Chapter 26: Losing
Rhys
It was finally the day for Game 2, and the locker room was buzzing with my teammates. Coach Reddick was pacing in front of a whiteboard, clapping his hands to get our attention.
"Listen up, everyone!" he shouted, clapping his hands again. "Today is for Game 2 and, like always, we always win. I don’t care about the travel delay. We talked about this in the meeting last night. We hit the Iron Wolves fast, and we struck them. There will be no mistakes. Are we clear?"
"Clear, Coach!" the team shouted in unison.
I stood up and adjusted my jersey, then exhaled a deep sigh as I faced my teammates and dropped my captain’s speech as usual. "So, Coach is right, and that is exactly why we need to fight harder and show the Iron Wolves why we have held the cup for years. We play with our best, or we don’t play at all!" I shouted.
They all responded with cheers.
My eyes looked around searching for Kayden, who was supposed to be in the room, but he wasn’t. Where the hell was he? I thought. I saw him inside the bus on the way to the ice, so I couldn’t help but wonder where he had gone when I was having such an important speech.
"Where is—" I was about to ask about him when he appeared from the restroom, looking slightly disheveled, and his eyes shifting around the room as he tried to adjust his gear. "What the hell are you doing?" I snapped at him.
The team went quiet immediately. "You were supposed to gather around for the Coach’s and my speech, yet you are nowhere to be found!"
Kayden adjusted his gloves and then pointed to the restroom. "I needed to pee and..." he paused, smiling. "I am sorry."
"Sorry?" I scoffed. "I don’t give a damn!" I shouted at him, my voice harsh and cold. I didn’t smile back at him because there was no reason to.
We might have fucked all night long, but when it comes to hockey, I forget about my personal moments and focus on the game. "You need to put your head back in the game and stop messing around. If you are going to be a liability, stay in the locker room."
The smile vanished from his face instantly, and he looked like I had slapped him, his expression hardening as he looked away and pretended to adjust his skating boots.
I knew my words were harsh toward him, especially since we had both spent the night in each other’s arms, but I didn’t have room for regret. I had to win this game.
In my world, winning was the only thing that kept me going. Not even amazing sex can affect how I play on ice.
"Now that we are ready," I continued and stretched my hands forward. "Cold as ice!" I shouted.
Everyone gathered around and stretched forth their hands.
"Hard as stone!" they all responded.
I looked into their faces and then together we all shouted aloud, "AVALANCHES! TAKE THE THRONE!"
"Let’s go!" I shouted, and we all headed toward the tunnel with me leading the team.
The rumble of the crowd reached us before we even saw the ice. It wasn’t a welcoming sound; it was filled with loud boos from thousands of fans who wanted to see us bleed. I stood at the front of the line, gripping my stick and inhaling a deep sigh as the arena announcer’s voice boomed through the speakers.
"And now, let’s welcome the visitors... The Northern Avalanches!" The boos grew louder as we skated out, but I didn’t care; my eyes were fixed on the game. I didn’t need a distraction.
"Keep an eye on the blue line tonight, folks," the commentator’s voice echoed through the house system. "We heard there is a new addition to the Northern Avalanches, and all eyes are on him. Number 26, Kayden Vale. It’s his first time stepping onto the ice in the home of the Iron Wolves. Tonight, everyone is expecting the kid to have the backbone to play with the big boys as he did back in the first game."
At the mention of Kayden, my grip on the stick grew tighter. I wondered how he was feeling, but I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t, because I knew I would be distracted.
I let out another sigh as the chill hit my face, which was a sharp contrast to how I was feeling inside. I felt like a hypocrite. I had just told Kayden to get his head in the game, but my own mind was a disaster.
"Get your head together, Rhys," I muttered to myself. I shut my eyes, and when I opened them, the referee was already at the center holding the puck.
I lined up for the face-off, and opposite me, staring with glaring eyes, was the Iron Wolves’ captain, Maxwell Hamilton, my sworn enemy. He winked and smirked at me as the puck dropped and the game started.
I snapped my wrist, winning the draw and sending the puck back to our defense immediately.
The game started fast, faster than the first game, because everyone wanted to win, and the Iron Wolves were playing heavy and slamming into us every chance they got. Twenty minutes into the game, they had scored.
Since Kayden and I were on defense, it was hard against them because they were much bigger than I was and twice as big as Kayden.
Every time Kayden touched the puck, the Wolves were on him because they saw him as the easy target. Each time our eyes met, I said nothing and just nodded at him to push them off. It was hard at first, but when we got an opening, I shouted to Kayden, "Vale! To your left!"
Kayden reacted instantly and intercepted a hard pass from a Wolves winger, skating with so much speed, and then he flicked the puck, finding me in stride. I took the pass, deked past a defender, my eyes on the net with one thing set in my mind: I had to score.
"Now!" Miller shouted as he skated toward me. I nodded and shot toward the net, but the Wolves’ goalie caught it in his glove with a sickening thud.
The whistle blew.
I let out a groan and rubbed a hand over my face, then we reset again at the center ice, our sticks clashing against the frozen surface as we waited for the drop. I ran a hand through my messy curls as my eyes darted toward the scoreboard: Iron Wolves 1, Avalanche 0.
One point. It was a tiny gap, but it felt like a mountain.
The referee dropped the puck again, and the violence on the ice resumed. We were being pushed around, physically bullied by a team we always beat. It was as if they came prepared, planning to take down Kayden so they could get through the defense. When we had played last time, the vibe had been different, and now it was as if they were out for our blood.
Another twenty minutes passed, and soon it was time for a quick whistle break. During that time, Coach Reddick reset some of the teammates and also spoke to us. "What the hell is happening on ice? Vale, Calder, you are both defensemen, so why are you not showing that chemistry like the first game!" he yelled at Kayden and me.
I said nothing and just lowered my head. Kayden also didn’t say anything.
He was right. The chemistry between us was off even though we were playing well. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because I had acted harshly toward Kayden during the speech, or if it was just because my head was not in the game.
"Reid, as the center, control the goddamn flow! Hartman, do your freaking job as a winger, same with you, Rossi!" he yelled and then gripped my shoulder. "We need this goal, so get it now!"
As the Coach barked orders, my eyes drifted to Kayden to see his expression and how he was. I expected him to be frowning, but instead, he was hunched over, his gloved hand pressed firmly against his stomach, and his face was devoid of color. I noticed the thin sheen coating his forehead.
What the hell was wrong with him? I thought.
I wasn’t the only one who noticed, as Coach Reddick snapped at him, "Vale! Is everything alright with you? You look like you are about to fall."
Kayden straightened up instantly, though I saw the wince he tried to hide. "I am fine, Coach. I just got a hit to the ribs. I am good to go."
He was lying; I could tell because his face had turned pale, and he looked like he would fall at any moment. I wanted to growl at him to sit down and let another teammate take over, but the break ended before I could.
We were finally down to the final minutes, and once we reached the ice, the intensity was wild. The shoving became much more aggressive, but we kept moving because we had to win no matter what.
"Calder!" Jaxson shouted as he forced a turnover near the boards and passed to me. I caught it near the blue line and smiled because I was about to score. The net was wide open in my sights, and it was finally time to show everyone why we kept winning for years.
I let out a deep sigh and put my head down as I skated toward the Wolves’ net. Victory was right in front of me, and then it happened.
A sharp, agonized scream pierced through the noise of the arena. It wasn’t the sound of a player getting hit or excited; it was the sound of pure pain.
"And... wait! Is that Vale down on the ice?" the commentator’s voice boomed. "Number 26 has collapsed near the center circle!"
I froze immediately at the mention of Kayden. We only had a minute left in the game, and I should have kept going. The puck was on my stick, the net was right there.
All I had to do was flick my wrist, and we would be tied, but the sound of Kayden’s voice hit me like a physical blow, and I remained frozen where I stood, completely ignoring the puck as it drifted uselessly into the corner. I turned around to check what was happening to him, and then the referee’s whistle blew, confirming the game had ended.
"The buzzer sounds! It’s over! The Iron Wolves take Game 2, and for the first time in a long time, the Northern Avalanches lost a game!" the announcer shouted. "This was a bizarre ending for the Avalanche team captain, Rhys Calder, who seemingly gave up on a breakaway to check on his teammate. A costly mistake for the team."
I didn’t listen to them. I didn’t care about the loss because all I saw was Kayden curled up in a ball on the ice, his hands clutching his stomach.
"Kayden!" I yelled, dropping my stick and sliding toward him on my knees.