Page 90 of No Pucks

“Oh, you mean how he accosted me in the hall?” I pick up my tape to fix my stick. “He found out my father is the Monsters’ new coach and reasonably wanted to know why I didn’t warn him.”

The entire team turns to look at me.

“Did you know?” Wolfe asks, crossing his massive arms over his chest.

“Fuck, no. I hate him, and I’d never give him a damn advantage.”

Savage claps a hand on my shoulder. “That was a dick move.”

“No shit.” I toss the tape back into my bag.

“Wait, don’t Coach and your old man have beef?” Wolfe asks.

“Did everyone fucking know but me?” I ask, looking around the room.

They give nods and shrugs.

“And no one fucking thought to bring it up?” I have to laugh, but I’m glad I do. It eases some of the tension out of my shoulders.

“We figured that’s why Coach didn’t put you on the first line,” Lovelace says carefully.

“Damn, and you still didn’t tell me?” I don’t just address him, but the whole team.

“We weren’t gonna give you a reason to leave. You’re a good player,” Savage tells me point blank.

I look at them harshly then laugh. “Fair. I would have done the same.”

They join me in laughing, breaking the tension.

“So what did Coach say?” Colt asks.

“After he accused me of knowing, I guess my reaction made him believe me. He apologized and asked if I want to play still.” I wasn’t sure what I was going to say until the words were out, but the truth is easiest and makes the most sense.

“Ohhh shit,” Lovelace mutters.

A couple of the other guys make sounds in agreement.

“Are you going to?” Colt asks with a sneer on his lips.

I’ve barely gotten him to trust me, so this is my future. “Of course I’m fucking playing. None of you want to beat him more than I do.” I don’t show the same emotion I did with Anthony now that I’ve gotten over the shock, but I do let them see the rage boiling inside me. They need to believe me or they won’t trust me, and if they don’t trust me, they won’t give me the puck.

“Why would he take a coaching job for our biggest rivals?”

“Aside from being a dick…” I blow out a breath and hold my ground, deciding it’s best to be honest. “My mom kicked him out after his hundredth time fucking cheating, which means he’s out of a job, so I suspect he took this one to get me back, as I’m the one who told my mother.” I say it all in an icy tone, giving them more than I want to, but I know how important trust is on the ice.

There are soft murmurs, but my eyes stay locked on Colt.

“Fuck him,” Colt says after what feels like an hour.

The rest of the team echoes the sentiment.

“You guys ready to play?” Anthony breaks up our little impromptu huddle.

“Yes,” we chorus together.

“Any last-minute notes?” Anthony asks. “Anything from the captains?”

No one says anything.

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