Page 2 of Phantom Faceoff
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I thumb back a quick response and let my ass slide to the ground, head thunking against the log I’d been occupying.
Me
Good luck sneaking out when it’s your bed he’s resting in.
Julian
Are you mad?
Me
Nah. It’s cute. Like he’s Mary and you’re the little lamb.
More like the lamb and the big bad wolf,but I don’t say that out loud.
Julian
I promise, he’s a marshmallow. Rain check on the tonsil hockey?
I should say no. That it was fun, but I have to focus on the team, on preparing for a busy season on the ice.
But I remember the hostility in Malachi’s stare, and the little thrill that dances in my gut is too potent to ignore.
Me
Any chance you’re an early riser?
I’m met with an instant winky face.
Julian
Daddy isn’t. Meet at the rink or quad?
There’s a fine line between excitement and danger, but life’s more fun when they blur together.
Me
Better option. My dorm.
“You are an eternal cock-block.”
My roommate—with his shower soaked blond curls plastered to his neck and cheeks and a towel knotted around his waist—gives me the bird as he throws clothes from his drawer into a duffle.
Completely unbothered that he just sent my morning make-out session running for the hills and very likely dying of embarrassment.
“We have to meet Coach at the rink in twenty minutes. You can have ass or ice time. With fresh blood joining the team, I need someone I trust, and unfortunately for us both, that’s you, Halefire.”
I am one hundred percent capable of having my cake and eating it too, but before I can retort, he throws a balled up t-shirt at my chest.
“Get dressed. Please.”
Micky Donovan might appear all hard edges and closed off, but I can read the insecure desperation in his pleading eyes. Hockey is his passion, but it’s also his number one distraction from the shitshow of his life, and I can respect that.
Which means getting my ass out of bed and my head where it belongs: on the upcoming season and getting us to the Frozen Four.
My bag is already packed and stuffed under my bed, so I toss on whatever clean combo of clothing is closest and meet Micky at the lobby of the dorm. He shoves a muffin in my hand and ushers me out the door like I’m a child he’s babysitting.
