Page 12 of Cloudless
A few of the players stop around us and wave at the kids from the camp. I’ve been so focused on Kam I didn’t even see the rest of the kids and their parents around us.
Jasper yells, “Hey, Kam!” His arms wave over his head to get his attention.
Kam slides to a stop right in front of my brother and waves. His eyes slice to meet mine. My breath catches in my throat as he mouths,Hi, Sunshine. His words disappear into the crowd's roar, but I don’t need to hear them. I canfeelthem.
He smiles before racing off after his team. The announcer's voice fades away as he announces the opposing team. His words might as well be another language, since my mind apparently can only focus on all-things Kam.
My heart tries to work its way out of my chest as the lights fall. The crowd's roar vibrates through me from the sheer volume of the electrified space. Spotlights focus on the door where Kam disappeared only moments before. Flashes of red lights pulse in time with the music all around the room.
The announcer starts with the lower classmen, before ending with the captains of the team.
As his name is called last, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The brilliant smile on his face has to be visible in the nosebleed section as he takes the ice.
He was born to do this.
I can’t take my eyes off him as he goes down the line of his teammates, giving them each a fist bump. He says something to each player along the way. I wish so badly I could hear what he tells them.
Jasper is grinning from ear to ear next to me. “This isamazing.”
I can’t help but smile back at him. “Yeah, Jellybean. It really is.”
I shoot to my feet, along with the rest of the stands, as Kam takes possession of the puck.
A quick glance at the clock shows thirty seconds remaining in the game.
Everyone in the room holds their breath as Kam bobs and weaves through his opponents. His skill is unmatched. If he makes this goal, he’ll break the tie and win the game.
His teammates put everything they have left into fighting off the players gunning for Kam. He barely slows as he comes within shooting distance. He takes aim, and the puck flies along the ice so fast, I almost miss it hitting the back of the net.
The stands erupt in cheers, along with the team. I cheer for my classmate as he makes a victory lap around the rink, his stick lifted high in the air as he pumps his arms in victory.
His victory lap bleeds into the last seconds of the game as the scoreboard flashes 4-3.
Jasper jumps into my arms. “They won! They won!”
To my right, Posey jumps up and down in her seat. Her cheerleader skirt flies around her legs as she cheers.
A tap on the glass in front of us interrupts our celebration. I look up and lock eyes with Kam. A grin, matching my own, spreads across his face. He turns from me to look down at my little brother, Jasper’s eyes filled with adoration for the hockey player in front of him. Kam’s gloved hand points at Jasper before he tosses the game-winning puck over the wall.
I watch as the puck flies in slow motion toward Jasper’s waiting hands. Inches from Jasper’s outstretched fingers, a meaty hand snatches the puck from the air.
My eyes blaze as they move toward the person giving the puck, meant for my little brother, to a little boy next to him. I grind my teeth to keep from lashing out.
Do not go to jail today, Lila.
I don’t have time to go into mama bear mode. An ear-piercing slam on the glass quiets the surrounding stands. I can feel my heartbeat in the tips of my fingers as I turn to find Kam’s fist raised to the glass.
Kam’s glare cuts a hole through the smug man. I have no trouble hearing him as he snarls, “Give Jasper the puck.Now.”
The man smirks at the terrifying hockey player. “He should have tried harder to catch it. It’s Matt’s now, fair and square.”
Kam’s glare goes from a flame to an inferno in the blink of an eye. “Yeah, fuck that.”
Three other players gather around Kam’s back as he yanks his gloves off. The man’s face turns a ghostly white as he assesses the wall of pissed off muscle in front of him.
The smiling, easy-going guys I met at The Penalty Box are long gone. Mace, Wyatt, and Dax stand like sentinels behind their captain.
With a shaky hand and a glare, the man snatches the puck from the boy's clenched fingers and releases it into Jasper's open palm.
