Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
BJ holds up his hands. “I didn’t say anything to anyone.”
“No one, huh?” Lavender points to me. “Why doesn’t Winter look surprised?” Then she points to Quinn, who’s crammed into the corner of the couch beside a very confused-looking Lovey. “Or Quinn. Or anyone but Lovey, Lacey, and Rose!”
“I think you’re forgetting that Kody was my roommate for a lot of years, and we played hockey on the school team together,” Quinn says.
Lovey leans in and asks Quinn something, but he shakes his head. “I’ll tell you later.”
Lavender crosses her arms. “Is Mav out of earshot?”
“He’s still in the bathroom,” Clover says.
“Kodiak and I don’t use duct tape anymore! We graduated to less conspicuous methods of restraint after BJ put two and two together last year and realized what was going on. Plus, it was ripping out his arm hair. Can we drop it now, please? Because there are some things my brother doesn’t need to know, and this is one of them.”
“I’m going to need more details on this later,” Rose says.
Lavender waves a hand. “Yeah, yeah. We can talk about it when my brothers aren’t around.”
“When we’re not around for what?” River asks.
“Great! Everyone is here! Let’s roll out!” Quinn shouts, saving Lavender from answering.
We pile into vehicles and make our way to the arena. We have seats behind Philly’s bench and access to a box with food and refreshments, but I’ve never been to a game before, so I want to be on the ice where the action is.
I end up sandwiched between Rose and BJ. The seats are amazing, giving us a perfect view of the rink and the action. While the crowd is dominated by Chicago fans, there are still lots of Philly jerseys dotting the crowd, and a startling number of fans appear to be college-aged women.
When Kody takes the ice, several girls scream and hold up homemade signs professing their undying love. It seems to happen no matter where he plays this season. He’s on every hockey blog, and the fact that he’s otherworldly gorgeous increases his popularity.
When the team takes the bench, he removes one of his gloves and stops in front of Lavender. A camera homes in on them, projecting them onto the Jumbotron, but they’re too wrapped up in each other to notice. Kody brings his fingers to his lips, then taps the plexiglass. Lavender does the same thing, and then they draw a figure-eight together and say, “I love you.”
There’s a collective sigh throughout the arena, followed by cheering. That’s when they realize the entire hockey-watching nation has witnessed this. Their faces turn red, and Lavender slouches, pulling her hood over her head as she waves at the cheering crowd. Kody shrugs and takes a seat on the bench, cheeks flushed, but he’s wearing a smile.
“Why do they have to be so cute all the damn time? They’re like couple goals on crack, especially now that I know they’re kinky freaks,” Rose says.
The camera pans back to the rink, and the first shift is called onto the ice. Kody scores a goal and an assist during the first period, and Chicago ties it up in the second. But Philly recovers in the third with another goal by Kody, and they keep the lead, winning three-two.
After the game, we end up at the restaurant with Kody’s team, and I meet a bunch of the players before we all go back to our place to hang out. We lounge around in the living room. Kody, BJ, Maverick, and Quinn talk hockey, and I’m sitting with the girls, making plans for tomorrow since Lavender doesn’t leave until late in the afternoon. I’m half paying attention to their conversation, but also half listening to the guys, who are trying to get some ice time tomorrow morning. Maverick and Clover rented a hotel room so they can see Kody in the morning.
“When do you think you’ll be cleared to get back on the ice?” Kody asks BJ.
“Dunno. I’m not really in a rush, now that the Olympics are off the table,” BJ replies.
“That’s temporary, though. Maybe you’re not looking at next year, but you could aim for the ones after that, can’t you?” Mav asks.
“I’m not skating pairs again. Not after this.” BJ’s voice is tight, clipped.
“That’s fair, but you skated solo before Caroline and Adele. You can go back to that.”
“I dunno if it’s what I want anymore.”
“BJ just needs some time,” Quinn says. “It’s only been a few weeks since the accident. Being physically ready is one thing; being mentally and emotionally ready is something else. All those pieces need to line up.” He points at BJ. “You can keep score for us tomorrow.”
“That’d be good.” BJ yawns loudly and stretches. “I can’t miss my first-period class though, so I’m gonna hit the pit.”