Page 83 of Risky Play

Oh, shit! I specifically promised Maddie this wouldn’t happen.

Fuck. Fuckity. Fuck.

My teammates banged on the boards like the dicks they were, egging Noah and Chester on. Chester dropped his gloves down, and they danced around each other for a bit. Noah struck first, getting in a few blows, but Chester fought back. They fought long enough for the refs to pull them away and send them both to the box for a five-minute penalty.

“Fuck! What the fuck was that shit?” Riley swore.

It was 2-1 us, with only a few minutes left to spare in the last period, and we needed to be on the offensive. Noah getting into an uncharacteristic fight was the last thing we needed.

I watched my teammates on the ice as they tried to set up a play. If we could wait out the clock, we’d still get the W. The shift changed, and then, out of nowhere, McCarthy found an opening, and the boos poured in. The lamp behind the Gladiators’ goalie lit up and our bench cheered.

The clock ticked down, and Noah was let out of the box. Pretty sure Coach would have words with him later. I hopped over the bench for the last shift of the game, but I didn’t put up any points. We unfortunately couldn’t make another play, but a win was a win.

In the locker room, TJ had our victory song going while we stripped off our gear. McCarthy got the silver bucket this time, and he said a few words before we all headed to the showers. I got an assist off one goal, so I talked to the media with Noah briefly. He was prodded about the fight since it was unusual for him, but he tried to brush them off.

“He knows what he did,” Noah said with a hint of finality, and then our PR handler signaled we could leave.

“Dude, you shouldn’t have lost your head,” I told him afterward while headed toward the bus where we’d ride back to Philly as a team.

Noah stared at me. “Do you know why I did that?”

“Maddie asked me to make sure you didn’t lose your cool,” I snapped at him.

He gave me a hard look. “She told you?”

“Yes! Because she’s my friend, and she was venting about how the overprotective shit has gotten worse and that you blame her for what happened.”

Noah stopped as he was about to get on the bus. “She told you all that?”

I nodded.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “I didn’t realize you were so close.”

“We’re friends,” I reiterated.

Maybe I let that slip so he’d realize how much his overprotectiveness was driving her away. Last week, she had been working for Dinah at the house when we got home from practice, and she barely said anything to either of us before she left. When we talked that night, she said she was still mad at him.

“I don’t blame her. But that guy’s a piece of shit,” Noah snarled.

“She doesn’t know that. She thinks you’re ashamed of her. And you need to stop treating her like a child.”

He wanted to say something else, but Hallsy yelled at him to get on the bus already, and he turned back around. I needed space away from Noah, so I found a seat in the back next to Cully. He didn’t mention my bad mood, but he had his phone to his ear, and his voice was soft. He was either talking to his girl or saying goodnight to their kids. I tried to be quiet so I didn’t interrupt him.

I took out my phone and saw a frowny face and then an angry face emoji text from Maddie.

ME: I’m sorry, sweet pea.

SWEET PEA: You promised!

ME: I know.

SWEET PEA: [angry face emoji]

She stopped texting me after that, and I sat on the bus for the next two hours, stewing in my thoughts. Guilt wrapped itself around my chest. I couldn’t fulfill my promise. I wanted to rock that douche’s shit like Noah had, but I had no reason to do so. I even tried to goad him into a fight, and he brushed me off.

I let out a long sigh.

“You alright, man?” Cully asked.