Page 94 of Rookie Season
A confidence in me that makes me feel brave.
I swallow. Take a deep breath. And then, I tilt my chin upand hold his gaze as I say, “You’re gaslighting me, Tyler. And sure, some of what you just said is true. I agreed to come upstairs with you. I willingly kissed you. And yes, I had some drinks that night at the party, and I was underage. But being buzzed and wanting to kiss you does not make me culpable for what happened. You are guilty of sexual assault, and you should be glad that Fisher came in and intervened when he did so you’re not also guilty of more.” I shake my head. “But either way, you’re the one who has to live with that. Not me.”
I watch as Tyler’s expression morphs from benevolent to enraged as my words land.
“You hypocritical little bitch.” He steps forward, and I take another step backward, cornered. “You act all holier-than-thou with me and won’t put out at the last second, and that’s somehow my fault? Then you move across the country and slut it up with half a damn hockey team.” He throws his hands up, and I involuntarily flinch as he closes the gap between us…
But suddenly, he stumbles backwards. Someone’s grabbing him by the back of the neck, pulling him away from me.
It’s Noah.
My Noah.
Relief floods through my veins, but it’s short-lived, because next thing I know, Noah’s fist meets Tyler’s face.
And then all hell breaks loose.
CHAPTER 39
NOAH
When I skateoff the ice and notice Ally isn’t with her family, my heart stops. Somehow, I just know something is wrong. I’ve barely tugged my skates off my feet before I’m running toward the back hallway to find her. And when I do, red fills my vision.
I cross the hallway in record speed to the spot where Tyler is cornering Ally and spin the bastard around to face me. His wide, startled eyes don't even have a second to take me in before my fist meets his face in a bone-cracking hit. He staggers backwards, a spray of blood splattering my practice jersey. I don’t know if the blood is his or mine.
I hear Ally gasp, but the sound is far away with the rage still fogging my brain.
Tyler wipes his mouth with the back of his hand as he wobbles around, trying to regain his balance. When he looks up at me, recognition dawns in his eyes, and he smiles a cruel and wolfish smile.
“That wasn’t very bright, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from a stupid hockey player,” he says bitterly, then points at Ally. “You really want to blow your career over her,when you could snap your fingers and find another woman in a second? Trust me, you’re wasting your time.”
My hand moves again, like it’s got a mind of its own, as it connects with Tyler’s face once more.
This time it’s more than just Ally who gasps. I hear a ruckus behind me. Tyler is on the ground, holding his face in his hands. I move to kick him, but two strong hands grab my shoulders and start hauling me away from him. I try to shrug the hands off before I realize it's Penn who’s prying me away so I don’t do any further damage.
“Noah, stop,” Penn orders, and I look up at him to see his blue eyes fixed on mine, filled with worry.
The sight of my best friend’s expression is enough to snap me out of the anger clouding my mind and I blink, flexing my right hand. Throughout my hockey career, I’ve broken up my fair share of fights, but I’ve never been the one to instigate one. And I’ve definitely never hit anyone like I just hit Tyler. The bones and tendons in my bloodied hand are sore, and I cradle it protectively with my left hand as I look around for Ally and see that a crowd has gathered.
Blood rushes in my ears as Ally’s mother, who I recognize from the photos, rushes to her daughter and pulls her into her arms. This is the first time I look at my girlfriend, the first time I see her trembling form and notice the fear in her eyes.
I close my eyes, ashamed that I was too busy with Tyler to run to her. She should’ve been my first priority. I don’t know what came over me.
Fisher is standing toward the end of the hallway, and he tilts his chin in silent approval, but it’s Ally’s dad and younger brother behind him whose horrified expressions have my stomach churning. A few fans are further down thehallway, taking videos on their phones of the scene unfolding in front of them.Shit.
My right hand throbs in pain, matching the furious beat of my heart. The pain radiates through my fingers and wrist, and I know I’m out for tonight. There’s no way I can play. No way I can help my teammates beat our rivals. No way I can support Penn.
Penn’s gaze meets mine, and he’s staring at me like he doesn’t even know me. Maybe I don’t even know myself…
Then Mitch storms into the hallway, steam practically pouring from his ears, his face beet red with anger. He crosses the hall until he’s right in front of me, looking down at Tyler and then at my bloodied hand. That’s when he loses it, his hands flying upward.
“Have you lost your damn mind, Noah?” My brother-in-law-slash-coach’s angry howl thrums in my ears. “My office, now!”
I look around for Ally again, and see her standing there, her mom’s arms still around her. I want to go and take her inmyarms, hold her and tell her how sorry I am, but she looks from me to Mitch, and then gives me a little nod.
“Go,” she mouths, and my stomach drops further.
As I follow Mitch to his office, I keep my head down, a sense of shame replacing my anger. If I’d just gone straight to Ally and rushed her away from him instead of throwing punches…but no…I had to beat the shit out of Tyler, instead.
