Page 49 of Just my Puck (Love & Laughter #1)

LUCY

T he air is electric with anticipation as two of the league’s best teams fight for supremacy.

The Titans need to win this to stay in with a chance of finishing top of the league, but so do the Grove City Blades.

The players are fast, spirited and driven, pushing their bodies to the limit in a tumultuous battle for victory.

The sound of sticks clashing, skates whooshing, and the frantic roar of the crowd fills the arena.

The game is underway, and the play is savage.

I watch Steele, Jason, and Carter obsessing over their every move.

Especially Jason. Biting my fingernails down to stubs, I watch and fret.

They battle hard and are taking a pounding, but they are fighting back with everything they’ve got.

They’re up by six goals to two already, with minutes left until the buzzer.

But then, something changes; Jason gets body slammed hard enough to knock him off his feet. His back hits the ice, and he doesn’t get up.

Gasping with the rest of the crowd, I exchange a worried glance with Patty before rising and rushing to the glass, banging on it like a maniac.

“Jason! Jason!”

He pulls his knees up and turns onto his side, his gloved hand on his injured shoulder.

“Fuck. Fuck.”

The seconds tick by.

Steele is there, crouching down, and Carter has come over, as well as the rest of their teammates.

Steele rises and glances over at me.

My heart is in my throat, my hand around my neck as the panic tears hotly through my veins like lava.

The crowd hushes as two medics rush onto the ice with a stretcher. The atmosphere in the arena is thick with tension as everyone watches in silence to see what will happen to the Storm.

Desperately hoping and praying that he’ll be okay, I turn to look at Patty. She is just as worried as I am. She’s wringing her hands, her eyes wide with concern.

The referee skates over to the player’s bench and calls for a timeout, but moments later, Jason gets to his feet, shoving Steele’s hand out of the way.

He glances over at me, and I shake my head imperceptibly, begging him with the tiny action not to continue.

He turns his back on me, and my heart sinks. He is going to play on.

“Stubborn fuck,” I mutter and return to my seat. There is nothing else for it except to leave, and I’m not doing that until I’ve yelled at him, in private, of course, for being a mule with the common sense of a tomato.

The buzzer sounds, and the game resumes. I watch anxiously as the Titans continue to battle it out. They throw themselves into every challenge, determined to get the victory. It feels like hours pass, even though it’s only a minute tops before they finally manage to score again.

The crowd erupts as the buzzer sounds to mark the end of the game. Patty and I jump to our feet and start cheering, but deep down, I’m angry, confused, and worried.

“Are the guys meeting you after?” Patty asks, checking her phone.

“Yeah, why?”

“Will you be okay if I leave you? I’ve got an appointment tomorrow at the crack of dawn, and I should get going.”

“Of course, go. Never mind me.”

“Promise me that if one of them doesn’t drive you home, you’ll take a cab? Don’t walk it at this time.”

“They will, but I promise. What about you? Do you need a lift? I’m sure they won’t be that long.”

“I’ve got my car.”

“Oh, okay.” I stand up and give her a hug. “Is everything okay?” I ask.

“Yeah, fine. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

Nodding, I watch her go, hoping she’s okay. She seems distracted, and I hope that she can trust me with whatever is going on with her.

Sitting back down as I wait, someone calls my name,

“Lucy.”

Turning around, I glare at June. “What do you want?”

“Can we talk?” She looks anxious and ruffled.

“If this is about me and Jason, then you can fuck off back to Mae. I’m not interested.”

“No, this is about us.”

Her face is full of regret, which makes me feel bad for being mean to her. “What about us?” I ask cautiously, not ready to forgive her for abandoning me when Mae decided our friendship was over.

June climbs over the row of seats and sits next to me. “I owe you an apology.”

“What for?” I’m scanning the arena for signs of the guys, but so far, they’re a no-show.

“For being an asshole.” She sighs and grabs my full attention now.

“Mae and I have been friends for a while, as you know. I always looked up to her and thought she was so cool, but lately, her attitude and the things she’s been saying about you are vicious and vile.

I’m seeing her now how everyone else must see her. ”

Knowing exactly what she means, I don’t say anything, wanting her to continue.

“She’s not a real friend. Not to you, not to me, and I think Holly is also starting to see what a bitch she really is. It occurred to me the other day that never once has she messaged me first or asked how I’m doing. It’s always been me doing that. I guess you as well?” She raises an eyebrow.

Nodding, I still keep my mouth shut in case this is a trap. I find it hard to believe that June and Holly have been treated as badly by Mae as I was. They were always much closer and a little trio of mean girls, I guess, gossiping and ridiculing everyone in sight.

“When she started in on you, mocking you, and then with the whole video thing...” She chews the inside of her lip.

“She shared that video so many times, laughing at it. It made me stop and really think if this was a person I even liked, seeing as I couldn’t respect her anymore.

I’m sorry for how we behaved. I really am, Lucy, and if you want to tell me to get fucked, then I’ll accept that, but I wanted you to know.

I’m not like her. She is an aggressive, domineering, bullying bitch, and it’s either fall in line or get out. I didn’t want to get out.”

“But you do now?”

“Yeah. I have already. I told her what I thought of her and then blocked her.”

“Oh, ouch,” I murmur. “Good for you.”

She smiles, it’s tight but relieved. “So, are we good?”

“Yeah, we’re good. I know Mae is jealous, and that’s why she is lashing out, but it’s what she’s always done when she didn’t get her own way. I just never thought it would be aimed at me, you know?”

“I know. She’s a toxic person, Lucy, and I’m just sorry that it took me this long to realize it.

” June looks at me with a sincerity that I haven’t seen before.

“And I’m sorry for not being there for you when all of this was happening.

I should have been your friend, but instead, I let myself be swayed by Mae’s lies and deceit. ”

“It’s okay, June,” I say softly. “I appreciate you coming to talk to me about this.”

We sit in silence for a moment, the tension between us finally dissipating like a wave crashing on the shore. It feels like a small step forward, but it’s better than nothing.

Just then, I see the guys coming towards us. Jason looks exhausted, but he’s grinning from ear to ear. I’m relieved that he seems okay after that collision earlier in the game, but I’m still not convinced he’s okay-okay.

“Hey, princess,” he says as he takes a seat beside me and wraps an arm around my shoulders. “You ready to go?” He peers interestedly at June.

“Yeah,” I reply, leaning into him briefly. “Jason, this is June. My friend.”

She grins and then waves shyly at Jason. “I’ll leave you to it. I’ll call you, and we can do lunch?”

“Or I’ll call you,” I say with a soft laugh.

Her face brightens. “Oh, now this is going to be a game, isn’t it?”

“Probably. Thanks for coming over.”

She nods and gets up, leaving us alone. I lock gazes with Jason, but then he smiles and looks away as Steele bends down to kiss the top of my head.

“Let’s go,” he murmurs. His voice is gruff and extremely pissed off.

Deep down, I know it’s about Jason, and I have a horrible feeling things are going to get pretty shitty tonight before they get better.

So much for my surprise of announcing we are going to have some DP. More like, it’s going to be no-P while we figure out a way to get Jason off the ice to heal properly.