Page 71 of Ice Block

He walks over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “She’s gone. She caught a flight back this morning. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.”

I narrow my brows as I run a hand through my hair, my chest tight, my breaths short. “I thought we were all flying back together today. Did…” I swallow thickly, “did something happen? Is she okay? Why did she go back early? And what the fuck are you doing in my room?!”

He throws his hands up, something almost like understanding in his eyes. “Hey, hey, hey…calm down. You had a lot to drink, and when I brought you back, Maggie was leaving, so I offered to stay and make sure you were okay. I was a complete gentleman though and put up the wall of pillows.”

I glare at him, this time hoping he gets that I’m not in the mood for teasing.

“Okay, okay. Take a breath, man, I’m just joking. She’s fine. Maggie just wanted to go home early.”

My stomach sours, the remnants of last night threatening to crawl their way out. “Because of me?”

He gives me a clenched half-smile. “She didn’t say. But, by the way she was crying, I’m guessing itmighthave something to do with you.” He taps his chin, popping his lips. “Now that I think about it, maybeI Gotta Go My Own Waywould be the better song choice. This feels similar to Troy and Gabriella’s third act breakup.”

My jaw ticks as I stare him down, a glimpse of fear flashing in his eyes as if he’s unsure if he should poke the bear.He shouldn’t. But also, fuck, I don’t know what’s happening, so I let him speak without punching him.For now.

“What happened, Vladi? You two seemed like you were having a great time at the reception. Aaand I happened to walk by a certain janitor’s closet and heard some pretty interesting noises coming from behind the door.” He wiggles his eyebrows in a gesture I’m not familiar with. “Did you know my room is right next to yours? Don’t think I haven’t heard you two in here.”

My eyes widen. “You heard us?”

“Who at this resortdidn’thear you two? I’m not upset about it. I’m impressed at your stamina, to be quite honest. But when you two finally get your shit figured out and live together, you might want to invest in some soundproofing. You two arenotquiet when you’re smashing”

“Smashing?”

“You know, doing the deed, rizz and hit, Netflix and chill, getting it on?—”

“Enough,” I cut him off, not needing to hear any more of these crude sayings. “I understand. But you heard us and said nothing?”

“It’s not like it just comes up in conversation. ‘Hey Vladi, heard you and Maggie goin’ at it all night…that sounded fun!’” He forces a cough, no longer able to look me in the eye. “What you two have…I’m not ashamed to admit it, I’m fucking jealous, bruh.”

I freeze, my brows narrowing.He has to be joking now.“You. You are jealous of me?”

“Of course I am! You’re an amazing goalie, everyone in the league respects you, you’re a good friend, apparently you’regreatat fucking, and that girl iscrazyabout you. She’s so far gone for you, Vladi. So. Far. Gone. IwishI had a girl notice me the way she notices you.”

My mind spins. I clearly had too much alcohol last night because thiscannotbe Bougie speaking like this to me.“You have a different girl chasing after you every night. Why would you be jealous of me?”

He turns to the window, staring out into the blue morning sky. “My life’s not all it’s cracked up to be…” his voice trails off. “So, yeah, I’m super jealous you have a woman pining over your every move. But I gotta ask…why are you so hesitant to be with her?”

I grunt, shoving more clothes into my suitcase. “My life is also not all it’s cracked up to be.”

“Well, like I said the other day, if I were you, I would not let that one get away. Maggie is your person, Vladi. Let me say it again, in case you didn’t hear me. She isyourperson. If it were me, I’d do whatever it takes to keep her.”

I stand frozen in place, stunned at the wisdom coming out of this kid.I did not think like this at twenty-two. I swallow hard, hesitant to say the words about to come out of my mouth. “Thank you, Jordan. I’ll…I’ll think about it.”

His eyes go wide as a smile bursts across his face. “Vladamir…did you just call me Jordan? MaybeI’myour person instead of Maggie!”

“Okay that was a mistake. Get away from me.”

He clobbers me with a hug and a pat on the back. “Nope, nope, nope…you called me Jordan and there’re no take backs. Now give me a hug, you big Russian.”

I sigh, reluctantly tapping his back in return, then quickly pull away from this ridiculous display of emotion.

“Now, unless you want to hear my selections fromthebest Disney Channel Original Movie ever made, I suggest you get your bag packed so we can go to breakfast before the flight.”

48

vladi

Watching the player skating down the ice, I track their every move. Analyzing even the slightest body language is the key to anticipating how they will try scoring on me. Try being the key word.They won’t.Specifically, this particular player. I know his moves. He’s a fancy motherfucker who goes top shelf every time. I glance from the puck to his face, his eye quickly shifting toward his linemate. If he were going to shoot, he’d have the puck on his dominant side by now, but it’s still centered in front of him. My eyes flash.He’s going to pass.I prepare for a shot just in case, but I can feel in my bones he’s going to pass. I wait until he subtly pushes the puck to his side, then I shift my weight, ready to block the shot from his teammate. As I’ve predicted, the puck glides across the ice to the other player barreling toward me. The shot crosses in front of me, and I make a big push, shifting across the net to make the save. I drop into butterfly, using my pads to keep the goal behind me completely blocked. The puck hits my stick, deflecting away from both attackers. A smile cracks my face as I take off my mask to catch my breath and take a sip of water. As Iturn back, they are skating over to the net, shaking their heads in disappointment.

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