Page 16 of Catch
“Are you done flirting, Walrus?” Silas’s voice echoes behind me.
Thank fuck Jett is out of earshot and he misses my ridiculous nickname. It’s all Silas’s doing. I can’t grow a playoff beard for anything, so he likes to tease me about my whiskers. Can I help it if I’m not a hairy beast like the rest of the guys I play with?
“Don’t be jealous of my glass skin,” I hit back.
“Your what?”
“Don’t get him started, Si,” Finn warns. “So, what’s the plan for the shave off?”
“We’re meeting up at the frat house in two hours to do the deed,” I announce. “All of us.”
“Damien’s going to have my ass,” Silas grumbles.
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
I get a middle finger for my sarcasm.
“My husband likes my long hair,” Silas counters.
“I’m sure you and the coach can roleplay when you walk in the door looking like another person. But me and the rest of the single guys?” I huff. “I mean, I’ll still be hot, but therest of you will need to up your game if you want to get laid.”
Suddenly, Dane, Jace, Axel, and the rest of the team surround us.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Finn replies with a grin, and Silas and I both stare at him. “What? I think I’m going to like a buzz cut. No annoying cowlick to deal with.”
“Do the freckles extend to your scalp?” I tease.
“Hey, the freckles are cute.” Finn chuckles. “My ex-girlfriend thought so.”
“It’s time to get G.I. Jane’d!” Jace calls out.
“Seriously? What’s wrong with you? Are you happy that we lost?” I clap back.
“Never, but I’m with Finn.” Jace smirks. “I’m going to rock the buzz cut.”
“Am I the only one who’s panicking?” I ask.
“Yes!” everyone shouts back.
“Okay.” I laugh, even if it’s at myself. “Just checking.”
We saunter off the field, and while most of the guys are heading back to the dorms, I’m going back to the house. Sometimes I wish it was first year again, and I was living in the dorm with my hockey teammates. I’m close to all the guys, some of them more than my frat brothers. Hockey binds us together, and it’s a bond I don’t take for granted. No matter where we go from here, we’re never going to forget our time with the Cougars.
The house is only a short walk from campus, and thank God, because I desperately need to shower, eat, and maybe have a fortifying drink. Or three.
When I arrive, two of my frat brothers, Marshall and Gage, are sitting on the porch, a bottle of beer in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other. They’re seniors, like me, and pledged the same year. We’ve been through a lot together—not just parties and good times, but life stuff too, like when Gage’s father passed suddenly six months ago. No matterwhat, I can count on them to have my back, and I always have theirs.
“I can tell by that sulky look on your face that you lost,” Marshall quips.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Sorry we missed the game,” Gage adds. “We had a study session, and it lasted forever.”
“You didn’t miss anything, except us getting trounced by the Crew. Everyone’s meeting up here to do the honors.” I point to my head. “At least you get to watch that.”
“Awesome.” Marshall raises his beer. “I’m taking pics to document this historic moment.”
“Please no.”
