Page 55 of Fall to Me
Oops. Was that a tooth?
Blood drips from his mouth as a linesman breaks us up, escorting us to the bin. Ten leans over, trash-talking me with a towel pressed against his mouth. I can’t understand him through his muffles, and I really don’t give a shit what he has to say.
I toss a wink, then smirk and yell back, “Don’t forget to pick up your tooth after the game!”
Arizona has the advantage, and time isn’t on our side. Three minutes to go, and I’m out for the rest of the game.
Shit!
I watch as my team loses and hang my head.
We hit the locker room, and my helmet flies to the other side, slamming against the wall. Cal walks by and picks it up, setting it down on a bench. I hate losing. It’s not something I’m very good at. And it especially sucks when the loss is partially my fault because I didn’t look at the clock before I went after that fucker for tripping up Cal.
Then there’s Sean . . . I don’t know what has him so damn distracted, but his head wasn’t in it tonight. I sit down, leaning my head back against the wall. Coach comes in red-faced, throwing his clipboard. It clatters to the ground.
“Graham! You couldn’t reign it in for the last five fucking minutes? We could have used you out there! And Mac! What the fuck’s going on with you tonight?”
Sean doesn’t speak as he stands there with his hands on his hips, head hanging in defeat.
“Come see me tomorrow.”
“Yes, Coach,” he says as Coach picks up his clipboard and walks out of the locker room.
Letting out a breath, I run a hand through my hair. I deserved an ass chewing. I fucked up. And even though Sean let puck after puck fly by him, I’m not angry at him. I feel bad for him. Coach has been breathing down his neck non-stop. I know that kind of pressure can mess with your head and your game.
I push to stand, making my way over to sit beside him. “Hey, man. You alright? Wanna talk about why you were so distracted?”
Sitting on the bench next to me, he braces both elbows on his knees and shakes his head.
Aiden bends down and scoffs, a frown marring his brows while he unlaces his skates. He looks over at Sean. I’ve never seen him so pissed.
“When I told you to go to the mattresses, I meant it as a metaphor,” he grumbles.
What?
“No, man. You didn’t. Please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did,” I say to Sean.
Aiden and Hannah are close. Really fucking close. When we’re all out, those two stick together like glue. I always thought they had a thing, but now that I’m looking at Aiden, I don’t see hurt, like you would in a jilted lover. I see fury. Something I’ve never really seen in him before. He’s usually a goofball and jokes about stuff he shouldn’t, but this? This is different.
This animosity from Coach is already affecting our entire team. I can’t imagine the hell that’s gonna break loose if and when he catches wind of Sean and Hannah. When I look at Sean, I see the guilt in his eyes.
“Listen. It’s not some fuck-and-duck shit. We met a long time ago. Our friends were dating, and they tried hooking us up. She came up to Boston, and we all went out and got drunk, but nothing really happened back then. My career was starting to take off, and she was about to graduate from college. The timing was off. But then I came here and . . .” He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “Fuck!It’s just been a little fun here and there over the past couple of months. She knew what it was . . . but now she wants more, and I can’t do that. I mean, look at who her dad is. I’ve been trying to end it for a couple of weeks. But then last night she . . . her room was right next to mine and?—”
Aiden storms off toward the showers. “I can’t even listen to this shit.”
He takes a few steps before spinning back around. “When I gave you that advice, I meant stand up to her dad and stop being a pussy. But now, I see this was all a game to you. A little fun. You might be my best friend, but so is she, and if I have to choose between you two, I will choose her. Every damn time.”
As he leaves, my brows raise. “Looks like you've got yourself a new set of problems, bro.”
“What do you mean?”
I shake my head. If he can’t see it, then I’m not saying a word. It’s not my place, and I don’t even know if Aiden has admitted to himself that he has feelings for Hannah. The locker room begins to fill with our teammates, wrapped in towels.
“We’ll talk about this some other time when people aren’t around to listen. You still coming to Friendsgiving next week?”
He nods as I stand, stripping out of my gear. “Come on, dude. Pull yourself together. I’m gonna hit the shower.”
He’s got a long road ahead if he thinks he can fight whatever this is . . . especially if Aiden has anything to say about it.
