Page 21 of Puck Drop
“I kind of do,” I tell Logan.
“Then we can’t tell anyone about us,” he declares.
I stare at him, shocked to realize we are about to repeat the history we had in New York.
“It’s a secret?” I make sure to double check.
“Secret,” he confirms.
I continue staring at him in disbelief. “This sucks.”
SEVEN
Logan
“Mantei, drills at the net,”Coach yells my way.
I give him a mock salute and skate toward where he directed me. I get in the position and skate loosely for a bit before we work on the actual drills. Every time he blows the whistle, I move, always at the ready to block a puck.
By the time he lets me take a quick break, my thighs are on fire, and I am a bit out of breath. That’s not a determent though. I grab my bottle to squirt some water in my mouth before getting back at it.
The next three hours go about the same, with more drills, some more specific than others, followed by a scrimmage. Sweat pours down the sides of my head, under the helmet, as I make my way off the ice.
“Good job, brother!” Sebastian puts his glove up for us to fist bump. “We look pretty good, if I say so myself.”
I chuckle at the proud tone in his voice.
“Yeah,” I agree. “Hopefully it will translate in the game next week.”
We’ll be on the road, and it truly sucks losing on the road. Actually, I’m not sure which one would suck worse, a loss on the road or at home.
Once we made our way to the locker room, I walk over to the bench in front of my locker and start taking my gear off. By the time I am done, I feel fifty pounds lighter. My muscles are tense, longing for an ice bath that will be followed by a hot shower.
Sebastian seems to have the same idea because he follows me out to the ice tubs. No sooner we are settled in, I drop my head back, closing my eyes and relaxing my body.
“You know,” his voice snaps me out of it. “You should talk to your agent about looking for a team who needs a first line goalie.”
I turn my head and look at him in surprise. “I’m trying to work my way toward that.”
“Yeah,” he shrugs. “But I think you could get there faster if you’re actively looking.”
Self-doubt makes me question what he’s telling me. “Do you think I am good enough to play first line?”
“If you weren’t, the Aces wouldn’t have considered you at all.”
I nod but don’t say anything more about it. Just the fact that I am good enough to play professionally is huge. All my dreams came true when the Sliders called me up. And now that I am with the Aces, I am one position higher than before, putting me only one step behind the final goal, no pun intended.
Maybe Sebastian has a point, I think to myself.
“Time’s up.” He taps me on the arm as he gets out of the ice tub. I follow suit, and we walk together toward the showers.
“Don’t go if you’re done before me,” he says. “I got questions.”
I snicker at the way he says it, like we’re in high school. “Questions about what?”
“Last night,” he says right before stepping into his shower stall.
My heart slams against my ribs almost instantly, wondering if he saw me leaving with Elizabeth. And now that he put her in my head, I can’t stop thinking about her.
