Chapter 27
twenty-seven
Cameron
“Zhuri!” I shout as Sidney is headed toward her. She finds me and shoots the puck my way before he knocks her into the boards.
I take the puck and fly down the ice toward Lev. What I thought was a breakaway, though, isn’t because Theo comes up and blindsides me.
Wes snags the puck before Theo can send it down the ice and sends a slap shot toward the upper corner… that Lev snatches out of midair.
The guy is too goddamn good. We can hardly ever score on him, even in practice.
Wes throws his head back and groans as Lev shouts, “Try again, Caddel.”
“Just you fucking wait, Morozov,” he chuckles. “You can’t stop everything.”
Lev smirks. “The nine shutouts I had last year disagree.”
“It’s more fun when we’re not on this end of it,” I laugh.
Zhuri glides up to me, sending snow shooting over me as she stops. “How the fuck did you guys lose in the playoffs with a brick wall in the goal?”
We head back over to the bench as we go for a line change before I answer. “Lev pulled his hamstring and had to miss a few games. That’s how.”
“I’ve never seen a goalie like him.” She shakes her head in disbelief. “Avery has always been good, but Lev has an insane level of talent.”
I squirt some water from my bottle into my mouth and swallow. “Honestly, between the two of them, the Comets are going to have an incredible inaugural season.”
“Especially if we keep playing like we have been in practice. You and I play well on the same line.”
“The way Wes has played today, he’ll be right there with us on the first line.”
“Sounds good to me,” Zhuri replies before leaning back and watching our teammates.
Michael, Aili, and Amalia went in for us at the line change, and while they are playing well together, they’re not outplaying the line of Isla, Nico, and Asher. They’re also getting pummeled by the defense since both Sid and Bet are out there.
Michael seems to be the weak link of this line.
True to what he told me before, he is making an effort to be a team player with the women, and it really shows when he’s out there with Aili and Amalia.
But it doesn’t feel like his heart is in it.
Hopefully, he can get past that soon because as long as he’s on this team, we need him to be fully present every time he’s on the ice.
I watch as Isla sends the puck through the five-hole, sliding between Avery’s legs and into the net.
“Nice shot, Icy,” I yell.
“I’d be first line still if it weren’t for you,” she chuckles, and I, in turn, flip her off.
Getting closer to Zhuri means I’ve been spending more time with Isla and Bet as well, so I feel like I can consider both of them my friends now, too.
I’m already feeling the camaraderie between all of us on this new team, and I know that can only translate to how we play together on the ice as well.
Practice ends, and we break for the locker rooms. Bodhi catches me, though, before I get inside.
“Do you just flip everyone off?” he laughs.
I lean back against the wall and chuckle. “Only when they deserve it.”
“Well, fuck you, too,” Isla snarks playfully as she, Zhuri, and Bet walk by on their way to the women’s locker room.
I shake my head. “You’re too hard on yourself, Isla. You’re a damn good center. Don’t for a second think you can’t take over my potential spot on the first line.”
Isla claps a hand to my shoulder with a smile on her face. She’s not a short woman, but I still tower over her, so I have to look down to see her. “You might actually be a good guy, Kovacic.”
Bodhi attempts—poorly—to bite down a laugh. “That’s debatable.”
“You’d know that better than anyone, wouldn’t you, Bodhi?” Isla smiles.
“Absolutely.”
“Fuck off, Bode,” I chuckle. “I lived on an entirely different continent from you for six years. You were fucking five when I left.”
Zhuri pipes in now. “Is this how it always goes between you two? You were the same way at City Park.”
Bet looks at her curiously. “When did you go to City Park with them?”
“I didn’t go with them,” she replies. “I ran into them when I was there for a jog earlier this week.”
“Yeah,” Bodhi smirks, and I can tell I won’t like what he says next. “Cammy and Zhuri baby found each other on the trail.”
Zhuri and I both sigh as Isla and Bet laugh hysterically.
Wes, Nico, and Sid walk up to us in the hall now, apparently having overheard that part of the conversation.
“Y’all are flirtin’ with each other in front of Cam’s brother now?” Wes asks, trying so hard to hide his amusement.
Zhuri rolls her eyes. “We’re not flirting, Wes. We’re friends. We give each other shit. That’s all.”
“Exactly,” I concur, even though it’s the biggest lie.
I can’t be sure that she’s flirting with me, but I’m sure as fuck flirting with her.
Nico shakes his head. “Whatever you say.”
“It is whatever we say,” Zhuri says with her hands on her hips, staring Nico and Wes down. “We’re teammates.”
“Tone it down, guys.” Sid looks at both of them while rubbing the back of his neck. “No fraternizing within the team. No one is going to break that rule. No point in fucking with them over it.”
“Thank you, Sid,” Zhuri replies. “Now, Cameron needs to get his ass in the shower. We’ve got the Axis shoot in an hour.”
I give her a mock salute, and she sighs.
“Sure thing, Zhuri baby.”
Zhuri locks her eyes on me as everyone else starts laughing. “They just finished giving us shit, and you’re going to start it up again already?”
I shrug. “It’s all in good fun, Hart.”
She pinches the bridge of her nose in exasperation. “I’m going to shower. I’ll see you soon, Cam.”
Zhuri, Bet, and Isla wave us off. Nico and Wes walk ahead of me into the locker room and, once again, Bodhi stops me before I can step inside.
He leans close and says lowly, “You’re fucked, Cam.”
I just sigh.
Don’t I fucking know it.
“You’re talking about Zhuri, right?” Sid says, smirking as he jumps into the conversation.
“Pshh,” I scoff. “Of course not.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Kovacic,” he laughs.
Bodhi smiles teasingly. “Can’t hide it, big bro. You’re down bad bad.”
“I fucking hate you both,” I huff. “It doesn’t fucking matter. Nothing can actually happen between us.”
Sidney places a hand on my shoulder. “That may be true, but she’s still been good for you. You’ve been a lot happier lately.”
“Right?” Bodhi says emphatically. “He’s finally not focusing on Ivor.”
“I know,” I sigh. “I don’t know what it is about her, but she helps keep the darkness away.”
“Then it’s a really good thing you’re friends.”
“Yup,” I mutter. “Friends.”
Sid gives me a knowing smile because even without me saying it, he knows a friendship isn’t what I want. He can see how differently I act around her.
But I have to settle for what I can get, and as it stands right now, a friendship is all I can have.
It fucking sucks.