Scoring Position (Hockey Ever After #2)

by Ashlyn Kane

By the start of the third, Nico felt tight enough to snap. His shoulders bunched, his teeth clenched. He wanted to punch something. Then someone iced the puck, and the line change was slow and sloppy. Which meant Nico was suddenly on the ice with Chenner, who bounced all over the lineup but was rarely on with Nico. And who had apparently forgotten how to stay on-side, because he had their whole line moving back into the defensive zone for shitty zone entries twice in the same shift. By the end of it, Nico was fuming. He snatched up his water bottle as Chenner settled next him, his shoulders drooped and his head shaking. Ryan knocked their shoulders together. “What the fuck was that?” Nico snapped. “Didn’t you see me?” Chenner jerked and stuttered, “Um. Well—” “Hey,” Wright cut in. He put a gloved hand on Chenner’s head and wiggled as if ruffling imaginary hair. “Don’t listen to Oscar the Grouch over here. Mistakes happen.” On Wright’s other side, Lefty snorted. “Grouch. Kirschbaum the Grouch.” No. Nico clenched his fist. No, they weren’t going to— To his right, Granger bopped Nico gently on the head. “Doc’s got a point, Grouch. Mistakes happen, so unclench and focus on what’s next.” Grouch. “Don’t,” he muttered, but they didn’t listen. By the end of the game, the nickname had spread up and down the bench and even across the ice to the net. Nico nearly dropped the puck when he heard “Grouch! Grouch! Over here!” from his left. He passed right. They lost 4–1 with Nico sitting...