Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 121734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
But how big would the fallout be after this game? I supposed we’d deal with it later. Until then, I was going to fuck up her brother.
72
RAIN
Coach Hines was finishing up his pregame speech when I slipped inside the locker room. He looked over at me and extended a hand. “Is there anything you wanted to include?”
I nodded and stepped forward. I made sure my words came out clear and calm. “Today’s game is no different than any other game you’ve played before. If you think it’s different, your brain is going to start looking for the differences. It’ll look for other information to fill in, and that’s not what you need today. This is a game like any other.” I looked around, meeting their eyes. “I don’t want your focus on the other team or my brother, though he will be an asshole to you. He thrives on conflict and tension. That’s how he operates. Know that. Expect that from him. But there’s nothing special about Daniel. He’s just another bruiser trying to get in your head, so you do what you always do. You shut him out. You play the game. And with respect to whatever Coach Hines has told you, I want you to have fun out there. Don’t focus on the score. Don’t focus on what they’re doing or what they might be doing. Focus on your game. Yours. Do your best. Compete against yourself. Beat your personal best. This is hockey. You grew up playing it. They don’t want you to have fun. My brother doesn’t want you to have fun. So go out and do exactly what they don’t want. Remind yourself why you love this game.”
I nodded to Coach Hines, hoping I hadn’t overstepped.
He gave a nod of approval. “Okay, boys. Let’s go out and do this. Have fun out there.”
They rallied with a cheer, and Bruge stepped up to say a few words, which had them rallying even louder. “Let’s fucking go!” he shouted, hitting the wall as he stepped out of the locker room. Each player hit the wall in the same spot as they passed, and the coaches followed.
The crowd was deafening as we came through the tunnel, and the noise went up another decibel when Brick hit the ice. Assistant Coach Marken gave me a rueful grin. “That never gets old.”
Coach Hines held me back as the others moved into the bench. “They’re rallying around you.”
I shook my head. “Like you didn’t set that up when you asked if I wanted to say something.”
He shrugged. “You did good.” Then he clasped me on the shoulder before joining the rest of the staff on the bench.
I lingered a little for a moment, watching from the tunnel as the players zipped around the ice before lining up for both countries’ national anthems. The lights dimmed. The starters went to their spots as they were announced. The Canadian anthem played, followed by the United States’ anthem, and then it was time to play hockey.
Bruge went to the face-off, but when the puck dropped, he ignored it, already dropping his gloves. The crowd went apeshit. Hands slapped against the partitions. Everyone stomped their feet Bruge went right for my brother, who met him. Both teams knew this would happen, and I knew the camera was going to look for me, so I stayed in the tunnel. Waiting.
Daniel had always lived for fighting. He loved the violence, and he used it to get in his opponents’ heads. Bruge had zeroed in on him, but he was cold. Daniel was yapping, saying some shit. Bruge wasn’t having it. He said nothing, his face impassive. Then he punched my brother in the head, without a word. He was out to pummel him as quickly as possible.
I saw Daniel falter, realizing this fight was different. Panic flared, briefly. His gaze cut to our bench, probably looking for me, but I wasn’t there. I wanted him to flounder. If he had seen me, he might have remembered to be the asshole he’d always been, like he was fighting for our family’s dynamics or something. But he was on his own with this. I caught the moment he decided to end the fight. He took Bruge to the ice. That’s when the refs weighed in, stopping them. The rest of the players held back. This was business as usual.
The penalties were handed out, and both Bruge and Daniel went to the box.
Coach Hines did a line change, sending the first line out there, with Tyler taking the face-off. I moved out to the bench, standing in the back.
The game started, and it was rough. The checks were harder than normal, the skating faster.
Tyler scored while my brother was still in the penalty box, and he made sure to skate past Daniel, making eye contact with my brother with a smirk on his face. Daniel’s nostrils flared. He shook his head, his mouth going, but Tyler had already passed.