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"Alright, Knights, listen up," he began, his voice echoing across the rink. "Today marks the beginning of a new journey—a new journey filled with a lot of new faces. There’s going to be growing pains, challenges, triumphs, and everything else in between. But make no mistake, gentlemen, we…are here to win."
“Fuck yeah we are!” yelled Logan, and Coach smirked.
"You’ve put in the work. You’re the best of the best or you wouldn’t be a Dallas Knight.” His gaze hovered on me for a second like he could see my current headspace. “Now it's time to show the world what we're made of." He held up a finger. "Success is not given, it's earned. It's earned through hard work, dedication, and unwavering commitment to the game. So let's show those motherfuckers this season what Dallas Knights are made of!"
Lincoln immediately started up a Knights! chant, and we huddled together before breaking to begin practice.
As practice started, I settled into my position between the pipes, the weight of my goalie pads providing a sense of comfort and familiarity. The sound of pucks clacking against the boards and the rhythmic thud of skates on ice surrounded me, grounding me in the moment.
This wasn’t so different. I could do this shit.
As the forwards and defensemen began their drills, I focused on warming up, stretching my muscles, and loosening up my joints. The first few shots that came my way were routine, easily deflected with a quick flick of my glove or a swift kick of my leg pads.
“Atta boy, Walker,” Lincoln said as he skated behind the net.
I really needed to examine this praise-kink thing. Olivia giving me a few “atta boys” might be the death of me judging by my reaction anytime Lincoln Daniels said…well, anything.
Practice progressed, and I got my ass kicked in a rapid-fire shooting drill that consisted of half the team sending a barrage of shots at me from all directions.
I’d just begun to find my rhythm when Coach decided on a series of breakaway drills that required me to face off against the forwards one on one.
I braced myself as Lincoln charged towards me, the puck dancing on the blade of his stick as he closed the distance between us. His movements were fluid and calculated, each stride carrying him closer to the net with purpose and precision.
As he reached the hash marks, he unleashed a lightning-quick deke, shifting the puck from side to side in an attempt to throw me off balance. Instinctively, I tracked his movements, my eyes locked on the puck as I anticipated his next move.
He burst forward, attempting to slide the puck between my legs and into the net. I dropped into a split, my pads closing off the five-hole just in time to deny his shot.
The puck ricocheted off my pads with a satisfying thud, sending it flying harmlessly into the corner of the rink.
“Fuck,” Lincoln muttered, tipping his head at me.
“Walker ‘Disney’ Davis you are a mother fucking wall,” yelled Ari as he skated by.
I grinned.
“Why does he look so happy about blocking Lincoln’s shot? He’s stopped like five of mine,” Logan complained.
“Have you met Disney? He’d eat Golden Boy’s lunch leftovers if he’d let him,” announced Ari.
“You sound jealous, Lancaster,” Logan drawled, ducking at the puck Ari shot at him.
The whistle blew and we skated to the bench for a break. I glanced at the clock. It had been two hours. I wondered what Olivia was doing.
I watched as Lincoln slipped his phone out from under a towel and Monroe popped up on the screen.
‘What?” he asked without looking at me. “You think I’m going to go hours without checking up on her? That’s a rookie mistake, Walk. A rookie…mistake.”
Note to self, hide my phone next practice so I could stalk Olivia during breaks. Wouldn’t want to be a rookie.
“Oh, shoot, let me help you with that,” said Camden from nearby. I glanced over to see him awkwardly trying to pick up towels that a female employee had dropped. Ari snorted as Camden almost fell over as he grabbed one.
“I’m getting it now,” he mused. “I’m definitely seeing the ‘Hero’ nickname.”
“Right?” Logan said, crossing his arms and cocking his head as he stared at the girl giving moon eyes to Camden for his help. “It’s very, very effective with the ladies, though. The amount of ass that guy gets is legendary.”
Camden waved at the girl, looking nothing but polite, and then turned and hopped back onto the ice.
“Note to self, Camden James is not allowed near my lady,” Ari said breezily, playing with a puck as we started back with practice.
