Page 93 of Breakaway

He nodded in understanding as I pulled off my hoodie, falling into the steps to get my hockey kit on. With each piece of my uniform, I put up my mental shields; strengthening them as I went through the familiar movements, the action so innate it felt like coming home. The ease of the process comforted me, giving me that extra little nudge of confidence I needed.

I’d mentally prepared for the games at Lux, but it wasn’t the same as playing. I had to be more open and aware as a coach, so I couldn’t go so deep that I only saw the plays in front of me. But here, on the ice today, I only had to think about myself.

“Here, we got you this,” Reed said, stopping me from pulling on my Cardinal jersey. I blinked as I looked at the Lux jersey with my number on it. He flipped it around, showing “Coach Henshaw” on the back. Tears welled in my eyes at the gesture, and I motioned for him to help me pull it over my pads.

“Thank you. That was really thoughtful of you.”

“We wanted you to have the support of your team. You’re no longer a Cardinal but a Blizzard. Take that camaraderie and spirit with you. Dakota won’t know what hit him when this is over.”

“Damn straight. I haven’t been practicing with Mack Truck for nothing,” I teased.

Reed rolled his eyes and pulled me into his arms, kissing my forehead.

“He’s weakest on his left and relies too much on his right hand to grip and handle.”

Chuckling, I nodded, knowing that if anyone knew Dakota’s weaknesses, it would be Reed. We walked out of the locker room together, the sound from the stadium echoing off the walls as we made our way to the rink. We were playing during a break with special judges volunteering to score us and present the results at the end of the twenty minutes. There were five events in total that we would be facing off against one another.

Rounding the corner, I barely managed to avoid barreling into two people who’d just left the ice.

“Henley!” Sawyer said, smiling wide as she bounced on her skates.

“Oh, my God! You’re here. How did your… short program? Is that right? How did it go?”

“Yes, this was the short.” Sawyer giggled, looking up at Henry with love in her eyes. “It went really well. I feel confident about it, and Madelyn, our coach, cracked a smile, so that’s a gold medal in her world.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. I wish I could’ve watched you both.”

“No worries. You got your thing. I’ve been hearing all week how you will show this asshole why girls rule. That’s Ollie’s endorsement, by the way.”

“I knew I liked him,” I said, and Reed grumbled, making both Sawyer and I giggle.

“Well, we better go. Good luck with your next one,” I said as I steered around them, ensuring not to take out any figure skaters this time. In my full kit, I’d knock them down like bowling pins.

The crowd grew louder as I stepped through the door leading to the ice rink. I gave Reed one final look before nodding and placing my helmet on. When I stepped forward, a volunteer rushed over, verifying who I was.

“You ready?” they asked.

Nodding, I took one last deep breath and stepped out onto the ice, coming face to face with my ex-boyfriend.

“Ready to be humiliated?” he sneered, his upper lip curving over his teeth.

I shrugged. “I think it’s time you learn how to play like a girl, Dakota. Chicks with sticks rule. Get used to it.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Henley

A ref skated out onto the ice, a microphone in hand, as he met us at the center. He nodded as he neared, bringing the mic up to his mouth.

“Ladies and Gentleman, while our Olympic hopefuls take a break, we bring you two of hockey’s greatest to face off. You have your home team player, Dakota Hughes.” He motioned to Dakota, and some cheers went up around the stadium as Dakota lifted his hand to wave. “And his opponent, Henley Henshaw.”

The second he pointed to me, the stadium roared, and I jumped back, shocked at the level of cheers for my name. Dakota sneered at me, feeling safe away from the others out here on the ice. I ignored him, waving to the crowd and feeling their energy encompass me. No matter what happened, I’d shown up and hadn’t let Dakota get away with how he’d treated me. That was a win in my book.

“Today they will be participating in a skills showdown with a percentage of ticket sales going to their chosen youth hockey league to encourage and inspire the next generation. There are five events, and each one will be scored at the end of the round. Whoever has won the most events will be declared the skills showdown winner.” He dropped his mic and glanced between the two of us. “You have three minutes to stretch and warm up before the first event—fastest skate.”

The clock started as some music began, and I skated off in the opposite direction from Dakota, wanting to have space as I warmed up. My eyes snagged on familiar faces in the crowd, and I waved at Reese, Scar, and Susie as they screamed their heads off. Dax stood next to them, shaking his head, but smiled at me. Fletcher gave me a look, his brows lifted, and his lips tilted up slightly, clearly saying I better own Dakota’s ass quickly so I could get my reward.

Laughing, I waved before I sank to the ice to stretch my muscles. Once I had them warmed up, I did a few quick back and forths to get the feel of the ice and stretched out my quads as I pressed against the boards.

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