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“Noticed that.”

Jax follows my gaze toward the Archers' bench. “Something I should know?”

“Family disagreement.”

He blinks. “That's comforting.”

We go back out.

Mercer takes a pass from me through the neutral zone and drives wide.

Jax cuts toward the net.

I trail the play, reading the defense.

The Archers' left defenseman cheats toward Mercer.

Their center drops back.

A lane opens between them.

Read the ice. Find the opening. Make the play.

Three things I've done for as long as I can remember. I don't have to think about them anymore. I see where the puck needs to go, and I put it there.

Most of the time, that means giving somebody else the shot.

I feed Jax across the slot.

He gets a clean shot off.

The goalie makes the save.

Good chance. Wrong result. We reset.

By the end of the first, it's tied at one.

Jackson scored our first goal off a rebound, and the Archers answered on a power play after Sullivan got called for hooking.

Coach isn't happy about the penalty.

Sullivan isn't happy about the call.

Nobody's particularly happy about anything.

Especially me.

Because with three minutes left in the period, Declan caught me along the boards and leaned close enough that only I could hear him.

“Does she know what kind of guy she's wasting her time on?”

I shoved him off.

He laughed.

And skated away.

The second period is worse.