Page 61 of They All Puck Me

Liam's eyes narrow. “What's your point, Reynolds?”

“My point is,” I continue, taking a deep breath, “I want to be here. With this team. I want to win the fucking cup with you guys.” The words feel heavy but necessary.

Liam raises an eyebrow, clearly surprised. “You serious?”

"Did you hit your head a little too hard today during drills?" Noah adds, his sarcastic ass.

“Dead serious,” I say firmly. “But that means we all need to get a handle on our shit together.”

Liam crosses his arms, looking skeptical. “And how do you propose we do that?”

“We start by putting it all out there,” I say, locking eyes with him and then Noah. “We need to all be on the same page… about everything.”

Noah’s expression softens slightly. “You mean... Olivia?”

“Yeah,” I admit, the weight of her name settling between us. “Look, I've been… involved too. But this isn't just about her—it’s about us being a team.”

Liam rubs his jaw, contemplating my words. “So what’s your plan, Ethan? We all just sit down and have a heart-to-heart?”

“Something like that,” I say with a shrug. “We can’t keep avoiding the elephant on the fucking ice.”

Liam exhales sharply, clearly frustrated but understanding the necessity of it all. “Alright,” he finally says. “We’ll talk to her.”

Noah nods in agreement. “Yeah, man. Let’s do it.”

"Alright, how about at the next home game? The next one is away."

"Sounds good." Liam says. "Gives me some time to get my lines rehearsed."

"God, ya'll need a life." I say with an eyeroll.

As I leave the locker room, the conversation with Liam and Noah still echoes in my mind. For once, we’re on the same page about something other than hockey. It’s a strange feeling—one I’m not entirely comfortable with, but necessary.

I pull out my phone to send Olivia a message.

"Hey, I know you've been avoiding me like the bubonic plague but there's something I think we need to talk about. Meet me on the ice after the next home game. Please."

I pocket my phone and make my way to the parking lot. Two games stand between getting to the bottom of shit with Olivia. And I would be lying If I said I'm not counting down the hours.

24

LIAM

Iskate hard during warm-ups, pushing myself to the limit, but my mind isn't on the ice. The thought of talking to Olivia tonight eats away at me. What if we have this all wrong? What if she's done with me? What if she chooses one of us over the other two. I can only imagine the fucking drama on the ice that will cause. I can hear Coach Bergman's frustrated shouts echoing across the rink, but they barely register.

"What's up with you, Liam?" Noah skates up beside me, his breath visible in the cold air. "You're playing like you've got two left feet."

"Sorry Coach," I snap, my tone sharper than intended. I shoot the puck, but it veers wide of the net. "Just need to focus."

"Yeah, well, maybe focus a little harder," Noah says, not backing down.

Ethan glides over, his dark eyes assessing. "You sure you're good? Because right now, you're a liability."

I grit my teeth, irritation bubbling up. "Back off, Reynolds."

Ethan shrugs but doesn't move. "Just saying what everyone's thinking."

Coach Bergman's whistle pierces the air. "Makar! Kane! Reynolds! Get your heads in the game and out of the clouds or get off my ice!"

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