Page 52 of Pucking Around

“Whoa—wait,” I say, holding up a hand. “What happens if we win tomorrow?” I look back up at Kinnunen. “What if it’s not a shutout? What if we lose? Then you’re gonna blame me, won’t you? It’ll be all my fault, your rotten, not-a-good-luck charm, right?”

“Pretty much,” says Langley. “You’re tough, Doc. You can handle it.”

“But you can’t sit here,” Morrow adds, giving me a little shove. “Sorry, Doc. Gotta keep the goalies happy.”

Muttering to myself, I snatch up my stuff again, rising out of my seat. I shuffle my way down the aisle towards Kinnunen. “Say, when I jump from this plane for you, will my backpack have a parachute? Just wanna know my chances of survival.”

He doesn’t reply, but I swear I see the faintest flicker of movement at the corner of his mouth as he turns away. I think that was Ilmari’s version of laughing.

I follow him down the aisle and we settle into row 20. Jake and Caleb are in their same seats too. Caleb already has his eyes closed, resting against the window, but Jake perks up. “Hey, Seattle. What are you—” His gaze darts between us as Mr. Surly next to me buckles himself in. “Ohhh.” He snorts. “So, you’re his lucky charm now, eh?”

I groan again, burying my tired face in my hands. Stupid superstitious hockey players!

25

Another shutout! Game six of the season, and the Washington Capitals didn’t know what hit them. The Rays played amazing. Sully and his offensive line kept the puck in the zone, bringing the fight to the Capitals’ goalie all night. The first period he fought them off hard, keeping the score 0-0. But he couldn’t make the saves in the second period, letting in two back-to-back goals by Karlsson.

By third period, the Capitals were hungry for a goal. They were vicious, throwing elbows and slamming the guys into the boards. Penalties increased. I had to treat Langley for a busted brow, and Sully took a seriously hard hit from an ogre of a D-man that put him on the bench for the rest of the game. I’m surprised he didn’t crack any ribs.

But Kinnunen was king of the ice. He owned the net, furiously guarding his posts. I watched in awe as Jake and the other defensemen came to his aid again and again, working the puck out of the corners, and shooting it down the ice. It was a horrible grind, but the Rays pulled it out, keeping the score locked at 2-0 and earning Kinnunen a beer shower in the locker room.

Head Coach Johnson is off giving the post-game interview with Kinnunen and Karlsson while the rest of the guys finish getting changed. We’re spending another night here in D.C. Our flight home leaves first thing in the morning.

“Right, so I’ve made a reservation at Club 7 for 11:00pm! The VIP area is all set up!” Poppy calls into the locker room. Her hand is over her eyes like she’s afraid of what she’ll see. God, she’s precious. We’ve gotten to know each other a little bit better over the last few weeks. She’s pretty funny when she’s caught her breath, and she’s sweet as pie.

“You only need to stay for an hour, but I want a good showing of guys there,” she calls, her other hand on her hip. She’s all business in a sleek suit coat and pencil skirt with three-inch heels. “First round of drinks is on the house. And don’t forget to snap those pics!”

I watch her do her thing with my arms crossed as I lean against the wall in the outer hallway. As soon as Sully gets showered and changed, I need to check him. And Langley will probably need a butterfly bandage over that nasty cut on his brow.

“Are you going out with the team tonight?” Poppy says, spinning around. Her shadow, Claribel, is at her shoulder, eyes on her phone, thumbs flying as she taps away.

Claribel is the new social media manager for the Rays. She’s got a hot goth girl vibe going, so at odds with the preppy, All-American look of an NHL team. Her hair is died inky black, violet at the tips. She wears thick, black eye makeup, and her bottom lip is double pierced. To see her in a Rays polo shirt tucked into her khakis is a bit jarring.

“Oh,pleasesay you’ll go,” says Poppy, grabbing my arm. “Claribel is underage, so she can’t get in.”

“I told you it’s not a problem,” Claribel mutters, eyes still on her phone.

“We arenotbreaking any laws, Miss Naughty,” Poppy counters with a glare. “And I don’t want Sanford to be the only other sensible adult there.Please, Rachel,” she begs. “Please come with me. Please,please—”

“Alright, fine,” I say with a laugh, shoving her hand away.

“Hey, Doc!” calls Langley, coming out of the changing room in his sweats. He points to his shiny red cut.

“Yeah, coming!” I say with a wave.

“Be ready at 10:30pm in the lobby,” Poppy shouts at my back. “And look unobtainable! We’ve got a brand to build!”

I smile to myself. I may or may not have packed a special outfit for this trip. You know…just in case I needed it.

26

Hoooooly fucking shit.

I’m standing in the lobby of the hotel with some of the guys when the elevator doors open and out walks my Seattle Girl. She’s wearing the outfit.Theoutfit. The one that’s been haunting my dreams for almost three fucking months. It’s a sexy black jumpsuit with a low-cut “V” in the front and absolutely no back. She wore it the night we met.

This girl, I swear to god. For weeks I’ve been out here playing checkers with my stupid photos of tacos and my endless questions, just trying to get something out of her.Anything.She leaves me on read ninety percent of the time. I’d say it doesn’t hurt, but that’s a lie. I’m shredded by this distance. I’m not sleeping well, not eating. I’m distracted on and off the ice. Caleb has totally noticed. He keeps asking me what’s wrong and I hate lying to him.

But here comes my girl, floating out of the elevator, and with a flick of her hair, I know she’s playing chess. She wants me to keep chasing her. That’s the only reason she’s wearing this outfit. It’s not for her. It’s definitely not for some random guy she might meet at the club tonight—god, the thought alone has me seeing red. No, it’s all for me.