Page 95 of Actions and Reactions
“It looks so normal,” she mumbles.
“Out here it is,” I confirm. “A lot of my teammates live in gated communities around here, and some even further away. There are some great schools out here and everyone who has kids doesn’t really want to be close to the Strip anyway.”
We stop at a steakhouse close to the rink and then we’re on our way again, and I show Annie around the rink when we arrive—the new PT rooms, equipment room, the gym,the theatre where we review tape, and then we get to the rink itself.
“That’s pretty much all of it. The rest is offices,” Si tells her. “The arena will be a bit more interesting.”
“I need to go change and see what Laney wants us to do first.” I point behind me. “You just let me know what you’ve got going on, okay?”
“Yeah, I’m gonna go see if Gab is available now.” Si leans in effortlessly for a kiss, something that’s never happened here before, and I’m too surprised to enjoy it. Oh well.
When I get to the locker room, I see they’re all changed already for a gym session, which tells me I’m in for a brutal afternoon.
I see Milkman seemingly having a very serious conversation with Spiderman and Benny, which I know means very little when it comes to them. They could be talking about tomorrow’s game, some TV show they’re all watching, a videogame, or the very bleak political climate of our country.
There’s no way to tell with those three, they take the weirdest stuff very seriously.
But that’s why I don’t go right over to tell him Si is back, or tell anyone actually. I’ll leave that up to him to decide when and how. For once I’m not in a hurry. It feels like a secret that’s only mine to keep for now, and that’s... nice.
Laney comes in and nods when he sees us all almost ready.
“Tape room first.” I’m impressed by how he doesn’t even need to speak loudly for all of us to sit up and listen, though he shouts plenty when he’s in a mood. We follow him to the theatre and get ready to dissect Florida’s game for a couple of hours.
It’s true that our new scheme has worked well enough to keep our playoff hopes alive, but I know Milkman, Benny, and I have to step up in a big way if we want to have any shot at getting to the second round. So I strap in and get ready to work.
Not even thirty minutes in, the door opens and Si peeks his head in.
“Sorry for interrupting, Laney, can we come in for a minute?”
Our coach is obviously surprised to see Silas, as are my teammates. I even feel some of them staring at me, but since I’m smiling, I guess they relax.
“Sure,” Laney pauses the tape and waves Si in.
I’m the one who’s surprised when Si opens the door wide for Annie and Gab to come in, then follows them in and takes over Laney’s spot in front of the screen.
“Hey, guys,” he says, pitching his voice louder. He smiles when everyone answers in a chorus that sounds rehearsed.
“Hi, Silas.”
“I’m obviously back and we’ll start catching up tomorrow. I’ll have another fun round of individual meetings with everyone so we can get on the same page, but I wanted to talk to you today about something important. This here isAnnie.” He gestures at her. “She’s nineteen, my new roommate, someone I care deeply about, and a badass. For reasons that are frankly none of your damn business, she’s a lot more impressive to me than any of you dumbasses, so first of all, say hi to Annie.”
Again, he looks proud when we all answer in unison.
“Hi, Annie.”
“Nice to meet you,” she answers back. Her voice doesn’t waver, and it’s loud enough, but I can tell how tense her shoulders are, though she relaxes slightly when again we all answer at the same time.
“Nice to meet you too.”
Gab looks like a proud momma.
“Now,” Silas steals the focus back. “Just a quick PSA. If one of you even takes a step toward her without explicit consent on her part, she’s going to tell me or she’s going to flinch. If she tells me or if she flinches, then I can promise you I will absolutely lose myshiton you like you’ve never seen anyone lose their shit before.”
The most impressive part of that is that he says it all with a sinister smile. I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re hearing him loud and clear.
“Do keep in mind that I can post anything I want about you on social media, and I will not hesitate to use my power for evil if you piss Annie off. Also, while I was away, I skated again, and I can assure you I’ve still got better moves than any of you, and I will not hesitate to bribe Laney into letting me run practice one day so the torture will be psychologicalandphysical. Am I clear?”
There’s a low murmur of agreement and Si’s smile disappears alarmingly fast.
