Page 99 of No Rhyme or Roughing
I snapped around, closing the space between us. “The media is what keeps us here, keeps us being able to play a game for a living. You’d do well to respect the people who support us. Or else you might as well start packing your shit now for the team’s relocation.”
The room fell silent.
We all knew the truth. The dancing probably would not be enough. A few full home games didn’t magically make us a viable hockey market.
Griff put a hand on my shoulder, nodding toward my locker. I knew what he wanted, so I backed off and slumped onto the bench.
Griff rubbed the back of his neck, scanning the room. “Nothing I say will be any worse than what I’m sure you’re telling yourselves. You guys are better than tonight’s game.” He sighed. “Go shower, get back to the hotel, and get some rest.”
He caught Teddy by the back of his jersey as hemade his way toward the showers. “Not you. Media, remember?”
Most of the team cleared out, heading deeper into the labyrinth of the locker room to shower or change into their suits. Some would hit the ice baths, others the massage tables.
Me, I wasn’t ready yet.
Soon, it was just me, Teddy, and Julian left in the room.
The door opened, but it wasn’t the usual blogger who entered. This time, a reporter with a badge stepped in, showing she was from the local news. More reporters followed behind her, flooding the room with cameras, recorders, and a barrage of questions.
One after the other, they fired them off.
Teddy’s wide eyes met mine briefly, but then I saw his smile—the one Sam always said was swoon-worthy. The man could turn on the charm when he wanted to.
He handled the questions with ease, answering them with a practiced air. Meanwhile, I slunk out of the room, not wanting them to notice me.
The last question I caught was about our recent dance performance, and it made me smile.
Back at the hotel,I dropped onto a bed in the room I shared with Teddy. We never stayed in the nicest places—nothing like my brief stint in the NHL—but after games, we were usually too exhausted to care.
Teddy walked in, with Rowan and Jules trailingbehind him. All I wanted to do was sleep, but their voices made me sit up and glare.
“Cuddle party?” Teddy asked, grinning as he crawled onto my bed.
I shoved him away, and he laughed.
“Guys,” he said, looking around. “I think Ry hates us.”
“Right now, I do,” I muttered, hitting him with a pillow.
Rowan flopped onto the opposite bed. “I’m so tired.”
“Then, why the fuck are you in my room?” I snapped.
“Teddy made us,” Jules said with a shrug, bending over the desk to rummage through the pile of snacks Teddy always brought on road trips. He picked up a bag of jerky, but before he could open it, a pillow smacked it from his hands.
“No!” Teddy leaped from the bed and snatched the jerky. “Mine.”
I groaned. “How about you all fuck off and let me sleep? We’ve got another game tomorrow, and we really sucked tonight.”
Rowan closed his eyes. “Teddy said we’re supposed to be worried about you, so here we are.”
Teddy smacked Rowan on the side of the head. “Supposed to be? Have you seen how our captain’s been moping around, just going through the motions?” He turned to me. “You were as bad as anyone tonight.”
“And?” I didn’t need a reminder of how I’d failed—both as a captain and as a teammate.
“And,” Jules cut in, popping a gummy bear into his mouth, “Teddy thinks it’s because of a girl.”
Both Teddy and Rowan went silent, which was unusual for them.
