Lucky Bounce: Game On, Part 2 by Jennifer Lazaris

13

Holly bit her lip as she peered up at the scoreboard. It was the fifth game of the series, and San Jose was up 2–0, with fifteen minutes remaining in the third period.

"Ugh. We desperately need a lucky bounce," Nic complained, gesturing toward the rink. "This game is so frustrating."

"If we're frustrated, imagine how the guys must feel," Penn mused. "They're throwing everything at San Jose's goaltender and have gotten zero returns. They were really hoping to close out this series tonight."

"Yeah, but after those two goals in the first period, they haven't gotten anything on us since," Holly told her. "West is standing on his head out there."

"He'll beat himself up for that first goal later, though," Penn said. "It was soft, and he'll bitch about it. I know my boyfriend."

After scoring a quick goal from the blue line a few minutes into the first period, San Jose had taken that momentum and ran with it, scoring a second three minutes later.

Since then, the entire Kingsnakes team—every line—had stepped up their defensive efforts. The third and fourth line had been especially great, backchecking and wreaking havoc to disrupt San Jose's game.

Bella slapped her hands down on her thighs as the Kingsnakes got possession of the puck and began to cycle it down in San Jose's zone. "Come on, boys. You can do this. All we need is one goal to get things going. Just one."

Sam London took a quick wrist shot from the slot, and the ping sound it made as it rang off the goal post sent a collective groan through the crowd at the Nevada Arena.

"Fuck," Hannah yelled, throwing her hands in the air. "Fucking dammit shit sonofabitch!"

Holly elbowed Penn. "I'm legitimately worried about her blood pressure. I don't think I've ever heard her swear so much."

Nic took a sip of her beer and gave Holly an amused look. "I'm sure all of our blood pressures are nearing the danger zone. We've got a little more than ten minutes left to tie this up."

"On the bright side, at least it's not an elimination game for our team," Zoe chimed in from her seat next to Nic. "San Jose is playing for their lives right now, and it shows."

San Jose forced the puck back down into the Kingsnakes zone, and things got intense when they managed a few shots in quick succession.

"Jesus H," Penn yelped, peering through her fingers as a puck bounced off the edge of West's glove and toward the boards. "Too close."

Fally spun around and fired the puck up the ice, clearing it out of the Kingsnakes zone.

Before they could let out a collective sigh of relief, Evan Bradiere from San Jose delivered a bone-crunching check to Fally against the boards. The noise of the rattling glass echoed through the arena as Fally's legs went out from under him, and he fell backward toward the ice—directly into the path of San Jose’s Tyson Bayard.

Bayard couldn't get out of the way in time, and the result was a sickening collision with his body and Fally's knee.

Caleb Steele, Shaw Castle, and Eli got into a shoving match with a few of the San Jose players, which immediately ceased as Fally's screams pierced the air. The trainer dove over the boards and raced to help Fally as Ryder skated to his best friend's side, sinking down onto his knees to comfort him.

"No!" Nic covered her mouth with her hands as the crowd shot to their feet. "Oh my God. Fally!" She pushed past a few of the other WAGs in their row, hurrying toward the stairs with Zoe hot on her heels.

"We're going down to the door where they'll take him off the ice. I'll text you guys with any news," Zoe called.

Holly, Bella, Hannah, and Penn fell silent as they glanced at each other, then back out at the rink. Holly grabbed Penn's hand.

"It's bad," Penn whispered as they wheeled a stretcher out onto the ice. "He's still rolling around, and the look of pain on his face..."

"I know."

Ryder kneeled down next to Fally, talking to him as the EMS team brought out a stretcher. The rest of the Kingsnakes players hovered nearby, looking worried and shell-shocked.

"I saw the whole play," Bella told them. "The silver lining is that it isn't a head injury. The bad thing is it's his knee."

"And Fally's had some knee issues before this," Penn said. "Nic told me that once."

"The hit by Bradiere that led to Fal's injury was fucking dirty," Hannah fumed. "Bradiere's skates left the ice before the hit. And no penalty called? It’s bullshit."

"They did leave the ice," Bella agreed. "I saw that too."

"I can't take this. I can't take the pain on his face," Penn choked out, covering her mouth with her hand. "He's in agony, guys."

Holly slipped an arm around her best friend. "He's going to get the care he needs. They're helping him. And Ryder is right there by his side."

"I can't imagine how Nic is feeling right now. She's got to be a wreck," Hannah said, wiping her palms down over her jeans. "If we're a mess, she's got to be freaking out."

Holly motioned toward where Nic and Zoe waited near the exit door next to the glass. "Zoe's got her back. She's not alone."

She searched the ice for Eli and found him standing next to Shaw near the boards. Shaw held an iPad and they were both staring down at the screen. Eli's face was a thundercloud as he glanced over at the San Jose bench.

That couldn't be good.

After ten long, fretful minutes, the doctor, trainer, and EMS staff carefully loaded Fally onto the stretcher and wheeled him off the ice.

Both teams tapped their sticks on the ice as the crowd clapped, but the mood that hung over the arena was somber.

Hannah glanced over at them. "I'd be happier if I saw Fal give a thumbs up, but I think he's in way too much pain. At least he's talking, though."

Ryder followed Fally all the way to the door, then gently clapped him on the shoulder before skating back to the Kingsnakes bench.

"This is so messed up," Bella muttered. "The guys have to be reeling. Not only at the injury, but you know he's done for the rest of the playoffs."

"This sucks," Hannah said, sitting back down. "It all sucks."

After the commercial break light turned off, the teams lined up for the faceoff to a mostly silent arena. Holly stared down at the ice as play resumed, but her heart wasn't in the game.

"I just want this to be over," Penn said with a sigh. "I'm a wreck."

"Oh, shit." Hannah leaped to her feet and pointed toward the ice. "Guys, it's about to go down."

* * *

"Time to answer for that dirty hit, you fucking piece of shit," Eli barked, skating past Bradiere as they lined up for another faceoff. He planned to knock the smirk right off Evan's mean, stupid face. “The officials didn’t make you pay for it, but I will.”

"Dirty hit my ass."

"Your feet left the ice, douchebag. You jumped at him.”

"You're such a crybaby, Donnelley," Bradiere sneered. "Wah, wah, wah. That's all that comes out of your hole."

"And you're a classless piece of trash that doesn't belong in this league," Eli shot back. "Let's fucking go. Unless you're too chickenshit."

"After the faceoff," Bradiere told him. "I'm gonna rearrange your pretty face."

The moment the puck hit the ice, they dropped the gloves and squared off. The ref blew the whistle to stop play as Eli locked eyes with Bradiere.

The Las Vegas crowd, re-energized by the fight, screamed their approval as he ducked Bradiere's first punch and grabbed hold of his jersey.

He might not be the most skilled fighter or the biggest guy on the team, but his rage over what had happened to Fally had reached the boiling point. The memory of his friend's screams still echoed in his ears.

It was time to make this fucker pay.

Bradiere landed a solid punch to his cheek, and the force almost knocked him off of his skates. Somehow, he regained his balance and managed three quick punches to his ear, then ducked when Bradiere swung again.

They spun around, hanging on to each other's jerseys as they struggled to land effective punches. Both of their helmets came off as they wrestled around, looking for the best chance to take each other down. Eli saw an opportunity and swung, landing a brutal hit square on Bradiere's jaw.

Evan staggered backward, and they both fell to the ice. Eli took one more swing before the officials pulled them apart.

The crowd roared their approval at his victory, and the boys tapped their sticks against the bench. He gave them a head nod as he skated off toward the penalty box.

Even if they didn't end up winning this game, Evan Bradiere wasn't smirking anymore, and that was good enough for now.

* * *

"Babe, are you okay?" Penn asked, putting a hand on her arm.

Holly stood ramrod straight, every muscle in her body tensing as her heart galloped along in her chest. Bile rose in her throat as Eli traded punches with Evan Bradiere, the player who'd crushed Fally against the boards.

Eli was holding his own in the battle, and even though she knew he was a pretty good fighter, that knowledge didn't ease her anxiety when Evan landed a right hook to his cheek that nearly knocked him over.

"I'm fine," Holly replied, fighting to keep her voice even. "It's just weird seeing him fight."

The crowd roared their approval when Eli's punch knocked Bradiere down, sealing his victory.

Stifling a sigh of relief, she swallowed hard and ran a hand down over her hair. It was over, and he was fine, despite getting punched.

"It's okay to admit you were worried about him, you know," Penn said as they took their seats.

"He's just usually so easygoing and happy. Seeing him all wound up and throwing punches is weird. I've seen him fight before, so I really shouldn't be surprised."

"Yeah, but this time is different. You're going home with him tonight, so it's not like it was before."

"True."

The announcer rattled off the penalties for both players, and Bella waved a hand. "They're each getting five minutes for fighting. That's fair."

Hannah peered up at the scoreboard. "I'd like to think we have a chance to tie it up, but I'm pretty sure we're taking the loss for this game."

Penn's phone buzzed with a text. "It's Zoe. She's down in the family room. They took Fally to the hospital. Nic's going too, and she'll keep us posted."

"Are Fally's parents here tonight?" Holly asked.

"No, they're in Toronto. They'll be at the next game. They must be a mess after seeing what happened," Penn said, shoving her phone back into her purse.

For the next eight minutes, the crowd tried to rally the team, but the Kingsnakes ended up taking the loss, and San Jose stayed alive to play another game.

"Hopefully we can just grab a win next game and move on," Hannah said. "I'm just glad this one is over. This whole thing with Fally has got me freaked out."

"Yeah. It was a tough night." Holly shook her head. "I feel so bad for Fally. He won’t be back for the rest of the playoffs, I’m sure."

Penn nodded. "Now they have to find a way to win without him. Fally's such a huge part of the core. It's going to be a challenge."

"They'll rise to it." Holly glanced down at the rink as the guys headed off the ice and into the tunnel. "They have to. They've got no other choice if they want to win."

"Yeah." Penn looked around at their little group, her blue eyes solemn. "And they've got to win now. They've got to do it for Fally."