left my mind.
No more worries about my mom or dad. Nothing about Quentin. Audrey was a nice blip in the back, but I forgot about all of them. It was me and the ice and the guys.
Jefferson won the face-off, slapping the puck to me, and I flew into action. Skating was a part of my blood, who I was. With the smells of the gear and sounds of the metal on ice, I was home.
My pulse raced as I headed for the goal. Peters was open, so I passed it. He fired it back, and I slapshot the puck right past the goalie. First goal of the season.
Sirens blared, and the guys huddled around me, offering compliments that felt good as fuck. I couldn’t wait to be in the NHL on the large scale. But as Hannigan and Liam congratulated me, my gaze went to the stands. Em and Audrey were on their feet, huge smiles on their faces, and it hit me.
I wanted Audrey to be in my family. I wanted her at all my fucking games, and yeah, the NHL was my future, but so was she. I nodded up at her but felt the back of my neck prickle. Quentin’s attention went from me, to her, then back, and he narrowed his eyes.
This damn punk was a pain in the ass, for real.
The game continued, and I scored another goal and had two assists. We took our home opener for the year, and Reiner was giddy. Him and JD hooted and hollered in the locker room, talking about teamwork and how true collaboration was what the game was about. Not personal stats. They mattered, sure, but cohesiveness mattered more.
“What did the Acorns say to you before you signed, Sanders?” JD asked me, as we all sat around in our post-game celebration. “Any advice for the rest of the guys?”
The room quieted, and every guy faced me. It was a powerful feeling, knowing they looked up to me and respected me enough to listen. Even Quentin stared at me without the usual judgement. If anything, it seemed like he was in awe of me.
“We played like a team tonight. Like everyone’s success mattered equally. That’s the whole point of being on a team. It doesn’t matter how many goals one of us scores. The assist matters, and the amount of blocks Hannigan had was insane.”
“Fuck yeah, dude.” One of the guys hit Hannigan on the back.
“Hannigan!”
Cheers followed but then everyone quieted and stared at me again. My face heated but not from embarrassment. It was pride. I was fucking proud that I was a leader on this team, that Reiner wanted me to help and I had. “No one has a role too big or too small here. Every fucking one of us matters. Even Quentin.” I pointed to him, and his eyes widened. “He’s been at every practice, taking notes, watching film, and giving input. He can’t play, yet he’s with us every single day.”
“Yeah, Q. Yeah, Q!”
Reiner leaned against the wall with the goofiest smile on his face, and he nodded at me when I met his gaze. That little nod told me enough, and the same proud, happy feeling filled me up. He took a chance on me transferring here, and I didn’t want to let him down.
“If we play like this every game, no one can beat us. So, let’s keep playing like a pack. Let’s go, Wolves!”
Howls and barks, claps and cheers echoed in the locker room. It’d be a long season, road trips and hard opponents, but instead of dreading it, I was excited. Maybe it was the fact I didn’t have to rush home to babysit or the fact Audrey was waiting for me after the game, or maybe it was the win and two goals I had, but my life finally was looking up. I showered and packed my shit and was out the locker room door to find my girl.
I’d stay with her tonight. Most of the guys wanted to go party and celebrate the win, but I’d only do that if Audrey wanted to tag along too. It was weird to join a team my senior year. I didn’t have the connections with any of them. I liked them. Trusted them on the ice. But the bonds the others had that formed three years ago? I didn’t have that.
And I’d be out of here once I graduated.
Girlfriends and family members waited outside the locker room, and my gaze instantly sought Audrey and her auburn hair. I did one scan and didn’t see her. Frowning, I did another, and Em waved me over.
“You did so great, bro.” She hugged me. “I was texting Jace the whole time about you. He wants to come watch next time. Would that be okay?”
“Jace?” I cringed. I really didn’t like him, but I couldn’t tell her that. “Uh, maybe. Hey, where’s Auds?”
“Oh, her brother wanted to talk to her. Why, should I have gone with them?”
