Page 59 of Pucked Together

It's the truth, but the thought of Ryker moving out actually makes me sad. I want to be near him. I want to keep holding onto this pretend situation as long as I can. Surprising since I didn't want it to begin with. I guess life has a way of spinning us out like that.

"Well, to temporary situations," Rina lifts her glass to mine.

"And hopefully, not so temporary ones too." I clink with hers.

"Amen, sister," she says, finishing off her drink and waving down Justin again.

"Another round for me and my friend here, sugar."

Justin smiles and gets us another order. If Justin keeps serving these diet cokes, I won't be drunk leaving here, but I will have to pee.

And I might just have a new friend, too.

Chapter 19

Ryker

"What do you think they're talking about?" Keelan asks from behind me.

I turn to look at him. He's spoken a total of ten words to me since he found out about Izzy and me being a thing.

Well, a fake thing.

Whatever the hell this thing is—he doesn't like it, and he's made that clear.

"Are we back on talking terms because of my shutout game?"

Keelan slaps me on the back and shakes my shoulder loose.

"Oh buddy, we are far from it. But I'll take some baby steps. I still think you're a dick for betraying my trust."

"I didn't..."

"Na-ah, you're still on my shit list, remember?"

Trevor lets out a big laugh from the pub table next to us. It's boisterous and annoying, and I really just want to shove my fist into his rookie face. But from the looks of it, Keelan feels the same.

"Lucky for you, I got someone higher up on that list to deal with," he finishes, dropping his hand from my back.

"What are you thinking?" I ask, intrigued and slightly terrified by his unhinged smile. I’m nervous that our team captain might wind up in jail tonight. "Kee?"

"I got an idea," he says, nodding like he just consulted with the board of directors inside his wild mind.

My friend might just be a little bit crazy.

It's almost midnight, and the bar has turned into a nightclub like it does most nights. The lights are dimmed with flashing colors from the DJ booth, making it nearly impossible to see clearly. Combined with the pulsing music, it’s all making my head spin, and I'm not even drinking.

I glance at Izzy and Rina to ensure Thor isn't around to bother them. He's on the other end of the bar filling orders.

Good.

The music suddenly gets loud, and "Ante Up" by MOP and Funkmaster Flex blasts from the sound system.

I see Izzy's head drop, and she shakes it, covering her eyes and turning towards the bar like she's trying to disappear. Rina is holding her side and leaning on Izzy, uncontrollably laughing.

Some of the guys at the table behind me say, "What the fuck?"

But a few of us know exactly what's about to go down.