Page 216 of Loving Ladybug: Part One
“Awww.” I leaned my head on his shoulder.
Carlos sat down next to me on my other side. The smell of nasty farts filled the bench. Grif made a face.
“Ugh, Lucky.” Carlos rolled his eyes. “Grif, stop feeding your cat cheese.”
The Deloitte brothers took off toward our goal, determined to score, Nia and Anders chasing them. Number 17 swooped in and hit the puck hard at the goal.
The puck went high and hit Dean right in the mask, knocking him on the ground, sending the puck flying right back onto the ice.
That was hard.
Jonas immediately went to Dean, as Nia started punching number 17 and another fight broke out. You didn’t touch the goalie.
My attention focused on Dean as the linemen came over to him, heart roaring in my ears. This was what I hated about my job–I only got to play if my friends got hurt or sick. Nausea rolled in my belly.
Clark squeezed my hand. “You’re Gwen Fucking Di Rossi and you were made for this. What better revenge is there than not letting those Deloittes score? Think how therapeutic this will be. Put him behind you for good.”
I swallowed hard. He was right. I wouldn’t let the douche brothers score.
This would be good for me. I’d take all that anger, fear, frustration and hurt and channel it into my playing.
If I happened to have a chance to hit, trip, or punch Austin?
Well, that would be frosting on the cupcake.
Make them regret.Yep, I’d make Austin regret ever pursuing me.
Jonas and a linesman helped Dean off the ice. Hopefully, he was okay.
“Dean Donovon’s being brought in to get checked out. That was a hard one,” the announcer said. “Given that right before intermission, Jean-Paul Trembley was taken to the emergency room, the Knights are now without a goalie.”
The fake alarm sounded. “This means we're having a historic game withtwoEBUGs. Did someone call for an EBUG?”
The EBUG music played.
Coach Kirov was right there. She grinned at me. “Ladybug, show them how it’s done.”
“Yes, Coach.” I stood and took the snacks out of my pads, throwing them over the glass at the kids who’d been waving at me.
“You have this, Mariquita,” Carlos told me.
“Break his kneecaps,” Pauley added.
Coach Atkins winced. “Please don’t. Don’t get suspended. Try to win.”
“You can do this. You get drinks at Tito’s when we win,” Carlos promised, slapping my shoulder.
Drinksandtacos? Nice.
I had this. I tumbled over the boards as the crowd went wild.
This is it.What I’d been waiting for, for the twenty years I’d spent in this sport. I was taking the ice at a PHL game. AKnights’game.
Mia was even here to see it.
“Making her PHL debut is EBUG Gwen ‘Ladybug’ Di Rossi,” the announcer called out, as animated ladybugs filled the screens. “This is Di Rossi’s third year in the Knights goalie development program, where she’s head EBUG. She’s in her last year at NYIT, where she’s a forensic accounting major and starting goalie. Di Rossi has ledtwo differentcollegiate teams to national titles. Welcome, Ladybug.”
My picture flashed up on the screen.
