Page 51 of Finding the Forward: Part One
After on-ice warm-ups, Rusty gathered them all together. The room buzzed with energy as the coaches gave them one last talk.
Coach nodded toward the door. “Let’s smash this.”
I gave Mercy another hug. “You did it! Home opener. Creed, Hale, and Dare are here. So is Grace and some of her pack.”
“Exciting.” She beamed, then her expression saddened, her scent going salty with sadness. “I wish Dad was here.”
Me, too. That was why Grace and Creed made an effort to attend, even though Rockland wasn’t nearby.
“We’ll send a pic?” I snapped one and watched as Mercy left with the team before making my way to the bench.
The team DJ had the music thumping, getting everyone hyped for the game as lights flashed and videos played on the overhead screens. Sonny was there, talking to one of the trainers, ready to snap pictures for the team’s socials.
The mascot, Dizzy the Maimer, was a red fuzzy monster and made a big ordeal of hugging me. Sometimes I helped her by shooting T-shirts at fans from the bench.
In skate smash, there were three periods with an intermission between each one. The bullet tried to score by skating laps around the ice. Crushers from the other team tried to stop thebullet while also protecting their own. Swings acted as crushers but could get tagged in by the bullet to switch positions.
Ten two-minute successions comprised each period, with a thirty-second rest between each succession, which were used for line changes and ultra-quick ice-sweeps. There were also several dance battles, with the teams performing short, choreographed routines. It was a fun, upbeat event, with warehouse music, lasers, black lights, bubbles, T-shirt cannons, and mascots being silly.
I sent Dad the picture. It was late in London, so I didn’t expect a text back tonight.
While I’d blocked him, he’d gotten himself a burner and texted me every day. I hardly ever texted back. Dad, being an omega, was the only one who could ever talk sense into the alpha parents. Him siding with them instead of Mercy and me when she got drafted still stung.
But tonight wasn’t about me.
Dad
I found a place to watch the game. Sending you both my love.
A picture of him and Harry at a pub followed. Harry had joined the pack when I was a teenager and us older kids never gave him a dad name.
Huh. Dad was watching her game. My eyes misted. The lights blinked, telling the crowd it was about to start.
I sent Creed a picture of me on the bench with a promise to find him at intermission.
Someone tapped on the glass behind me. I turned to see a little girl with pigtails waving at me, Mercy’s number on her cheek.
Awww. Seeing her made me miss my younger siblings.
Grinning, I held up my wrist and pointed to my bracelets. She nodded. I tossed it over the glass to her. Her brother caught itand put it on her wrist. She made a heart with her hands and I made one back.
“Let’s meet tonight's opposing team, the Rockland Raiders,” the announcer told us.
Lasers flushed and music thumped as one by one they skated out, showing off on the ice, doing different jumps and tricks. The team assembled in the center of the ice and did a synchronized dance. They waved to the crowd as they skated to their bench as the announcer called out each of their names.
“Now here’s your home team, the Manhattan Maimers,” the announcer bellowed as the crowd roared. Their theme music blared, and fans stood and shouted and stomped.
I beamed as my sister skated out, doing a couple of jumps that Creed and I taught her long ago. The crowd cheered her name as she continued skating around the rink. She was the last player out, which was calculated—and cute. The Maimers did their dance. Then the announcer called their names as they skated around the rink, then took their place on the bench.
Mercy joined me on the bench as the national anthem played. She squeezed my hand and the starting five from each team took the ice–three crushers, one swing, and one bullet. Mercy would be up in the next succession.
“You did it. First home game,” I told her, my heart bursting with pride as the crowd in the packed arena cheered in the background.
My sister shook her head. “No,wedid it. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”
“You two are cheesy,” Kaiko laughed, joining us. “But you’re right. What would us rookies do without you?”
“Eat burned food and live in stinky houses?” I laughed and pulled them close as the game got ready to start. “Hey, we’re here and we’re going to smash it.”
