The Rule Breaker by Michelle Scott

Author:Michelle Scott [Scott, Michelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-07-12T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

SAM

A sharp pain radiates through my shoulder when I strike the side of the arena, one of my former teammates throwing his entire body weight behind the hit so I feel every inch of the impact.

“Good to see you, Anderson.” He smirks before skating away.

Fuck you, I say to Sanders in my head because all the air has left my lungs.

I skate off the ice and collapse onto the bench next to Ollie.

This is our third game on the road this week, and we’re playing Anaheim tonight. It was strange, walking back into the place that I called home for the first three years of my professional career. But the problem was, it never felt like home. My old teammates aren’t happy to see me. Neither are the Anaheim fans, as they expressed when they welcomed me with boos every time I entered the ice the first few shifts. We’re in the first period, and it’s still scoreless. Neither team has hit the back of the net halfway through the second period either.

“Your teammates welcoming you back to Cali?” Ollie asks, his eyes on the game.

I rotate my shoulder a few times, reassuring the head trainer that I’m fine when he asks. “There’s no love lost between me and those guys,” I admit.

“Even if you were the best of friends while you were here, you became the enemy the minute you were traded.”

“Well, no worries there. I never pretended to like those guys, and they returned the favor.”

“Sounds like a fun situation,” Ollie retorts.

Ollie’s been in Chicago since he was drafted, and he was welcomed with open arms by the players, the organization, and the fans. I haven’t felt that kind of love since college.

I’m glaring at my former teammates. “They don’t want to go to war with me.”

We both watch as Tempe retaliates for the hit on me, slamming Sanders into the wall down by their goal. He goes down hard. Tempe stands over him with a smirk on his face for a second before skating off.

Ollie glances at me as he adjusts his helmet. “Lucky for you, the guys here are loyal. There is no me anymore. Only we.” He rises and tumbles over the wall, yelling over his shoulder, “You’re one of us now. They go to war with you, Anderson, they go to war with all of us.”

A sense of pride and belonging seeps into my chest for the first time since I can remember. This was what I was missing during my time in Cali. The camaraderie. Friends, not just guys you share the ice with. Hockey became all about business in Anaheim, and I lost some of the love I’d always had for the sport during my time there. I didn’t realize how much the negativity had taken a toll on me until I was removed from the situation and thrust into a better one.

Coop blocks a shot on our goal, and I see Beers skating over to the bench as the puck is cleared.

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