Page 179 of Until We Burn
But no one pays attention.
Screaming Vipers fans bang on the plexiglass, goading the small fight erupting between Luke and their left winger. It ends with a harsh shove from Luke and a game disqualification for the left winger who threw the first punch.
Months of tension and rage explode on the ice as the Griffins and the Vipers compete for the championship title.
But it doesn’t stop the whispers about me and Kai from riling up during the intermissions.
“Clearly, he’s trying to save his image. There’s no better way to do it than fuck the heiress of the HMG.”
“She’s not cut out to be a good leader. She’s been spending her time whoring around with a hockey player instead of building her way into the CEO position.”
I silence my phone to ignore the headlines bombarding my screen.
The chance to tell the truth was taken from me. All I can control now is how I react and I’m going to give them nothing.
“Come on, boys! Get it out of there!” a Griffins fan shouts.
The Griffins and the Vipers fight for the puck in the defensive zone. Griffins fans groan when Viper #36 whirls out of the corner with the puck. Kai and the Griffins’ right winger close in on him. The Viper panics, fumbling the puck. The right winger swipes in with his stick and steals it. Kai skates back. The right winger passes the puck to him. Kai grabs it and charges towards the Vipers’ net. The Vipers’ right winger surges up behind Kai. The winger swings his foot out and wrings Kai’s ankle back.
Kai skids and falls onto the ice.
“Oh my god,”I gasp.
Kai’s parents hug each other.
“Ça va aller, mon chou,”Norman consoles.“Ça va aller.”
Norman and Keala have been avoiding me since the footage leaked. I don’t blame them. This is not how I wanted them to find out I’m in love with their son. I don’t know what I’ll do to handle this, but I am sure of one thing: I’m not running.
I sag in relief as Kai pushes himself up with only a scowl on his face. A Viper chirps at him. Kai rolls his eyes and shoves him back.
A loud bang strikes the air. Viper #20 slashes Griffin #40, hurtling them into the boards. The Griffins fans rage and throw their beer cans to the ground.
“What the hell was that?”Stella fumes.
The linesmen shove the Viper and the Griffin apart. A penalty is called for Viper #20.
“You’re a motherfucking joke!” Simon rages. The referee calmly pries Simon off him. Simon keeps hounding him and his teammate struggles to rein him back, especially when he’s red and buggy-eyed with dried blood crusting his mouth.
I search the crowd for Andrea. She’s not here and I can only hope that means they’ve broken up.
My heart pounding in anticipation, I quickly check the time. We’re down to the last minute of the game.
The DHU Griffins and the Vipers are still tied at 3-3.
My stomach clenches.
“Come on, Kai,” I whisper. “Come on.”
As the seconds tick down, the Vipers and the Griffins viciously fight harder for the puck. Simon rams into Kai, knocking him onto the ice. Rowan grabs the puck just as Kai scrambles back up onto his feet. Rowan passes the puck to him. Kai swivels around with it, skirting past the players swarming around him before he charges hard and fast towards the net. He shoots.
The goalie stops the puck and the buzzer goes off.
KAI
We’re going into overtime and that means sudden death.
The first team to score wins the game.
