Page 65 of Just Forever

The crowd is up on their feet, booing loudly.

“What’s happening?” Paige asks, leaning toward me.

I send another one of my startled looks her way, and she rolls her eyes. “Oh, come on. I don’t have any idea what’s going on down there, and you clearly do. Help a girl out, would you?”

“Boarding,” Soren calls out. “He pushed him into the boards,” he explains once Paige zeroes her attention in on him instead. “He’ll get five minutes in the penalty box, and Detroit doesn’t get a replacement, so now the Blades have a chance to go on the power play.”

I watch Ryker fly across the ice. Kian sends the puck toward Ryk, and he passes it right back a few seconds later.

“Oh, wow,” Paige says as she whips her head left to right, presumably keeping her eyes on the puck.

The game gets pretty fucking rough after that. And a bit desperate. By the second half of second period, it feels like Ryk has taken about a thousand shots on a goal, but Detroit’s goalie has grown five extra arms and legs, so whatever Ryk does, the dude gets something between the puck and the net.

The game is still scoreless when the third period begins. I can feel Ryk’s frustration both when he’s on the ice and whenever his shift is over.

He gets another chance, and I’m practically holding my breath. Ryk gets the puck again and sends it flying. Detroit’s goalie fumbles and for a moment it seems he’s got it, but the puck slips through and sails into the back corner of the net.

I’m out of my seat at once, screaming like a maniac with all the people around me. Kara is on her feet, too, hugging me, jumping up and down, and it’s not even too weird. Hockey unites. Who would’ve guessed?

For the rest of the game, the pressure to behave lessens into something manageable. I don’t know where it goes, but all five of us are cheering along loudly. It helps that the last fifteen minutes are a real nailbiter. Detroit scores at the last moment, so it’s 1-1, and the game goes to overtime. Ryk skates onto the ice again. My voice is hoarse from shouting by now. For the whole five minutes, my heart relocates to somewhere in my throat as I watch.

Blades score in the last thirty seconds and take the game.

It takes a while to get out of the arena, but none of us seem to be in a hurry, so we slowly make our way outside.

“That was actually pretty cool,” Paige says, eyes moving over the rest of us. “I honestly thought I was going to hate it.”

“Told you it was fun,” Kara says with a fair bit of smugness.

Stacey doesn’t say anything. She’s too busy undressing Soren with her eyes, and he’s returning the favor while they flirt with each other.

“I think we lost Stace,” Kara says thoughtfully before she turns toward me and narrows her eyes. “Can you vouch for him?”

“I’m sorry?” I say.

“Your friend. Is he a good guy?”

“Soren? Yeah. He’s one of the good ones.”

I don’t know when exactly that happened, but Soren is suddenly behind me.

“Aww. That was sweet of you, little brother.”

Paige’s eyes widen. “Oh! You two are brothers! I didn’t know you had a brother.”

“No, we’re—” I start to say, but Soren just throws his arm over my shoulder.

“Definitely brothers,” he says with a grin. “And if you, ladies, come out to the bar to celebrate the win with us, we’ll introduce you to the glue that holds me and Lake here together.”

Yeah, crap.

I’m starting to rapidly remember why I haven’t been interested in meeting new people, no matter how much fun I had tonight.

“What’s the plan?” Soren asks me with a wide smile.

“I… don’t know if there is a plan?” I reply hesitantly.

Aaaand he already has his phone out. “No worries. I’m texting Ryk.”

---