Page 7

Chapter 7

Eoghan

"W ho's hitting Jokers?" Scuba asked the entire locker room.

I didn't look up as I stripped out of my clothes, but I would join them. I couldn't keep drinking bottles of whiskey at home.

Although, I couldn't drink an entire bottle at the bar either. But we would see how much they’d serve me. Jokers had been a pretty chill environment and was a perfect place for the team to hang out. I should be able to get away with a fair amount and then anything else that I needed to keep my senses numbed I could get at home after.

Much to my surprise, Scuba sat in Pekka's spot next to me and punched my shoulder. "You're coming with me. No more staying at home."

I chortled. "What are you, my personal tour guide?"

"For tonight, damn straight. We are some of the only single guys on the team."

I looked at him like he was crazy; he wasn't single. "Did you and your girl have a fight?"

Cartsy grabbed Scuba's shoulder and squeezed it as he said, "Don't you know denial runs deep with this one?"

That got a chuckle out of the whole place.

Suzuki piped up as he tossed a towel at Scuba, "How's Annie going to like that you're pretending you're single? That's not a move of a devoted fiancée."

"Dude..." Scuba said as he fired back at Spencer with the same smelly towel. "It's a figure of speech. But the new guy has stayed in too many times in a row. If all us coupled guys can go out, he can join us. It's time for him to hang out with us for a change."

I held up my hands in the classic surrender pose. "I'll go."

The locker room music was getting to me. It blared out with some sort of EDM that was just absolutely obnoxious with the way the beat seemed to be inundated into my body, and I couldn't handle not being able to hear myself think. I sped through getting dressed. "I'll see you guys there."

Showing up at Jokers should have taken the pressure off of me. It was normal to hang out with the fellas after a game. Yet instead of feeling like I'm one of them, I felt like a fraud. Probably because I didn't really know any of them.

I needed a drink, if only to take the edge off and to get rid of my self-loathing.

Okay, that was a lie. The self-loathing never went away. At least feeling numb helped quiet those evil voices.

I walked up to the bar. Scuba came up from behind and smacked my shoulder. "Dee, anything this man orders, it's on my tab. Got it?"

I shook my head. "I can buy my own drinks."

"Just take the drink, man. Besides, anyone who scores has to buy at least one round of drinks for the guys."

That was a new rule to me, and he scored three goals tonight, so that meant he would treat me to my first few drinks. After that, I would quietly transfer my whiskey to my tab.

Granted, I never came out with the guys. Although looking around, it seemed like only about half of the team was there. But it seemed like the younger guys liked to do a Call of Duty raid after a game instead of a round at Jokers.

Scuba looked over at me and asked, "Have you ordered?"

I shook my head. The bartender, Dee, looked at me expectantly.

"Jameson on the rocks."

"Single or double?"

There was only one type of pour back home if we went to a pack-run bar. Then again, I only went to pack-run bars, and I forgot you had to specify what type of pour you had to do. Without a single thought, "Double."

Scuba said, "My usual."

The bartender turned her back to get my drink. I focused on her making it while wishing I could just grab the bottle from her. But I had to act like a normal guy and not a complete alcoholic.

Scuba said, "Glad that you came. Now don't you let these two scare you away."

I followed Scuba's line of sight. He stared down the rest of the leadership: Spencer Suzuki and Carter Carmichael.

Raising an eyebrow, I asked the obvious question. "Now, why would they scare me away?"

"They aren't nearly as focused on hockey as you."

I scoffed. That seemed so absurd.

A couple of weeks ago, my self-imposed hiding would have been to focus on hockey. Since moving here, I had stayed home alone, so my new teammates didn't find out that I was a werewolf and that I was quickly developing a love affair with Irish whiskey. I should watch hockey highlights instead of drinking a bottle or two of Jameson.

Scuba pointed at me.

"See, I can make you smile and because of that, I'm now your best friend on the team." He elbowed me slightly. "Besides, you look nice when you smile. Not so scary."

I had a feeling that he was on a mission to make my life a little less boring, and it would be easier to just accept it.

At that moment, I didn't really care. I had a glass of Jameson in front of me and it took all self-control not to down the sweet liquid as if it was a shot just so I could order another one. Instead, I listened to my new friend prattle on about everything going on with my new team and how he was ready to win another Stanley Cup.