Nova is a recent law school graduate, clinging to her dream of becoming a sports lawyer through an internship with New York City's NHL team, hoping she can land a full time position. One problem though, the captain of the hockey team is someone she...
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"What the hell was that ref?"
Dakota clings to me, her fingernails digging into my arm as she screams at the referee, likely because he just missed one of the opposing players elbowing and shoving Declan into one of the glass boards. It should have earned the player a penalty but the ref was turned the other way and missed it.
The pit in my stomach refuses to dissolve as I watch Declan skate around the ice with his team, attempting to send the puck into the net. I'm sitting with the rest of his family in the stands, and I have to say, its a lot different watching the game from this perspective instead of in a back room somewhere on a television screen. Everything feels so much more intense up close like this, as we're only a few rows back from the bench. With the reactions of the crowd, everything becomes more dramatic, and the stakes feel so much higher.
Dakota grabs onto my arm even tighter as Declan is body checked by one of the opposing team's players. This game seems rougher than usual, and Declan seems to be the other teams punching bag. The entire game he's been dodging fights with the other players. Being so close to the ice, I can see when he's in a face off and he's talking with the opposing player across from him, but it never looks like friendly chit chat. It looks more like death threats.
Not only is Declan getting hit more in this game, but he's getting physical with others more than usual, and my anxiety is at an all time high watching him, hoping he makes it through this game with minimal injuries. The second period just started, and he's already been in the penalty box once this game for fighting with another player.
The game continues, and the longer it goes on, the more pissed Declan seems to get. I cling to both Delia and Dakota as we watch him participate in a face off. From here, it looks like the player he's facing says something, laughing with an evil smirk on his face. Everything happens so quickly we can hardly comprehend it before Declan slams into the player, sending him to the ground as he yanks his gloves off, both of their helmets flying. The other player whips his gloves off as well and I hear Thea gasp as Daxton shouts at Declan to 'cut it out', which would've made me laugh if I didn't feel like I was about to throw up.
They each get a few good punches in, and I wince watching their knuckles become bloody, with their own and each other's. The referee blows the whistle but neither are listening as they continue throwing punch after punch. Crimson covers the ice beneath them as blood falls from their mouths, noses, brows.
August skates over, tugging Declan off while another opposing player does the same for his teammate, but as the cameras zoom in on them on the jumbotron, its easy to see Declan is livid, spit flying as he yells at his opponent.
August continues holding him back, trying to calm him down, but the other player continues saying something, and August's face suddenly falls. Rome quickly skates in between the two pairs, making Dakota gasp, her nails making tiny crescents in my arm. Rome stops August before he decides he wants to land a punch as well. I hold Dakota and Delia tightly to me, wanting to squeeze my eyes shut but also unable to look away, scared to miss anything.
