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The team doctor takes the ice, and after another minute of back and forth, Hollis gets to his feet and skates to the gate with the assistance of the team doctor and a ref. He disappears down the hall. I hope he’s not out of the game completely.
Bowman gets a penalty, taking away their power play. But it’s five on five, which means they’re working extra hard on the ice. First period turns into second, but it isn’t until the beginning of the third that Hollis is back on the bench. They don’t rotate him in, though.
I shake my head. “I hope they’re being cautious and he didn’t mess up his knee again.”
Last year was hard for Hollis. I was around for a lot of dinners with him and my dad talking rehab and next steps if he couldn’t get back on the ice. He’s interested in coaching college hockey, but my dad thinks he’d be a great sportscaster. I sincerely hope he doesn’t have to make that decision now, though. Not when he worked so hard to get back on the ice this season.
Hollis getting benched also seems to impact team morale. They can’t keep the puck away from the net, and Bowman scores a goal in the last two minutes of the game, giving New York the win.
While the arena clears, we hang in the box, all of us worried about Hollis and the loss.
“I feel like walking tomorrow will be a feat for the ages.” Rix tosses a piece of popcorn in the air and tries to catch it with her mouth, but it drops into her shirt.
Hemi puts her hands over Tally’s ears. “Nothing like a good old anger bang, huh?”
Tally rolls her eyes. “I can still hear you.”
Rix shrugs. “Either that, or I’ll have to use it to console him. Regardless, after a game like this, he’ll be a monster.”
“You are truly the leader of the corruption committee,” Hemi says with a smirk.
“I enjoy making Ash feel better after a bad game,” Shilpa says with a faraway look in her eyes.
“One day I hope I’ll have someone who wants to make me happy after a bad day,” Tally says with a sigh.
I pat her shoulder. “You and me both.” I’d give my left tit to be the one to console Hollis after a game like this.
I glance across the rink to the fans in the one-hundred section filing out of the arena. I spot Scarlet and her castmate as they make their way down their row. The number 55 is emblazoned on the back of her jersey, and HENDRIX is stamped across her shoulders.
“Hmm… Maybe Hollis and Scarlet do still talk,” Hemi muses when her eyes follow mine. “It might be easier than you think to get that contact info.”
“Maybe.” But that’s a privacy line I don’t want to step over with Hollis. I also don’t love the tightness in my stomach, or the emotion I identify as jealousy. She’s shown up to one of his games, wearing his jersey after more than seven years. Are they friends? Is he still interested in her?
Rix’s phone pings with messages. “Looks like the guys want to go to the Watering Hole, which means you can come, Tally.” The Watering Hole is a pub-style restaurant relatively close to where many of the guys on the team live. The locals who go there are respectful of the team, and the owners take good care of us. It’s a lot different from the clubs Tally can’t come to because she’s underage.
“We should head there now. Grab a table and a round of drinks.” Hemi stands. “You girls in? Tally, you want to check with your dad first?”
“Yeah, let me text him.”
We leave the box and make our way to the staff lot where Hemi’s SUV is parked. She’s usually up for being the designated driver since she watches out for players like Rix’s brother, who tend to make bad decisions on nights like these.
We arrive ahead of the team and grab a table near the bar. One of the regular servers who knows us all by name takes our drink order. But I’m still anxious about Hollis’s on-ice hit. I send my dad a text, asking for an update, but he doesn’t always remember to check messages after a game. I could text Hollis, who usually responds quicker, but things still feel weird. I hope he’s okay.
Tristan, Flip, and Dallas show up first. Flip and Dallas head for the bar, while Tristan makes a beeline for Rix. As soon as he reaches her, his fingers slide along the edge of her jaw to the hollow behind her ear, and his thumb sweeps in the opposite direction. It basically looks like he’s holding her by the throat—gently—and then he leans in and brushes his nose against hers.
Every time he does it, Rix turns into a giant puddle, and Tally looks like she’s about to die. Hemi smirks. I watch in fascinated awe.
“That game was bullshit,” he murmurs.
“It was bullshit,” Rix agrees.
His nostrils flare, and he sighs. “One drink and we leave, Bea?”
“We’ll see.”
As soon as he releases her, I jump in. “How is Hollis?”
Tristan turns to me. “He has a mild concussion, but otherwise, I think he’s okay. He and Roman went home straight from the game, though.”
