Page 222 of Loving Ladybug: Part One
The crowd chantedstuffie smash, stuffie smash.I danced in excitement as the EBUG music played. We skated around the rink, hitting stuffies over the glass at the fans, laughing. Nat the Knight came out on the ice and helped us.
As Ty whacked the last stuffie into the stands, the ice crew was already leading tiny kids carefully onto the ice. I wasn’t sure where they got the kids for the shootout, but they were all wearing little skates and helmets, a few held up by parents or older siblings.
So stinking cute.
Another tradition for when the goalie got a shutout at a home game.
Dean joined me, grinning. The kids excitedly got in line and someone explained the rules. Basically, each kid got a turn in the net. Dean and I gently hit swag and stuffies at them. They got to keep whatever they caught.
Well, that and Nat keptsneakingthem stuff, which washilarious.Nat ‘stole’ my stick, and I chased him around the rink. I knew the mascot. He ran the Knights’ power skating practices. He was also the Maimers’ skating coach, who did all their choreography. It was good fun.
“Come on, Firecracker.” Tenzin held out a hand when I finished.
It had been so long since he’d shown me little courtesies like that, and I loved it. Clark took my other hand.
We posed for some pictures and then the three of us skated off the rink.
When I entered the locker room, it erupted in cheers. Red and black streamers wereeverywhere,along with silly signs likeMaimers Rule.One had been scratched out and saidGwennifer is Amazeballs.
The Maimers had struck again. They’d defaced the locker room like this last year, too, when they’d done a promo before our game. Like last year, there was also a little cart with cake pops on it from Verity.
“Well done, Ladybug.” Coach Kirov patted me on the shoulder, beaming like a proud parent. “Especially under the circumstances.”
“Good game, Ladybug. The press is going to want to talk to you,” Coach Atkins added.
“Yes, Coach.” I laughed as I ate a cake pop shaped like a hockey puck. I’d just played in a PHL game. I couldn’t get over it.
The coaches went over a few things.
“That was a great game,” Dean told me when the coaches finished. “I’m so fucking proud.”
“You are? That means a lot. And I get tacos.” I did a dance. “Now I get to do a press conference in either my hoodie and PJ pants that I wore to the game, or the jeans and sweater I wore to class. Which one saysI’m not a fashion disaster?”
Though they were designer jeans and a cute sweater.
Dean held up a dry-cleaning bag. “I have you. Verity was going to ask you if you wanted it anyway, which was why it was in the back of our SUV.”
“Oh, that was nice.” I loved the stuff Mercy had given me. I chugged some water, hit the ice bath and showers, and changed into what was in the bag. Which turned out to be one of Mercy’s sparkly pantsuits she sometimes wore for Maimers games.
Dean and Carlos helped alter it, giving it a quick hem with sock tape and a few tucks with safety pins. Carlos knew how to do this from all his years of being on TV.
My hair was wild, so I squished some product in it, then swiped on lipstick and powder. That was as good as it was going to get.
Oooh, I looked good in this suit.
“Come on, they’re waiting.” Kylee, who was in charge of PR for the Knights, dragged me off, collecting Ty along the way. She was a no-nonsense beta, who in her heels was shorter than me, but had a presence that made her feel larger.
The Knights’ logo was in the background of the press area and there were lots of people and cameras.
“Gwen.” Ty hugged me, still hopped up on adrenaline. “We played a game.”
“We smashed it.” I grinned; well aware people were taking our pictures. Goalie hugs were the best.
“You certainly did,” one reporter said. “Tyler, you were on duty. Did you think you’d end up playing for the opposing team?”
“We always know it’s a possibility, but you never think this is going to be the day you play at all. Still, it’s a dream come true. It wasamazingbeing out there,” he replied. “The Gears are great.”
“I’ve been practicing with the Knights for over two years. They’re my friends. I don’t like seeing them get hurt and I’m so glad everyone’s going to be okay. But yes, it’s a dream come true.” I grinned. “I’ve wanted to be goalie for the Knights for alongtime.”
