Page 105 of Breakneck Hockey

Did you hear? You and me, volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club of Canada. This’ll be fun. Don’t they know it’s not safe to let wild animals loose around children?

He might be talking about both of us.

Is that what we’re doing, though? That’s a good thing. I poke out my chest. An excited bubble inflates there. Alderchuck’s about to see something he’s never seen before—me with kids. I’m good with them in my own way and it’ll shock the fuck out of him.

Me

Am I still in the penalty box, baby?

My cheeks flush hot at my own text message that isn’t even dirty. I send it anyway.

Kitten

No. We good. See yah later.

My heart drops into my stomach. He’s being aloof and he’s way too good at it. I claw at my chest. Fuck. I’m fucked. I wasn’t supposed to fall for Alderchuck, but it snuck up on me. Now here he is, distancing himself from me with his “see yah later” bullshit after I called him baby, after the closest thing to an apology I’ve ever given him.

Asshole.

But as good as he is at faking nonchalance, I wrote the book on it. Fuck him. Two can play. Let’s see if he really means it, or if he’s just as fucked as I am.

Iarrive at the community center in high-top shoes, baggy black sweats, and an oversized Copperheads hoodie, as per Gina’s instructions. I opted for a black ball cap instead of the bandana today, spun backward, the brim facing my nape I finally got my head on right, though, and pulled one of my snowboarding jackets from storage to wear over my athletic ensemble.

I catch sight of Alderchuck dressed similarly in his Orcas sweatshirt. I hope he wore a jacket over that too but, knowing Alderchuck, he’s the kind to wear his flip-flops in the dead of winter. Well, not on my watch. I’m gonna make sure he’s warm.

There’s a film crew and Milton’s skulking around. I hate that guy. Beelining it for Alderchuck gets me noticed. Heads turn. Milton fucking quakes.

I wanna put my hands on Casey, but I can’t. Not with all these people around. I mean, I would if it wouldn’t land us in jail, because I don’t give a fuck about these people. I wanna pull him into a bathroom stall, a back alley, wherever, and stick my dick in him. Reclaim him. Restamp him with all my “Sutter was here” markings that he should be wearing full-time as far as I’m concerned. It’s been too long. I’m kinda pissed at him for that at the same time. How dare he think about ending this for real. We had a deal. Fuck until the flavor wears out.

That should mean if the flavor never wears out, we never end.

“Alderchuck,” I say.

“Sutter,” he says.

He’s not smiling, he’s glaring. More anger builds, filling my pulsing veins with rage. What the fuck is he pissed at me for? I gave him the space he said he wanted.

Unless.

I knew it. I fucking knew it.

Okay, kitten. You want to be chased. Message received.

I should have known that the usual rules don’t apply to us, and so I let this go on far longer than I should have. That changes now.

“What’s the deal?” I demand from Gina.

“A friendly game of floor hockey with the kids,” Gina says. I’m not used to her in anything but heels and dress suits. Today she’s wearing Adidas kicks and a Copperheads tracksuit. Wonder if I could have Casey in something Copperheads by the end of the night?

Either way, I’m definitely putting a smile back on his face.

“Um, don’t forget to mention about the shots we need,” Milton says with a nervous lilt in his tone. Casey said he gave Daddy vibes, but I’m not seeing it. Maybe that’s because my energy reduces him to a sniveling boy.

“What kind of shots would those be?” I ask.

“The kids will be split into two teams. You’ll coach one, and Casey will coach the other. We need some shots of you two as coaching rivals.”

Is he completely inept? That’s just gonna fuel the rivalry thing, the bloodthirsty kind he doesn’t want, or the kind he claimed not to want anyway. I suspect that’s changed. He’s figured out from Gina how much money can be made on our rivalry. But I could give a fuck about that shit. We are rivals. If they want to make money off it, that’s fine.

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