~~Axel~~

The morning skate had ended, and Coach had worked us hard. I’d had one of those practices that didn’t bring a guy up but slapped him down. Judging by how quiet it was in the locker room, I wasn’t the only one not feeling the love.

We had less than a month to go in the regular season and would need help or a miracle to make the playoffs. We played a home game last night and lost and had one more on Saturday before leaving on a week-long road trip.

The entire team was embarrassed they’d let down the coaches, staff, and fans. As defending Cup champions, we’d been expected to go deep in the playoffs, rather than not make the playoffs at all.

I wasn’t contributing much myself, and the guilt weighed heavily on me. I hadn’t scored one goal since I’d been brought up.

I showered and dressed in my workout gear and was heading for the weight room when Ice approached me. “Got a minute?”

“Sure,” I said, concealing the nervousness I felt. Ice didn’t single out team members for a chat unless he had something serious to say. I hadn’t been in trouble lately or been in the press, so whatever he wanted had to do with my on-ice performance.

I followed him into the hallway and down to a secluded corner. His face was unreadable as usual.

“You haven’t had any luck scoring since you joined the team,” he stated the obvious.

“I’m in a dry spell. Can’t find the zone.”

“Happens to all of us. You need extra practice hitting the puck into the net to build your confidence.”

I nodded. I didn’t dispute his observation. What he was telling me wasn’t any surprise to anyone. “I’ve been getting in as much practice as I can.”

“I don’t doubt your dedication. I’d strongly suggest you and Jock work together after regular practice. He needs the in-net time, and you need the shooting practice. Seems like it’d be mutually beneficial.”

They were all conspiring to push Jock and me together. I sighed. The last person I wanted to spend even more time with was Jock.

“Is this mandatory or voluntary?” I already knew the answer to that one.

“What do you think a good teammate would do?”

Fuck, let’s lay the guilt on even thicker. “Does Jock know about your suggestion?”

“No, we’ll keep it that way. Let’s make it your idea.” His somber face pulled into a grin, and he slapped me on the back so hard I almost fell over. Throwing his head backward in a rare hearty laugh, he strutted off, way too pleased with himself. Once again, I’d been set up.

I rubbed my face with my hands, wishing I could erase the last few weeks and begin again. That one night with Bria had started an avalanche of uncertainty that messed with my head. Thanks to Jock’s surliness and the guilt that overwhelmed me day in and out, the head-messing escalated. If I didn’t get it under control soon, I’d be ending my hockey career almost as soon as it started.