40. Ryan
Things in hockey happen so fast that you never know when a hit will fuck you up good. I know it this time as if it’s happening in slow motion. I’m chasing the puck to a corner in the offensive zone, when Alex Kaminski, the Lions rookie D-man, comes barreling toward me as I’m turning. I don’t have time to protect myself before I’m slammed hard against the boards on my right shoulder. I wind up on the ice.
The hit stuns me, and I don’t get up right away. Honestly, I’m trying not to pass out from the pain. Motherfucker. From the corner of my eye, I see Malcolm is already on top of Kaminski, but the rookie looks like fucking Thor and is giving our veteran enforcer a run for his money. Soon it turns into an all-hands-on-deck brawl.
One of the referees checks on me. He’s speaking, but I can’t hear a word he’s saying over the buzzing in my ears. Hell. Did I hit my head too?
“Are you all right, son?” he asks, and I guess he’s repeating the question.
“I’m not sure.”
He helps me get up, and—slowly—I skate to the bench and go straight to the dressing room to get checked by the medical staff.
The pain is less intense, but it’s still too much, and I can’t move my right arm. I need assistance getting out of my jersey and protective gear.
“On a scale of one to ten, how badly does it hurt?”
“Seven.” He touches my shoulder, and I wince. “Fuck. Eight or nine.”
“Yeah. You aren’t going back into the game tonight.”
Hell. I know that look on his face. It’s not only the rest of this game I’m missing. I’ll be benched for the foreseeable future.
I let out a loud gasp and jump from my seat when Ryan goes down. “Oh my God.”
“Ouch. That was a hard one,” Maya chimes in.
“There goes my man,” Wendy says with a smile when her husband shoves the Lions player back, then throws a punch.
I don’t know how she can be amused when Ryan is still down, and we don’t know how badly hurt he is. The Lions guy locks Malcolm in a tight grip and punches his middle a few times. It’s clear to me who’s winning that fight. Wendy’s smug grin turns into a grimace. I should feel bad about it, but I don’t. I like most people, but when I don’t vibe with someone, I really don’t.
“Ryan’s getting up now,” Fiona pipes up.
The crowd claps, but I remain frozen like a statue as I watch Ryan skate toward the bench with his chin dipped low. I can’t see his face thanks to the helmet, and I hope he’s not in too much pain.
“Jesus, now everyone wants to fight.” Maya takes a large sip of her drink.
I spot her husband in the scrum, throwing punches, and I wonder how she can remain so calm. I hated seeing Jake get sucker punched the other night, and now I’m consumed with worry about Ryan. Maybe I’m not cut out to date hockey players.
“They need to eject that Lions brute,” Wendy seethes.
The referees finally manage to separate her husband from the Lions’ D-man, but they still trade insults. It takes another minute before all the fights end, and then the referee goes to the middle of the ice to dole out penalties.
Surprisingly, Kaminski doesn’t get one, but Malcolm does for roughing.
“That’s fucking bullshit!” Wendy shouts.
“As hard it was to watch, it was a clean hit,” Fiona replies.
Wendy whips her face to her. “Shut up, Fiona. No one asked you.”
Fiona arches her brows. “Jesus, take a chill pill.”
Wendy gives her another scathing glance before exiting the row.
“You shouldn’t have said anything,” Maya chimes in. “You know how Wendy gets when her man doesn’t win a fight.”
“It’s hard to watch though,” I say, remembering how angry I got about Jake’s fight in the last game.
“You’ll get used to it.” Fiona shrugs. “The boys love it.”
“I’m not sure I’ll come to a lot of games.”
Both look at me as if I spoke sacrilege. “If you and Jake decide to be more than friends, you have to be here.”
“Why?”
“First of all, to show your support, and second of all, to mark your territory. There are so many girls who would do anything to be in your shoes,” Maya replies.
“For real. The ice girls for instance.” Fiona wrinkles her nose. “A bunch of whores just waiting for the opportunity to get in bed with a player regardless of their relationship status.”
I don’t like how this conversation turned into woman-on-woman bashing. Surely not all women who work for the team are interested in hooking up with a player.
“If my presence is needed all the time to prevent a boyfriend from cheating, then that relationship is not worth keeping.”
“Shit. Sorry, June,” Maya apologizes. “I forgot about your cheating ex.”
I wait for the reminder of Bill’s infidelity to hit me like a ton of bricks. But I feel nothing but annoyance at myself that he fooled me for so long.
“That’s okay. I forgot about him too.” I smile.
“You’re right to keep Jake in the friend zone,” Fiona adds. “He and his buddy Ryan can’t be trusted.”
I swallow the sudden lump in my throat. Fiona’s comment was shitty, but I can’t fault her for it. I don’t know the guys, so perhaps she’s not wrong. Maybe I’m just getting all their attention because I’m a shiny new toy. Once the novelty wears off, they’ll move on, leaving me more broken than when they found me.
Despite the new dark cloud hanging over my head thanks to Fiona’s comment, I still need to know how Ryan is doing. He didn’t return to the game, which means, his injury must be serious. When the girls are distracted gossiping about someone I don’t know, I text Melissa.
Do you have news about Ryan?
Mercifully, it doesn’t take long for her to reply.
They don’t want to make an official statement yet, so I can’t give you details. But he’s okay.
I let out a breath of relief, then decide to be bold and text him. I mean, he ate cake off my pussy last night. I don’t expect him to get back to me until later, though.
Hey, I hope you’re doing okay. That was tough to watch.
I’m about to put my phone away, when it pings with his reply, making me giddy beyond measure.
“Who put that smile on your face, June?” Fiona asks, stretching her neck to try to read what’s on my screen.
God, why is she so nosey?
I put the phone away, lest she sees Ryan’s reply. I can’t let any of the WAGs suspect I’m involved with three players. With the way there were bad-mouthing the girls that clean up the ice during the breaks, I’m pretty sure they’ll call me a whore if they find out.
“No one.” I get up from my seat. “I need to use the restroom.”
“I can come with you if you want?” Maya offers.
Shit. I don’t need to pee. I just want privacy to read Ryan’s message for crying out loud. “Oh no. If you don’t need to go, stay and watch the game.”
She frowns. “Are you sure?”
“Gee, Maya. June is a big girl,” Wendy retorts.
Ignoring the queen bee, I reply to Maya, “Yes. I’m sure.”
I get out of the row and up the steps as fast as I can before Maya decides to follow me. I pull my phone from my purse only when I find a quiet spot.
I’m good, Peaches. Thanks for checking on me.
I was so worried.
I’m happy you were.
Butterfly rave happening in my stomach right now.
Meany. ??
Not trying to be. I gotta go. Talk later?
You betcha.
I’m still smiling when I turn and come face to face with Wendy. I wince, spooked by her presence. Then I start to worry she was there the whole time and read my messages. “Shoot, you scared me.”
“I thought you were going to the restroom.”
“I was. I am.”
She narrows her eyes. “Were you texting a new boyfriend?”
My cheeks warm in an instant. Fuck my open-book face. “What? No. I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Uh. You had a new-love-smile on your face just now. I’d suspect you were texting Jake, but he’s playing.” She shrugs. “I guess I just imagined it. I’m getting a drink. Do you want anything?”
“No. I’m good. I still need to pee.” I pivot and walk away quickly. My pulse is pounding in my ears.
Wendy is way too observant. I need to be careful around her.