Page 39 of The Substitute (New York Gods #4)

THIRTY-FOUR

AMbrOSE

Islept like absolute shit, and Tobi didn’t come home last night.

I sent him a few texts, but he hasn’t replied to me yet.

I get out of the room early so I don’t have to see his face coming back from spending the night with Savage.

I don’t think I can stand it without blowing up and making things worse.

Usually, hockey cheers me up, but I can’t get my head on right, and the locker room is bustling with pregame anticipation, making it worse.

The guys are doing their rituals, the staff is making sure everything is in place, all in good moods, and I know I’m going to be the one to bring the rest of them down.

I don’t have time for this. We’re playing the Gods, so they're more amped up than usual. They’re one of our biggest rivals in the Myth League, and since Savage is their fucking goalie, I know I’ll have to deal with him all night.

I’m half-dressed and sitting on the bench to get my skates done before I get my shoulder pads on when Teddy hurdles up to me. Since I’m already in a shitty mood, I don’t know if I can deal with him today.

“What’s going on with you and my brother? Why do you even know each other?”

I snap my head toward him, fear of being outed taking hold of me as ice floods my system. Did Tobi tell him something, and now Teddy’s pissed on his brother’s behalf?

“We told you—he’s my roommate.” I don’t get what he’s not understanding.

Teddy crosses his arms and gives me a look that says he doesn’t believe me. “How did that even happen? Most people know their roommates before.” He has a point.

I raise an eyebrow at him. “The lottery?”

Teddy scoffs. “You won the lottery and have to live in the dorm? How dumb do you think I am? What’s the real agenda here?!”

Fuck. I pinch the bridge of my nose. I don’t even know how to explain this to him, and I really don’t want to be a dick, but my patience is already low. “What kind of agenda—” Nope. I’m not letting him bait me tonight. “It’s called a roommate lottery.”

“You won my brother? I’m no lawyer, but that seems not under the bar.”

Now I’m confused. “The bar? What are you even talking about?”

“Why are you stalking me and my brother?” Teddy demands very loudly, which makes the locker room quiet down. “Why do you want to room both of us up?!”

“I’m the captain, first off. I have to stalk you so you don’t get lost. And I live with your brother because the university told me to!” The guys around us snicker and turn back to getting ready for the game. Teddy’s nonsense is nothing new around here.

“You better not be sleeping with him!” Teddy yells, pointing a finger at me.

Now I’m so frustrated, I can’t help but fuck with him, too. “The rooms are tiny and the beds are very close together.”

“Ten minutes to warm ups!” Coach yells, and Teddy shuffles back to his spot to finish putting on his pads.

As I get mine over my head, Osha leans in and quietly asks, “Is your roommate into dudes?”

I’m going to murder everyone.

“If you start fucking my roommate and I have to look at your ass more than I already do, I’ll tell Coach you need to see psych.” I look him dead in the eye, and he backs off with his hands up. No one wants to be sent to the team psychologist.

“Noted.” Osha grabs his helmet and walks off. Good. I’m not in the mood for any more shit.

This game has been a shit show from the beginning.

Anytime I’m anywhere near their goal, Savage has something to say.

What the fuck did Tobi tell him last night?

I’m not in the fucking mood, and he’s pushing it too far.

I’m going to kill him. It’s one way to make sure I’m not sharing Tobi with him anymore, I guess, and it’s looking more and more promising.

He’s really trying to get me to hit him, and I really don’t give a flying fuck as to why. Tobi went to him and didn’t come back to the dorm last night. I’m not an idiot. I know where the fuck he was.

It’s been all fucking night with this shit.

The horn sounds for a goal, and I hate everyone.

As the captain, I should have some words of encouragement for my team, but all I have is anger. At myself. At Savage. At Tobi. Coach has yelled at us for the last two intermissions, and I don’t blame him.

As we’re heading back out to the ice for our last period, I’ve had enough. Savage has shut us out and fucked with my head. I’m so fucking done. If I can give them a common enemy, we’ll stand a chance at a comeback.

I hang back to fall into step with Teddy, a plan already forming in my head.

“Can we talk for a minute?”

“If this is about me being confused—”

I cut him off. “It’s not. I have something really important to tell you. I need you to focus.”

Teddy narrows his eyes. “My ear balls are wide open.”

“I think you deserve to know the Gods’ goalie, Savage, is fucking your brother.” It’s fucking low, but I’m so over his bullshit. I need my team with me.

The guys around us stop and look between us. I’m taking a huge risk by dropping this bomb on our goalie. We all know how fragile Teddy’s headspace is, but I’m banking on something else.

Teddy’s mouth falls open. “That can’t happen. There’s too much of a height difference.”

Several of the guys on the team sigh, and Shredder says, “We told you to watch porn, dude.”

Teddy turns on him. “You also told me it’s not real. You save your special sex for one guy.” He turns back to me. “Plus, Tobs knows you can’t fuck the enemy. He wouldn’t do that.”

“Uh,” Shredder says, holding up a gloved finger, “you do it.”

“That’s different! That’s love!” Teddy tries to cross his arms, but the pads stop him. “We made sacrifices to the hockey gods. I talked to Coach about sex!”

While I want to ask questions, we don’t have time. I need to keep Teddy on task. “Tobi was with Savage last night. Probably why he’s having such a good game. He took your mojo juice.”

Teddy shrieks while the rest of the team sucks in deep breaths in unison. They know as well as I do that if Savage and or Teddy convinces themself that Tobi is a good luck charm for Savage, we’re fucked.

“Not my mojo juice!” Teddy says through clenched teeth.

“How does he not know about the Jean Eva Conversion? This is blasphemy!” Teddy’s angry strides carry him to the ice, and as we skate into our positions for the game to resume, I watch Teddy point two fingers to his eyes, then point them at Savage.

The Gods look at each other like that will make this make sense, but half of them end up shrugging and shaking their heads.

Third period gets started, and I’m waiting for my turn on the ice.

Teddy is getting the team riled up for violence, and I am so fucking here for it.

I need the outlet. Fights are inevitable.

We’ve already had little shit slide—some high sticking, tripping, and body checks that aren’t quite timed right to be legal.

Coach is about to blow a gasket, so this isn’t going to go well for us, but if I can give Savage a black eye, it’ll be worth it.

Goalies are protected, sacred, to hockey players. Going after one is a quick way to getting your ass kicked by his team, but I’m not afraid. Savage will want to get his own punches in, he’s not going to let his team gang up on me and miss out.

Coach yells for a line change, and the boys switch up.

“What’s your deal tonight?” Blondie bumps his shoulder with mine.

“Nothing.”

“Right, I believe that.” He takes a drink from one of the bottles being offered to us.

“Worry about your own game.”

He laughs. “I’m not the one with a death wish.”

Osha flies up one side of the ice, hugging the boards as the puck is flung to him by Rizz. The puck hits the side boards, and he grabs it, racing for the goal, but Savage is huge and hunkered down.

Osha takes the puck around behind the goal, barely avoiding Lovelace body checking him, and attempts to flick it in the net. Savage expects it and easily bats it away. The Gods take the puck and pass it around a few times before Cox makes his move with Raven and Ridgeway.

Cox takes a shot on goal, but Teddy is locked in and blocks it. Coach calls for a line change, and I jump back onto the ice, making a beeline for the puck with Blondie and Shredder hot on my heels. Ridgeway has the puck and manages to get it past Teddy.

Fuck!

Their coach calls a line change, and we set for a puck drop.

Rhys meets me for the puck drop, and we hunker down, waiting. “What the fuck did you say to Teddy?”

“The truth.”

“I doubt that.”

“Doubt all you want, but your goalie knows the truth, too.”

The puck drops, and I have a split-second advantage—it’s all I need. I slap the puck to Blondie who turns and burns for Savage.

We get the puck in the attack zone but can’t seem to find the goal. It’s frustrating as fuck, and the boys are feeling the strain of the two to zero lead the Gods have.

Ridgeway is on me like a stage five clinger, and I’ve about had it. I slam him into the boards only for him to turn around and do the same to me.

“You wanna dance, sweetheart?” He chuckles and shoves off me, but I don’t stand around to chit chat.

I’ve already been in the penalty box more times than I can remember tonight. Three? Four? Five? I know I’m going to get ejected if I keep starting shit, so I have to watch it until I get my hands on my step-brother.

Rhys comes at me from the left, shoving me into Blondie, and fights me for the puck. In a split second, there’s four of us battling it out. I’m sure the hits to my legs will sting after the game, but right now, I feel nothing.

“Blondie, get the fuck out of the way!” I shove him away from me when what I want to do is swing this fucking hockey stick like a bat to take everyone out.

Blondie gets angry and trips Rhys—this time right in front of a fucking ref so the whistle blows, and he’s sent to the sin bin. Son of a bitch!

We set again in the face off dot. It’s Shredder and one of the Gods. I have my back to Savage, waiting for the puck to come my way, when I feel him behind me.