Chapter 56
~GRAYSON~
The building was louder than usual tonight, and for good reason.
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This wasn’t just another Blackridge-Southbay date on the calendar. It was a divergence game in the standings-winner locked in a clearer path to the top wild-card seed and home ice in the first round if the rest of the month held.
Loser still had a route into the playoffs, but it got narrower and uglier: more dependence on other results, tougher remaining schedule influence.
In practical terms, tonight moved one team closer to control and pushed the other into chase mode. I was not interested in chase mode. Especially not against them.
I came here to win and that was exactly what I planned on doing.
First shift, I picked up the puck behind our net, scanned, and hit Marcus in stride at the red line.
Callum drove the net front with me trailing late and when the pass came back, I did what needed to be done. The lamp lit. The crowd went wild. I pointed once at Marcus and skated through the fist bumps with my head already on the next shift.
Southbay pushed back. They always did when Chase’s pride was hurt. He finished checks harder than the play required and talked through every whistle, trying to get into my head. I ignored him and kept my feet moving.
Halfway through the period I stole a weak pass skating along the boards. I cut toward the far faceoff circle and sent a floating pass through a gap between two defenders. My teammate tipped it in.
Two-nothing.
The building got even louder.
should have stayed inside the game completely.
nstead, my eyes went up into the family section on instinct.
Blair was on her feet.
My number on her jersey, the new one I’d gotten for her. She was shouting something that I couldn’t hear out could read while her hands clapped to cheer me on.
She wasn’t performing for a camera. She was locked on the ice-on me, supporting the team. For a second the boards, the puck, everyone around me disappeared. All I could see was her and how fucking beautiful she looked. There was nothing sexier than Blair in one of our jerseys with my name and number on it, cheering me on.
almost lost control of my skates, distracted by her.
caught myself before I embarrassed the team, dug the blade in, and forced my head back down.
Fuck.
could not look at her. Not if I wanted to win. Because once I started staring at Blair, nothing else seemed
to matter.
If I wanted to put Chase’s team under pressure and keep our path through the standings intact. I had to keep my eyes downward. One more glance like that and my focus would weaken.
By the third period we were winning by two, and the game felt tighter. Every faceoff mattered. A draw in our end gave Southbay a real chance to score
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After a review, the refs dropped the puck at center los. Chate lined up across from me.
Captains didn’t always take every draw. The important ones, they did.
Chaves Se
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He leaned in across the circle, his eyes gleaming with something personal. It wasn’t just personal for him; it was for me too Somehow, it felt like we were locked in a silent battle for Blair, even though neither of us had said a word about it. We didn’t need to-everything was laid out right in front of us. My teammates saw it, his team did too. And the people in the stands could tell, especially with all the recent articles about us posted everywhere.
“I had her first,” he said under the crowd noise, just loud enough. “Remember that when you look to the stands and see that she’s wearing your game. She wore my name first.”
My jaw clenched. He knew how to get under my skin. By mentioning Blair.
“She was also under me first.” He said with a chuckle. “I guess you like leftovers.”
The whistle hadn’t even fully settled.
My stick was out of my hands before I could even process what I was doing.
I shoved him in the chest with both palms and put him on his ass on the ice. I could hear the shouting around us. Hear the gasps from the crowd.
Chase was already dropping his gloves as he came up.
The fight started messy and fast. Our jerseys were twisted, helmets knocked crooked, and the whole arena roared in response.
I ripped one hand free and punched him in the side of the helmet. Then we crashed to the ice.
Whistles blew. Players from both teams joined in.
I didn’t care about any of that.
All I could hear was the words he had just said to me.
All I could see was red. And all I wanted to do was beat the shit out of Chase.
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Dex Morgan
Dex works to elevate each story with clean writing, emotional balance, and thoughtful flow for readers.