Because It's You (Carolina Rebels 2)

Donny has the puck at the moment, but there’s a black jersey on his back and in a split second, he takes the puck and we’re headed back down the ice. I’m the closest to him, so I’m on his heels and we slam into the boards together. Rams is right there all of a sudden. The puck is between the boards and the guy’s skate. I push my stick in there, hoping to nudge the puck. It slides right out and Rams quickly takes it, passing it to Captain Hook. Back down the ice we go.

Our captain skates straight down the ice, rears his stick back, and sends the puck flying through the five-hole. He throws his arms up with a shout as we come in for the celebratory hug. Many attempts are made, keeping us on the edge of the bench, but Sav holds steady and doesn’t let another puck get past him.

Scotty, who received the boxing gloves in the last game, holds them up in the locker room after the game. The gloves are given to the best player from each game by the player who received it at the previous game. Scotty got them last night for securing our win with his hat trick.

The guys quiet down as he clears his throat. “I think this goes to our dear captain. Not for his goal, but because he was able to get through a game without getting called for hooking. About damn time! Is that the first time this season? Of your career? Should we celebrate some more when we get back to the hotel?”

“Fuck off, Scotty,” Brayden grumbles, snatching the gloves from him. There’s the slightest of smiles on his face. That’s probably the closest to an acknowledgment that he’s amused by Scott that we’ll see. It’s replaced by a serious expression when someone comes in to take his picture. Dude needs to lighten up.

“You going to see your family while we’re here?” I ask Rams.

He shakes his head. “There’s not much time, it’s late, and I’ll be back in a few days anyway. Plus, Mere will be jealous if I see them before she does. She’s on break since the school is, but she’s waiting to come visit when I do. You coming home with me this year? I’ve been meaning to ask, but I keep forgetting. You know you’re welcome to.”

If Noah goes home for Christmas, he always invites me because he knows I’ll be alone otherwise. I always reject him. His family is great, but it’s awkward to be the third wheel in a situation like that. For me it is, at least. He once told Meredith that I was shy when he first met me. I was, and he took me under his wing for some reason. The one time I spent Christmas with his family, it was like I reverted back to that shy guy who was terrified of pissing someone off and didn’t know how to be social. I do not want to go through that again, even though it probably wouldn’t be like that this time. Plus, I won’t be alone this year.

“I have plans.”

Noah’s eyes widen.

“Going home?”

“No. I’ll tell you later.”

The last thing I want is for Scott to overhear that I’m spending Christmas with Elizabeth. Who knows how that news will be received and I doubt Elizabeth wants him to know. Either way, I won’t be the one to deliver it, that’s for sure.

When we’re walking into the hotel, I finally check my phone. Nothing from Elizabeth since her text last night giving me the green light to ask Scott about Roger’s accident. I was shocked as hell when I saw that text. I haven’t talked to Scott yet, and I don’t even know how or when to bring it up. I’ve been second guessing it, too. But why hasn’t she texted me? I send her a simple text saying hey.

“Hey, Marco, wait up.” I turn at the sound of Scott’s voice. “Let’s go to the bar for a minute.”

I look down at my phone. No text yet. “Yeah, okay.”

Changing directions, I follow him into the hotel bar. He chooses a high-top table for two in the far corner that’s as secluded as it can be, which isn’t too terribly much. A waitress comes over, and we both order only water.

“What’s up?” I ask.

“Lizzy said you wanted to know about Roger’s accident.”

My lungs pause mid-breath. She told him already? Well, that’s good, I guess, but couldn’t she have told me that little detail? It would’ve been helpful. Regaining my composure, I say, “Yeah.” My mouth opens to say more, but I don’t know if I should tell him that she wants to come to a game or not. My thought process was that if I knew what her triggers were, what

happened, then I could help her get through them. Elizabeth has so many secrets and hidden truths from her family that I’m at a loss as to what to say and what not to say.

Scott nods curtly. “She’s trying to move forward, and you’re trying to help her.”

“Yes.”

He takes a deep breath. “I don’t know if it’ll help for you to know, but at least you’ll know what happened, I guess. Lizzy likes to call it a freak accident, and it’s the fucking damnedest of freak accidents. Roger and his buddies would all get together for a game. Lizzy always went to watch him, so she was there. I can’t say she loved the game, but Roger liked having her there and she liked being there for him.” He stops as the waitress drops off our drinks. Scott takes his time peeling the paper off the straw and crumbling it into a ball, even though he doesn’t use the straw. He gulps down half of the water before speaking again.

“Things can get heated in a game; you know that as good as I do. What has never made sense is that Roger was always coolheaded. Never engaged. Never fought. Never got seriously pissed off, but for some reason that day, he blew a gasket. He started pissing everyone off after he got into a fight with one of the guys. Hearing about it later, something was off about the whole damn day, but especially with that game.”

Scott shakes his head. His eyes have been fixed on his water, his hands cupping the glass, and if the room was quiet, I’d bet that I could hear the ice clinking from the slight shake of his hands. “There was a battle for the puck, guys were flying by, next thing you know, someone collided into someone else. It was a low blow that sent him flipping with his skates in the air. One of which sliced Roger’s neck to cut his carotid. He was down within seconds. He bled out on the ice.” Scott lifts his gaze to mine. “That’s how my brother died. Lizzy saw it happen, held him until she was pulled away, and has been ruined ever since.”

Fuck.

My phone vibrates in my pocket and I take it out to see who it is. Elizabeth is calling me. She must want to talk if she’s calling instead of texting back.

“Take it,” Scott says.

“Thanks for sharing. I’m sorry about what happened.”