Hating the Rookie: Laketown Hockey Series Read online

  Jake McManus, the owner of the New York Thunder had a cottage in Laketown and had built the arena so all the NHL guys could practice in the offseason without having to leave their cottage town.

  My legs were jittery, and I wasn’t the only one whose knees were bouncing up and down as Coach Covington reviewed the plays for the game. I couldn’t believe that in my first game with the Otters I was going to be facing some of my biggest idols.

  “You guys have been practicing three times as hard as those guys.” Coach paced the room. “And, you have an advantage. You all know that Fitzy favors the right side of the rink and that Tanner will always backhand the puck if it’s an option. When you’re facing an enemy, and you know their weakness, that’s an advantage.” He slapped the back of the clipboard with his hand. “Use it.”

  I sprayed water into my mouth from my bottle and looked around at the wide eyes of my teammates. We all looked like we were ten years old and about to crap our pants.

  Leo was sitting beside me and whispered out the side of his mouth. “I don’t mean to freak you out, but the scouts are here.”

  “Jesus, Leo,” I hissed. “Why the hell would you say something like that right now. I’m already nervous as it is.”

  “You’re nervous?” Leo asked. “You look focused and calm. Sorry, dude. I didn’t mean to mess with your head. It’s just...” he paused. “You’re good. You’ve got a shot.”

  I sighed. “Thanks, Leo.” I believed him. There was no reason for him to try to get into my head seconds before we stepped onto the ice. Troy, on the other hand, would do anything to mess with me. Every practice had been a test of my patience, and we both kept a wide berth from each other. What made it worse was the fact that he was actually a decent player.

  “Alright, boys.” Coach opened the door. “It’s time to make history.”

  We all looked at each other. Both our Captain and Assistant Captain were in the opposing team’s dressing room. It was usually them who got us hyped up and ready to play. Leo walked to the open door and turned to face the team. “Alright, boys.” He raised his gloves over his head. “Who is ready to make some fucking history?” He screamed it. We all shot up from the benches and cheered. Leo led the team onto the ice and as we made our way through the cavernous hallways of the arena, our entrance music, Enter Sandman started playing and the crowd roared so loud I swore the building shook.

  I took a deep breath and followed Leo, charging into the cloud of dry ice and onto the ice surface behind him. It felt surreal, I had never played in front of a crowd this big before. Leo skated beside me. “Don’t look up. It’s just another game.” He tapped my calf with his stick and then started circling for our warmup.

  Even though he told me not to look, I did. Just for a second. My mom was sitting with the Corbetts and their tickets were behind the net by the beer garden. Her red hair seemed to glow amongst the crowd. I pointed my stick at her and my heart surged as she stood up and screamed and cheered. I think that I was more excited to see Brianna in the stands than I was about any damn scouts.

  Troy was playing center on the first line. I was left wing and Leo was right. The puck dropped and Sneer won the faceoff. We charged up the ice, but instead of passing as we’d practiced, Troy wound up and did a slapshot from the blue line. To everyone’s surprise, most of all the Thunder’s goalie, the puck sailed over his shoulder and into the net. We had scored in the first thirty seconds of the game.

  The siren wailed and the red goal light flashed. I couldn’t believe it. Leo and the defensemen hugged Troy, but I stayed back. Coach called a line change and I took my place on the bench. The cavalier attitude of the Thunder changed instantly and the game turned nasty. Hits, harder than necessary were being handed out like candy at Halloween.

  At the end of the first period, the game was tied one to one. After the momentum from our first goal wore off, it felt like we were trying to play catch up – it was puck chasing – the wrong kind of hockey.

  The buzzer sounded to signal the end of the period. The Zamboni pulled onto the ice and I almost didn’t recognize Andy; the guy was wearing a tuxedo while he resurfaced the ice.

  Back in the dressing room, Coach Covington was furious. “Sneer,” he shouted. “What the fuck was that?”

  “What was what?” he smirked.

  “That wasn’t the play we practiced.” Coach’s nostrils flared.

  “Nah,” Troy lounged back. “But I scored.”

  “And look at what happened. They’re rabid dogs out there – and news flash, most of them are a lot bigger than most of you.”

  He was right, most of us were still teenagers or just in our twenties. The last guy I tried to bodycheck out there hadn’t even budged when I’d thrown all my weight into him.

  “We’re going to have to play smarter. You’re not going to outmuscle the Thunder.” Coach pulled the marker cap off with his teeth and scrawled some plays on the whiteboard. He went over them, jabbing at the board like he wanted to leave dents in it. Then, he crossed Sneer off the first line and added him to the bottom.

  “Coach,” Sneer stood up and held his arms out. “I’m the only guy who’s scored this entire game.”

  Coach didn’t respond. “Those are the new lines.” He pointed to the board. “If you don’t like it, you can leave. Now, I know that you can do it. I’ve seen you do it.” His voice was growing louder. “Now get out there and fucking do it.”

  To an outsider, it would’ve sounded scary, but it was exactly what we needed to hear. We charged back onto the ice with renewed enthusiasm. I was happy that I didn’t have to play on Troy’s line, Justin had taken his place.

  The second period was a little better. The Thunder seemed to have calmed down, and they even let our boys play. Fitzy, Tanner, and Dylan had seen less than three minutes of play all together in the first period. As the seconds were counting down in the second period, Tanner had the puck and was coming down the right side by the boards when he lost it, trying to backhand it to one of the pros. I was ready for this mistake and intercepted the puck, carving a deep groove in the ice as I turned and skated down center ice. I glanced to my right and left, I could take the shot, or I could pass it. Leo was in a perfect position and I faked a slapshot and then passed. The Lion was ready and slammed the puck into the net. This time I celebrated. Leo grabbed me in a hug. Everyone was on their feet in the stands, including Bree’s family and mine. Ramona was jumping up and down.

  “Nice pass.” Coach said as I took my place on the bench. The second period ended, and we were only down one goal.

  The third period was a train wreck. The Thunder scored again, and we were down two. The worst part was that the goal was scored by Dylan Moss – one of our own. Coach’s advice about knowing your enemies’ weaknesses was great – but it didn’t help when there were three of them that knew ours – and Dylan had taken advantage of that.

  Down two goals with one minute left, the whole team seemed deflated. But the fire had gone from the Thunder as well. They had beaten us into submission and were coasting. I was on Leo’s line again and after winning the faceoff, he passed the puck to me – hard. I stroked as hard as I could and caught the puck with a lot of speed. I passed the blue line ahead of everyone. Even if I wanted to pass there was no one there. I wound up and let ‘er rip. The hours and hours of practicing that exact shot paid off and I dropped to my knees when the siren went off. I had just scored my first goal as an Otter, against the New York Thunder.

  We lost the exhibition game, but I didn’t care. The adrenaline was coursing through my veins and I felt like I had taken some extremely good drugs and was high as a kite. Whatever the feel-good hormone is, I had a lot of it.

  After shaking hands with the Thunder, and cleaning up in the dressing room, Coach came in with a smile on his face. “I’m proud of you guys.” His cheeks were red. “That game shows as a loss, but I’m calling it a win.” I felt the same way, but I knew that a lot of the Otters were disappointed. “You started ou
t like a bunch of yahoos, but by the end, you found your stride. And remember, you just gave a bunch of guys who make millions of dollars a year doing this for a living, a run for their money.”

  “Does that mean we get to pour the Gatorade over your head?” Leo asked.

  “I wish,” Coach smiled. “Let’s save that tradition for the first actual win. I see a lot of them in our future.”

  There was a knock on the door and Coach conferred with whoever was on the other side. He stepped back and opened the door fully – Tanner was there, dressed in his suit. “Great game guys,” he smiled. “Nice goal Rookie.” He pointed at me and I felt my cheeks burn red.

  “Get dressed ladies.” The after-party is at Jake McManus’s cottage.”

  We all looked at each other. This was a big deal. Tanner turned and walked out of the room first, something he never ever did. But before he left, he turned back, “Well, come on guys. Let’s go!”

  I put on my game suit and tie and filed out of the dressing room with the rest of the guys. A few of the guys protested when Andy ushered us out the back door.

  “Do you want to be in the lobby signing autographs for every ten-year-old Laketownie for the next five hours?” Andy laughed.

  I texted Bree and told her to meet me at my car. There was no way I was missing this party, and there was no way I was going without her.

  That’s when it hit me. She had no idea Troy Sneer was back in town.

  Chapter 24– Brodie

  THE REAR PARKING LOT was quiet. The arena was so packed it was going to take forever for Bree to get out of there. A few of us were waiting in the parking lot, including Fitzy.

  “Can I join you?” I asked.

  “Sure.”

  Fitzy handed me a beer and I sat beside him underneath his open tailgate. “Have you been to McManus’ place before?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” Fitzy said. “It’s a pretty cool spot.”

  “I can’t believe he invited us all there for the after party.”

  Fitzy shrugged. “Same shit, different location.”

  “Oh.” I felt a little ridiculous for fangirling about the party.

  Are you waiting for someone?” Fitzy asked, he was staring at the door.

  “ I’m waiting for my girlfriend.” It felt like a juvenile statement. But, after our conversation the other day, I wanted Fitzy to know that everything was alright between Bree and me.

  “They might be a while. I’m waiting for Jessie.”

  “Hey, Fitzy. How do you two make it work? I mean, she’s got to be away a lot for training. And you are too.”

  Fitzy let out a light laugh. “That’s why my dad sponsored the Laketown Figure Skating Academy, so she could train here. Otherwise, as much as I love her, I don’t think it would work.”

  My heart sank. I was hoping for a little reassurance.

  Tanner and Leo joined us. “Are you waiting for someone too?” I asked.

  They exchanged a look and laughed. “Nah,” Leo said. We just really like drinking in the parking lot.

  “Cheers to that.” Tanner raised his beer can.

  We were about to clink the cans together when we were interrupted by some loud shouting. Two men were yelling at each other at the end of the parking lot. “Who’s that?” Tanner asked.

  I strained my eyes at the silhouettes in the misty streetlight. They were too far away to see their identity, but close enough to see that they had just started punching each other.

  “Holy shit.” Leo set his can down and ran across the parking lot. We all followed behind like a herd of rhinos. Leo grabbed one fighter and Tanner grabbed the other. The rest of us stopped and stared.

  It was Coach and Sneer.

  Coach’s nose was bleeding and Sneer’s hand looked like it was broken. “You’re off the team.” Coach wiped at his face with the sleeve of his suit jacket.

  “Like I give a shit about this team.” Troy staggered on his feet.

  “Are you drunk?” Fitzy asked.

  “So, what if I am,” Troy slurred.

  Fitzy looked at me and said quietly, “How the hell is he drunk already?” Leo let go of Coach Covington, but Tanner kept his grip on Troy. “What’s going on here, Coach?” Leo asked.

  “Nothing you need to concern yourself with boys.”

  Troy started laughing like a maniac. “I fucked his wife.”

  Coach froze and then turned and punched Troy in the gut. He doubled over and then fell to his knees and vomited on the pavement. Coach stretched out his hand. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

  “If you wouldn’t have, I would.” I stepped forward.

  “Me too,” Leo said. “And Coach, I don’t think that anybody saw that.”

  “No,” we all murmured. “Didn’t see a thing.”

  Troy wiped his mouth and started laughing again. “You.” He pointed at me. “Yeah, you. B.B.”

  I clenched my fists. If that asshole said something about Bree, he’d be lucky if he got out of the parking lot with only one broken bone. “You thought that I fucked your girlfriend that night.” He fell back on his ass. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me.” He laughed again and I felt Fitzy’s hand grip my forearm.

  “He’s not worth it,” Fitzy whispered.

  “That frigid virgin dumped me before I could bang her.”

  “What?”

  There was more maniacal laughter. He tried to stand up, but between his intoxication and the punch to the gut, he could only get up to a half kneel. He rested his elbow on his knee. “Brianna. She left and then this cougar came in and consoled me. Give me a cougar over a virgin any day. Coach’s wife sure knows her way around a dick.”

  Tanner stepped in and kicked Troy over before Coach could get to him. “I’m calling the cops on him,” Tanner said. “You guys get Coach out of here. I’ll tell them I found him like this.”

  “I’ll take care of Coach,” Leo said. “You two wait for your girls.”

  The sounds I’d heard coming from the bedroom that night. The moaning, the headboard banging against the wall, it wasn’t Brianna. Which meant, none of the rumors about her were true – which is what she tried to tell me, and I hadn’t believed her.

  “You okay, Rookie?” Fitzy asked. “That was some heavy shit.”

  “Yeah.” I was still processing everything I’d heard. “I just learned a very valuable lesson.”

  “That Troy Sneer is a terrible human being?” Fitzy was trying to make light of the situation and I appreciated it.

  “Well yes. But I will never doubt Brianna ever again and I will spend the rest of my life making up for that mistake.”

  “If she loves you, she’ll forgive you.”

  Fitzy gestured to my Jeep with his chin. “There she is.”

  Leaning against my SUV was the sexiest woman I had ever seen. I started to jog towards her. “See you at the party?” Fitzy asked.

  “Nah, there will be others.”

  Fitzy smiled and nodded, and I turned and sprinted as fast as I could across the parking lot. I was totally out of breath when I reached her, but that didn’t stop me from grabbing her face with both of my hands and kissing her hard.

  “Hi to you too,” she smiled when I pulled back, still breathing heavily. “You were great out there,” she smiled. “I’m so proud of you, Brodie.”

  It was the first time since my dad left that anyone had said they were proud of me.

  “Where is everyone going?” she asked.

  “There’s some after party.” I waved it off.

  “Do you want to go?” She held onto my hand.

  “The only place I want to be tonight is with you.”

  She smiled. “I love it, Brodie, but when did you get so sentimental?”

  I slid my hand behind her back and pressed my hips against hers, careful to avoid her torso. I leaned in and whispered in her ear, “The only place I want to be tonight is between your legs.”

  If she wasn’t blushing before, she was blushing now.


  “That sounds good,” she murmured and pressed her lips to mine, then held onto the lapels of my suit jacket. “You clean up real nice, B.B.” She smoothed the lapels. “Brodie...” she paused.

  “Bree,” I played with a strand of her hair.

  She looked up at me. “I’m still a virgin.”

  She hadn’t slept with Troy; I knew that now. But no one after two years of college?

  “Is that a problem?” she asked.

  I kissed her tenderly. “Not at all, babe. I’ve waited for you for this long, I would wait until the end of time for you.” I wasn’t lying. Sex or not, I wanted Bree in my life.

  “Can you wait another twenty minutes or so?” She slipped her hand between us and rubbed my cock over my suit pants. “Not if you keep doing that,” I growled. It took two seconds for me to run to the passenger door and open it. “Get in.”

  Chapter 25 – Brianna

  LAKE CASPER’S WAVES sparkled like diamonds. The flags at the public beach flapped steadily in the afternoon wind. The colorful sails of the Sunfish sailboats bobbing across the lake brought Brianna back to her childhood when the Regatta was the most exciting event of the entire summer.

  “I wish we were out there.” Mona crossed her arms as she watched the racers round the first buoy.

  “Next year.” I squeezed her shoulder. “I think your mom needs a little time to recover from our adventure.”

  An air horn sounded. “Shoot.” I checked my phone. “Come on, Mona, we’re late. The swimming race just started.” We wove through the crowd of spectators and got to the beach after all the participants had run into the lake. Arms and legs flailed and kicked, churning up the water in the lake. The entire Otters hockey team was participating in the swimming event, and Mona and I screamed and cheered even though we knew that there was no way Brodie would be able to hear us.

  “How’s he doing?” she asked.

  “I have no idea.” I shielded my eyes with my hand, trying to pick out Brodie’s bright green Speedo. The entire Otters team had donned the skimpy bathing suits, and there were rumors that Leo had even found a mankini.