Page 16 of Puck Me All Night Long

We also have Hadley to consider in this mess—fake girlfriend or not—and we need to protect her, too. I glance at Holden and Barnett. In the short time, we've been teammates, we've also become friends, and whether this is still fake or not with Hadley, I want to see where this relationship goes from here, and we can't do that if she doesn't trust us. Even if it's obvious to us that she is the woman in the video, we still didn't protect her from having the video taken and released to the public.

Friendship wins out as I ask, "What should we do about it since it's obviously fake?"

"I'm not sure what we can do about it right now other than make Brock pay on the ice," Barnett says.

"Not a problem." Teagan gets an evil gleam in her eyes as she calls for the rest of the guys to join us in a team huddle. It's a good thing our coaches leave us alone during the first-period break, or we wouldn't be able to carry out Teagan's plan.

"Hayes, what in the Hell has gotten into you tonight?" Coach Davis yells at Teagan after an extremely brutal hit she gave to Brock.

It was actually pretty satisfying to watch Brock get taken out of a play by a girl who slammed him into the plexiglass so hard his head rolled back a little.

I've never seen this side of Teagan before—she's a force to be reckoned with when you mess with someone she cares about. Speaking of someone you care about, Teagan's boyfriends are protecting her every move from the other team. Surprisingly, we are only down one to nothing since no one on our team seems to give a shit about the game. Everyone is focusing on Brock.

"Sorry, Coach, I must have slipped." Teagan smiles at him before taking a seat next to me on the bench.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," I say.

"You have no idea. That prick messed with the wrong family." She nods to the ice where Torin, Talen, and Tarek are in a fistfight with members of the other team.

"I'll have to remember that."

"You don't have to worry as long as you treat Hadley right—we've adopted her—she's part of the Hayes family, don't you know."

I laugh at Teagan's attempt at a Minnesota accent—little does she know I still have my Scandinavian Heritage to fall back on, "Yah, sure, you betcha."

"Oh my God, you sound like a real Minnesotan."

"Caspian, get out there—it looks like Fin and Royal are getting ready to fight again, and Coulter is already in the penalty box." Coach Davis swears under his breath.

"Duty calls." I salute Teagan and jump over the half wall and onto the ice, skating directly for Brock.

At this point, the referees have given up calling all the penalties each team is committing and have only called the most brutal hits. What was once a hockey game has now become a WWE Wrestle Mania event—all we're missing are the ladders and the chairs.

Brock has the puck, pushing it across the ice, trying to split the defenders. It doesn't matter because I've got him in my sights, not the puck.

He lunges to the right before pulling back, trying to shake me, but I anticipate the move and slam him hard against the plexiglass, holding him in place until a ref breaks us apart, but not before Brock has a meltdown.

"You fucking cocksuckers are all the same—you act all high and mighty, but you're just as dirty as the rest of us. I heard the hockey commissioner is here tonight. Your team is going to be hit with so many fines that you'll never see the playoffs for the next five years." He smirks.

The horn sounds for the end of the second period—conveniently ending Brock's rant. But is he right? Was all this fighting a way to ruin our team's chances of making the playoffs?

sixteen

Hadley

I'm not sure what has gotten into the team. Even Teagan has spent more time in the penalty box than usual. Unfortunately, the league commissioner is here tonight, sitting with Colt, Jensen, and Beck in the stands, commenting on each fight.

"Here." I hand Cassi a tray of nachos before working my way to my seat on the other side of Britt. "What did I miss?" All the fighting was making me anxious, so I hit the concession stand, looking for something to snack on.

I notice Colt, Jensen, and Beck are no longer in their seats. They must have gone to the locker room—I'd hate to hear the tongue-lashing they give the team. From the look on the commissioner's face, he's not enjoying the game.

A loud thud against the plexiglass in front of me draws my attention. It's number sixty-nine from the other team smashed up against the glass with Caspian on the other side, pinning him in place. The crowd cheers, making it impossible to hear anything, but from the looks of it, Caspian is in a heated conversation with number sixty-nine.

The horn sounds announcing the end of the second period.

"Looks like you're going to be busy tonight after the game." Cassi nudges Britt's side, causing Britt to blush.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Britt crosses her arms over her chest, but the hint of a smile plays across her mouth.

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