Page 157 of Treacherous
Woods has an arrogant smirk on his bruised and battered face. Blood drips from his mouth, trailing down his chin. Dammit. I’m not surprised he goaded Cooper into this.
Reluctantly, I flick over to the bench, catching Sam’s eyes. I’m sure his grim expression matches mine. The referees come together again, sending Cooper from the ice.
Fuck this game. I knew Nevada was going to use dirty tactics from the beginning, but Lakewood fell for it, and we can only blame ourselves for it.
***
The locker room has been trapped in silence for the past five minutes.
No one dared to utter a word, not even the coaches. I sigh, knowing Coach West and Harris are disappointed in us. We played terribly and losing two of our best players for important periods during the game hindered us further.
The locker room is suffocating, tension and anger buzzing in the air. Cooper’s face is blank, not looking apologetic at all. He never reacts like that off the ice, let alone on it.
I’m getting the idea that one of mydelightfulex-teammates provided a colourful description of me, and Cooper didn’t like it.
“What the hell was that?” Coach West booms, breaking the silence.
I can’t move my gaze, the floor becoming the most interesting thing in the locker room. I don’t have any answers.
“I’m not sorry for what I did,” Cooper snaps.
Everyone in the room is taken aback by Coop’s comment and tone. Oh, something is definitely wrong.
“Powell,” Coach West warns. “Do not test me right now. So, I’ll ask again: what the hell was that?”
Cooper’s gaze falls to the ground before looking at me. “Woods said something about Willow, and I wasn’t going to let him get away with it. He was riling us up repeatedly, and after his last comment, I snapped.”
My eyes flicker shut, head falling back against the wooden cubby. Fuck me. Of course, shit like this follows me everywhere.
And now I’ve gotten myself into this situationagain.I promised myself I would keep everything professional and I stay the fuck away from my teammates.
Apparently, Jayden is the exception.
“What did he say about Willow?” Coach West asks cautiously.
“I–” Cooper swallows. “I’m not sure I can repeat it.”
I shake my head, pulling myself back up. “Tell me what he said, Coops.”
Cooper hesitates before continuing. “He asked if you were now Lakewood’s resident slut after making your way through the hockey team.”
Cooper looks like he’s on the verge of throwing up, and Sam isn’t far behind. The other guys have anger swirling in their eyes, as if they can’t believe the comment.
I cast my gaze to Jayden, who is on the brink of losing control: clenched fist, veins popping out from his arms and forehead, a hard jaw, and flared nostrils.
If I weren’t worried about how deep I was falling, I would be touched.
I huff out a breath, a slight laugh escaping with it. Goosebumps flare on my skin as everyone’s eyes fall onto me.
“Why aren’t you fucking mad?” Aiden says.
I scoff. “When you’re a woman in a man’s field, you can’t react to anything they say. That’s what they want you to do. Men want to see you cry and run away, then they have the audacity to say we can’t handle it, or we are too sensitive. Being called a slut is not even the worst insult that has been directed towards me,”
The pity caged in everyone’s gaze fuels my rage. Men will never understand, even if they try to empathise with you.
“I’m fine, so everyone can stop looking at me. Kyle Wood is a piece of fucking shit who will never play in the NHL because of two reasons. One, he isn’t a team player, and two, he has no work ethic and relies on his talent. So, when his life fails, we can all look back on this and say it was karma going about her day.”
I inhale a deep breath, my chest rising. “Tomorrow, we will play them again, and we will be ready. Coops, I appreciate you standing up for me, but please don’t jeopardise yourself for me.”
