Page 15 of The Substitute (New York Gods #4)

FIFTEEN

AMbrOSE

The locker room is loud with the guys getting ready for practice.

“Anyone seen Tendy?” one of the assistant coaches yells.

The room goes deathly quiet, and everyone turns to look at him. I have to admit, the goalie is an odd guy, but I don’t know him well. We don’t hang out in the same groups.

“Did you page him?” Lancelot asks me like I’m somehow responsible for our himbo of a goalie.

“Why would I have to find Teddy?”

“You’re the new team captain. That’s the team captain’s job. You have to page him!” Lancelot says all this like captain came with a leash for Teddy. “Page him!”

“Page? Like on the intercom?” I ask Osha at the cubby next to me.

“No, he has a pager.”

I blink at him. That is not what I was expecting him to say.

“What?” He’s got to be fucking with me.

“You know, like doctors at the hospital have?” Osha looks at me like I’m an idiot. “Little black box that clips to your pants with a screen only wide enough for a single line of text?” He can’t be serious.

“They still make those?”

He laughs and pulls on his hockey pants. “They do, and our precious Tendy has one with an AirTag attached to it.”

“That seems a bit extreme.”

“Don’t forget about the one attached to his Croc,” Lancelot chimes in.

What the actual fuck? I know Teddy is a little aloof but really?

“You know he’s a flight risk. The guy thinks there’s gators in the sewers and went yeti hunting over summer break. If we lose him, we can’t play,” Osha adds.

I blink several times at this information. I’ve never really paid that close attention to Teddy. I just figured he was weird like all goalies. I should know, my step-brother is one.

“Yeti hunting?” I could not have heard that right.

“Hey, don’t be using the Y word. You know they prefer snow people,” Blondie, one of our D men, chides. “Tedster will be big mad if he hears you.”

I don’t know what to say to that. “How come no one told me this before?”

“Do you even pay attention?” Osha asks.

“To keeping track of someone else? No, can’t say I have.” I’m starting to realize why they weren’t excited about the prospect of being captain…

“Well, it’s your job now!” Lancelot passes me a phone. “This has the numbers to page.”

“So I just page him and wait?” I ask, hoping I don’t have to do this before every practice. “How’s he been getting to practice the last few weeks?”

“I’ve been doing it, but shit, now that coach has picked a new captain, it’s on you dog.” Lancelot holds up his hands.

“This should have been disclosed before I accepted the captain’s spot,” I mutter, sending Teddy a page.

“It’s in the terms and conditions you signed!”

“You’re not serious…” I wait for someone to laugh, but no one does. I knew Teddy was…unique, even different…but the caption really tracks him? “Fine, so what now? I just wait for him to answer the page? Practice is in five fucking minutes.”

“Did you check the AirTag?” Blondie offers.

“Is that on this phone, too?” I pull up Find My. “Found him.”

“Good. Now if he doesn’t make it here, you have to go get him and not be late, or Coach will have your ass.”

“Now I’m in trouble if he’s fucking late?” I ask and a few of the guys chuckle but I’m not sure why. “What’s funny?”

“He was probably getting laid,” Shredder says.

“Ah.” That at least makes sense.

I start getting ready, changing into my practice gear, when the doors open again.

“Tendy! We were worried about you, buddy!” Blondie hollers.

“I almost fell into a manhole!” The big guy shakes his head and pats a few players on the back as he passes them.

I know this guy is Tobi’s brother because of his last name but honestly…how? Maybe Tobi will know.

Ambrose: Is falling into a manhole a euphemism?

Tobi: Not if my brother said it

I have so many questions, but they will have to wait.

Teddy starts pulling on his gear, which takes forever since goalies have more shit than the rest of us.

Tobi doesn’t talk about his brother much, and since I’m familiar with family bullshit, I don’t push it. But I wonder if Teddy would tell me anything…

“What color hat are you making this time, Tendy?” Shredder is pulling on his skates.

Huh?

I turn around to find the big man bouncing on his toes in excitement. What. Is. Happening.

“Green with gold glitter!” he shouts and fist pumps the air. “It’s gonna be so cool!”

“You make hats?” I ask.

“Yuppers. I crochet and shit.” He crosses his arms and looks around at the team with a smile. I follow his gaze and see everyone holding a jumbled-up pile of yarn? This is not answering any questions.

“You don’t crochet while you shit, though, right?” someone asks from the back of the room.

“Not anymore! I can’t risk rope burn on my dangly bits again!”

Again?!

Lancelot puts his hand on my shoulder. “Good luck, Captain.”

I can’t do this.

I pull my phone out of my locker to text Tobi about being made captain and somehow his brother’s guardian but stop myself. The last thing he wants to hear about is his brother or hockey.

Fuck.

By the time practice is almost over, I’m convinced Teddy and Tobi are not related.

Talk about opposites. One of them has to be adopted.

The entire practice, Teddy has been talking or making noises.

Nothing that’s abnormal for goalies, since they’re a weird bunch, but there’s no overlap in personality at all.

Even Savage and I have some overlap from growing up in the same house.

“I didn’t have enough Oreos today,” Teddy announces as he takes his helmet off and grabs his water bottle from the top of the net.

I know I shouldn’t ask. I know I should ignore it, but I can’t.

“What?”

“I’m hungry.” Teddy squirts more water in his mouth. “Not enough pre-practice Oreos. I ran out of them after breakfast.”

“You eat cookies for breakfast?” What the hell kind of collegiate athlete eats cookies for breakfast regularly?

“What else am I supposed to eat with my Red Bull?” He has the nerve to look at me like I’m the crazy one. “Sometimes, I eat eggs or toast or whatever, but cookies are the best to get my body ready.”

Shredder picks up his gloves. “Why are you asking him questions about food? He’s a human trash panda.”

“But how is he fueling his body?!” I can’t hide my horror.

Shredder shrugs. “Goalie magic, bro. Don’t question it. You should know this.”

I’ve spent most of my life questioning a damn goalie just to annoy him.

“Ambrosey!” Teddy yelling my name is slightly terrifying. “I have something for you after practice.”

Everyone chuckles nervously and side-eyes each other.

“Uh, what is it?”

“A good luck charm,” he says with all the seriousness of a national secret.

That means I’m fucked. Whatever it is, I have to keep it and probably bring it to games. I groan internally but force a smile to my face. “Sounds great, Tendy.”

Blondie skates up to me and whispers, “Don’t try to eat it.”

I’m not touching that one.

Coach blows the whistle and tells us to get showered.

I still want more insight into Tobi, and since he barely leaves the dorm, Teddy is my only option.

Once the big guy is out of the shower, I’m dressed but antsy. He gives me a knowing look and strides to his cubby with his towel over his shoulder.

“I knew you’d be too excited to leave before you got it.” Teddy digs through his bag and then hands me a little green box with a removable lid. Whatever it is, it’s small since the box fits in the palm of his hand.

“I gave the other guy’s theirs the first week but I didn’t have enough…stuff…” He offers it to me but doesn’t let me pull my hand back. “This comes to every game and every practice. It unites us as a team.”

“Okay…”

With a nod, he lets go of my hand. Carefully, I lift the lid and find gold tissue paper. I set the lid aside and notice the rest of the team is watching. Some of them are covering their mouths behind their hands, but it’s clear they’re laughing.

What the fuck am I missing?

With one finger, I open the paper and find a cream-colored gummy bear with an eye hook in the top to hang it from something.

“A gummy bear?” I don’t have a fucking clue what this is.

“It’s a cummy bear!” Teddy is very proud of himself, but I don’t know why.

I can’t have heard him right. “Sorry it took so long, I had to order more. I miscounted how many guys were on the team, but I blame Rhys for making me eat healthy this summer. I can’t do maths when I don’t have my breakfast Red Bull. Duh.”

“Everyone has one?” I look around, and the entire team pulls them out. Some on necklaces, some on key rings, some are hooked to their gear bags. Interesting. “Thanks, man.”

“You’re going to make a much better captain than our last one!” Teddy squeezes my shoulder. The team cheers, and I smile. It feels good to be accepted.

On our way out of the building, Teddy claps my shoulder and walks with me.

“So, tell me something,” I start. “How are you and your brother complete opposites?”

“Nah, we’re the same. He’s just smart about book things, and I’m smart with hockey things. But we’re the same.”

I blink at him, pretty sure I just had a stroke. “What?”

“Tobs and me. We’re the same. Why do you think we’re different?”

Now we’re both confused.

“Uh, well, he doesn’t like people or leaving the dorm. He’s sarcastic and hates lights. Hates hockey and hockey players.”

Teddy pushes his hand across himself like he’s wiping away my words. “He’s just messing with you. He loves hockey! How could he not when he’s my brother? I’m awesome. He’s like my biggest fan. Other than Mom, of course…and Rhys…and Dad…”

Clearly, the guy is delusional.

“Right. My bad.”

“I mean, he likes to use science words to insult me even though Mom told him to stop, but that’s just brother stuff, you know?”

The wind is sharp when we push the doors open, and I’ve never been more grateful for an excuse to leave.

“Of course. Brother stuff. I’ll see ya later, man.”

Teddy slaps my shoulder again and heads off in the opposite direction. With a shake of my head, I head to the dining hall.

Well, that wasn’t helpful at all.

Or maybe it was. His best friend chose Teddy over him? I guess they are both delusional. The realization makes me feel even worse for Tobi. He doesn’t deserve any of this.

Ambrose: Have you eaten dinner? Or at all today?

Three minutes pass, and he doesn’t even open the message.

Ambrose: Ignoring me means I’m going to bring back something for you to eat…

I get into line and grab food before sitting down. Tobi still hasn’t answered or opened the message. What is—

Savage.

That son of a bitch.

He’s probably with Tobi right now.

I scarf down my food and hustle back to the dorm. They don’t always stay in, but if they are, I’m about to be very distracting.