Page 69 of Loving Ladybug: Part One
He nodded. “Yeah.”
Mitchy came over to us, sighing. “Dimitri is such a buzzkill.”
“I have sisters. I can understand. How’s everything going?” I asked. Mitchy was also a forward and had gone to rookie camp with Anders and me. He’d gone down to the Bantams. They’d brought him up when Sarah got too pregnant to play last season.
“Tonight would be a lot better if I scored.” Mitchy made a face.
Gwen waved and came over to us.
I waved back. She lookedgreat,and her outfit and makeup brought out her hazel eyes.
“You’re such a fucking puppy, man.” Anders laughed.
“Wait, is thatLadybug?Fuck me. Did her boyfriend get a big signing bonus?” Mitchy took a swig of beer.
I shook my head. “They broke up. This is the single girl glow-up.”
“Oh, that thing when girls cut their hair after a breakup. Sucks they broke up. She looks great though.” He eyed her appreciatively, and I tried not to growl at him.
“Hey, Clark, hey, Mitchy.” Gwen joined us with a beer in her hand. “Motor City? Why, Anders? Why? They’re the douchiest club in the entire PHL. Captained by the douche brothers and coached by King Douche himself.” She made a face.
The Motor City Gears were owned by the Deloitte family, which was hockey royalty. Grandpappy Deloitte also owned Deloitte Automotive. One of his sons was general manager, while the other son coached, and his daughter ran operations.
Two of his grandsons co-captained the Gears, another was on defense, and his granddaughter was goalie. Yeah,fourmembers of their family played for the team. While other relatives worked in different parts of the team or played hockey for other clubs–or helped run the car company.
They were a family of assholes. The kind who threw big charity balls for the poor, while lobbying for laws that would let them get away with paying their factory workers less.
The Deloitte brothers also played dirty and were giant trash talkers. I’d nearly broken an arm getting slammed into the boards by them.
“I’m a douche. Figured I should go where I belong.” Anders grinned. “Douche or no, Coach Deloitte was once one of the top forwards in the PHL himself. I could learn a lot.”
Gwen made a face.
“Yeah, but we won a championship, something they didn’t,” Mitchy replied.
I didn’t really get along with Mitchy. He was arrogant and flaunted his wealth and privilege.
“Ladybug, are you going to any team camps this summer? This is your last year at university, right? Someone’s got to be watching you after that playoff game with the six overtimes?” Anders asked.
“Haven’t been invited to anything in a while. I went to Mexico City a couple of years ago. They were helpful, but they need me to be five-foot-ten and that’s not going to happen. They called me Pequeña the entire time.” She shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind playing for the Tigres. I’ll play for anyone, really. Well, except for the Belugas.”
“Don’t you admire Molly almost as much as Maria Barilla?” I took another pull of my beer. The Belugas were a decent team. Gwen was talented if you could look past her height and designation.
“Oh, I do. But I’d never move to Vancouver. I have a fear of Canada.” She laughed. “So much that I’m still nervous about going to JP’s wedding.”
Oh, right? She’d told me that one night when we were drunk. I think one of her asshole dads was Canadian.
“You’re afraid ofCanada?” Mitchy snorted.
Anders gave him a look. “I’m afraid of Finland.”
I knew that story and it was a whole separate thing.
“It’ll be fine. I got everything sorted out today for the wedding,” I told her. Well, Dimitri had planned most of it.
Anders’ eyebrows rose. “You’re going to JP’s wedding together?”
“We’re traveling on the ultra-bullet as a group. You’re welcome to come with us,” Gwen replied, her fingers absently running the scar on her forehead, which was still a little visible, even with makeup.
