Page 6 of One More Time

“And that is?” His raised eyebrow demanded an answer.

“That an Aussie can make it in the big leagues.” But it ran deeper; numerous reasons were driving me, and nothing would stand in my way.

“Well, if you keep it up, you won’t have any troubles. If any of the boys give you a hard time, don’t hesitate to let me know. Some have put in the hard yards since their freshman year to earn more time on the ice. Fresh competition, might not sit well with everyone.”

I nodded confidently. “I can handle it, sir. Life throws more challenges than insecure men, trust me.”

I strolled into the locker room, giving Coach a nod as I left him behind. Once inside, I kept my head down as I passed by my teammates in various stages of undress. I was a bit unsure about the locker room etiquette here. Back home, my team was my family—we’d have a conversation no matter what. But here, these guys were walking around in towels, some starkers others in their sweaty gear—those were probably the freshers. Banter, laughter, and stories about recent shindigs filled the air. I caught snippets here and there of them sharing details about girls they’d been with. It took all my self-restraint not to jump in and ask for a bit more respect.

At home, our talks about relationships had a different flavor—more about the long-term, grounded in respect. Occasionally, a nod about looks or a quick yarn about good or bad times, but we never got into the dirty details. Quite a few of us had sisters and as their captain, I made it bloody clear that any lack of respect wasn’t on around me.

“What about you Aus? You coming to the party tonight?” I turned as I took off my sweat-soaked shirt, wet tendrils of hair whipping against my cheeks as I shook out my hair.

“Nah, parties aren’t my scene.”

A chorus of boos echoed through the room. “Don’t Australians have a legal age of eighteen? I swear I hear you guys could drink us under the table.” I couldn’t help but laugh at Mouse. He had a point, “Nah-Yeah, Australians drink a lot. Half my captaincy was spent scolding my team for rocking up hungover. I just don’t drink. Nor do I party—not my thing.” I shrugged, wrapping a towel around my waist before making my way to the showers. There was never any time for parties. Not when there might be the need to rush my mum to the hospital or take my brother to early practice.

“What about girls?” Mouse called out.

I stopped, glancing over my shoulder. “What about them?”

“Well, Aussie girls are hot as fuck. Surely you at least partied for that reason.”

“Yeah, there are some seriously good-looking girls, but I’m not a hit-it-and-quit-it guy. Girls are just a distraction. ” My stomach churned at a painful memory that resurfaced, an old hurdle life tossed my way that had faded into the background when my dad passed.

“Dude, with that accent you could get any girly you wanted.” I laughed at Mouse’s attempts to get me to this party.

“More for you man. I’m already kicking your arse on the ice, least I could do is cut you some slack outside the rink?” I round of oooo’s round the room.

“I’ll fill you in on what you miss!” Mouse shouted after me.

“Please don’t!”

Chapter four

Hunter

“Dude, you’ll have no teeth left, what’s your deal?” Colton skated alongside me as we cooled down.

I hadn’t realized I was clenching my jaw so tight. Colton followed my gaze, laughing when he realized I was watching Mr. Australia gliding around the ice like a fucking figure skater.

“Threatened? Not like you.”

He was right, but I’d never had a reason to be. I’d always been the most confident person in the room. Everyone knew me; I played with most of these guys through local teams and training camps. I was ready to dominate my senior year—be on the starting line, the hot topic in the locker room. I wanted to finish with a bang. Then this freshman from Australia swooped in and immediately captured everyone’s attention. I hoped he’d be another average player, but even I had to admit that he was fantastic on the ice. He quickly stole the limelight from Colton—my high school teammate. We were supposed to be the stars, but we looked like rookies compared to Mr. Australia.

“He’s just so...” I couldn’t find the words to express how frustrated I felt. The guy was poised. He rolled with the punches. He showed up early, left late, and he even helped with the equipment—and he never complained. He didn’t party, didn’t drink, and he never showed up for the team meals. Yet, everyone loved him. He just had that charm about him. He took the time to get to know each member of the team—except for me. He looked at me and dismissed me like I was a waste of his time.

All I heard at gatherings was “Aussie this, and Aussie that.” It was growing tiresome. On his first day, I saw a glimpse of vulnerability, and it made me want to crack his shell. Sure, maybe that look of vulnerability was because I was the one who knocked him to the ground. I’ll admit, I was an asshole, but he caught me off guard with those crazy seafoam eyes. His reddish-brown hair warmed his complexion. He had beautiful, sun-kissed skin with a smattering of freckles over his nose. And that’s why I ground my teeth. All it took was one look, and I was wrapped around his finger.

It was infuriating...

“Just so… What?” Colton chuckled, waiting for my answer. I couldn’t say he was perfect, that would lead to another discussion I didn’t care to have.

“Everyone just likes him, and he puts in no effort outside of practice.”

Colton mulled over his next words. “True, but he puts in the effort when he is here, and if he gets us a win at The Frozen Four… I won’t complain.”

“Even if he outshines you?”

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