Page 92 of Hockey Halloween
Lilith
Against all odds, the hockey team pulled the maze together last night, and everything went off without a hitch. As expected, over one hundred kids came to be terrified by the burly hockey players, and their parents donated generously to the collection boxes.
My eyes almost fell out of my head when Apollo told us the total. Athena told me that she and her brothers match every fundraiser dollar for dollar raised. I’ve never known such altruistic people, never mind young people.
The woman herself nudges my leg. “Couldn’t get you into that costume three days ago, and now we can’t get you out of it.”
It’s their Halloween themed hockey night, and I haven’t had time to buy a second costume, so, for the third day in a row, I’m dressed like a demented clown.
“I’ve always loved Halloween. And it’s so out there, not at all what I’d normally wear.
” I lower my voice like I’m about to tell a secret. “I kind of like it.”
The blond woman on my left leans in front of me. “I bet someone could get her out of it. Or so Pollo leads me to believe.”
The smaller woman with pink hair to her left nods. “Yes, Ares says Mason is besotted with you, Lilith. ”
“He’s single, you know,” all three women say at the same time, making me laugh.
After I fled from our kiss, it took a solid twenty minutes for my heart to slow to a regular rhythm, and to stop pulsing and squeezing in agony in my chest. Mason sees himself as a monster, which is somewhat ironic since my name literally means monster.
“He kissed me last night.”
They all gasp. The pink haired one—Eloise, I think her name is—squeaks. “He did not.” Her hands cover her heart. “Ares didn’t think he’d have the balls to make a move.”
I shake my head. “He took a play from someone else’s book.” I purse my lips. I’m not against being used as a prop to irritate my ex, but he’s happily with someone now. I can’t see how it would bother him.
“What do you mean?”
I don’t live under a rock. I heard aaaaall about the August Kade kissing Rowan Armistead—now Kade—and how Johnny reacted on the ice shortly after.
Living in a small town surrounded by people with nothing much to do other than be nosy parkers about each other’s lives, I heard everything there was to know about Johnny White before I dated him.
And yet, I still fell for his manipulative love bombing, and the narrative that he was the only one who had something to give me, that he was the only one who could love someone like me.
“Do any of you remember when August Kade kissed Rowan at breakfast the night after a hockey Christmas party?”
Athena nods. “Sí. Someone saw the two of them together and told Johnny.” She smirks. “Did someone see The Beast kissing you?”
A shudder rolls up my spine. “He doesn’t like being called that.” My voice is sharper than I intended, and Athena flinches.
“He’s never said.” She’s not unkind, but, from the corner of my eye, Eloise nods.
“I’m not sure why he hasn’t said anything, but since his accident…” I swallow, trying to tread carefully as Eloise has a similarly placed scar on her face. “I guess the nickname has taken a different meaning for him. ”
Eloise reaches across and clasps her hand over mine. “You’re sweet to mention it. It’s sometimes hard to vocalize to people how you’re feeling about something. Especially when you were fine about it before a specific incident.”
Athena purses her lips. “Part of me wants to make him tell people to knock it off himself, but the rest of me wants to make sure none of the guys ever say it to him again.”
From the resolve on her face, I can tell she’s going to go with the latter, and my heart swells at how much this extended hockey family rallies around each other. She points a perfectly manicured red nail at me. “Who saw you kissing Mac?”
The blond next to me—Savannah—grabs my thigh on a gasp.
“Oh my gooooood . It was Johnny, wasn’t it?
He was there last night at the maze. I saw him get out of a car with some of the other players.
” Her nose turns up as she refers to the opposition on the ice tonight like they bring a bad smell with them.
Athena gives a slow nod of approval. “Nice.”
“Yeah, it explains why Johnny has been chipping at Mason for the whole first period.” Should I be affronted to have been used in some petty manipulation against another person? Maybe. Am I? Fuck no. I’m all in for the pettiness.
“Mac has a younger sister.” The woman, I think her name is Penelope, sits forward and offers popcorn down the row.
“He’s fiercely protective of her. Tate mentioned in passing once that Mac is the biggest feminist on the team.
If Artemis hadn’t handed Rico and Mikko their asses for fat shaming me, I’m pretty sure Mac would have unalived them both without hesitation.
” She grins at me. “I met Tate at a Halloween party, too. It’s good luck to meet your other half at a de la Pena party.
” She holds her hand out and Athena slaps her with a hi-five.
“I’m not… we’re not…” My objection to being called Mason’s other half is drowned out by one of the other women speaking.
“It’s hot as fuck.” Tori fans herself before accepting the popcorn from Penelope and takes a handful.
“There’s literally nothing hotter than a man who’s a feminist for not just his mom and his sisters, but for all women.
If I wasn’t already with Raffi, you’d have competition.
” She flaps her hand in front of her face.
“I might need a moment with my vibrator tonight. Total spank bank material.”
It’s a little overwhelming, sitting here surrounded by all of the girlfriends of the Raccoons, but there’s something so inherently natural about being included.
Athena wanted me to come along because I’m new to town, don’t know anyone here, and she wanted me to meet the gang, but they’ve accepted me as one of their own, and it feels… I don’t know, it feels kind of nice.
As soon as I lift my drink to my mouth, the arena starts bubbling with excitement. A couple kids behind us chant ‘fight, fight, fight,’ and I know before seeking him out on the ice that Mason is about to hand my ex-boyfriend his ass right there, in front of everyone.