Page 215 of Loving Ladybug: Part One
Patrice was that MASO who’d rather set up the snack table and have a gossip during family skate than actually skate. They’d carried her out more than once.
Then I realized what reporter was hanging out with them.
“Gwen!” Annalise fromSportsBeatgrinned. Her camera operator was with her.
“Look, I’m fully dressed.” I did a little turn. She’d only ever seen me half-dressed, hanging out in the equipment office, in case they needed me.
Carlos started laughing. “Right, the goalie-in-waiting article. You know, I never did figure out where you got the fun snacks.”
“I’ll never tell.” I grinned. Silas made me promise. Because the players would eat them all.
“You look incredible. I love the pink.” She directed the camera operator to get some footage of me and Carlos. Clark, Dimitri, and some of the others crowded around us and it became us clowning around and being silly.
“Focus, we’ve got to go back out soon,” Coach said as Dean picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, making me squeal and crushing my chips.
Coach Atkins gave last-minute instructions to the forwards. I downed the rest of my drink. Time to get my head in the game.
“Do you need a pickle?” Clark offered me the jar.
“I…” The weight of what was happening hit me.
Clark put down the jar and held out his arms. I took the smelly hug.
“I’ve got you. So does the Captain.” He took out his tiny Captain Everything plushy and booped me on the nose with it.
Dean joined us,hugein all his gear. “You’ve got this, Ladybug. If you go in, you get a taco for every shot you stop. If we win, they become taco dinners. It’s okay if you let pucks in, just try to let in less pucks than Ty.”
“Let in less than Ty. I can do that.” I shook a little as I put my mask on. While I’d prefer to let in zero pucks, I could definitely do that. Also, I could be bribed with tacos.
“Goalie hug.” Dean slammed me to him.
I was pretty sure the camera operator got that, but everyone loved goalie hugs.
Tenzin came over to me as everyone filed out and pulled me to him. “You have this. I believe in you.”
“You do?” My heart warmed as I snuggled into his smelly jersey.
He nodded. “Every single day. You mean everything to me.”
“Same.” That hug meant everything. I missed his hugs.
Whoops, I hadn’t changed out my nose ring for my sporty one. I even had it in my bag. I’d swapped it after practice. It was too late now. It would be fine.
But I had Cooter’s necklace, like always, on under my clothes.
Coach Atkins looked at my gear and skates and blinked. “Did NYIT change their colors?”
“My dads think this is my favorite color. Silas signed off on everything,” I mumbled as we entered the tunnel. “I have this, Coach.”
I hoped.
“I know you do,” Coach Atkins told me.
We went out and the players skated around. Dean got in the net and carved up the ice just how he liked as music thumped in the background. I tried to get in the zone and sat down on the bench. Inside, I was a mess, excited and nervous all at the same time. But again, just because I was on the bench didn’t mean I’d go in. A little kid peered at me and I waved.
And ignored the fact that the Gears wereright there next to us.
Clark sat next to me and squeezed my hand. “You’ve got this. If you smack Austin with your stick, I’ll take your penalty.”
