5. Devon
5
DEVON
We were closer to home today. Our game was in eastern Pennsylvania. I’d be happy when we were back in Espen. I didn’t mind being on the road, but I preferred home games. It wasn’t that all the fans on the road were bad, but some didn’t stay quiet about us being the ‘gay team’. I was used to it at this point. Didn’t mean I liked it.
Luckily, the Bethlehem fans were being good to us. I figured being the state next to New Jersey helped. There were a lot of Jetties colors mixed in with the steel gray and white of the opposing team’s fans. No, the Jetties fans weren’t the majority, but it was great seeing some people in the crowd supporting us.
Fights were common in hockey. Add in two players on the first line who identified as something other than straight… The teams we played liked to take their shots at us with their fists and words. Most of the time I was able to brush it off. I was known for my focus while I played. How I could keep my eye on the goal, the win. I didn’t get rattled or fight often but tonight I’d had enough.
Maybe it was because I was in a shit mood after being turned down by Lincoln. I wasn’t mad at him. I was pissed at myself. Why couldn’t I be normal? Ask someone out like a regular person?
I would have hoped I’d gotten over it by now. Apparently not. Two days had passed. And since there was nothing else for me to take my aggression out on, Bethlehem’s defenseman pushed me one too many times.
No, he didn’t call me names, but it was obvious I was his target for the night. I knew it was all part of the game. Part of what it meant to be out here playing. But when he roughly shoved me into the boards a second after I passed the puck to Hayes, then forcibly shoved himself away with a hard push on my arm, I was done.
He must have seen it in my eyes because a smile spread over his lips then his stick was down and his gloves were off, sliding along the ice. I didn’t hesitate to drop mine. I fisted his shirt to keep him near me and landed a punch right on his jaw. He swung at me, but I was able to turn my head, so it grazed my helmet. After that it was like we were alternating punches to see who would go down first.
We both managed to stay upright as we kept swinging at each other. I got a hard hit to my cheek and felt another to my helmet. I got him in the eye then delivered a punch to his kidney.
Refs were in my peripheral, waiting for when they needed to blow their whistles. I could hear the fans cheering and our teammates standing by the benches banging their sticks in support.
I knew once one of us went down on the ice, that would be the end of the fight. We weren’t out for blood, more like we each had something to prove, and I wasn’t going down without giving it my all. He was broader than me and could hit, but I was faster and determined.
Eventually, the refs were able to separate us. Neither of us fought them. We got our punches in already. Made our points, whatever they were. We both went our separate ways into our penalty boxes. We each got five-minute majors and he got an additional two-minute minor for instigation, which resulted in a power play.
Coach Bronse looked my way but went back to doing his job. I was fine. I knew my lip was split when I spit and blood appeared. My cheek throbbed, but other than that, I didn’t feel blood pouring from my face anywhere. I didn’t care. We all loved a good fight. Too bad that set the tone for the rest of the game.
Noah Nordin, one of our defensemen, got into it at one point with another player. It didn’t end until they both went down on the ice and were pulled apart. Somehow, we managed to win, which I was grateful for since we lost the previous game in Ohio.
King and Hayes flanked me as we made our way up to our hotel rooms. King chatted happily about going out tonight since it was New Year’s Eve. He said he read that the city did a Peep drop earlier in the evening for families with kids. Instead of dropping a crystal ball like they did in Times Square, Bethlehem dropped a giant yellow Peep. No, it wasn’t made of marshmallow like the sweet treat anyone could buy. He was bummed he missed it and then when we reached our floor proceeded to pull up a video of it so we could watch. I had to admit, it was a cute idea. Apparently, Bethlehem was home of the company that made Peeps.
We made our way to our rooms. We lucked out and were on the same floor.
Stopping in front of my door, King put his fingers under my chin to pull my gaze to his. “I know you got ice on that back at the arena, but you should put some more on it.” King was a mother hen to us, always making sure we were okay.
“I will.” I already planned on finding the ice machine and bagging some of it up for my face and probably my knuckles. In all honesty, I didn’t care what I looked like. Wasn’t like I had anyone to impress.
“Go rest. We’ll be back in an hour to pick you up.”
“Not we, King,” Hayes cut in. “You. I’m not going out.”
“Yes, you are.” He slung his arm over Hayes’s shoulders. “I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Hayes could have kept arguing but it was New Year’s, and he was picking his battles. His eyes went to mine.
“Nope, you two are on your own,” I stated. “I’m tired, hungry, and just want to stay in tonight.”
King considered me for a moment then seemed to decide to let it go. I didn’t need to go out like he did, and he knew it. He also knew he couldn’t persuade me like he could Hayes. “Fine, but I’ll be texting you to check in.”
“This wasn’t my first fight.”
He ruffled my hair. “I know, D, but we love you and want to make sure you’re okay.”
Swatting his hand away, I said, “Yeah, yeah. Go have fun. Send me pictures if you see anything interesting.”
“You know I will.” He winked, then dragged Hayes up the hall with him.
Unlocking my door, I stepped in and let it click closed behind me before sagging against it. Tonight’s game was rough, more so since I decided to fight. The good part was that now I was drained and could hopefully get some sleep.
Using my foot to kick off the door, I went over to the luggage rack that was holding my suitcase. I didn’t bother unpacking since we’d be leaving early tomorrow. I preferred to live out of the suitcase on the road, rather than unpacking and repacking it every time we had to come and go. I was grateful we weren’t leaving for home tonight. I wanted to rest, and the guys wanted to be out ringing in the new year.
I took my suit off and hung it on a hanger in the closet, then pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. Before going in search of ice, I stopped to look at myself in the mirror. My cheek was already an angry shade of red. My bottom lip was swollen but not overly so. I glanced down and looked at my knuckles. They didn’t come away unscathed and were throbbing like my face.
Then reality came crashing back in. I shouldn’t have fought for the reason I did. I was looking for a way to take out my frustration and shouldn’t have done it during the game. I could have come back here and ran for miles on the treadmill in the hotel’s workout room. I sighed. What was done was done.
I took the small bucket in the room with the plastic bag sitting in it and went in search of the ice machine. With every step I took down the hall, I realized I was lucky that I didn’t hurt anywhere else. Someone looked me over before I left the arena. I didn’t have anything to worry about outside of the pain my face was in and my appearance.
It didn’t take me more than a minute to find what I was looking for. On the way back to the room, I saw Noah leaving his. He had light blond hair and striking blue eyes. He came to the US from Sweden and was a hell of a player. He still had a slight accent even after being here for almost ten years.
Noah looked me up and down. “Not going out tonight?”
“Nah, I’m staying in.” I held up the bucket. “Got my night planned right here.”
“Unless you’re going to put a bottle of something in that, I worry we aren’t getting you out enough.”
I chuckled. “I’m doing just fine.” The lie rolled easily off my tongue.
“If you say so.” He strode toward me on his way, no doubt to find King and Hayes, stopping to put his hand on my shoulder. He was only a couple of inches taller than me and a little broader. “If you need us, we’re all here. Have to take care of our captain.”
“I know. I appreciate it.”
Noah was someone who I’d easily become friends with once he was traded to Espen. He had a kind demeanor that made me feel comfortable, though I wasn’t as close to him as I was with the others.
Back in my room, I sat the ice bucket on the dresser and called down for room service. My stomach growled as I relayed my order over the phone. With that done, I used the spare bag that was included with the bucket and put some ice in it, then loosely knotted it. First, I placed it on my knuckles while I enjoyed the quiet in the room.
Playing games meant a lot of sounds and a lot of light. It didn’t bother me. In fact, it hyped me up every time. But it also made me appreciate the quiet. Maybe that was why I bought a house in the middle of nowhere on twenty acres. I loved to go home and relax. To spend my downtime from hockey in a serene environment. I was still close enough to drive into Espen, but far enough away from the city that it was peaceful.
Room service arrived not long after I had the bag of ice resting on my cheek. Both my mom and dad had texted asking if I was okay. They’d seen me get into enough fights while playing in high school, college, and after I signed with the Jetties. They knew I was okay, but Mom wouldn’t be satisfied until I got home so she got to look at me herself. She trusted the team and the staff they had, although at the end of the day, she was still my mom and wanted to be there for me.
I was twenty-five years old, played professionally in the NHL, and I’d never not appreciate all my parents had done for me and continued to do. I wouldn’t be where I was without them. Their unwavering support in every aspect of my life meant the world to me.
The night wore on until midnight was only a few minutes away. I had the TV on the channel that showed Times Square. A text from King came through. I didn’t know where he was, but he had his arm around Hayes, and Noah and Jansen were on either side of them. They had on glittery glasses with the year on them, golden hats, and for some reason, King was shirtless. It didn’t even surprise me. They looked like they were having a great time. I probably should have gone with them, but I didn’t regret staying in my room.
As the woman on TV started counting down, I scrolled through my texts to where I found Lincoln’s reply to me asking him out on a date. I hadn’t responded because what was I going to say? ‘Thank you for your consideration.’ He didn’t turn me down forever. He said right now. Was that meant to give me hope or was he just being polite? I wasn’t sure.
I felt like I should reply so I typed out something.
Me: Maybe one day you’ll want to go out. Until then, can we be friends?
There was cheering on TV, so I added a Happy New Year to it and hit send.
Fuck, that sounded like a whole lot of desperation. Who the hell asked to be friends? Just when I thought I couldn’t get any more awkward, I upped the bar on myself.