Page 13 of Pucking Bad Boys

We all know that Heston lives for the wild parties and the puck bunnies.

“Hey,” he whines, offended. “There’s nothing wrong with some R&R. If I work hard, I need to play hard too. As long as I perform when I hit the ice, why worry about how I choose to spend my downtime?”

Colsen, who has been mentoring Heston when he was a freshman last year, pulls him into a headlock. “Yeah, but think about how you could perform if you didn’t show up on the ice hungover half the time.”

Vaughn chuckles, attempting to get out of Colsen’s grip with the result of receiving a noogie.

Everyone laughs as our two teammates horse around in the locker room.

That’s the kind of atmosphere I want in here this year. Playful and friendly, but with a keen eye on why we’re all here.

I know Colsen and Tucker, my two alternate captains, will have my back no matter what.

And God knows I might need it, like Tucker reminds me with his next question.

“So, where are our newest teammates?”

“Why are you asking me?”

He shrugs, his easygoing smile firmly in place. “Since one of them is your brother, I thought…”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” I put on a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt rather than our full gear. Today we aren’t meant to skate. Coach Harrison decided to start the first practice of the official season with conditioning, so we’re all headed to the gym.

I’d be lying if I said that I’m not a little nervous about my impending reunion with Becks. I haven’t seen him since last Christmas, when I decided to stay in Star Cove during our break rather than going home to Connecticut.

Saying that our latest interactions didn’t go too well is the understatement of the year. I’ll admit that I was butt-hurt about him choosing to attend Bridgeport rather than coming to Star Cove, and I didn’t communicate my feelings the way I should have. But my brother didn’t help the situation by refusing to even discuss his reasons for deciding to play for Star Cove’s biggest rival.

The crisis that hit, not only the hockey team but Bridgeport University as a whole, during last season didn’t help matters. Each time we played the Tigers, we wiped the ice with them.

As a freshman, Becks was on the Tigers’ third line, and our shifts on the ice never coincided.

He pretended he didn’t even see me on game night, and he ignored me when I reached out after.

Maybe that shouldn’t surprise me, though. He might have thought that I wanted to gloat, as I used to do when I out-skated him in the past.

Regardless of that, my brother’s actions made it clear that the close relationship we had growing up was a thing of the past.

If that’s how he wants things to be from now on, it’s totally fine by me.

Since I’m the team captain, I’m going to treat him the same way I treat any other teammate. I’m gonna be there for him if he needs me, but there isn’t going to be any preferential treatment because we’re blood.

And not showing up for our first practice of the season isn’t a great start.

“Hey Tuck, can you spot me?” I ask as I add some weights to the bar above the bench.

“Sure thing, Mack.” Our goalie smiles.

Just as I lower my ass onto the bench, the gym’s door opens and Coach Harrison steps inside, followed by our two newest recruits.

“Good morning.” His shrewd eyes scan the room. “Glad to see your candy ass pucks remembered to be on time for morning practice. As I announced a couple of weeks ago, we have two new faces. These are Becker Shayba and Nigel Worthing, fresh off their medicals and ready to join you for today’s conditioning. As you know, their team was shut down when their university went bankrupt. Myself, the athletic department, and the Dean are pleased to have them here, and I trust you’re all going to do your part to help them settle on campus and within our team.”

Coach’s jaw ticks when his introduction is met with a charged silence.

Most of the players on Bridgeport’s roster have been allowed to transfer to other Division One teams all over the country.

I don’t know how other teams are welcoming their new additions, but it’s no surprise that welcoming players from the team we’ve always hated most is a hard sell for us.

Tucker leaves his spot behind my bench and extends his hand to my brother. “Welcome to Star Cove, Shayba. We’re a family here, and I hope we can all help you to feel at home.”