Sticks and Stones

Twenty-Two: Bruising Egos and Faces

Hi my lovelies! Posting two chapters today for the holiday as a treat. Be sure not to miss one by accident with the double update! So grateful for you all!

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Tatum couldn't to lie— she always wanted to see a hockey fight in person. She thought they were funny whenever she saw video clips of them. There were these grown men flailing around in the bulkiest padding she had ever seen, fighting over a game of all things. But what she didn't realize, was that when you knew someone in that fight, it stopped being funny.

The Falcons had gone undefeated all season. They were already guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. A lot of the teams in the league weren't exactly their biggest fans. The Falcons were one of the best in the league, and they weren't exactly quiet about that. They were known for many things, mainly their talent. But humility? Not one of them.

Honestly, she wasn't that focused on the game at first. They were winning, per usual. Brady's leg didn't even seem to be bothering him right now. Tatum couldn't help but be pleased with her work considering the results. She was scrolling through her phone, reading through some virtual flash cards she made for an upcoming exam. She had started to look ahead for her final exams that would happen in the next month or so. It was looking grim, if she was being honest. Her classes were brutal this semester. But she could handle it. She had to handle it.

She saw another hockey player sit down next to her on the bench. Tatum recognized him as the guy that she saw talking to Isaac at a few parties. They had spoken a couple of times before, and she was almost positive that his name was Jay. He raised an eyebrow at her, asking, "You think you'll watch the game at any point?"

"Has anything worth watching happened?" Tatum questioned, narrowing her eyes at the words on her screen.

"Well, Brady has looked at you every time he's scored. Is that something worth watching?" Jay said coyly. Tatum glanced up just as the buzzer went off. And sure enough, Brady's head darted over to where Tatum was sat. She felt her heart lurch and she dropped her phone onto her lap, clapping and cheering with the crowd. Brady beamed at her beneath his mask and Tatum couldn't help but smile back.

She felt Jay looking at her and she reluctantly pulled her eyes away, glancing at the hockey player next to her with raised eyebrows. He grinned at her. "Find something worth watching?"

"Oh—" Tatum started, ready to tell him off. But then she saw a player try and subtly swing his leg at Brady. Tatum sat up taller, crossing her fingers that Brady would notice but the player ended up catching his leg and Brady went crashing down. Tatum watched in horror as Brady went down. He seemed okay, more angry than anything else. He pushed himself off the ice, shouting at the guy who knocked him down.

The rest of the Falcons skated over, instantly shouting at the other players and the referees to throw the other player out of the game. It was clear that things were growing more and more heated the longer the argument went on. She assumed it would escalate to some sort of issue, but she just wasn't sure what. Well, she could take a guess.

Tatum was sure that Isaac would throw the first punch. But surprisingly, it wasn't him.

It was Theo.

Theo threw his hands out and pushed a player on the different team into the wall. And then, obviously, all the other players joined in, throwing punches and shoving each other. She kissed her teeth, realizing she finally got the hockey fight she always wanted. "Now, I'm interested."

Tatum saw Isaac get in a couple of good punches, grinning boyishly. She was surprised to see Theo seem so into the fight. But she assumed it was some sort solidarity that hockey players stood by each other. Tatum got bits and pieces of the fight as they shouted at each other while the referees tried to break them up.