Page 21 of Breakaway

Fuckety fuck fuck.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Henley

Swallowing down the panic that wanted to crawl up my throat, I pasted on the fakest smile known to man. My eyes bounced from Anders to Kurt, my back straightening.

“I’m glad to see you’ve found a team, Michelson. As for walking…” I paused and tilted my head as I surveyed him. “Kurt’s been teaching you the wrong game if you’re walking on the ice. Our team will be skating.”

Anders sneered—this time, I held in the chuckle. I didn’t know if he thought he was baiting us or what, but I wasn’t stupid enough to get into a battle of wills with a teenager. He might think he knew everything, but I’d lived it. Score one for experience.

“Best of luck with your walking. May the best players win.”

Reese snorted next to me, and I elbowed them. They were already going to be a target in this game; they didn’t need to bruise Anders’ ego more before the game started.

Giving a finger wave, I turned my back on the teen jerk and skated off to our end of the ice, while the team fell into their drills as they stretched and warmed up. I caught a few players casting their eyes over to the Cavillers, but I tried to keep them focused on themselves. We’d come a long way since our first game, and I didn’t want them distracted.

“You good?” Fletcher asked as he skated over. I nodded, keeping my eyes on the kids. I worried if I looked at him, my true feelings would spill out, and I’d be a mess.

“Yep. Just another game,” I said, remembering our first conversations.

“Just a game,” he repeated, skating off.

Reed gave me a look, but headed off without saying anything. I got it. What was there to say? The Society had struck, but I’d be damned if I let them have this win. Steeling my back, I whistled for the players to circle up.

“I’m sure most of you recognize some of the players on the other team. Don’t let it distract you. Instead, think of this like the pros. Sometimes players are traded, and the people who were once your teammates are now your opponents. Take the advantages that you have. You know how they play. You know their weaknesses. Use it to make better plays. They will be.”

The kids nodded; their faces were solemn as they let everything sink in.

“Hands in.” I waited until everyone had their arms in the circle. “Never forget who you are. We are…”

“Blizzards!” they answered, tossing their arms into the air and sending goosebumps over my body.

Pride radiated out of me as I skated to the team box. We were a team, and I had done that. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I watched the referee. I ignored the crowd, knowing there wouldn’t be any friendly faces here. Now, I just had to pray the refs weren’t bought, or we’d really have a problem.

The puck dropped, and the game started, my eyes glued to the players as their skates bit against the ice, sticks smacking against one another. The game turned physical quickly, with shoves and hits going unnoticed by the refs as the two teams battled it out. Anders hadn’t been lying when he said they were out to get us.

I paced up and down the box as the clock for the first period counted down. The score was 0-0, with neither team capable of scoring.

The second the clock buzzed, I left the box, headed toward the door in the boards, and motioned for the team to exit. Sweaty red faces with hair plastered to their heads met me as they made the trek to the locker room. Fletcher eyed me, worry on his face. I dropped his eyes, flipping my coach mode on. I couldn’t show any fear. As I entered the locker room, I caught some grumblings and stayed back to listen.

“If Anders checks me one more time, I’m putting his face into the ice. The dude has it coming.”

“You’ll just give him what he wants.”

“So? The dude’s an ass.”

“If you’re out, they’ll have a better chance to get past our O-line. That’s why he’s targeting you,” Reese said.

I took that as my cue and stepped further into the room, finding Braden, Reese, and David standing in the center. Everyone else had taken a seat, watching them. I didn’t miss the looks of respect toward Braden and Reese and wondered when I missed the team looking at them as the captains.

“Despite the other team playing dirty, you all have looked good,” I said, ignoring the conversation I’d walked in on. The three players took their seats, grabbing a sports drink. “Playing against a team like them isn’t easy. They wear you down little by little, trying to take away what makes you better than them. We all know they’re good hockey players. There’s no doubt about that. But there’s more to playing hockey than just being good. Playing as a team is what’s stopping them. They’re all too focused on taking you out to actually get anywhere. So, how do we use that against them?”

Deep in thought, the kids were quiet as they peered around one another.

“What if we lure them into a false sense of security?” Reese asked.

“Explain what you’re thinking.”

---