Just a Pucking Grumpy Goalie (UNI Lions #2) [COMPLETED]

Chapter 26 - Careful what you say

Brick

I finish putting on my gear for practice. The locker room is bustling as the guys are all getting dressed. I'm ready for warm-up and about to put my gloves on when I hear my phone buzzing.

Instantly, I reach for it. I've been doing that a lot lately. Checking my phone and almost falling over myself to see if it's a message from her.

It hardly ever is. And every time it leaves me feeling disappointed in a way I don't like. So I tell myself I don't care. That I'll stop checking my phone. But for some reason, I have no self-discipline when it comes to her.

I grab the phone and my heart skips a beat at the sight of her name. Well, not her name. I'm not stupid enough to use her real name when JD might see it.

She's saved in my phone as kitten. I wanted to put something more. Something next to her name. So there's a red heart after it. And every time I see it, I smile.

Want to meet up again?

Relief fills me and there's no thought of playing it cool. She wants to see me again. I didn't fuck it up. Yet. I start typing a reply.

"What the fuck?" Jonathan says and stares at me.

I glance over at him. He looks like he's seen a ghost.

"Are you seeing this?" he shouts and looks at the others.

"I saw," Liam says, frozen, with his jersey pulled halfway down.

"What is it?" the new guy asks. Not Tim. Fuck, I really should remember his name.

They're all staring at me.

"I've never seen him smile before." Jonathan says.

"Fuck you." I flip him off and go back to typing.

Absorbed in what I should say, I don't notice Ethan until it's too late. He snatches my phone out of my hand and runs off a few steps. He's not in any gear yet, so he has me on agility.

"Had a great time on Wednesday," Ethan reads out loud. "When were you thinking? Before Sunday?"

The room cheers and hoots and all I can do is glance at JD. He's smiling as he puts on his skates.

"Who is it?" Jonathan asks.

I walk over to Ethan and hold out my hand. He must see the murder in my eyes because he hands me back the phone.

"She was just saved as kitten," Ethan says.

I wait to see if he's going to mention the heart, but he gives me a look and I try to convey every torturous intention I'm thinking. He swallows and moves back to his locker.

"Kitten?" Liam says. "Seems like you would be more likely to go for a cougar."

They all laugh.

"Fuck you," I say to the room at large and send the message.

"I had no idea he could show emotion," the new guy says. "It's weird thinking of him with a woman."

"Come on, guys." Liam stands up and raises his palms, trying to calm them down. "I'm sure Brick shows emotion with her. He can't be fucking her with that look."

They all study my face again and I want to murder them all for putting me in the spotlight.

Laughter erupts and Ethan mimics my serious face.

"Come on babe, let's make love," he says, almost in a robotic voice.

"You're an ass." I put the phone away.

"That's not right," JD says, and the guys calm down a bit. "Brick doesn't make love. He'll probably be fucking her, and she'll have no idea if he even likes it."

I don't want to talk about this. I grab my helmet and gloves and start for the ice. When I'm about to pass JD, he reaches out a hand.

"Come on, man. We're just teasing. Tell us about her."

"I bet she's hot," the new guy says.

"Could be a guy," Jonathan says.

"Maybe she's just as freaky."

"Is she goth?"

JD puts a hand around my shoulders. "Does she like being tied up?"

Each comment sears through me like a knife on fire.

"You know what?" Liam says and comes up to us. "I will bet everyone here a thousand dollars she's slutty as fuck." His lips are still moving into a smile when the back of his head hits the wall. My arm is across his throat. My other hand is clenched around his shirt, holding him up.

The room is silent in an instant.

I'm looking up at him. Which is weird, because he's shorter than me. His face fills with terror and I realize I've lifted him off the floor.

"You're not even worthy of breathing the same air as her." My voice comes out much calmer than I feel. And the fear in Liam's eyes increases.

I drop him, and he crumples to the floor. Everyone is still staring at me with mouths open. I don't get violent. I don't have outbursts. I'm Brick. The goalie that never acts out. Emotional like a brick wall.

"If anyone ever speaks of her again, you won't eat solid food for a month." The anger is restrained, but I can hear it lacing every serene word.

I let my eyes roam the shocked faces and see a few of them nod. Next to me, Liam gasps for air.

Satisfied that they won't discuss kitten in front of me again, I reach down and offer Liam a hand. He glares at me a bit, but takes it and I help him up.

I gather up my things and head to the ice, leaving the silence behind me. From the moment I saw her in that red dress, I knew she would infiltrate my life. But I didn't know it would extend to the locker room.

While I'm warming up, the others start coming out onto the ice. They avoid me, but I can feel their worried looks. Maybe they think I'm losing it?

"Brick?"

JD comes to a stop next to me. I shouldn't be surprised. He's the captain. He needs to handle situations like this.

"It won't happen again," I say. "I'll apologize to Liam once I've calmed down."

"What was that?" JD asks. "It's not like you to act out like that. You're the levelheaded one."

I want to tell him he would have done the same if he knew who they were talking about. But I hold my tongue.

"Brick," he says. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. I just don't like that kind of talk."

"What Liam said was perhaps inappropriate, but you can't throw him around like that."

I know he's right. But he's the one keeping me from her, and hearing it from him is doing nothing to soothe my anger.

"I said I'll apologize," I say and skate away from him.

Luckily, Coach calls us over at the same time and I put my mind to what I'm here for. Hockey. It should be all that matters. It's everything I've worked for. And I need to make sure I don't lose track of that.