Page 11 of Risky Play

Dinah gave me a smile that said ‘What can you do?’ I sighed and got back into my bridesmaid dress, even though I didn’t want to go with them.

“You’re all pushy,” I sighed.

The three of them shared a conspiratorial look.

“Hurry up!” Dinah urged. “It’s my wedding, and I want you to have fun tonight.”

“Come on, have another drink with us downstairs,” Rox nagged.

Having these three women egg me on made me hope I’d find a similar friend group once I got to Franklin. This year was supposed to be a fresh start. As soon as I got to school, I’d forget all about Matt and this disastrous night. It wasn’t like I’d run into him all the way in West Philly. But first, I was getting shit-faced with my sister-in-law.

Chapter Four

MATT

* * *

OCTOBER

“High sticking!” I yelled from the bench, watching my teammates trying to set up another play on the ice. I squirted water into my mouth and put my mouthguard back in, waiting for the change-up.

Of course the ref missed that call while the Pittsburgh Miners took every chance they could get.

“Simmer down, rookie,” Benny teased as he slid down the pine with me.

Being on the line with the big dude and Hallsy had been a blessing these past couple of weeks. Especially since I was still worried I’d wake up one day and find out I was put on waivers. I had to prove to the Bulldogs that I had earned my spot on the team.

On the change-up, I hopped over the boards, and I took the face-off against Pittsburgh’s Sanderson. I got possession of the puck and tried to break it out of our zone. I passed to Hallsy, who got it into Pittsburgh’s zone and was looking for the setup.

I was in the corner open for the puck again, but Hallsy passed to Benny, who slapped it back to him. Hallsy deked around a Pittsburgh defenseman and took the shot. I groaned at the pinging of the pipes. I scrambled at the net, trying to get the rebound, but Pittsburgh’s goalie covered it.

I hung my head and spied the scoreboard again. 1-0 us with five minutes left in the period, and we needed this W. While it was still early in the season, we had been in a slump the past week, and sinking a win right now was what the team needed.

I got into position while Benny took the face-off this time. Pittsburgh got a hold of the puck, and we raced down the ice after it. Riley and Logan were hitting our opponents hard, trying to block the slot in front of Metzy, but Pittsburgh wanted this win, too. I had to do everything in my power not to let that happen.

We went back and forth from end-to-end of the ice, both teams trying to get another puck deep, but it was no use. The hockey gods were on the Bulldogs’ side because even though we didn’t get another puck to the net, we ran the clock out and won the game. Not pretty, but I’d take another point in the win column over another L.

By the time we headed back to the locker room, I was drenched in sweat, but the team was in high spirits. I hoped we could keep this momentum going for the rest of the season.

Noah nudged me as I was stripping off my jersey.

“Nice job today,” he complimented me.

Noah had great hockey sense, so it was nice to hear that from him. I still felt super awkward around him because of what happened at his wedding.

When I got called up to the big leagues last season, Noah offered me a place to stay in the house he and Dinah had just bought. He had taken me under his wing, helping me with my trouble spots in my game, and gave me girl advice when my ex and I were still on and off. There was no way I was repaying him for all that by fucking his little sister behind his back. I didn’t care about ‘the code,’ Maddie could make her own decisions, but I couldn’t do that to my mentor.

“Thanks,” I muttered and finished getting undressed.

I hit the showers before he could say anything else. He noticed something was off with me, but I kept waving him off, petrified I’d blurt it out if he pressed me.

Truth was, try as I might, I hadn’t gotten Maddie Kennedy out of my head. She was gorgeous and bomb at giving head, but she was my teammate’s sister. His virgin sister. It was a relief that she lived in Canada, and I wasn’t likely to ever run into her again. Otherwise, I might have some explaining to do.

Noah was brushing out his beard at his cubby and shooting the shit with TJ when I got out of the shower.

“You coming to the bar later tonight?” TJ asked me.

Today was a rare afternoon game, so we had a free night. If the game was during our regular time, we didn’t get home until well after midnight. Normally, I’d say yes, but I promised my friend Ty I’d meet him at Franklin U. His girlfriend dumped him for the last time, and he needed a drinking buddy.