Page 101 of From Ice to Grace
As much as I want to skate over and knock him to the ice, I can’t. She’s right. I’m not going to risk my place on this team or my relationship with Avah for that idiot.
The whistle blows and we’re moving.
The forwards push into the zone, three on two. I pivot, skating backward, shoulders squared and my stick low and steady on the ice. I track the puck, forcing Lindgren wide before cutting off his lane. He tries to dump the puck in, but I get a piece of it and send it the other way. Mitch scoops it up, fires it to Lucas and we’re done.
Coach’s whistle cuts through the air. “Next rush!”
Another line comes at us. Same drill. Same rhythm. My legs burn, my lungs are on fire, but it feels good to be on the ice with my team again. This is where I belong and it just cements the fact that I can’t go risking my position for the sake of going after Boqvist.
Mitch taps his stick to mine, a wordless ‘good job’ before we fall back again.
“Next D-pair!” Coach yells after a few more reps.
Axel and Kade jump in. I start coasting off, watching him as he skates closer to take my spot on the ice. Our paths cross at the blue line, his gaze pinned to mine. The thought of crashing into him and slamming him into the boards runs through my mind. Our shoulders clip…not by accident.
He smirks. “Good to have you back, Murphy.”
“Like you care,” I say, watching him over my shoulder.
He pivots, skating backwards. “Just like to know who I’m taking the spot from,” he says before getting into position in front of Petrov.
My jaw tightens, my fists clench. Avah’s words echo in my mind: ‘He’s not worth it.’
We got through different sets of drills, the tension on the ice palpable. After an hour and a water break, the team splits into two squads.
“White vs Blue,” Coach calls. “And you better level up. Tonight we play the Devils and there will be no losing.”
I’m lined up with Mitch again. Across the red line, Axel is paired with Kade, set up in front of the back-up goalie.
Coach drops the puck at center ice, Lucas faces off against the second line center. It’s clean for the first few minutes. Everyone is doing their job, playing sharp and clean. It might just be me and Boqvist, but there’s a hum across the ice between the two of us.
Axel gets the puck, playing it up the boards and I angle toward him. He sees me coming and lowers his shoulder.
I lower mine in response, and in two seconds we collide. Hard. The boards shake and the puck ricochets free.
“Careful, Murphy,” he says. “You don’t want to get suspended again.”
His words hit like a puck to the ribs. My fingers tighten around my stick, the urge to ram him into the boards and break his nose drumming through me.
“Easy!” Coach shouts, and I swallow the heat rising in my throat.
Axel recovers and tries to push past me by faking to the inside. I read his play before he can properly execute it, stealing the puck clean. I send it up the ice and skate past him, clipping his shoulder. Not dirty. Just enough to remind him who owns the spot.
Coach’s whistle blows again. “Good battle. That’s how it’s done, Murphy.”
Axel’s breathing hard. “At least you’re more than just your fists,” he says with a nod.
“Don’t forget it,” I shoot back.
He smirks and skates off. I breathe out heavily, my pulse still pounding. This is how I control the situation. I can feel the need to act all the way through the game, but there will be no reacting to bait.
It might’ve been Avah’s words, or knowing that she expects more of me…but I kept control. I’ll continue to do so, because I earned this spot with my skill and hard work, and I’ll keep it the same way.
The hallway outside the locker room hums with familiar pre-game energy. Reporters are gathered at the far end, waiting for us to reach the tunnel to step onto the ice against the New Jersey Devils. A few staffers are getting gear ready as the bass from the speakers in the arena above reaches us down here.
“Do you feel ready?” Lindgren asks, his grin filled with excitement as he grabs his gloves from the staffer. “I know it’s only been two weeks, but somehow it felt longer. And it sucks to not live with you anymore.”
Not living with Lindgren hasn’t been hard at all. It’s not that I don’t like the guy…we had fun. But living with Avah is better on all fronts.
