Page 123 of We Finished Here

I’ve never not brought my best to the game… and to say I turned up for the first game feeling like shit and not on form is totally unacceptable.

I won’t be making that mistake again.

I’m fucking Taylor James. Star forward, crowd favorite, and the guy the commentators love to talk about. I need to start acting like the man I thought I’d become.

I didn’t get here through sitting on the sidelines and letting outside shit get to me.

Sure, it’s been a big week, but I need to put it aside and get on with what lies ahead.

The second game is a totally different experience.

When we huddle before the game starts, I give the guys a quick pep talk.

“We need to play tonight like our asses are on fire,” I chant what everyone is thinking. “Let’s not forget what we’ve had to get through to get here… we ain’t bowing out now, guys… So let’s get our game on and show this crowd why we’re the Seattle Hawks! And why we’re fucking unstoppable.” We all place a hand in the center for a hand stack before we kick off.

Commentary was not backing me two nights ago, and I don’t rightly blame them. I just gotta play my best tonight.

Vegas Heat really turn things up a notch, reminding us they’re here to win too, like we didn’t already know. Their fucking defense is impeccable, and I keep thinking they have to falter at some point. Their star defenseman is Josh Beauman, and he’s set to block my every move. I have to try every fucking trick in the book to get around the guy. But I’m here to win too, and a challenge is fine by me.

I switch to stealth mode and score a goal ten minutes into the first period.

Jake and Jay each score in the second, with one goal to the Heat.

Third period, I have two near misses, Heat score ten minutes in, and I score about three minutes to full time. We beat them four goals to two.

It’s a victory we need, and we’re pumped.

I can tell by the way my body aches skating over to the bench that this is going to be the longest couple of weeks of my life.

“Fuck, that felt hard,” Ashton says next to me, as I take my helmet off.

“Don’t I know it.” I shake my hair out. I glance up to where Em would be sitting if she were here, and it stabs at my heart.

We’re not celebrating yet, but coach is happy with the win.

He pulls me back just before I’m about to leave.

“You going all right, kid?” he asks me in his rough accent.

“I’m good.” I give him an affirmative nod.

“I heard the guys saying your Mom was in the hospital.”

Word travels fast, but at least it’s been out of the press. “Yeah, she’s having surgery after the finals.”

He squeezes my shoulder. “You gonna get through this without my foot up your ass?”

I laugh. This is just like him to give me a pep talk that involves some kind of violence.

“Yeah, I’m back on form,” I tell him, hating to admit I wasn’t for the first game. “I won’t let you down, Coach.”

He shakes his head and wags a finger at me. “Don’t let yourself down, James. That’s the first lesson I ever learned in this game… Coach comes second… but don’t let the other guys hear you say that.” He laughs in a rare show of warmth.

He’s a good guy deep down, I know it; he just has a hard fucking job to do.

I wouldn’t wish it on him.

“Gotcha.” I nod.”Thanks, Coach.”

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