Plié and Clout

Chapter 54: That's Not Paxy, Baby

Outta all the wolves, I'd simp for Paxy the hardest and the fastest. I think I'd also simp hard for Jessie but you haven't met her yet, also Young May Hadley was DEADLY. like, Big man hads was the original and most powerful himbo. Steph had nothin' on big man hads

anyway

-rabid

***

AUGUST

Steph looks... good. God he looks so good. It's something about the focus and the ease he's able to play with, but at the same time it's something about how terrifying he looks out there, how quick he is, how unnaturally skilled his legs are. How he's able to move and how he's able to stop and start at the drop of a pin. I never considered hockey attractive with Garrett, but god it's something completely different with Steph.

We're close enough to the rink to hear the boys yelling at each other. It's crazy. I'm able to pick out most of what they're saying that isn't dampened by the rink glass or the fans.

"REX!" I hear Steph holler, his voice cutting through the air, I've never heard him raise his voice, much, but here I am. "REX MOVE!"

"FEN!" I hear Yeti Rex yell.

There's a couple of quick passes and more yelling around. They're good at communication, Detroit doesn't seem to be talking, just listening.

Steph has the puck again and I'm paying full attention. He's got me hooked, the edge of my seat. He puts it between his skates but it's so fast I miss how it got there in the first place. One of the Detroit players is coming at him, shoulder bared for a hit. Steph manages to get it off his stick before being hit.

Every time he gets hit I swear I can feel it from here. I understand completely why he's always sore and why he's always covered in odds and ends bruises and why some days he's just in pain, no explanations given.

This time looks just like the last few, hard hit to his upper body that knocks him flat. I expect him to scramble back up again like he normally does, the hit takes him down and he's right back up again when I know I'd lay there for a minute to catch my breath. Steph gets off the ground, setting himself back upright in seconds, except I watch in terror as his bad knee collapses under him.

He's back on the ice. Jilly narrows her eyes at what's happening, then cusses. "That fucking knee."

Steph scrambles back to his feet but not before Williams catches him around the shoulders and hauls him to the bench, getting him over the boards in seconds. It's like second nature for them, I've watched them take people off the ice like that three times in the last couple of weeks watching his games while Gabby isn't looking. If they're unable to get there on their own, the team fills in, trading play off to the three remaining who fill in space and play keep away while the play continues. The player in question is delivered to the bench in once piece, normally by Von Albrecht or Rex, sometimes Williams and sometimes Packard, the biggest guys on ice.

This time, unlike the last times I've seen them do this, Steph doesn't stay on the bench.

Jilly gets a phone notification.

JORGEN: bring him a cookie, he's asking

"Up, get up," Jilly shakes my shoulder, "come on, don't just stare." She grabs her backpack and stands up.

"What?"

"Let's go, come on go go go go. He's fine, this has happened before, but let's go go go go go." She grabs my hand and we're hauling back through the arena, up and out of the stands and into the concession area. She pulls me down a side hallway and someone who appears to be a guard nods her through.