Page 89 of Wrong Pucking Jersey

There it is.

Guilty.

“Fuck, man. I was hungover,” Jayce argues.

“Puck,” I say with Wyatt in unison, rewarding us with Jayce’s scowl before he grips the ledge as if he needs the support not to do something more violent.

“I don’t need to get off the ice.”

“Then race me,” Wyatt concludes as he steps up.

“I’m not racing you, Equipment Manager.”

What a dick.

He’s purposely trying to remind Wyatt where he stands. As if he doesn’t have more power over Jayce all because he’s not an official player on the Saskatchewan Pincers.

They removed the bloody blades.

“Then what about me?”

I frown and look over further right to see Ace walking out from the door at the end of the bench that leads to a bunch of spare equipment and shit. I’m even more surprised to see he’s all set with his skates and equipment on.

“Ace?” I can’t help but question him. “What are you doing at this rink?”

“Forgot my gear last night,” he admits. “Left it in the equipment room after some night drills with the intention of bringing it to Wyatt to wash, but Captain wants us to do another fake game now, so I said I’d go suit up here and join their second round,” he reveals.

He’s at my side and very gently moves a few strands of my hair that slipped out from my ponytail.

“Why is Winchester stressing you?” he questions. “You got sharp eyes. Why isn’t he listening to your advice?”

“Because I don’t need to be benched,” Jayce argues. “She’s just being a bitch because her bestie got fucking food poison over some oyster bet shit.”

“Jayce,” Wyatt warns, but it’s Ace’s growl that sends literal shivers through me as I glance up to see his venomous glare.

“Don’t think your coach would be pleased with you calling his daughter a bitch, now would he?”

“Jayce called who a bitch?”

Oh, puck.

Jayce freezes up and doesn’t look behind him, which is why Coach Johnson deliberately skates over to stand next to him. He meets my eyes, questioning my frowning demeanor before he looks at Wyatt and Ace.

“What’s the hold-up here?” he begins but specifically looks at Ace, who’s protectively standing next to me, which is obvious from his stance.

I don’t know if he suddenly gained weight in two days, but him standing next to me is like a lion ready to destroy anything that goes close to his love.

I’m going to blame the equipment because he looks double his size.

“And what are you doing here, Harvey? We got the rink until six today.”

“Left my equipment here, Coach Johnson,” Ace admits. “As for what the hold-up is, Nurse Johnson noticed Jayce was skating funny and told him he gotta bench the rest of the game. He doesn’t like that, so he called her a bitch.”

“You fucking—“

“Pucking,” I say with Wyatt and, surprisingly enough, Dad.

Who looks pissed.

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