Page 54 of I Blame the Club

“TRIP!”

Orange lacrosse gear comes flying by me as Wes jumps up onto the concrete barrier and swings his leg over the railing. I watch, unimpressed, as the team captain risks life and limb to scoop up his girlfriend in a hug.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming!”

Before she can answer, Wes sweeps her into the air and plants his lips on hers. Nearby spectators start to cheer while I observe the scene with pinched brows.

Stella slaps my arm, “Enough with the judgmental looks. He's happy to see her.”

“I’m more concerned about my captain using up his stamina before the game even starts.”

Cody snorts and I shoot him a look, “Don’t think you’re off the hook, Ellsworth. I’m still pissed about the bus situation.”

Stella huffs, crossing her arms, “You’ll get over it. We needed a big car to transport everyone. I wasn’t planning on squishing everyone in the back of my Jeep.”

I raise a brow, “I’m finding it hard to believe three people broke your vehicle’s capacity.”

She mimics my expression, “There were four people. Lacey joined the road trip as well.”

I frown, “Who the hell is-

“Mi amor?” Nico materializes beside me, scrutinizing the crowd, “Where’s my girl at?”

“Surprise!” Fair skin and dark curly hair appear beside Stella, the girl’s youthful beauty causing fellow spectators to glance our way. Nico’s face breaks into a huge grin as he jumps up to plant a kiss on her cheek.

“Best surprise ever.”

The display of affection has my skin itching, so I give Stella and Cody one last wave before I turn and walk back to the field.

“Shoot Hunter!”

My shout disappears among the rowdy crowd, the frantic cheering growing more intense as the stadium clock counts down the last few minutes of the game.

Hunter ducks, dodging the defensemen blocking his path, and hurls the ball toward the net – making a perfect arch over the goalie’s outstretched hand. The crowd explodes, orange and black banners waving excitedly while a few groans echo from the Dino section.

The scoreboard flashes, bringing the Tigers up to 12 points and tying up the game. There’s only two minutes left on the clock, and both teams look beat. I signal to the ref, calling for a quick timeout to give these boys a much-needed pep talk.

“Alright Tigers, there’s only two minutes left in this game, so now is the time for all that training to pay off. Tell me, have you been waking up at 5AM every morning just to lose 120 seconds from the end?”

I scan the group huddled around me, their sweat-streaked faces looking back at me with weary determination.

“No, you didn’t. Just like you haven’t been working your asses off just to go home and tell your friends and family you choked during the last two minutes.”

Making eye contact with each player wearing an orange jersey, I give them a moment to let my words sink in.

“Now, get back on that field and score one more goddamn goal. Tigers on three.” I initiate the count down and the team lets out a convincing roar before running back onto the field.

On the other side of the field, the Dinos let out a similar chant and fall back into their positions. At this stage in the game, it comes down to which shot the goalie saves and which one he misses.

Glancing at our net, I watch Nico saunter confidently towards the crease, the ease in his posture a complete contrast to every other player on the field. He positions himself at the net, his stance relaxed yet ready.

I hold my breath as the whistle blows, orange and red players darting around the field in a fight for the ball. One of the Calgary forwards intercepts a pass and darts forward, deking out both our defensemen and making a beautiful shot at the net. Nico throws his body to the side, stick raised as the ball goes hurtling towards the net.

A collective sigh goes through the stadium as he catches it and tosses it back to Preston running up the side.

“Pass to Wes!” I shout, watching the rookie execute a smooth pass to Wes who is sprinting up the centre field quickly. He catches it and swivels, his stick aimed at the Dino’s net when two defensemen close in on him.

Wes glances around, adjusting his trajectory to pass the ball off to Millard, who just became open thanks to the defence’s focus on the captain.

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