Shooting Star

Chapter 30

.We watched as Alison Hendricks, one of the third-liners on our team, was carried off the ice on a stretcher, completely shocked and horrified.

And we had only one person to blame. Avery Lexington.

I was so ready to skate over to Avery and punch her guts out, but then I would be ejected and the Whales were a shoo-in for the championship.

See, what happened was Avery checked Alison into the boards, but while doing so left her feet. Avery checked her so hard Alison went flying headfirst into the boards, and right through the glass, if you can believe it.

She was knocked completely unconcious.

And the referees were only penalizing Avery for a FREAKING FIVE MINUTE MAJOR. How unfair is that?

We were all watching, sick with worry, as they carried Alison carefully out of the stadium.

"We need Annabeth," I told Coach. "I don't care if she's planning to help the Whales. Get her here."

"No need," Annabeth said. "I'm right here."

We all turned in shock. Annabeth's face was set. "Lexington's gonna pay for what she did to my sister," Annabeth growled.

"Alison's your sister?" we gasped.

"Well, step-sister. We had the same Mom," Annabeth said.

"Okay then," Ruby said. "But Annabeth, if you do the same thing to Avery, they're gonna give you a game misconduct."

"No," Annabeth said. "Then why didn't she get one?"

"Because the Whales have been paying off the refs," I said grimly. "It's the only other reason as to why Avery got off so easily."

I was really tempted to grab my cell phone and just send swear words to Janelle because of her idiotic cousin.

"My friend sent me a text about the Whales," I told my teammates quietly. "She said not to underestimate them."

"But we didn't," Kelsey insisted.

"I know that," I said, irritated.

"But she also said not to let our guard down, which is what Alison did when she went to retrieve the puck," Alyssa said.

The bench was silent.

Annabeth's face got stonier and stormier. "The Whales are going to pay," she hissed. "This is JUST A GAME. There's no need to be that rough!"

"To the Whales, every game they've lost is like a knife to the heart," Coach Hiller said. "They've never won a championship and they've been to the finals for 5 years now. They're gonna lie, cheat, and play dirty."

"They've completely disrespected the sport," Kylie said furiously. "This is getting ridiculous. First Alyssa, then Bree, now Alison!"

"What happened to Alyssa?" Ruby asked.

"Lexington gave me a concussion," Alyssa growled. "Last year."

Murmurs of realization spread around the bench.

"One thing's for sure," I said. "No matter how much they piss us off, we can't stoop to their level. It's just not right."

"Yeah," Annabeth admitted. "Even though their a great big bunch of fat arses."

Coach gave her a look.

"My bad," Annabeth said, shrugging. 

"Because if we play the way they're playing, and they're playing so wrong," Michelle began.