Page 6 of Puck'N Enemy
As long as I’m on the ice, I’m still in control.
Grabbing my stick, I weave among the Knights at blinding speed. Their forwards and defensemen can barely keep up with me as I snatch the puck and head toward their goalie.
Tyler, the replacement goalie, barely has time to react as I shoot the puck in the net behind him.
Goal!
The arena erupts in loud cheers. Colors of green and silver flash among the crowd and people chant my name.
But their excitement and adoration mean nothing to me.
I just have one job to do, and that’s to score goals.
Keeping my focus centered, I go after the puck again.
I score goal after goal, making the final scoreboard flash:5-3
My teammates gather around me the moment the final whistle blows, signaling the end of the game. They hug me and slap my back, shouting and cheering, but I don’t feel an ounce of excitement at our win.
Now that the game is over, I can finally let myself think about Logan again.
Everyone’s still celebrating by the time we reach the locker rooms.
“Hey, Larson,” someone calls out. “Why the hell do you look like that? Didn’t they tell you we won?!”
I don’t smile. Unstrapping my helmet, I toss it to the floor and proceed to remove my knee pads.
“Oi, Larson,” Reece says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “You really turned the tables for us today. I guess Johnson’s exit gave you the fire you needed to score all those goals, huh?”
“What did you say?” I say through clenched teeth.
Reece’s grin falters at the thunderous expression on my face.
“What the hell was that hit?” I ask, my voice filled with rage and bitterness.
Reece blinks. “What?”
“Don’t play dumb! You know I’m talking about Logan.”
“Why are you losing your shit about that guy?” Reece asks, his voice growing louder. “He should’ve been more careful if he didn’t want to get bulldozed by me.”
“You shouldn’t have hit him that hard!” I shout.
The room goes very quiet. Like someone suddenly cut the power.
I can feel everyone’s stare on me but I refuse to back down.
“You’re seriously getting worked up over the Knight’s goalie?” Reece asks, getting in my face. “His exit from the game is the only reason we won!”
“Logan used to be my teammate,” I say in a clear, cold tone.
“What?” A few people murmur. “Johnson has been playing for the Knights over the past three years.”
“We were teammates in high school,” I say through clenched teeth. “So, it doesn’t matter which team he’s playing for now. I won’t stand around while someone decides to injure him so badly, he has to be taken off the rink on a fucking stretcher!”
Reece looks angry. He’s panting heavily, looking like he wants to say something more.
But the energy in the room has shifted. The celebratory air has curdled into an awkward tension.
