Page 54 of Pucking Matt
I chuckle. Maybe I am. Or maybe I like the games we play. There’s never a dull moment when she’s around.
I glide across the ice, feeling that familiar rush of adrenaline that comes with pushing myself past practice hours. Coach waves goodbye, pointing at us with a mix of pride and exasperation. Hey, it feels damn good to push our limits.
Crew’s bent over, catching his breath as he examines his stick. “I've been meaning to ask you, Matt. How's working at the Grind Stone?”
I slide the puck over to him lazily, like we're playing the world's most casual game of hockey. He stops it with his skate, looking up at me expectantly.
“It's good,” I say, keeping my voice neutral.
“Do you ever work with that cute Amber chick? The one that paid those girls to be all over you.”
I can't help but laugh at the memory. “Yep. I only work with her.”
“Oh, how's that going?” Crew asks, his eyes lighting up with mischief.
I shrug, trying to be nonchalant. “Good.”
Harvey skates by, joining the conversation. “Are you starting drama in the workplace?”
Crew cackles, nearly losing his balance. “Yeah. I can imagine the shit you're doing to her there.”
“Actually,” I say, pausing for dramatic effect. “It’s quite the opposite.”
Harvey scoffs, coming to a stop beside me. “What?”
“Did I not tell you? She apologized…for everything. So, you know, after that happened, I’m trying to figure out a good time to quit.”
They all laugh, even Dylan, who only knows half the story. I shrug, playing it cool. “Yeah. We’re all good now.”
“Invite her to the party then,” Crew suggests, a sly grin on his face. “I need to see with my own two eyes.”
I shake my head, already prepared for this. “Already did. She can't make it.”
“Jen's coming,” Harvey adds, but he already told me.
“You told me.”
Crew asks Harvey, “Are you dating her now?"
I raise an eyebrow to hear what he’s going to say.
Harvey blows out a breath, shaking his head. “Hell no. She texted me to ask what's going on this weekend, and that's the best I could do for her.”
Dylan laughs. “Poor girl.”
Harvey shrugs, then turns to me with a smirk. “So, are you crushing on your hater now?”
I scoff, maybe a little too quickly. “Crushing? No.”
But as I say it, I can't help but think about Amber at work. The ease I feel every time we’re near each other, the way her eyes light up when she’s plotting her next move against me. No, it’s not a crush. It’s something fun.
“Sure, sure,” Crew says, his tone skeptical. “That's why you're working at the Grind Stone when you could be, I don't know, literally anywhere else.”
I roll my eyes, skating backwards from them. “Yeah. Have you seen the sticker on my truck? I couldn’t just let her get away with it.”
Dylan bursts into laughter. “Bro, I was wondering why the fuck you had that sticker on your truck.”
“Matt’s a player,” Crew adds.
