Page 75 of Puck Love

The reporters ask her a bunch of questions, and the more she answers, the more irate I become. “Stella, what do you have to say to your younger fans, the girls who look up to you as a role model for no sex before marriage?” a reporterasks.

The redhead tells the crowd there are no more questions and attempts to lead her away—she must be her manager, Lana—but Stella pulls away and shouts over the noise, “I made amistake.”

“Stella, Stella,” the reporters dog her for more, but her manager leads her away and into an awaiting SUV. Anger roils inside me. I clench my hands into fists, breathe in through my nose, and then I lose my shit completely. I yank the TV from the wall and throw it at the glass surrounding the coach’s office. He growls, his eyes practically turning red, as if he’s going to erupt and start spewing lava any second now. “You’re suspended,Ross!”

I don’t give a shit. I pull my jersey over my head and throw it behind me as I stalk toward the locker room. My shoulder is burning like fire, and I punch the cinderblock and wind up fucking my hand. I roar in frustration, and the next thing I know Eli is dragging me down the corridor toward the exit and out into the freezing air of the Calgarymorning.

“Dude, calm the fuckdown.”

“She said I was a mistake,” Ihiss.

“What?”

“Stella. She said I was amistake.”

His shoulders sag in defeat. “Fuck.”

“Yeah,fuck.”

“You gotta be smarter than this, dude. You just got fuckingsuspended.”

“FUCK!” I kick the shit out of a nearby trashcan, denting the cheapmetal.

“Ah, shit,” Eli says, and I follow his gaze. There’s a bunch of vultures at the gate shouting my name and shoving microphones toward us. I take several steps toward the crowd, but Eli pulls me back. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here before you break someone else’sface.”

He leads me back inside, presumably so I can put on a sweater. Coach is screaming, and no one’s happy right now. With him or me, by the sounds of it. Eli shoots me a “you fucked up” look. And I know he’s right. I should be in there groveling, but Coach doesn’t let his temper get the better of him often. It’s smarter if I lay low for awhile.

Eli grabs our gear and tosses me a shirt that I quickly throw on. The rest of the team is filing out of the locker room now, and they’re all scowling atme.

“Nice one, Ross. Your Hulk impersonation back there just cost us time on the ice,” Torressays.

“Knock it off.” Eli throws my keys to Torres, who catches them. “You can drive Van’s hummer to my house,right?”

“Sure, I can. Rookie can drive mytruck.”

Rookie makes a face. “Why don’t I get to drive theHummer?”

“No one’s driving my fucking beast,” Isnap.

“Well, you sure as shit ain’t driving with that shoulder, now, are you?” Eli waggles hiseyebrows.

“Fine, what-the-fuck-ever. Just hand me a bottle of whiskey and I’ll befine.”

“Party at Boucher’s,” Jacob, says, as he throws an arm around Torres who quickly shakes himoff.

“Not for you, fuck face. Run along to mommy.” Eli gives him a bitter smile. Jacob started as a defenseman the year before Rookie, but he slept with Eli’s favorite bunny once . . . in Eli’s bed, and let’s just say he never got an invite to one of Eli’s parties again. Jacob makes a face and gives us a one-fingeredsalute.

I turn to leave, done with the dirty looks each of my teammates throws my way, but I’m shoved from behind by Gagnon. “What the fuck wasthat?”

“Hey, hey, go easy. He’s injured, remember?” Eli says, but Gagnon pushes him away and gets up in myface.

“You disrespect me and Coach like that again, and I’ll have you traded so fucking fast your head willspin.”

“You don’t have that kind of sway. Everyone here knows you’re past it, and the only reason this team might have a shot at the playoffs this year is because we’re all carrying you. It’s the reason Coach didn’t just fire me right now—because he knows he can’t afford to with a sloppy-ass team captain. So get the fuck off me.” I shove him back. It hurts like a goddamn bitch, but I do it. Gagnon throws a right hook, but it’s quickly intercepted by Eli who pounds his fist into our captain’s face. I’d like to join in, but I’m too busy holding my shit together because my arm feels as if I just ripped it out of thesocket.

“What the fuck is going on in here?” Coach says. “You!” He points to me. “Get the fuck outta my locker room, you’re suspended. And Eli you’re out, too—a two-gamesuspension.”

Eli looks pissed but there’s a half-smirk on his face. We’ve both been wanting to beat the shit out of Gagnon since we joined as rookies. The guy’s ego needs taking down a peg or two. And from the looks of the boys, everybody would trade those two games for the chance to beat down onGagnon.

---