Month: December 2025

Cole June’s text made me do a U-turn on the frontage road. Spending the evening with her would be a lot better than being alone. I was the first to arrive, but only by about twenty seconds. Elias intercepted me by the front door, some extra pep in his step and a bottle of champagne

June The second half of the hockey season went by a lot quicker than the first. Now that nobody was distracting the team with threats and deadly peanut butter cookies, the team was able to get into a nice groove. We went on a seven-game winning streak, then won six of the next eight after

June The NHL All-Star Break marked the half-way point in the hockey season. The entire league took a week off, except for the players voted to the All Star teams. From the Reapers, both Rhett and Cole were named All Stars. Rhett was happy to play, since it was his first time being voted an

Rhett “Where is she?” I demanded when I reached the trainer’s room. “Where the hell is June?” Elias put a hand on my chest. “She is fine.” I knocked his hand away and stepped up into his space. “Get the fuck out of my way, Elias, or I swear to Christ…” I trailed off as

June My anger faded as soon as Cole was gone, and was quickly replaced with a tight ball of anxiety that settled into my stomach. Rhett poked his head into the room a minute later. “Is, uh, everything all right in here? We heard y’all yelling.” “I don’t want to talk about it,” I said.

June Tensions were high when we played the Tampa Bay Lightning two days later. Despite Coach Jay’s mandate about keeping the new threat a secret, word had spread among the rest of the team. When Cole was announced in the starting lineup, I couldn’t help but tense up a little. I imagined a faceless man

June By the time Cole drove over to the arena, there were five of us sitting in the office with Coach Jay. Me and Elias, obviously, the assistant coach who had found the note, the head of stadium security, and a detective from the Atlanta Police Department. The captain of the Reapers stormed into the

Elias I was rarely afraid. A man such as myself did not need to be afraid. And yet June terrified me. I was afraid of telling her what happened to my family. Afraid she would judge me for getting drunk once a year. Afraid that it would change the way she looked at me, afraid she would

June We lost the game against the Vancouver Canucks the next day, then boarded the plane to go home. The mood was somber on the flight. Eventually, Cole stood up and raised his voice to address the entire team. “Listen up! Everyone needs to relax. I ate a peanut butter cookie and had an allergic