Page 7 of Full Strength

I knew I was off. I was self-aware enough to know I’d been messing up all day. If one more of the guys pointed it out, I couldn’t promise that I would stop myself from throwing a punch at the perpetrator.

“Come on, Fisher. Get yourself together.” Coach Rust yelled and I nodded once in acknowledgement. He really didn’t need to tell me I was screwing up and it certainly wasn’t helping me get out of my head.

We were playing a game of three on three so I went back to center. I’d missed two easy blocks resulting in one point, so far. The rookie goalie, Derek, wasn’t too pleased but he could join the long list of disappointed people in my life.

I’d been screwing up a lot lately, but there wasn’t anything I could do about that right now. I pushed out any negative thoughts and focused on getting the puck after Malkin won the drop.

The puck came directly to me and I turned, heading straight for the goal. I was almost to the corner when I turned to look for Erik. He wasn’t where I expected him to be and my eyes drifted, to the audience.

The Pride was all standing and hurrying up the stairs. I looked up until I saw Kendall, Emma, and Addison walking down. Of course. Just what I needed.

“Pass, Fisher.” Erik was in position so I passed to him without much thought. The puck was short a few feet of him and Reese cut in and took possession. Erik swore and shot me a glare before chasing after him. I followed, pushing my legs hard but I was too late. Reese passed to Hartman who turned and scored.

I skidded to a stop and threw my head back. Great now the list of people that hated me grew again. Addison had to have told the Pride about our misunderstanding. I’m sure I was the least liked person in the arena at the moment.

“Fisher get off the ice.” Coach Rust didn’t bother hiding his frustration. I went to the bench and threw a leg over the wall before taking a seat. I stared down at the ground, not even getting a drink. I didn't deserve one. Punishing myself by staying thirsty made me only feel a tiny bit better up until I looked down the bench and caught the glares from everyone, including the coaches and even equipment manager.

We all had bad days. I didn't get why everyone was so upset I was having one. It’s not like it happened often. I dropped my head again, avoiding any more looks. Maybe that was why. I didn’t allow myself to have off days so when it happened it was more shocking than some of the other guys.

Well, they could get over it. It wasn’t like I was causing us to lose a real game.

A whistle blew and Coach called in the guys on the ice. “I want you all to warm down. The game tomorrow against Detroit is going to be tough. Make sure to stretch and rest tonight.”

I stood and was about to walk back to the locker room, but Erik called my name. He nodded out toward the ice so I changed direction. He and I weren’t the only ones that stayed out. Hartman and Malkin were running some extra drills, but I had a feeling that wasn’t what Erik had in mind.

“What’s going on, Fisher?”

I sighed. “Just got some things going on.”

“Like what?”

I really wanted to head back in, but I knew Erik was only taking the time to talk to me because he cared. “I messed up.”

He’d removed his helmet so I could clearly see the concern on his face. “How?”

I could hear the slight panic in his voice. “Nothing bad. Well, nothing that will get me into trouble with the law or Coach.”

I wasn’t sure which of those would be worse, but I was glad I wasn’t facing either.

“Good. So, what is it?”

I peeked out of the corner of my eye where Addison was sitting. She was talking to some of the women, completely oblivious to the torture she was inflicting on me.

“Addison found some things in my room and didn’t let me explain.”

His eyes narrowed. “What kind of things?”

“Some research I’d done.”

He shook his head. “Stop beating around the bush and just tell me what happened.”

“I asked my attorney about custody and child support and he sent me back a bunch of information. That’s what Addi found.”

He nodded once. “Why is that a problem?”

“Because she jumped to conclusions. I didn’t get a chance to explain that I wanted to give the information to her. I wanted to make sure she knew what rights she had and what her ex should be responsible for.”

“What did she think?”