Page 19 of Rule Breaker

Instead, I turned away and kept walking beside Dane.

“We lost by one freaking goal,” I sighed. “I hate that. And the whole game it felt like we were playing more defense than offense. No offence.”

Dane laughed and patted my shoulder. “None taken. And yeah, I know what you mean. With so many new players, I guess it’s going to take time to find our groove. But we’ll get there.”

“Hopefully before the end of the season.”

I was a glass-half-full guy, but my anxieties were cresting. Even when I was struggling with schoolwork, I could always count on hockey.

“Truth? It wasn’t just our offense that needs improving,” Dane replied. “Silas was tense, and so were you.”

“I’m having a hard time anticipating his moves,” I admitted to my friend.

“You gotta find a way to communicate,” Dane paused. “And, speaking of that, don’t let Maddox get to you.”

“What? What’s he got to do with anything?”

Dane stared at me.

“Okay,” I shrugged. “Maybe I’m also stressing about my roommate.”

“I know you. Maddox isn’t an approachable guy, so your best bet is to ignore his attitude and just do you. Not everyone is going to want to be your friend, and that’s okay. It’s better to let him be. Don’t stress over him.”

Maybe Dane was right. I tended to overthink things, and I wanted to get along with everybody. Why was I so hell-bent on getting to know our goalie? Why couldn’t I leave things be?

We headed for the locker room and I knew what was coming next. Coach was standing at the entrance, arms crossed, face expressionless. He didn’t give a nod or a say a word. Unlike other coaches I’d worked with, Banning didn’t need to yell. His silent glare was just as effective.

Until all my teammates gathered around, and then Coach let loose.

“I don’t need to tell you guys that today was disappointing as hell. I felt it, I saw it, you experienced it. That’s not the kind of teamwork I expect and demand from you. Be prepared for our upcoming practices to be long ones. We’re going to do drills until the rink closes or you can’t move, whichever comes first,” he barked. “Clean up and head for the bus. We’ll talk more at dinner.”

Coach stalked off and most of the guys sat there, too numb to move or talk. I started undressing, whipping off my jersey and then my pads. Glancing around, I noticed Maddox sitting on the last bench, mask off, head in hand. This time, however, I listened to Dane’s advice and instead of walking by Maddox and teasing him, I headed in the opposite direction, towards the showers.

Once I was scrubbed up, I quickly changed, grabbed my bag, and followed Jace and Dane out the door.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t know if I can eat. That loss has my stomach in knots,” I admitted.

Jace elbowed me. “It’s only one game.”

“Yeah, but it’s still a big-ass bummer.”

“Don’t wallow in it. It’s done. We’ll watch the tape and learn from it,” Jace reassured me. “Next game, we’ll be the ones kicking ass.”

We got on the bus, and I grabbed the seat next to Dane. Slowly, the rest of the team filed on. No sign of Maddox. I was tempted to get off the bus and go look for him.

Let it go.

A few minutes later, Coach got on, then our driver. Maddox was the last one on, again. He ignored me (I know, shocking), and headed for the back of the bus.

“Hey Coach, is Sean going to be in goal next game?” Axel asked.

Oh fuck. Why was Axel deliberately trying to be an asshole?

Coach got up and turned around.

“Focus on your playmaking, Lund,” he bit out. “And remember, this is a team sport. We win or lose not because of one person, but because of everyone. If you don’t like hockey, there’s always speed skating.”

Ooh, burn.

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