Page 28 of Head Over Skates

Sparkly pink, purple and blue ponies grin back at me. Sawyer and Hendrix bust out laughing as soon as they spot it.

"Nice decorating job, Juggernaut. Very badass," Sawyer says, shaking his head.

The rest of the guys turn to look and immediately start cracking up. I feel my face getting hot.

"Aww, I think it's cute," Hendrix says in a mocking baby voice. "Our little Owen is in touch with his feminine side."

I start ripping off the stickers, but there are dozens of them. This is going to take forever.

"Alright, hilarious. Which one of you idiots did this?"

No one fesses up. I scan the room, but all I get are snickers and exaggerated shrugs.

I grumble under my breath, realizing exactly who is behind this childish prank. Emily. That’s what she and her crazy friend were doing here late at night. Real mature.

As if the sticker bomb isn't humiliating enough, when I open my locker, a cascade of plastic balls spills out, bouncing everywhere. They're those super bouncy kinds from Chuck E. Cheese's or something. Seriously?! I hear Sawyer and Hendrix cracking up as I scramble to gather them up.

"Having some toy problems there, Owen?" Sawyer smirks.

"Har har," I deadpan, shoving the last few balls back into my locker and slamming it shut.

I'll deal with Emily later. Right now I need to focus on the game. Coach Knight is relying on me to lead the offense against the Hurricanes' tough defense.

As we hit the ice, I feel pumped and ready. The pony stickers and plastic balls were a momentary annoyance, but I won't let anything shake my game mindset.

The puck drops and I'm off, flying across the ice. My legs feel strong and my stick handling is tight. I gain control of the puck near the blue line and see an opening. With a burst of speed, I split the defense and find myself one-on-one with the goalie. I wind up and let a slapshot rip, nailing it top shelf. Goal!

The crowd erupts into cheers as my teammates surround me, giving me fist bumps and helmet taps. But then the goal song starts blasting from the speakers. Instead of our usual classic rock anthem, the arena fills with a synthesized, perky kid’s bob song. The only reason I recognize it as "Baby Shark" is because Cyrus wouldn’t stop singing it when I would pick him up from summer day camp four years ago. A simpler time when Shannon had no choice but to let me help due to her demanding work schedule. I remember having to bribe him with ice cream to get him to shut up. Full disclosure: I would have bought him ice cream anyway.

The song blares on as I try not to laugh. Emily somehow hacked the music. I've gotta give her credit for creativity with these pranks. But two can play at this game.

I notch two more goals and an assist in the first period. We're dominating the Hurricanes early.

During the intermission, I confer with Coach Knight about defensive adjustments. He seems pleased with my performance so far.

"Keep it up out there, Juggernaut. I want you leading the charge," he says, clapping me on the shoulder.

As we retake the ice for the second period, I feel locked in. But I can't resist scanning the sidelines for Emily. There she is, bundled up in an oversized hoodie. Even from here, I can see those big hazel eyes fixed on me.

I power through the period, racking up more points for the team. We take a solid lead over Carolina. I keep an eye out for Emily's reactions whenever I score or make a nice play. She's trying hard not to show it, but I can tell she's impressed.

Between periods, I catch her by the Zamboni garage while Joe resurfaces the ice. "Enjoying the show?" I ask with a cocky grin.

She narrows her eyes. "Don't let it go to your head, Juggernaut. Still a long game left."

"Oh don't worry, I'm just getting started," I shoot back.

The final period is a flurry of activity. The Hurricanes rally late, but we manage to fend them off and secure the win.

I'm feeling pumped after the victory. I can't wait to really get Emily back for those pranks now. As annoying as they were, I've gotta admit I like her fiery spirit. No one's challenged me like this in a long time.

I findEmily in the parking lot after the game, leaning against the hood of my car with her arms crossed. She's got on thatsmug little smile like she's won something, even though her little pranks didn’t phase me one bit.

"Well, well, if it isn't Toronto's juiciest beefcake. Nice game tonight, Junkfornuts."

I roll my eyes. She just can't resist needling me. "Don't call me that. And move your cute little butt off my car before you scratch the paint."

She hops down, grin growing wider. "So you think my butt is cute?"

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