Page 41 of Cold Carnage

Rowan raised an eyebrow. “The new girl? She seems sharp.”

“That's one way of putting it,” Kellan chimed in, his manic grin softening just a touch.

“Doesn’t mean she can fix everything,” I countered.

Weston sighed dramatically. “Man, you’re fucking hopeless sometimes.”

Rowan lined up another shot and glanced at me. “You know we’ve got your back, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” I skated over to grab another puck.

Weston’s tone turned serious for a moment. “Just don’t make it harder than it needs to be, kid.”

I looked at him and saw genuine concern behind the mischief in his eyes. “All right, all right. I’ll play nice.”

Rowan smirked as he took his shot. “For once?”

“For once,” I agreed with a nod.

We continued shooting pucks and trading jabs, the easy banter reminding me why I loved this team despite everything else going on in my life.

The rink echoed with laughter and the sharp crack of pucks hitting the boards or finding their mark in the net. For now, at least, everything felt right.

I skated over to the boards, leaning on my stick. "What about you guys? Why are you here in the summer? Don't you have couches to sleep on, Denny's to visit?"

Rowan snorted. "Denny's? Really, Kane? You think I eat that crap?"

Weston grinned, his eyes twinkling. "He’s just jealous ‘cause he’s not invited.”

Kellan laughed from the net, his wild hair bouncing. "I’d kill for some pancakes right now."

I smirked. “See, Venom gets it.”

Rowan rolled his eyes. “We’re here ‘cause we care about this team. And ‘cause we can’t let you hog all the ice time, pretty boy."

Weston’s grin widened. “Plus, it’s fun watching you blow off steam.”

I shot another puck at Kellan, who deflected it with ease. “You guys are a real support group.”

Rowan chuckled. “Just trying to keep you from doing something stupid.”

“Too late for that,” Kellan muttered, earning a laugh from the rest of us.

I sighed, leaning against the boards again. “You know what’s really stupid? Thinking this PR stuff is gonna fix everything.”

Weston shook his head. “It’s not about fixing everything. It’s about showing you give a damn.”

“I do give a damn,” I said through gritted teeth.

Rowan’s eyes softened for a moment. “Then let her help.”

Kellan nodded in agreement. “I'd sure as shit let her help me with all my problems. Seems more than capable.”

"You have too many fucking problems," Weston put in. "She doesn't have time for 'em all."

“Capable?” I scoffed, though my heart wasn’t in it.

Weston skated closer, his expression serious for once. “You’re not a fucking island, asshole. We’ve all got our shit to deal with."

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