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The shameful silence in the locker room only lasts about two minutes before Nate opens his big mouth.
“So, O’Malley’s tonight?”
My jaw slacks as everyone agrees right away. “You gotta be kidding me.”
“We gotta celebrate your win, bro.” My alternate captain slaps my back, grinning as if he played any part in the three goals. He didn’t. Conor took one assist. The other two goals were unassisted.
“I fully intend to kill you.”
He shrugs at my threat. “Sure.”
But I have no option except walking out of the locker room, using the same path the rest of the team does. Only to come face to face with a small group of people—mostly girls—wielding quick and dirty posters in support of the Bolts. One is a cut-up cardboard box that reads you guys are hot. Single?
Someone hoots behind me.
“Are those…” Conor’s voice trails off for a moment before he recovers. “Our first fans?”
“Puck bunnies!” The way Nate screams it is the same as someone who is wasted at a party, about to jump into a pool naked.
“It’s him!” A girl squeals and points at?—
Me?
Her group surrounds me. I wonder if they’re magicians, because they crossed the distance in the blink of an eye. Now one girl hangs off my left arm, another one from the right, and a third tries to cozy up in the middle.
“I—” My friends snicker at the scene. “Help me out, jerks!”
“Wow, you’re so strong.” The girl on my left fondles my bicep hard enough that her fingers dig into my layers of clothes. “Is the rest of you this hard?”
It takes more effort than I care to admit to extricate myself from them. I grab both of my friends by their shoulders to steer us away. To steer myself away.
“O’Malley’s you said? Let’s go.” Anything has to be better than walking alone to my dorm room, only to be assaulted by some random girls.
“Aw, yeah!” Nate pumps a fist in the air. “Let’s party all night.”
I glare at him so hard he backpedals. A bit.
“Let’s party some of the night. How about that?”
Conor laughs.
The whole team plus fans, or whatever the hell they are, cram into an already busy pub. I wish I’d had time to get changed into more comfortable clothes. I’m here in a whole suit and coat, nursing a Sprite like I’m a child at a grown-ups’ party.
“Hey, good game.”
That comes from the least expected person. I turn to find my roommate next to me, glass of apple juice in hand. He scratches his head like it hurts him to have spoken civil words to me.
My eyebrows go up. “Thanks, man. You watched it?”
“Yeah.” He shrugs, like we’re not making some sort of breakthrough here. “A few of my buddies wanted to see a game. See what all the hype is about.”
“And?” I’m fishing, I know. He knows, especially considering how he cringes.
“It was pretty cool.”
I chuckle. “Did it hurt to admit it?”
“A little.” Brett clears his throat. “But after hanging out with you guys a couple of times… you’re not so bad.”
