Page 84 of No Rhyme or Roughing
“We have a full house out there, boys.” Coach Griffin stood in the center of the room, arms crossed, but even he couldn’t hide the surprise and excitement on his face. His lips twitched, and there was a new gleam in his eye. “Seems we have some social media stars in this room.”
Julian jostled me from the side. I ducked my head as the team erupted in cheers, yelling for Teddy and me to take a bow.
Teddy stood and, with an exaggerated flourish, dropped into a curtsy.
“Sit down, idiot.” Coach Frankie swatted him on the shoulder as she walked by.
For once in his life, Teddy didn’t argue. He plopped onto the bench and averted his gaze. Interesting. Was Teddy… embarrassed?
“You okay there?” I asked.
He mumbled something unintelligible.
“What was that?”
“I haven’t talked to Coach since I accidentally hit on her at Thanksgiving.”
“Accidentally.” I smirked, feeling lighter than I had in a long time, even if Sydney had been avoiding me all day.
“Don’t look so happy,” he groused. “It’s unnatural coming from you.” He stared at me for a long moment. “Wait… Did you meet someone?”
“How the fuck—” I shook my head.
“I know you, Ry. The last time you looked this at ease, I was gearing up to endure ten years of you obsessing over Sam.”
“I did not obsess.”
“Love, obsess—same thing.” He studied me. “You’re really not going to spill?”
I rested my elbows on my knees, leaning forward. “It’s…” I stopped, debating whether to say anything. Telling him who had me thinking about tonight after the game was a bad idea. A very bad idea. “I thought the Sam thing broke something in me. But now… I feel light.”
Teddy slung an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a side hug. “Hallelujah, Cap still has a heart.”
I shoved him off with a laugh and stood, addressingthe room. Tonight was important. As captain, it was my job to take charge. Griff stepped aside without protest.
I turned in a slow circle, meeting the eyes of my teammates. “We’ve been through a lot together,” I started, my gaze lingering on Jules and then Teddy. “But we’ve got more to face. Our team is in danger.Our team.” I paused, letting the words settle. “This team.” I pointed toward the door. “It’s packed out there for the first time in years. Maybe they’re here because of a silly little video on social media, but that’s not why they’ll stay. That’s not why they’ll turn into fans and come back for more.
“We love this game, right?”
A scattering of mumbled agreements filled the room.
“Right?”
The response came louder this time.
“Let’s help them fall in love with it too.”
As the team filtered out to start the game, Griff’s massive hand landed on my shoulder. “About damn time, son. You sounded like a captain.”
I shrugged him off, heading for the door to follow my teammates. “Iamthe damn captain.”
A dancing one, apparently.
I stepped onto the ice with Teddy and Jules for the opening face-off, squaring up against my opponent. The arena felt alive, charged with excitement, the energy seeping into my veins.
A smile curved my lips as I let it all soak in.
And then, the puck dropped.
