Brody
I slam into a forward, stealing the puck and racing toward the net. My skates dig into the ice as I cross the blue line, moving the puck seamlessly between the blade of my stick. The two defensemen I’m scrimmaging against come at me, trying to block my path. I drop my shoulder, hitting one and deking out the other. Once I’m in front of the net, I wind up and take a shot, aiming for the top left corner. Jack, our goalie, slides and catches the rubber disc in his glove before falling to his knees.
I circle back around as he says with a smirk, “Just an FYI—my grandma takes harder shots than that.” There’s a pause. “And she’s dead.”
I grin and skate back down to my side of the ice.
Maybe I didn’t make the shot but I feel like I’m on top of the fucking world.
I’d be lying if I said my life hasn’t been good up until this point. It has. Sure, I’ve had some shit times. Who hasn’t? The loss of my mother blew my world apart. Nothing was ever the same after that. And most of the time, school sucked major ass. Even after being diagnosed with dyslexia, it didn’t get any easier. I worked with tutors and special education teachers, but for the most part, I had to figure it out for myself. There wasn’t a magic pill that fixed it.
Hockey has always been there to balance out the bad shit. When my mom died, I spent hours on the ice or in the driveway hitting pucks at the net. When there were issues at school, I could lose myself in practice. I took my aggression out on the teams we played against. I worked myself over until I fell into bed at the end of each day too exhausted to think about any of the problems that threatened to swallow me whole.
And the girls…there has never been a shortage of them. If anything, they came too easily. There was no challenge to it. If I wanted pussy, all I had to do was crook my finger. It was mine for the taking.
The best day of my life was when I signed a contract with the Milwaukee Mavericks. I don’t think my father has ever been prouder of me. The only tinge of sadness had been that my mom hadn’t lived long enough to see me make it to the pros.
The two years I spent playing juniors were fucking fantastic. I worked my ass off on the ice and played harder off it. With no school to worry about, I could pour all of my energies into elevating my game to the next level.
Playing at Whitmore for Coach Lang has been the icing on the cake. I’ve made friendships that will last for the rest of my life. My teammates are like family. No matter where we end up, they will always be my brothers. Come spring, I’ll have fulfilled the promise I made to Mom and will graduate from college with a degree before heading to the NHL.
So, yeah, my life has been good.
All right…Better than good.
It’s been fucking amazing.
I’m living the dream.
And this is only the beginning.
That being said, who would have ever guessed that something was missing?
Certainly not me.
But it was.
Until Natalie came into my life, I wouldn’t have realized it either. Somehow, she makes everything better. She’s the first girl who has ever meant something to me.
The fact that I could lose her—lose this feeling—scares the shit out of me. Now the challenge is to convince Natalie that what we have is real. That I’m worth taking a chance on. I’ve got some time to figure it out. But not much. Possessiveness rushes through me. I need to lock that girl down. I want to know Natalie is mine. Then I’ll be able to relax and enjoy the season when it starts in a few weeks.
I’m jarred out of my thoughts when someone rams into my shoulder, knocking me off balance. I don’t fall, but it’s damn close.
First rule of hockey—don’t skate with your head down. You’re just asking to get knocked on your ass. And if I didn’t weigh two hundred and twenty pounds, that’s exactly where I would have ended up.
“Watch where you’re going, McKinnon.”
I snap to, my eyes narrowing on Reed fucking Collins, who has skidded to a halt a few feet from me.
My jaw locks. It’s a natural reaction. I can’t stand the guy.
He’s been a royal pain in my ass since day one, and it’s never gotten better. At first, I thought it would eventually smooth itself out and that it would take some time to find common ground between us. But it’s been three years and that has yet to happen. I’m sure Coach naming me Captain last year only intensified the animosity he feels toward me.
Well, tough shit. Find a way to man up and deal with it.
I straighten to my full height, lifting my chin. If Reed is delusional enough to think he can intimidate me, he’s wrong. “What’s your problem?”
There’s an ugly twist to his lips as he skates a little closer, invading my space. “You’re the one who wasn’t paying attention, not me.”
I knock my gloves against his chest to back him up. I’m not afraid to throw down. Although, I have to say, out of all the teams I’ve played on, Reed is the first teammate I’ve openly had a conflict with. This isn’t the first time we’ve gotten into it, and it won’t be the last.
When I don’t say anything, he keeps running his mouth. I swear, that’s the only thing he’s good at.
“Must have pussy on the brain.”
I shake my head. The guy is a major douche. “Whatever you say, Collins.”
This isn’t the time or place to start something. If Reed wants to have a conversation, I’m more than happy to do it off the ice. Where Coach can’t see me kick his ass into next week. Because that’s exactly where this is headed if he keeps flapping his gums.
When I attempt to skate past him, he slides over, blocking my path. “Well, it can’t be Natalie you’re thinking about. That girl is like a starfish in bed. Bored me out of my fucking mind.”
I clench my jaw until it feels like it’s going to shatter. I curl my fingers inside my gloves, trying to calm the rage brewing inside. I’m this close to throwing a punch. And by the look on his face, he knows it. The little prick is just trying to set me off. I see it in his eyes.
“Shut your fucking mouth, Collins,” I growl. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His smirk widens into a grin as he taunts, “Just remember, that pussy belonged to me first. Do us all a favor and teach her what to do with that pretty little mouth of hers. I could deal with a lousy lay if a girl can give a decent blow job. Maybe when you’re finished with her, I’ll have another go. She can’t be any worse than before.” He shrugs like we’re just shooting the shit, having a normal conversation. “You know what virgin pussy is like. Takes awhile to break in. Didn’t have the patience for it.”
And just like that, my temper ignites like a fucking powder keg. All rational thought disappears. I don’t think about what I’m doing. Or the consequences of my actions. I throw my gloves to the ice and swing. I land two solid punches to his face. I’m going for a third when someone steps in and pries me off him.
Reed touches his nose and looks down at the blood soaking his fingers. I huff and puff, struggling against the hold they’ve got me locked in. All I want to do is hit him again.
“Settle your ass down, McKinnon,” Luke growls in my ear.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Sawyer demands from the other side.
Coach blows his whistle. It’s sharp and short. Everyone freezes. The sound of my labored breathing is all that fills my ears.
“Fuck,” Luke mutters. “You’ve really stepped in it this time. Hope it was worth it.”
I glare at Reed, taking in the blood smeared under his nose and on his practice jersey. “It was.”
“Get your ass over here, McKinnon,” Coach bellows. His voice echoes off the walls of the arena.
“What the hell did Collins say to you?” Luke asks.
He knows me well enough to realize that if I went after Reed, there was a reason for it.
I shake my head. I don’t even want to repeat the words. Goddamn it. I should have skated away instead of standing there and listening to the shit spewing from his pie hole. I made a tactical error, and now I’m going to pay the fucking price.
I jerk out of Luke and Sawyer’s hold and pick up my gloves before skating over to the benches where the coaching staff stands huddled together. I glance at the defensive line coach and see the disappointment swimming in his eyes.
“Get off my ice, McKinnon. You’re done for today,” Coach barks.
Head hanging, I don’t say a word. I just leave.