Page 30 of One Night Only
“Aw shiiiit…” Robbie chuckles, covering his mouth with a fist. “Remember what I said, brother. Be careful.” He slaps me on my back.
I wave off his concern, quickly going back to my phone.
Me: Wait. Have I caught one too many pucks to the frontal lobe, or did you actually just text me?
Goldie: Has anyone ever told you you’re so extra?
Me: I got voted most extra my senior year of high school.
Goldie: Shocked.
Me: So… does this mean you’ll be watching the game?
Goldie: I’d literally rather get a bikini wax.
Me: Not the vision I needed while wearing a cup, babe.
Goldie: I have no idea what that means.
Me: Don’t worry. You will…
Goldie: I feel like you’re being pervy.
Me: You know me too well already.
Goldie: Look, just don’t go getting hurt, okay?
Me: Aw, you care about me.
Goldie: Think what you want, but an injury really just means a lot of paperwork for me.
Me: Nah, you love me. I can feel it.
Goldie: Can you feel me rolling my eyes?
“Shaw?”
I startle from Coach Draper’s booming voice ricocheting across the locker room and drop my phone onto the floor. I crouch down to grab it, but as I stand back up on my skates, I catch his steely glare when I look over at him.
“Put your goddamn phone away! Get your head out of your ass, and finish putting your pads on,” he roars. “If anyone should be focused on the game, it should be you! Lewis is coming for you, son.”
Tuning out Coach as he continues grilling me, I turn, quickly shoving my phone back into my bag before continuing with my pads. I’m still grinning like a half-wit at the thought of Emily texting me, but I do my best to conceal my happiness, forcing a veil of determination on my face.
When Coach turns back to his board, Robbie offers me a knowing smirk, and I flash him a conspiratorial wink because game on, baby. In more ways than one.
We’re 3-0 with less than a minute left on the clock.
We’ve already won. I know it. Buffalo knows it. Our home crowd knows it.
But like hell am I letting Lewis score.
When I skated out onto the ice tonight, I didn’t even realize I’d be going for a shutout because I didn’t want to jinx myself.And, if anything, a shutout was the furthest thing from my mind. TJ Lewis is a hot shot, averaging two goals per game so far this season. Even his shots at goal are lower tonight, thanks to our defense. So far, I’ve blocked all nine of TJ’s attempts, and he is raging.
I’ve pissed Buffalo off so much with my quick reflexes and precise blocking that their third line goon cross-checked me after a save. When I realized what was happening, I quickly skated out of the crease to avoid the all-line brawl that ensued, watching the chaos unfold as I squirted water into my mouth. It’s always fun to watch the guys defend my honor. Hockey 101: don’t touch the fucking goalie.
As expected, the fight resulted in two players from each team being sent to the respective boxes, while the Buffalo goon was ejected from the game after getting aggressive with the ref for the penalty.
Now, with just under forty seconds to go, everyone is tired, but I’m not done yet. And neither is fucking Lewis.
