Page 62 of Exes That Puck
Kara:That’s crazy talk. I’ll see you at the party tomorrow.
Zeke:Are you coming to my game?
Kara:Your sister will decapitate me if I go, so I’m sorry but no.
Zeke:Thank you for housing her tonight. Sorry I didn’t tell her we broke up. Just didn’t want it to be real.
The dots appear and disappear twice before nothing comes back.
I fall onto my pillow, stuffing my emotions down deep. I can sleep this off and wake up better tomorrow.
Game day hits different when you’re already on edge. We’re playing State, our biggest rival, and the energy in the lockerroom is high. Everyone’s hyped, talking trash, getting their heads right.
Except Coach decides to put me on a line with Liam Cross.
Liam’s talented but he’s got an attitude problem that makes everyone want to punch him. He thinks he’s better than the rest of us, talks down to younger players, and has this way of making everything about him.
“Great,” he says when Coach announces the lines. “Babysitting duty.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.
“Nothing, man. Just hope you can keep up.”
The locker room goes quiet. Rocky, Carter, Dylan, and Scott all turn to watch.
“You got something to say to me, Cross?”
“Just that maybe if you spent less time worrying about your ex-girlfriend drama and more time focusing on hockey, you’d play better.”
I’m across the room before I realize I’m moving. “Say that again.”
“Guys,” Carter starts, stepping between us.
“You heard me,” Liam says, not backing down. “Everyone knows you’re a head case. Team’s better off when you’re focused.”
Rocky and Scott grab my arms before I can swing. Dylan plants himself in front of Liam.
“Enough,” Rocky says firmly. “Save it for State.”
Coach walks back in and sees the tension. “Problem, boys?”
“No problem,” I say, shrugging off Rocky’s grip.
“Good. Because if you can’t play together, you’ll sit together. Both of you.”
I’m fuming, but I know I need to cool it.
The game starts rough. State comes out hitting everything that moves, and the refs are letting them play. By the second period, everyone’s chippy.
Liam and I can’t find any chemistry. When I call for the puck, he ignores me. When he needs support, I’m not where he expects. It’s like we’re playing different games.
Then, with six minutes left in the third and us down by one, Liam decides to be a hero. Instead of passing to me on a two-on-one, he forces a shot that gets blocked. The puck comes back the other way, and State scores on the counter.
“What the fuck was that?” I shout as we skate back to center ice.
“Hockey,” he shoots back. “Maybe you’d recognize it if you played it more.”
“You selfish piece of shit—”
