Page 222 of Skate the Line

He flicks his gaze to me, and the room grows tight.

“Does Jacobs know about this?”

I hop down from the bench. “He probably does now.”

“I like it here, and I like this team.” He steps in line with me as we leave the training room and head down the hall toward the locker room. “I don’t want to believe that he hired Tarvo knowing about his reputation.”

The team should be gone and back at the hotel. The game ended at least an hour ago, the media even clearing out.

“Charges were never pressed,” I say.

Why didn’t she press charges?

Emory pushes on the door.

“Well, that’s fucking ridiculous?—”

Emory stops mid-sentence.

I’m afraid to look at the locker room. If the police are here to arrest me for assault, we’re going to have problems. What would be worse is if Tarvo was waiting for round two.

“What are you guys still doing here?”

I open my eyes, and the shock grounds me.

The entire team, Coach Jacobs included, is waiting.

Kane stands up in the middle of the quiet locker room.

I continue to stare, fully fucking confused.

He claps.

It starts off slow, and eventually, the rest of the team is standing on their feet, and they’re clapping too.

I glance at Coach Jacobs, and the slight nod in my direction is enough of an acceptance as any other.

“We’re a team,” Kane announces, once the clapping dies down. “We play together, we fight together, and we support each other.”

Malaki pipes up. “Even if that means jumping into a fight for reasons unknown.”

The team laughs, some of them throwing up devil horns.

A year ago, the locker room would have been cleared out without an ounce of support.

But this year is different.

Our mentality has changed, along with other things.

I clear my throat. “I appreciate you guys, and I apologize for not being present for the third period.”

“Fuck Tarvo!” someone shouts from the back.

Kane points at them. “Fuck Tarvo.”

I want to laugh, but I don’t. Although I got some of my aggression out, the pain of losing Sunny remains.

“Tarvo is taken care of,” Coach Jacobs interrupts the chatter. “I’ve made it clear that he is no longer welcome. He won’t come near our arena.”

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