Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95559 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95559 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Before I make my way to the center, I stop by my goalie. “One period at a time,” I say to Jude.
“One goal at a time,” he replies.
I skate toward the middle, bending at the waist halfway there. When I get to the center, I stare at my opponent. He knows I’m the best and he wants to be me. That’s my mindset and he can’t change it. No one can.
The official blows his whistle. I focus on the black disc in his hand. My stick is poised, ready, and the second the puck hits the ice the blade of my stick is moving it toward Brad and my shoulder is pushing the other center out of my way. He attempts to grab my shirt, but my arm swings over the top of his hands and he has no choice but to let go. “Get the fuck off me,” I say for good measure. Right now, I’m public enemy number one. Everyone on this team and every team we play wants to take me down. They want the number one ranking all to themselves, but there is no way I’m letting them have it. I have too much riding on my season.
When the line shift happens, I take my seat on the bench. The manager hands me a bottle filled with water. I squirt it into my mouth and happen to glance to my right. Thea is sitting there, right next to the bench and in the front row. Not gonna lie, I love that she’s a hockey chick and wish I could find a way to talk to her about Thanksgiving weekend. Maybe I need to resort to old-fashioned note writing because the texts I send her have all gone unanswered. This woman is playing hard to get. Strike that—she’s playing hard to forget, and something tells me she knows it.
When the announcer tells us there’s one minute left to play, relief washes over me. This game is boring. We’re up seven to nothing, and I’ve added a hattrick to my resume to go with two assists. When we reach the five-minute mark of the third period, Coach tells me to rest. He also pulls Jude to give the back-up goalie some minutes.
“Good game,” Coach says as he goes down the line, congratulating all of us. “Rose, you’re really putting on a show.”
“Thanks,” I say to him. Jude bumps my shoulder.
“Get it, Sandman.”
Once the buzzer sounds, we all head onto the ice and meet together as a team. After we talk quickly, we line up, shake the other team’s hands, and then head into the locker room. Coach doesn’t say much, except he reminds us not to get busted drinking or serving underaged kids any alcohol. This is a big fear of mine, which means I won’t drink anything tonight and after I make an appearance, I’ll likely go to bed because I want no part of the alcohol consumption happening tonight.
When Jude and I come out of the arena, Thea is there. Part of me wishes she waited for me, but I know she’s waiting for her brother, as she should be.
“Wow, you guys played awesome.”
“Thanks,” Jude says. “Hey, I gotta run to the store, can you get a ride back with Kyler?”
Yes, please.
“Oh, perfect. I need to go to the store.”
“All right then,” Jude says. “Ky, do you need anything?”
I shake my head slowly, never taking my eyes off Thea. “Nah, I’m good. See you at home.” I’m willing to bet Thea doesn’t need a damn thing at the store. She just doesn’t want to be alone in the car with me. I stay there until they’re out of sight and then drag my sorry ass to my car. I have to find a way to fix things, if not for my sanity, then definitely for a peace of mind. I don’t like knowing Thea is pissed at me. The feeling is rather uncomfortable.
nineteen
Thea
“Can you put the tree in this corner?” I direct Devon and Jude as they maneuver a six-foot fir tree around the living room. It’s mid-December, and Millie and I have decided it’s time to start decorating the house for the festive season. God knows this house needs brightening up, and if I leave it to the boys, it will either be a last-minute job on Christmas Eve, or it won’t be done at all. We picked up the tree earlier this morning and decided we’d situate it in the middle of the room to easily decorate it from all sides before moving it to its designated spot. We’ve all claimed one part of the tree to hang ornaments on, including Millie as she’s an honorary member of the hockey house. It’s safe to say while it doesn’t match, it has an eclectic style about it.