Page 70 of Lose You Twice

And still, for half a second, my focus splits.

The puck hits my blade wrong.

Not badly enough to blow the drill, but badly enough that I know.

Coach knows too.

“Mercer,” he barks.

“I got it.”

He crosses his arms, clearly displeased. “Then get it.”

I do.

The next rep is clean. The one after that is better. I push harder than necessary, cut sharper than I should, and by the time Coach blows the whistle, my hip has started to pull in a way the trainer would have very strong opinions about.

I ignore it.

Ignoring things has become a theme.

In the locker room after practice, Coach goes over the weekend schedule while everyone strips off gear and pretends they aren’t exhausted.

“Road game Saturday,” he says. “We leave tomorrow afternoon. A storm is moving in, so we’re getting there early instead of gambling with the pass. Film tonight. Light skate tomorrow morning, and we’ll be on the bus at one.”

A few guys groan, but Coach ignores them.

“Donnelly will send equipment instructions. If you forget something, I won’t be kind about it.”

Weston raises a hand. “Define kind.”

“No.” Coach’s eyes cut to me. “Mercer, make sure the room is set before film. I want focus, not circus behavior.”

Weston looks offended. “I feel targeted.”

“You should,” Coach says, completely over his antics.

Asher leans back against his stall. “At least he’s honest.”

“Thank you,” Weston says.

“That wasn’t support.”

“I’m accepting it anyway.”

The room loosens with laughter, but I’m already looking toward the equipment hallway.

I pull my hoodie on, grab my bag, and head out before I can talk myself out of it.

She’s in the equipment room with Donnelly, surrounded by bins, tape, spare laces, and black trunks that look heavy enough to hurt someone. Her sleeves are pushed up, and there’s a line of concentration between her brows as she writes something on the clipboard.

Donnelly sees me first. “Mercer.”

“Need anything?”

Wren’s pen pauses.

Donnelly points toward the trunks. “Need everyone to stop pretending they know how to pack for a road game.”