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"He just invited us over," I said easily. "There was a quick, ‘you better take this seriously or leave now before she gets more hurt’ statement, but then he accepted our answer easily."
She chewed on her bottom lip and I couldn't help but tug it free and brush mine over hers. She tasted like frosting and I licked my lips as I backed away.
“What was your answer?”
"That we weren't going anywhere."
"Good, I've decided to keep you," she hummed happily, giving us a smile that reached her eyes. "Lucky you."
She was right, we were the lucky ones.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Elias
The sound of skates scraping the ice and cheers erupting wildly filled the rink. This was the biggest turnout we'd had in years. Macy hadn't just made an impact on us, she'd made real changes with our team.
Tonight, we were aiming for unstoppable.
We were currently tied and reaching the end of the second period. My muscles burned but the adrenaline pumping through my veins had me fighting harder than I ever had.
Winning this game would send us to our final Championship game, and fuck, I wanted that more than anything.
It was my personal fuck you to my parents that doubted me and a thanks to the coach and Macy who were more family than mine ever was.
Skating toward the Verdant Springs Vikings’ front line with my best friends by my side was a really fucking good feeling. We might be tied, but we were going to crush this team. It wasn't just about a rivalry, this was personal. We might not have proof, but I knew it wastheirteam that had attacked ourrink.
"Elias, go," Brock called out and I sped up, sweeping around them and stealing the puck, skating my ass off and slamming it into their goal. The buzzer erupted just as it swished into the net, putting us ahead finally. My smile was blinding as I skated off the ice and collapsed onto the bench.
How we sweated so much while on ice was beyond me, but I dabbed it away with my towel and took a swig of water.
"Fucking great move!" Gold called out to me. The team clapped me on my back but my focus was on the stands where Macy was standing on her seat again, cheering for us like a madwoman right with the crowd. She saw me watching and blew me a kiss.
Something had changed after the night her mom put us to work baking. Which meant letting them boss us around and helping clean dishes. It shouldn't have been as fun as it was but I loved every second of it. It felt normal, domestic even.
We also got to bring a ton of food home for our help, so that didn't hurt.
"We're too close to lose this," Brock said as he took his captain's spot in front of the bench, pacing like Coach as he gave us our usual pep talk. Though this one held a whole lot more passion. "We've fought hard to keep this rink and our place in the league. We have to show them we're worth watching, that we won't be chased out by money. We're not sellouts!"
"Hell, yeah!" I agreed, the rest of our guys yelling out their own answers without hesitation.
The energy was high, but so was the fucking pressure.
Our team had never made it this far and it was terrifying. One wrong move out there could lose everything for us.
Coach sent out our second line and I watched as Rider, Pierce, and Grant tore up the ice. They were pushing themselves harder than ever. Fuck, I was proud of the Hawks tonight. Even if we didn't make the championship, this game was our best yet.
Slade was hard on us but seeing the pride in his eyes as we sank the puck in the goal time and time again was empowering. He believed in us and we were just proving his faith in us wasn't misguided.
"Go!" Tate screamed, nearly knocking me over as he shot to his feet.
"Get it! Go for the goal!" Gold screamed as they shot the puck to the goalie. He expertly blocked it, the puck hitting the ice with a loud thud as curses and boos hissed through the crowd. They were invested.
Coach waited a few more seconds before swapping out the lines for our third line. They weren't our strongest players and my heart was in my throat as I watched the Vikings steal the puck again.
"Fuck," Coach cursed.
We held our breath as our defensemen blocked the puck, shooting it off to the line.
