Devotion

thirty four ﾒ you managed to tear your MCL, dumbass

LUCA

This is it. This determines my fate of landing a spot with the Bruins next season. Of course, being 23 is kind of late for this, but my birthday is late. Now, anyway, back to the scout. He was one of the toughest to crack compared to the others here. I've studied his routine to a T so I know what he wants out of a player. He wants a star who can make good money and a pretty face to fit the cover of magazines, blog posts, etc.

Not sure if I fit that description, but I'll take it. Ladies will love me either way so who the fuck cares. The stadium is loud and crowded, almost packed in every seat because these games give people adrenaline and surprisingly, this school has a heavy hockey spirit. We're in New York, and New York celebrates a lot of sports.

I eye Leilani with popcorn and Mia next to her, gushing as usual. Almost every girl I've slept with is here, and it's kind of weird for them to be here in the same place. Good thing there aren't so many. I roll onto the ice, pushing my mouth guard in before tapping Rio's helmet. He smiles at me as we stare off at the opposing team with death glares.

The clock of the first period starts and the game begins with the drop of the puck at center ice. In my position, a forward, I start on the second line. Crouching low, eyes dead-set on the puck, I feel adrenaline rush through my blood waiting for the puck to drop. As my wish is granted, the puck drops and the clock begins to run. I engage with the opposing player, using my body to shield the puck as I skate towards the offensive zone. On a breakout play, I receive a stretch pass near the blue line, quickly advancing up the ice. I deke around a defender with a slick toe drag, the stickhandling smooth and coordinated perfectly, then fire a wrist shot towards the goal.

The opposing goalie is a fucking asshole as he makes the save, charging towards the crease to try and capitalize the rebound. I backcheck diligently, intercepting a pass in the neutral zone and transitioning it back to the offensive. On the penalty kill, I block a shot, sacrificing my body for this shit. The first ends without a score, but like I said, the ladies love me.

After getting a scolding from Coach Bennett and a concentrated glare from the scout, I knew I needed to tighten my dick up a little more if I wanted to come out as a winner and an achiever. You can be both if you work hard enough.

The second period starts and the intensity fires up my spine as the screams get loud. Using my speed to outmaneuver the other team, I continue to drive the play. Halfway through the second period, it's looking a little better. Rio, positioned behind the net, passes out front. I'm right there and my stick is ready before I snap the puck past the goalie's glove side, scoring the goal. The first goal. 1-0. The crowd screams in pleasure, I even see dads with beers in their hands and waving their shirts around. Weird sight, but I'll take it.

Rio smacks my helmet and Leo does the same. Later in the second period, I faced a shit challenge. I'm starting to get hungry. The team is on a power play. Positioning myself near the slot, I'm ready to pounce on any lousy loose pucks. The puck cycles around, and I set a perfect screen in front of the goalie. A point shot comes in, and I deflect it just enough to change its direction until the asshole goalie makes a stupid save. The game ended up getting dirty not that much time later because now my body and an opponent's body are clashing against each other, fighting for the puck possession.

Finally, the third period is a test. We either make it or we don't. Please make this so I can make someone fucking proud, damn it. The defensive play is solid, breaking up a key rush by the opponents with a well-timed poke check. The clock is about to reach the end soon, and tension grows every second I hear the crowd, look at the dangerous looks on the opponents, and death glares from my team to theirs. Please, please, please. I'm back on the ice for a faceoff in the defensive zone. There's a draw, and to be frank, I couldn't give one fuck about the draw, I need to fucking win the game. I transition to offense. Skating with devotion and determination, I carry the puck into the opponent's zone, aiming to control the play and burn sweet seconds off the clock.

Just a minute left, and the opposing team pulls their team for an extra attacker. I try my best to keep up on the ice, blocking shots and clearing the puck whenever possible. As I skate towards the boards to retrieve a loose puck, an opponent blindsides me with a low check. And it was unexpected, to say the least.

The hit was brutal, targeting my knee and sending me crashing onto the ice in pain. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! The crowd boos while I'm in pain, and as grateful as I am, I can't see straight from the amount of pain coming from my knees. Rio immediately wastes no time going to confront the player but the ref caught them in time before anything went down.

Instantly, team medics and EMT workers are sending me out on a stretcher. My head hurts, my knees in pain, and my arm. Everyone's yelling in my face. 'Are you okay, Luca? Leilani says. 'Oh, my God, babe,' Mia pleads. 'I'm so sorry, son,' Coach says to me. The medical team combined shoo them away as I'm entered into an ambulance.

ﾒ

Arriving at the hospital was hell. This was not the first injury I've gotten from a sport, but first time sporting a new injury in a while. Usually, it's a simple broken arm but it's my knee. Drugged up by God knows what, I lay there numb. My eyes open slowly to see a weird group of people. There was my father, Mia, and Leilani. Now that I think about it, it's not as weird. The usual stoic expression my dad wears on his sleeve and face was not etched with concern. For once, he cares. Although our relationship is shitty since I grew up with a Mafia Don as my father and with no mother, I can't help but feel grateful that he's here.

And I hate my dad. Rio and Leo trudge in just as tired as I am. Leilani sits next to me on the hospital bed and a tear falls down her cheek. "Never seen you that hurt before, and we grew up together. I would know," she says. I stare at her, high off my ass. "So, the doctor came in and broke the news to everyone except for those two," she said. "You managed to tear your medial collateral ligament. And usually, hockey players get it pretty often. But yours is a million times worse, it's a level-three tear. And it looks disgusting."

My father comes up to the bed with a stern expression. "This tear will take nine months to heal. Which means no more hockey, no more of anything. And frankly, I would like you to stop forever. I can't bear looking at you like this." He pushes Rio away from the chair and sits. "We may not have the best relationship, but you're my only child, my only son. You have so much for you, Luca," he says.

Great, so not only am I hurt with the worst tear in my knee, but I have to stop playing. Where does that leave the scout and my future career?

A tear rolls down my cheek at the realization that I am stuck. I hate being stuck. "You had surgery, hottie," Mia says in a sad tone. "Where did you come from?" I ask confused. My face turns to everyone else in the room with scrunched eyebrows. "Do you guys know?"

"Fuck," I strain, sitting up in pain. "I need...I need something," I say to myself. Everyone glances at me like I'm a lunatic. "I need," I repeat. Snapping my fingers, I try to recollect what the hell I was going to say. "Wait." I stuff a hand down my boxers. "My dick's...hard." A lightbulb lights up. "Oh, yeah. I need Angelica," I laugh. "Duh."

"My girlfriend," I say. A smile rises on her face. "My beautiful, sexy girlfriend. I need to see her, where's my phone?" Confused and unable to think straight, I pat my pockets for my phone. Leilani passes me the phone and I search for her number. "I haven't heard from her. I hope she's...alright." I click her contact phone and hear it ring until it goes to voicemail. "Merda." A few seconds of silence passed before I left my voicemail message.

"Hey, Angel. I miss you so much, baby. I haven't heard from you...in a few days." I lick my lips. "Did you know my dick is hard? I was thinking of you. Let me know you're okay, and if you're not, I'll eat you out, alright?" I hang up the call and lie my head on the pillow before falling asleep.