Page 26 of Rise Above

The other team started to make a run toward Zeke

before Walker stole the puck and passed it quickly to another player. That’s when shit hit the fan. An opposing player seemingly hooked the stick under the skates of a Hammers player. The Hammers player hit the ice hard and stilled. Before I could process what exactly had happened, Walker was fighting the offending player.

“Oh fuck. He has to reel that in, or he won’t be

facing just a penalty box.” Davis dropped his head into his hands. “The last thing he needs is a suspension and a fine.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t fighting

common in hockey?”

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“Yes and no, Aife. TJ is proudly an enforcer, one of

the last. He goes after guys who hurt his team. The days of enforcers have started to decline, and a lot of fans think enforcers should face fines and suspensions. Tom Wilson from the Capitols is a great example. Some of the enforcing he got up to was dangerous. In some cases, fans viewed it as retaliation. TJ tries not to fight much, but he’s a big dude and can be overprotective.” He dragged his eyes back to the ice as his friend skated to the penalty box. “If he gets a suspension, he might be off as the face of the franchise. He’s worked far too hard to lose it all for a fight, even if it’s a justified fight.”

I nodded. “So, he shouldn’t fight?”

“A few punches are fine, but TJ has gotten out of

hand a few times. His first year in the league almost knocked him down to the minors for how much fighting he engaged in.”

“Wow.” My eyes flickered to the screen as the TV

zoomed in on TJ. He was a pretty attractive man, especially his eyes. The one spot of brown in his left eye was weirdly mesmerizing. The last thing I needed was a relationship. There were far too many items on my plate as it was, and I had a bad habit of biting off more than I could fully chew.

Davis slowly shook his head. “You alright?”

“I come from a football family. Fights aren’t

common.”

“Fair enough.” He laughed. “What are you

thinking?”

My cheeks flamed red. “Nothing.”

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He poked my red cheek. “You crushing on my

friend?”

“Uh, no.” I scoffed. “He is handsome, though.”

“Yeah, probably by most women’s standards. Don’t

pursue that though, Aife. He needs to repair himself before he even attempts dating again. That man is just a heartache waiting to happen.”

My brow furrowed at that. What exactly did that

mean? Why did I even care? TJ was a stranger to me. My focus had to be on my schoolwork, not men.