Page 64 of The Penalty Shot (Totally Pucked 5)

Hudson pauses in the middle of squirting water into his mouth from his water bottle and looks at Alex, his jaw hard. “Someone bothering you at school?”

“Yeah, these guys have been taking my backpack, pushing me down, flushing my drawings in the toilet. They say I don’t deserve to be there because I’m poor and make fun of me for my clothes and because of the car that my mom drives.” He looks down at his skates, digging one heel into the floor.

Those assholes. I knew they were fucking with him, but really? What the hell is the wrong with the way he dresses? Pretentious-fucking kids.

“Fucking asshole kids. Man,” Briggs mutters.

“Yeah, screw those kids. Did you punch ‘em in the face?” Hudson asks, hopping out of the way when Reed goes to punch his arm. Reed then turns back toward Alex. “Violence isn’t the answer. Well, no, that’s a lie. Violence isn't usually the answer. Did you tell any of the administrators?”

“No,” Alex shakes his head, “it’ll just make it worse. I don’t want to give them another thing to pick on me about. Last week, they tripped me in the hallway, and I fell in front of everyone. It sucked.”

Fury fills my veins and red clouds my vision as I clench my hands at my side.

“Alex, you have to talk to your mom about this. She’s going to have to do something. This can’t continue.”

“No, Asher, I can’t. I’m going to be the laughing stock of the entire school if I tattle and have my mom handle it,” Alex exclaims, his eyes wide.

Fuck. I’m going to have to beat up a little kid.

“He’s right. But…I think I have an idea. These kids’ hockey fans?” Reed asks.

Alex nods. “They talk about it a lot. I’ve seen them wear your jerseys before.”

Reed smiles triumphantly, looking at each of us. “Then listen up. This is what I’m thinking…”

"MOM!” Alex exclaims as he sprints through the front door of the apartment, “Mom! You’ll never guess what happened to me today.”

When I say Reed is a fucking genius, I mean it. After our skate yesterday, we put his plan into action, and needless to say, I doubt those kids will be fucking with Alex again.

Auden’s in the kitchen, stirring a pot of something that smells fucking delicious, her hair piled high on her head. She’s wearing a pair of tight leggings and a tank top, so she must have went to the gym after her shift. Damn, I wish I could’ve been there. I need another hour alone with her in front of that mirror.

“Hi.” I wink, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

“Hi yourself,” she replies. Turning to Alex, she raises her eyebrows and pauses her stirring. “This sounds important. What happened?”

“Asher, Reed, Briggs and Hudson all came to myschooltoday,”he exclaims.

It’s Auden who looks at me then and raises her brows as if asking why she is just now hearing about it.

I shrug. It’s Alex’s story to tell. He’s the reason we were there in the first place, after all.

“We had an assembly, and they talked about hockey and the importance of working together as a team and they also talked about bullying, and then, then.” He’s out of breath from rambling on so fast, it makes me grin. “They brought me up there. On the stage, Mom.Withthem! They said that I was the reason they were there, and that I was like their little brother. Mom, you should’ve seen the guys who were bullying me, seen their faces. Wow. Then they passed out a bunch of cool stuff and signed autographs and stuff. Now everyone at the school thinks I’m a celebrity or something.”

I bring my fist to my mouth to bite back a laugh, but fuck, the kids did actually lose their minds when we walked in. It was priceless and completely brilliant. Those assholes making fun of him will think twice next time after meeting us. Who the hell makes fun of a kid because they aren’t as rich as they are?

“Wow. That sounds amazing, baby, I’m so glad that they did that.” Auden wraps her arms around Alex and pulls him to her and our eyes lock. I can see the glistening in her eyes as she holds him. “It sounds like that was the best day ever.”

“It was, seriously. I have to tell Callum. I got him an autographed hockey puck too. Can I go Mom, please?”

“Despite your celebrity status, you still have to do your homework, kiddo, but after you’re done, you sure can.”

He punches the air. “Yesssss. Be back.”

When he disappears into his room and I hear the door slam, I wait for Auden to speak. To say something.

Maybe I should’ve ran it by her…I just wanted Alex to be the one to tell her. I hope I wasn’t overstepping boundaries…Shit, maybe I should’ve thought this through more.

She turns toward me, her eyes a blaze. I’m trying to read her face, but I can’t. Until she closes the distance between us and brings her lips to mine. Her soft, pliant lips move against mine hungrily as I bring my hands up to cradle her face. Only when the kiss turns frantic and demanding does she tear her mouth from mine, breathless.

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