Page 12 of Stick By Me

LEO

On Friday, I’d let Remy drive to the hockey game at Mullett arena on the ASU campus and we stepped down the stairs to our seats, a few rows up from the bench. The place wasn’t all that big, so it was nice and cozy for a stadium. We each had beers and burgers in our hands.

Players glided around the ice, passing pucks to each other and shouting.

My pulse kicked up. I’d looked Archer up on the ASU team roster during the week and knew pretty much everything about him now. Why? I couldn’t help myself. I wasn’t sure where this was headed, but I couldn’t deny my attraction to him. Even if Milo had him first. My chest pricked. God damn Milo knew what he was like in bed.

We took our seats and set our beers in the holders as most of the players left the ice and skated to the bench, while six from each team lined up along the blue lines, all facing the South net.

An announcer on the loudspeakers said, “All rise for the national anthem, sung today by senior, Krista Waters.”

The crowd broke out in cheers, then went quiet.

As I stood up, I searched the jerseys at the bench forCarlsonon the back and caught his eye as he twisted to look up into thecrowd. He wasn’t in the starting line-up. How much ice time would he get?

Remy tagged my shoulder and leaned in, then whispered. “Which one is Milo’s old hookup?”

Fuck, they were all going to be calling him that. “Carlson. Number six.”

He nodded.

After the anthem was over, we sat down and I opened the foil on my burger, then took a bite.

The teams readied themselves for the puck drop that would start the game at the center circle, everyone bending over with their sticks on the ice.

As a whistle blew, the ref dropped the puck and the centers scrapped for it, sticks smacking all over the place. The puck flew out toward ASU’s goalie, Ace, from what I could tell, since his jersey had the numberoneon it and he was the starter.

“Fuck, look at those guys.” With a wide smile on his face, Remy pointed at the ice. “How the hell do you learn to skate like that?”

“A shit ton of practice.” I sipped my beer, then set it into the holder on the chair back in front of us. Yeah, I’d Googled a few things. I wanted to be able to talk hockey with Archer after the game. Did I want to impress him? Maybe.

Players all raced for the puck down by the ASU goal and Ace crouched down, the big pads on his shins covering most of his chest.

A Wildcat shot the puck.

The crowd roared.

Ace dove one knee to the ice, blocking it, then a Devil ran away with it, tossing it back and forth down the ice to a teammate.

“Holy shit, that was close.” My heart pounded in my chest. How did Archer feel being on the bench right now? I slid my gaze to the back of his helmet.

He sat up straight, holding his stick as if readying to hit the ice.

Remy bit into his burger, his head turning back and forth as he followed the movement of the puck.

The players shuffled the puck deep into Wildcat territory and a man skated toward the bench door. As he got there, Archer jumped one leg, then the other over the wall and hit the ice with powerful strokes of his skates, rushing toward the Wildcat net.

“Holy shit, Remy, that’s Archer.” I pointed at him, adrenaline pulsing through my body. Now was my chance to see him play. I clapped and shouted, “Go Carlson! Get that puck!”

Remy faced me, arching a brow. “You’re really into this, Leo.” He smirked at me. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so excited about a game.”

Glancing at Remy, I bit my lip. “Well, I uh, Iknowthese guys.” Shit, could Remy see what was really going on?

“Okay, sure.” He bit into his burger and focused on the game. “Oh shit, look!” He pointed to the ice. “There’s your guy, he’s got the puck.”

Archer slapped the puck away from a Wildcat, then swung in a circle, glanced at the goal, then a teammate, and slid the puck to the other Devil. The Devil shot, the puck flying up into the corner of the net, the goalie falling on his knees and shins, gloved hand lifting. As the red light went off over the net and the horn blew, the crowd went wild, whooping and cheering.

“Your boy got an assist.” Remy held up his hand to me.

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