Page 5 of Puck'N Enemy
I don’t stop to think as I skate forward, past the figures in blue and gold who’re starting to swarm around Logan.
“Larson, stop!” Someone shouts, grabbing my elbow, nearly making me lose my balance.
“Reece, let me go!” I shout, trying to throw his hand off me.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Reece hisses, glaring at me. “They’ll think you want to hurt him if you get any closer.”
My heart thunders in my chest as I gasp for breath. “I’llneverhurt him.”
“They don’t know that,” Reece says, forcing me to turn toward the benches. “I crashed into him and the fucker landed on his ass. If you go to check on him, they’ll think you want to kill him.”
“It was you?” I ask, feeling my fear turn into anger. “You hurt him?”
Confusion flickers through Reece’s face. “Why are you getting so worked up about it? I got a chance to go after the Knights’ goalie, and I took it. Their defenders were so focused on their forward, I decided to take out their captain and goalie.”
“You’re an asshole,” I shout, my eyes burning with rage. “How could you do that to him?”
Reece’s confusion deepens. He’s trying to figure out what he did wrong. After all, we’re still on the ice. Everyone’s fair game, especially when you’re playing against your biggest rival.
He’ll never understand the storm raging in my chest.
Logan might be playing on our rival’s team but he’snotmy enemy.
I push Reece away, breaking away from his hold. Skating forward, I come to a halt.
Standing helplessly, I watch a group of paramedics lift Logan onto a stretcher. His teammates stare at him anxiously but Logan’s dazed eyes seem to be looking for someone else.
For one split second, his eyes lock with mine.
My whole soul cracks open in an instant.
Logan doesn’t look angry. He doesn’t even look hateful.
He just looks confused and hurt.
Fuck! My hands close into tight fists as I tear my gaze away from him. Everything inside me screams to go after Logan but I know I can’t.
The game is still not over yet. We have to play the third period before any of us can leave the rink.
“Are you possessed or something, man?” Reece’s voice hisses in my ear.
Grabbing my arm, he forces me to follow him toward the benches where the rest of our team is waiting. Coach gives me a stern glare and silently thrusts a bottle of water at me.
Taking deep breaths, I try to calm the storm inside me.
I’m a new recruit on the Silver Bears team. Even though I don’t care about their rivalry with the Thunder Knights, I still need to play and do my best to keep my spot.
Unscrewing the bottle cap, I chug down the cool water and look toward the other side of the rink.
The replacement goalie from the Knights’ team seems young and nervous. Most likely, he’s a rookie.
“Now that Johnson’s no longer playing, it should be easy for us to score some goals,” Petrov, one of the forwards, says with a grin. “Let’s even things out and win this game.”
The Bears respond with loud cheers.
Our biggest opponent on the ice was Logan. With him no longer guarding the net, I know it’ll be a piece of cake to score goals.
When the referees sound the whistle again, I get ready to transform my rage and helplessness into a hyper-focused state of mind.
