Chapter 7 - June
June
I stood in the middle of the parking lot, watching the Bronco disappear down the road. At first, I was in shock by his response. I’d never heard Elias say anything out loud, let alone to me.
Then I started crying.
The more I tried to stop myself, the more the tears flowed. And once I reached my car, I really started sobbing. I was just starting to feel like a member of the team, welcomed and accepted by the players. And then, in just a few words, the goalie reminded me that I was an outsider.
I knew I was overreacting. It was just one grumpy comment after a tough loss, and wasn’t about me specifically. But I couldn’t help how I felt.
Once I stopped crying, I searched around my car for some napkins to wipe my face. My mascara was running, and my nose was like a faucet. But I couldn’t find anything in my console.
There were only a few cars left in the parking lot, which meant I could probably sneak back inside without anyone seeing what a mess I was. Besides, this would give me a chance to grab the sweatshirt I’d forgotten.
Music was blasting in the arena as I walked through the employee tunnel.
Probably the custodians still cleaning up while listening to music, although it seemed louder than normal.
Fortunately, I didn’t run into anyone when I reached the bathroom next to the locker room.
And that was a good thing because my face looked awful with black streaks running down my cheeks.
As I cleaned myself up, I thought about how unfair it was that men didn’t have to deal with makeup. Or crying, for that matter. Although I’d met plenty of men in my life who could probably use a good cry, rather than venting their emotions in other ways.
I felt better as I went into my office to get my sweatshirt. But then I noticed that the light was off in the conditioning room. I glanced at my watch. Had Rhett already finished up on the treadmill?
The music was still pumping out in the arena. And I had a sinking suspicion I knew who was playing it.
I emerged through the player tunnel by the bench, and my suspicion was confirmed.
Rhett Lawson was skating lines on the ice, sprinting back and forth from one end of the rink to the other.
Aside from his skates, he was only wearing a pair of black-and-red compression shorts.
His bare chest glistened with sweat, and his hair was matted to his scalp.
He wasn’t wearing his sling.
My first instinct was to walk out onto the ice and start scolding him.
But something stopped me. I stood there, mostly hidden just inside the tunnel, and watched him skate for a few minutes.
The way he glided across the ice, sliding to a stop at the end before turning around, was mesmerizing.
Rhett wasn’t a figure skater, but he was still one of the best in the world at ice skating. I couldn’t help but watch him.
Eventually, I shook myself out of it and walked out onto the bench area. I stood there with my arms crossed, hoping that I looked like a disapproving school teacher.
On his next pass, Rhett saw me. He stopped sprinting, stood up straight, and coasted over to me.
“Busted,” I said.
“Shit. How long were you watching?”
“A few seconds. Long enough to see you’re not listening to my advice.”
He groaned. “I’m sick of jogging on the treadmill, June. I miss the ice. I’m not using a stick or anything, I’m just skating lines.”
“But you’re not wearing your sling.”
“I can’t skate as fast while it’s in a sling!” he argued. “It throws my balance off!”
“You’re swinging your arms, which is the kind of repetitive motion that irritates your rotator cuff,” I scolded. “And what if you fall and crash? The ice looks rough right now.”
“I’m not going to fall, June.”
“You almost fell earlier! I watched you catch an edge.”
He opened his mouth to argue some more, then his expression changed. “That was on my third lap. Which was five minutes ago. You’ve been watching me for a while!”
“I… I saw it from up above,” I lied. “Then I came down here to stop you.”
“Your face is redder than our away jerseys,” Rhett grinned. “You’re embarrassed.”
“It’s not red from that. It’s because… you’re changing the subject. This is about you disobeying my instructions. I haven’t cleared you for the ice yet.”
“Hey, I get it,” he said, skating in a small circle. “Can’t blame you for wanting to get an eyeful of all this.”
I pursed my lips together as he showed off his body, flexing and posing. He did look good without a shirt on. But then he winced and grabbed his shoulder.
“Hah!” I said. “See? You’re making things worse.”
“Don’t try to change the subject. You’re into me.” He skated off the ice, bending down to slip a pair of blade covers over his skates. “Just admit it and I’ll leave you alone.”
“I think I’ll go to Coach Jay and tell him about this instead.”
That got through to him. He stiffened and said, “Don’t.”
“Promise me you’ll use a sling next time,” I insisted. “If you do, I’ll keep your secret. This time.”
“Fine. You’ve got a deal.” His brow furrowed as he looked at me. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve been crying.”
“I… I’m fine.”
“You have been crying.” He touched my cheek, using his thumb to brush away a smudge of mascara that I must have missed. “What happened?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Is it your boyfriend? It is, isn’t it.” His face twisted into angry resolve, and his charming southern accent became a little more pronounced.
“Want me to pay them a visit? Trash them on Twitter? One quick video from me and I can make them a pariah in this town. Just tell me what to do and I’ll fix it, June. ”
“It’s nothing like that,” I said. “I don’t have a boyfriend. It was just a comment someone made.”
“Someone? Like, a fan? Sometimes they hang out by the player’s lot, hoping to get an autograph after the game. Or was it an arena employee?”
“Neither.”
His blue eyes flared wide. “Then it was a Reaper. Don’t try to deny it—I saw the way you just reacted. Give me their name. I’ll take care of it.”
“I don’t want you fighting with a teammate,” I said. “Especially after a tough loss.”
“Bullshit,” he snapped. “You’re a part of this team, too.”
It was exactly what I wanted to hear, what I needed to hear in that exact moment. Rhett was so angry, so passionate about it, that something inside me blossomed to life.
I threw my arms around the Reapers player and kissed him.