Page 97 of Faking It With My Pucking Protector
The twins last about halfway through the first period before Miss Taylor ushers them to their rooms with promises of highlights in the morning.
I stay in my chair by the window, laptop open in front of me, but my eyes are glued to the screen.
It’s a close game. The Boston Outlaws are every bit as physical as Jackson said they’d be. Fast, relentless.
And the longer it goes on, the more the tension coils low in my stomach.
Every time he’s on the ice, I can’t look away. Every time he takes a hit, my breath catches.
By the time the final buzzer sounds, the score is clear.
SteelClaws 2, Outlaws 4.
A loss.
The camera cuts to the ice: Boston celebrating, Jackson skating off, head down, jaw set hard.
Pressure builds in my chest, and I swallow, trying to force back the lump in my throat.
I know tonight was a setback, and it won’t sit easy with him.
I close my laptop slowly, the screen going dark. The house is still around me. Quiet in a way that feels heavier than before.
Three weeks ago, I would’ve told myself it wasn’t my place to care this much.
But now, I know better.
And I care more than I ever thought possible.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
JACKSON
You can’t hear much over the sound of tape ripping and gear hitting the floor.
No one’s talking.
Coach keeps it short.
“One loss,” he says, voice low and clipped. “Don’t let it turn into two.”
I yank my helmet off, drop it beside me, and lean forward on my knees. Sweat still runs cold down my spine.
It should’ve been a different game.
The Boston Outlaws played exactly like we knew they would: controlled, physical, grinding us down in the corners. But we let them dictate the tempo. Took dumb penalties. Gave them too much ice when it mattered.
And it’s eating at me.
Russo strips off his pads nearby, jaw rigid. He glances over, but neither of us says a word.
There’s nothing to say.
I drag my jersey over my head and toss it into the bin. One game.
But if we don’t respond fast, it’ll spiral. And I’m not letting that happen.
Not this year. Not when we’ve fought this hard to get here.
