Page 33 of The Spice Play

Tome?

If anything, he should be apologizing to Seb for saying that in front of Matty. Why was he adamant that he apologize tome?

Bryan laughed, his hand wrapping around Seb’s ankle. But he didn’t say a word.

“Tell me what happened,” Coach demanded, “before I assume this is a pointless attack and bench you.”

“I’m not repeating what he said in front of Matty,” Seb said, pushing his stick harder against Bryan’s chin and forcing his head back. “But it was inappropriate and an insult to Nelly.”

Coach sighed dramatically and pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut in frustration. “Fine. We’ll talk after practice. Just let him go.”

“Nelly,” Matty said again, and I turned to him, resisting the urge to squat down to his level so he wouldn’t see his father standing over a man with a hockey stick lodged against his throat. “I don’t understand.”

“I know, bud,” I sighed, cupping his cheek. Wide, blue eyes that looked just like Seb’s looked up at me with confusion. “Just know that what he said was not okay, and you shouldn’t repeat it. Okay?”

Matty nodded. “Okay. Daddy’s angry, though.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “You don’t need to see that.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s okay,” I said.

“Nell?”

I spun on a dime, and Seb was at the wall, leaning over it with his face still red and a sheen of sweat dripping from his skin. Bryan was back up, skating toward the rest of the group, and Coach still stood behind Seb as still as a statue. I threw one leg over the seats in front of me and climbed over them.

“Hey,” I said, dropping my voice so Matty wouldn’t hear. “Are you okay?”

His mouth formed a hard line as he looked between me and his son. “I’m fine,” he grumbled. “Can you take Matty home, please?”

“Oh. Uh… yeah, I can,” I swallowed. “I’m sorry, you said?—”

“I know.” He sucked his teeth and wiped his forehead with the back of his gloved hand. “I made a bad call extending the offer today.”

“Seb—”

“Honestly, just get him out of here before Bryan says something else, and Matty has to watch me beat his fucking brains out on the ice,” Seb said, his voice barely audible as the whistle blew again. “I’ll see you at home.”

Chapter 16

Sebastian

Istared down at my phone, eyes glued to the notifications that simply read,Back door opened. Back door closed.

It was half past eleven, and as I laid back on my bed with my chest against the headboard and my right leg elevated with an icepack on my knee, I couldn’t help but wonder what, exactly, Nelly needed from inside the house at this hour.

She’d avoided me again when I got home, disappearing to the guesthouse without much more than a quick recap of what she and Matty did after they’d left practice earlier and a verification that I didn’t need her help for the rest of the night. I couldn’t blame her — the side of me she’d seen on the ice earlier was a side that seldom came out, and it wasn’tenjoyableto see. But I wasn’t going to apologize for it. Not when Bryan should have apologized.

An old episode ofSurvivorplayed softly from my television across the room, quiet enough that it wouldn’t leak through the walls to the other side of the second floor and wake Matty. He’d conked out just after eight, and I’d spent the lastthree hours trying to get comfortable in my bed and failing.

My phone buzzed in my hand, and a new notification drew my attention.

Nelly:Are you awake?

I quickly typed out a reply.

Me:Yeah. I’m in my room. What’s up?

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