Page 26 of Guarded Love

"Hey! It was a bad bounce," Asher protests, but he's grinning. "And you only scored 'cause I drew both defenders."

"Whatever." Knox waves his hand with the pizza in it, narrowly avoiding flicking grease onto Levi.

"Okay, settle down," I chime in as I try to steer them back to the task at hand. And I’m the one with ADHD. "Knox, same question, different position. Left wing. Pressure. Lessons learned."

Knox takes a bite of pizza, chewing slowly for dramatic effect, I'm sure. "Biggest lesson?" He swallows. "Learning when to shut up and listen to the guys who actually know defense. Don’t tell the fucker that’s not here I said that." His eyes grow wide for a second before he continues. “Clean that quote up because Coach will never let me hear the end of it.”

“Say please,” I reply as I jot some more notes down.

Knox grins and I already know his reply is going to be a mess. "Please, Wills. Wouldn't want to tarnish my pristine reputation."

"Pristine is a strong word," I toss out. I make a note to myself: Knox, defense, edit quote. The casual mention of Blaise, currently known as "the fucker that’s not here" hits me harder than I expected. Does anyone else notice how hard I’m clenching this pen? Probably not. They're all too busy dissecting Knox's defensive prowess, or lack thereof.

I force my attention back to the interview. "Wilder, as the goalie, you see the whole ice. What's one thing people misunderstand about your position?"

Wilder, mid-chew, pauses with his pizza halfway to his mouth. He swallows and that’s when I notice a small amount of tomato sauce clinging to the corner of his lip. "That it's just about stopping pucks," he says finally, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "It's ninety percent mental. You're the last line of defense, yeah, but you're also reading the play, communicating with your D-men, trying to anticipate what the other team's gonna do before they even know. It's like…high-speed chess, but if you lose, someone scores and thousands of people in the arena and elsewhere groan at you." He shrugs. "No pressure."

"High-speed chess," I echo, scribbling it down. It’s a good line.

“Hailey would appreciate that reference,” Levi adds. It’s then that I remember that Hailey is the president of Crestwood’s Chess Club.

“Dude, not everything has to be about Hailey,” Wilder mumbles something else under his breath as he shakes his head.

"Hey, a good reference is a good reference," Levi says, as he spares a glance at Wilder. "And shewouldappreciate the high-speed chess analogy. You gotta admit, it’s pretty accurate for what you do."

“Or you just like bringing her up at every opportunity,” Wilder replies.

“That’s true and it’s because I love her.” Levi shrugs as if he didn’t just drop a truth bomb. “You’ll understand that soon, I’m sure.”

Wilder goes quiet, which is weird for him.

A collective "aww" flows through the room. Knox throws his arm around Selene, bringing her closer to his body and gives her a big grin. It’s sweet, sickeningly so, but sweet, nonetheless.

I glance at Wilder and see that he’s not looking at anyone in particular. But the parts of his ears I can see that aren’t covered by his longish brown hair are red.

Interesting.

"Okay, Romeo," I say, trying to regain control of the interview and definitely not thinking about how no one's ever declared their love for me in a room full of people. Well, once, but it only was for the benefit of his fanbase so that doesn’t count. "Back to hockey. Knox, you mentioned listening to guys who know defense. Let’s talk team dynamics. How has the leadership evolved this year, especially with a mix of seniors and newer players?"

"It's been…smoother than I expected. Levi’s always been a natural leader, even before he got the 'C'. Asher steps up when he needs to, usually by example. Wilder keeps everyone loose with the jokes." Knox pauses, and for a split second, I think he’s going to sayhisname but he just adds, "And the younger guys, they listen. They want to win. Makes things a whole lot easier."

"Okay, speaking of the younger guys, let's talk legacy. Senior Night was about looking back but also looking forward. What do you each hope the underclassmen take away from your time here, from watching you guys play?"

A comfortable silence follows my question and I know it’s because everyone is trying to think of an answer. It's Levi who breaks speaks up first. "Work ethic. That’s something I learned from my brother. Oh, and that nothing is handed to you. Yougotta earn your ice time, earn the respect of your teammates, earn those wins. We've busted our asses for four years, and I hope they see that. That it's not just about talent."

Levi bringing up his deceased older brother is something I don’t expect. Knox has told me that Levi doesn’t talk about him much, so for him to bring him up is a big deal.

We just look at him, a little stunned, before Asher responds. "We’re going to earn the big one for him this year," he says quietly.

I don’t want to pry too much but I assume Levi’s been chasing a championship not just for himself but to honor his brother as well. I can only imagine the pressure he feels to live up to the talent of his older brother, the brother he lost too soon.

Asher clears his throat and speaks again. "And that it's okay to make mistakes, as long as you learn from 'em. We've all had shit games, bad plays. But you can't let it define you. You get back up, you work harder."

Wilder nods. "Yeah, what Ash said. And also, that it's supposed to be fun, you know? We put in the work, yeah, but at the end of the day, we’re playing a game we love. Don’t lose that. Don't let the pressure suck the joy out of it. Even when you're sweating out your body weight."

I make another note:Wilder: fun, joy. It’s a good sentiment, surprisingly insightful coming from the team’s resident jokester.

Then it’s Knox’s turn. "Legacy, huh?" He glances at Levi, then Asher and finally Wilder. "I guess…I hope they learn that loyalty matters. To the team, to each other. We haven't always agreed and sometimes the arguments and fights have been brutal." He shoots a quick, unreadable look in my direction before his gaze sweeps back to his teammates. "But we always had each other's backs. On and off the ice. That’s what makes a team, not just a bunch of guys wearing the same jersey."

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