Page 98 of Hockey Bois
At the end of the night, as Nick drove home, he felt simultaneously lighter and sadder than when he’d started the evening. Ignoring Brady didn’t sit right with him, but he knew he had to get used to it.
He didn’t have to like it, though.
*
Nick didn’t check his phone until he got home. Only two messages waited for him, and both amused him for different reasons.
Jenna May (6:34 p.m.)
WTF what the actual fuck this isn’t fair how does friggin TERRY get to see your boy before I do??? You are disowned I have disowned you
Brady (6:49 p.m.)
you going to that thing Gail put together? I have a ton of extra cookies from the cookie table if you want any
Family first, so he opened up Jenna’s message.
Nick (11:29 p.m.)
i didn’t even know that a.) brady was gonna be there or b.) terry was gonna be there
i am blameless here
terry however is not so you give HIM shit okay?
though in his defense… him and gail look really cute and you should hold off murdering or disowning him until you’ve seen them together
If he was lucky, Jenna was already in bed, and he wouldn’t have to give her a rundown of the evening. Two cousins with love interests in play would give her a friggin’ field day. She’d pry details from both of them separately and together about how they each did. It would be exhausting, and he’d rather not right now.
His messages to Brady used to require more thought, but since PA he’d given up overanalyzing texts and just winged it.
Nick (11:34 p.m.)
sorry didn’t see this before
wtf is a cookie table but also yes i want free cookies
if you wanna get rid of them you should just bring them to a game and give them out in the locker room
BEFORE the game when everyone’s not all sweaty and gross and cookie-ruining
how was your trip btw?
There was a very real chance that Brady was still awake. They lived close and had left the bar around the same time. It wasn’t so much a chance as a certainty: Brady was at home getting ready for bed, the same as him, and if he was like any good millennial, he’d check his phone first.
To avoid having to deal with keeping up a conversation so late, Nick plugged in his phone and put it on silent.
He had to stop being at Brady’s beck and call, after all. He’d done the “friend” thing by asking about his trip, and that was enough for today.
Deep down, where he was more selfish and hurt than he let even Jenna see, he secretly hoped Bradywouldtext him, that he’d sit there waiting for an answer that wasn’t coming. Lethimbe the one with disappointed hopes for once.
Before he drifted off, he took back the wish. He didn’t want any more disappointment in their future, not when it came to each other. If the bad stuffdidhappen, he didn’t want it to behisfault.
Chapter Eleven: May
Nick groaned as he slid onto the bench, his legs aching from the number of times he’d hit the ice that night. This team didn’t like him, and they’d been making that clear all game. Most recently, one of their players had hit the back of his knees with their stick, knocking him off-balance and sending him sprawling forward. It was behind the refs’ backs—no chance for a call—and Nick seethed quietly instead of making it worse.
He knew why they hated him—he’d scored his first hat trick against the Toothless Wonders, and they were bitter to have given him the distinction—but it still pissed him off. Hereallywanted to score this game. They were sore losers, and they deserved it. It would be deeply satisfying, even though all it would do is permanently cement his place on their shit list.
