Page 85 of Hockey Bois
The second period was better. The team was pumped about not getting shut out, and it helped them keep the other team from scoring. The Jagr Bombs weren’t putting up the points, but 1:5 certainly felt better than 0:5 or 1:6.
There were so few players today, Brady and Nick saw a lot of ice time together. They weren’t quite in their usual groove, but things were clicking more than they had lately. Actual words didn’t appear to be their forte, but they could still speak hockey. They could talk via passes and blocks and breakouts to say there really was a good foundation underneath all the mess.
They could still win games.
They could still rebuild their friendship.
It was a passing thought that became a mantra after Nick scored again. It was a garbage goal, one that bounced off his shin guard and in, and it feltamazing.
Okay, it kind of hurt because it hadn’t hit his shin guard clean and it’d been a slapshot from Brady. But thegoalfelt really good, and knowing that Brady had assisted on both his goals made it even better.
We can still score. We can still win games. We could still winthis game.
Of all people, it was Benns who scored next. His strengths were more in the captain, quasi-coach role than on the ice. He was a strong skater but slow, his stickhandling wasn’t great, and he looked down too much to make the good heads-up plays he encouraged in email chains and group chats.
So obviously, the bench went nuts when he scored his first goal in possibly four months.
“BENNSIE!!!”
“OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN!!”
And then a group chant of: “Benns! Benns! Benns! Benns!”
“That’s enough,” he said through a grin. “Three to five isn’t anything to celebrate.”
“Watch us,” Lexi said. “Only thing that’d make us go crazier is if Nicki gets the hat— OW!”
Gail looked like she wanted to impale him with her stick. “Howdareyou say the H-word.”
“What? Hat— STOP HITTING ME!”
“You don’t say that word,” Gail said and poked his helmet to punctuate each word. “Just like you don’t say ‘shutout’ before the end of the game. If you jinx this for us, so help me I will break your stick over your thick head.”
“Forus?” Nick interrupted. “Aren’t I the one who’d need to score? Isn’t itmyhat trick?”
“I wouldn’t get in the middle of that,” Brady warned. As the game went on and on, his place on the bench had gotten closer and closer to Nick’s; now they were side by side.
To make transitions on and off the ice easier, of course. Being close enough to whisper in his ear was just a side effect.
“Yeah?” Nick asked with an amused smile as though his hands weren’t clamming up in his gloves. Brady wastalkingto him again, thank fuck.
“She’s feisty. And superstitious. And mean.” Despite his words, Brady looked rather fond of his usual D partner.
“’kay. I’ll try not to anger the beast.”
The other players around them shuffled as they got ready for the third period to start. When Gail was safely on the ice, Brady leaned in and whispered, “We gotta get you that hatty.”
Nick gasped loudly. “Y’all hear what Jensie just said!? You hear that flagrant use of the H-word!?”
Brady shouldered him. Hard.
“Injuring the best player of the night!” Nick called out. “Ref! Hey, ref! I need help!”
“Ha fucking ha. Shut up before they believe you.”
There was a familiar feeling bubbling up inside of him—that stupid joy he’d always had to tamp down whenever he was with Brady. It pissed him off. They’d had a chance, and nothing had come of it. This right here—this back-and-forth on the bench?—this was the most it could ever feasibly be.
And yet his heart hadn’t quite gotten the message.
