Page 55 of Roughing
GOOD GAME
~~Briggs~~
Game day.
I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants and did deep-breathing exercises. Not only was I worried about Michella, but I was worried the team was auditioning Nolan for my job next year. Funny how things had changed. A month ago, I’d been on suspension and wanted off this team in the worst way. Now I was worried about staying on the team.
The Icehawks sent me a clear message. I wasn’t doing enough to bond with my teammates, and they would have no qualms replacing me.
Two late nights in a row, and I was dragging ass. Gone were the days when I’d spend all night out and be ready to go after an hour’s sleep. I wasn’t a wild twenty-year-old anymore. I slept in and missed the optional morning skate. I often skipped those anyway, so no one would miss me. I called admin and requested one of my jerseys be placed in the WAG suite for Michella. If they were shocked, they didn’t let it be known.
I arranged for Everly to pick up Michella on her way to the arena and invited Heidi to join us. By taking away Michella’s excuses, I wasn’t leaving her a reason to back out. I applauded myself for my quick thinking.
I arrived early and headed for the locker room. We were playing the defending champs, and they’d be the toughest test we’d faced all season, which wasn’t boding well for us since we’d lost way more games than we won.
I was all business as I taped my stick, donned my pads and uniform, and prepared myself mentally. Over the years, I’d developed a game prep routine I’d somewhat abandoned since Alice’s death. Tonight was the start of a new season for me. I slid back into my tried-and-true routine, hoping for an extra boost from the familiar.
With a lowered head, I sliced my gaze to Nolan. The kid chatted it up with Jarrett and Slade, grinning as if he did this every day rather than preparing for his league debut. If he had the pregame jitters, I didn’t see it.
Next to me, Braden cleared his throat. My cheeks flamed at being caught sizing up the rookie. I put on my stoniest game face and looked up at Braden.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
“You tell me.” Braden’s gaze flickered to Nolan and back.
“No idea what the fuck you’re talking about,” I grumbled.
“He’s good but not that good.” Braden didn’t offer any further comment before picking up his stick and some tape. Horrified I’d been that transparent, I averted my gaze and concentrated on the tasks at hand.
Dash saved my hide by standing up and whistling for our attention. The guys swung their gazes toward him and waited expectantly. One thing I had to admit about this team was no matter how bad we were, we didn’t give up and kept fighting the majority of the time.
“Okay, boys, let’s make a statement tonight. We’ve been steadily improving, and we’re a different team than we were at the beginning of the season. Let’s show the rest of the league how we can play when every guy is sticking with the system and doing his part.”
Several teammates nodded and voiced their agreement. I found myself nodding, too.
“We can do this, boys. Keep it simple, play the way we know we can play for a full sixty minutes, and show them we’re not a team to be discounted. Let’s ruin a few teams’ playoff chances.”
“Nothing more fun than that,” Drakos shouted, drawing chuckles and agreement from most of the boys. I didn’t say anything, but the mood in the room was unusually light and positive. Was my change in attitude the difference maker? The thought shocked me to my core. Had I been that much of an asshole that I’d brought down the entire locker room? Yeah, like I didn’t know the answer to that question.
Jarrett, who could always be depended on to dig up team gossip and broadcast it across the locker room and beyond, turned his attention to me. I tried to pretend I didn’t notice, but the guy was relentless when he sniffed out a particularly juicy tidbit.
“Brigger, I hear a certain gorgeous lady is wearing your jersey tonight.”
I grunted a noncommittal response and concentrated on the intricacies of winding tape around my stick.
“Yeah, I heard that, too. About time you two made it official. You weren’t fooling anyone.” Dash wasn’t usually the gossiping type, so his remarks caught me off guard.
I shrugged, not reacting to their teasing but secretly pleased they were teasing me rather than icing me out of any conversation. I’d made progress.
“Is Heidi coming with Michella?” Trent asked in a tone that sounded disinterested on the surface and very interested underneath.
I raised my head and studied him.Trent and Heidi? None of my business.
“I provided her with a ticket. Not sure if she’ll show up.”
“She’s not a fan of crowds.”
I nodded slowly. How the hell did he know that? Usually I kept my nose out of my teammates’ business, but I found straitlaced Trent with Heidi an interesting match.
