Page 19 of Enemy Games

That was a fair point.

Her breakdown was a shock. I didn’t mind the rules since I wasn’t a fan of parties or drinking in the first place, but hopefully the rest of the team would adjust. The last thing we needed was a scandal in our first year.

Chapter 6

Hunter

There was a seventy percent chance my muscles were permanently damaged.

Practice this week had been one brutal session after another, and my legs were ready to detach and run away. I got it. The women’s team had their first game coming up, and that would draw attention to us as well. There would be more press than normal, and I heard a major network was even coming to air it.

But we were ready. We’d been ready. These barely legal forms of torture were wholly unnecessary.

“Seniors! You need to stop by Coach Payne’s office before you leave,” Benjamin called through the locker room loud enough for the guys in the showers to hear.

“Why?” Ethan asked, while I kept my head between my knees. I was struggling to reach my skates to take them off, and gave up for now.

“To get your service partner’s name and number,” Benjamin replied.

Oh right. That. The clean-up was next weekend, but I hadn’t given it any thought beyond putting the date in my phone’s calendar. There was plenty to worry about before then. This was my last semester, and I planned well enough ahead with the help of my academic counselor to make sure it would be a light load, but that didn’t mean it was easy.

I wanted to give myself the ability to focus on my training since these were the most important months of my hockey career so far. Scouts would be attending more frequently, and if I wanted to walk across the stage at graduation with a diploma and a contract, then schoolwork needed to take a backseat to practice and training.

Although, that all depended on my ability to eventually leave this bench. I let out another groan and accepted my fate.

“Need me to carry you to an ice bath?” Reid teased as he dropped on the bench next to me.

“Maybe.” I cringed as I attempted to sit up. I had to walk my hands up my legs to get propped up enough to look at him. “How are you not dying?”

“Because I didn’t stop moving once practice ended. I went straight to the training room and got in the ice bath. Sitting was the worst thing you could have done.”

I glared at him in his towel, looking all clean and refreshed and not suffering like me.

“Come on, I’ll help you up.” He stood and offered me a hand that I wasn’t too proud to accept. He put his arm around my torso while I leaned on him to help me cross the thirty or so feet to the training room.

Matthew, our trainer, smirked when he saw us. “Sore?”

I gritted my teeth. “A bit.”

“Come on.” He knelt down and helped me out of my skates and pads.

“I’ll go get the information we need from Payne and meet you back at the dorms,” Reid called over his shoulder.

I nodded. It took too much effort to speak while I was struggling to pull my practice jersey over my head.

“Pathetic,” Matthew teased before standing and helping me. “You’re acting like you took a hundred hits before sprinting for an hour.”

“That’s not too far off.” I gasped as I stepped into the tub and the shock of the ice hit my skin.

“It’s a big week. I’m sure things will go back to normal once the excitement dies down a bit,” he assured me as he walked around to the cabinet in the corner and filled his arms with gauze, tape, and other random items.

“Have you seen them play at all?” I closed my eyes and lowered myself until the freezing water was up to my chest.

“Yeah, they’re looking much better from last week. They're figuring each other out and getting used to Coach Jarry, but I think they’ll be ready by Saturday.”

“Any injuries yet?” My teeth were chattering, but I ignored it. I wasn’t getting out until I was good and numb.

“No, fortunately. I’ve been working with a couple on preventive training based on some past injuries, but I’m not too concerned.” He restocked the containers on the counter, then leaned against it to face me. “How are you feeling? Besides this?”