Page 16 of Good Vibes Only
Another duo of skaters sprinted off on the drill, and I moved closer to the front of the line, my next turn nearing.
“We’ll see about that,” I said, giving Dakota a wink.
“To which? Your chances or your business?”
“Both,” I said. “You know I never go down without a fight.”
“Is that right, tough guy? You got a plan, then?”
“I’ll figure it out,” I said with my trademark bravado. “I always do.”
“Uh-huh. Sure. You got nothin’,” Dak countered.
Rust changed the tone of the discussion. “It sounds like you’ve got a little crush on this girl, Brett.”
“Honestly?” I shrugged. “Yeah, I mean, she’s cute. But the hottest thing about her might be her chirps.”
“No shit? She’s got chirps?” Max Fisher, fourth line left winger, asked.
“Yup. And I think she actuallyenjoyedarguing with me,” I said.
“The boy’s in love,” Dakota said.
I snickered. “Nah. No way. I just wanna have some fun with her. That’s all.”
“Just be honest. The thing you’re attracted to most is the fact she hates you,” Dakota said.
I didn’t try to deny it. “Y’know, I wasthisclose to inviting her to my party,” I said.
“Why didn’t you?” Rust asked.
“She’s too short,” I said with a straight face.
“She’stoo short? Foryou?” Tank asked, befuddled. “Damn! How short is she?!”
“Five-two. Maybe five-three,” I said. The boys reacted predictably—like I was being ridiculous. “But fellas, I need a tall wife to balance out my short genes. I want my sons to at least have achanceat following in their old man’s footsteps, and not have to go through what I went through.”
My teammates chuckled, suddenly understanding. They all bought it—except for Rust.
“Bullshit,” he said. “What’s the real reason?”
But Coach’s whistle blew, and it was my turn to run through the drill again, so I raced off with a burst of speed. This time, after a give-and-go pass with Tank, I fired a laser that beat our goalie clean between the legs.
“That’s a wrap, boys,” the coach yelled. “Hit the showers.”
* * *
Clouds of steam rolled into the locker room, filling the air with the fresh scent of clean soap. I’d toweled off and started putting on my street clothes when Rust tapped me on the shoulder.
“Hey, Brett. Can I have a word with you?” he asked, gesturing to the hallway.
“Sure, cap.”
I followed him out into the hallway to have a private word.
“So what’s up?” I asked.
He folded his arms. “That girl you were talking about. You don’t really care she’s short, do you? You’re just playing a bit like you always do, right?”
