Page 30 of The Alternate Captain (Elite Hockey #3)

I successfully fended off my sister on the road trip yesterday.

But how I go an entire pre-game at home avoiding her is anyone’s guess.

She’s lurking on the edge of the ice, and every time she looks like she’s about to speak to me, someone else catches her attention or mine.

Since we’re making progress in our climb of the league, that’s where my focus is tonight.

Hockey.

One hundred per cent hockey.

At least, that’s what I tell myself, anyway.

I know Kelly is here. And even though I know where the club seats are, I try my hardest not to look in that direction as we skate onto the ice for the intros. And when we line up for the national anthem, I avoid looking then too.

She said she’d be in the bar, but a tiny piece of me wonders if she is actually here. At her seat. Watching.

Fortunately, the position of the benches is in my favour too, so when the puck drops and the clock counts down, I have zero distractions.

The first defensive pair on the ice tonight are Bettsy and Yatesy, and considering the kid’s play style a few weeks ago, I can already see a vast improvement in his game.

I’m watching the play, so I don’t notice Matt Rodgers coming to stand directly behind me, leaning down to talk right into my ear.

“What’s your fucking problem, mate?” he says, his tone laced with rage.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but if you’re not careful, you’ll be my problem soon enough,” I growl back, not shifting my attention away from the ice.

The forward line changes and bodies move away from the bench, clearing some space, and Rodgers sits down next to me, popping out his mouthguard to talk.

“I hear it was you who started shit about me,” he says.

“Regardless of what you heard, you don’t play fucking dirty in my dressing room,” I say, dropping my leg over the boards and hopping onto the ice when my change comes in.

The puck goes out of play, but I skate over to the face-off circle and ready myself.

I’m shoulder to shoulder with Prez for a moment as he takes position, and I talk under my breath, telling him to play back into the neutral a little before we push forward, and he nods, getting himself ready to receive the puck from Liam’s face-off.

It’s a good play for us, resulting in receiving possession of the puck and forcing the opposition to keep their play without a line change. Heavy legs on the ice mean opportunity for us.

By the time my shift is over, I scan the bench for Matt and make sure I hop off the ice at the opposite end of the bench, because I really cannot deal with his attitude right now, considering I’m permanently simmering in a bad mood.

Ever since that day I saw Sarah, I’ve been a wreck. And for once, Justine wasn’t able to help.

I make it the whole way through the first without thinking about Kelly again, or allowing her to be a distraction more like, and luckily for me Vicky is completely absent during the intermission.

When we return to the ice for the second period, I’m in the starting pair on the blue line.

Danny takes the opening face-off and wins, sending the puck my way before I pass it over to Hutch, who’s ready to receive it.

He shoots it straight across the ice to Danny, who’s placed himself right at the edge of the ice, and he plucks it up with the blade of his stick and moves it forward.

Hutch has speed, but I’ve got the position, right at the point, and I see Danny look over his shoulder for a second before he sends it through the gap he’s created between his legs. I one-time it in the direction of the net, assuming that Hutch will be ready in time.

But when the red light buzzes, I stare at the opposing netminder for a second, checking that it’s actually gone in. He’s looking around for it, and the puck is jammed right on the edge of the net, but I spot the stripes pointing at the goal line.

Goal.

“Fucking A,” someone shouts, banging my lid, and we hustle around for a group hug.

It’s when I’m skating back to the bench that I spot her. My eyes lock onto hers, a grin spreads across her face, and there’s fucking evil behind those eyes as she stares at me from a few rows behind the bench. I wouldn’t have noticed her, except she’s the only person sitting down.

My stomach lurches as I tear my eyes away from Sarah. And then my concentration is stolen by her request, hanging over me like a bad smell.

By the time the clock runs down the second period, I’m buzzing with an anxious energy, and I’m pissed off.

The third period trickles by, but I block six shots in the first ten minutes, and another four in the last eight, making sure I play my game with as much caution as I can. We’re leading 2-1 and I’m not in the mood to let this thing go to overtime .

As I’m skating back to the bench, with two minutes left on the clock, I spot Kelly, standing right at the top of the block—at least I think it’s her, anyway. She’s talking with a blonde—fuck my life. She’s talking to Sarah.

When the final buzzer sounds and we have to do all the post-game stuff, my eyes are flicking towards that spot, but neither Kelly nor Sarah is there. When we do the victory lap, I’m skating as slowly as I can so I can keep a lookout, but my blood is boiling with rage. Complete and utter rage.

I step off the ice first, snapping my stick over my knee as I exit, then tossing the remnants of it into the gutter of the bench. I don’t pay anyone any attention as I head for the dressing room and no one attempts to talk with me, probably out of their better judgement.

I’ve never turned myself around so quickly from post-game to fully dressed, but I’m striding past the guys, and past Vicky, who yells after me as I push the double doors open into the chilly December air.

I pull my phone out and immediately dial Kelly, but it goes to voicemail.

It goes to voicemail the following six times I try to call her, all while I’m driving to her place, but when I pull up outside, the lights are off, and the anxiety builds in my chest.

Just as I’m about to leave, my phone rings and Kelly’s name flashes up on the screen. Relief floods through me when I answer, but it quickly diminishes when she talks.

“Johnny, I’m at your place and you need to come home. There’s someone here to see you.”