Page 60 of Pucked Together

I turn towards the DJ to see Keelan on the stage wearing his cap turned backward, and he's rocking from side to side with his arms crossed over his chest, shoulders high like he's ready for a fight.

The DJ comes onto the mic. "Okay, everybody listen up. We got a dance battle going down tonight. Give it up for the Houston Heatwave's very own starting center, Ke-ee-la-an La-an-dry!"

The crowd goes wild, and Keelan starts pounding his chest like a gorilla that just escaped the zoo.

"Oh boy." I might need something stronger than water.

"Keelan, who do you call to do battle, sir?" DJ Nova passes him the mic.

Keelan shouts from his position on the stage, "I call forth..." he pauses, "The rookie defenseman, Trevor Sincaid."

Trevor is just a few feet behind me, so I can hear his "Fuck that. I'm not going up there."

But Teagan and O’Connor are already pushing him towards the stage.

"This is ridiculous," he shouts. "Landry, I'm not battling you."

Keelan grabs the mic from DJ Nova and yells, "Like hell you are!"

He jumps from the stage theatrically, and the crowd parts to give them room. Before I know it, Keelan is going into a full-on "You've got served" dance battle routine. He's throwing his arms and stomping his legs and is surprisingly coordinated for a guy who's probably had a few drinks already.

Sincaid gets pushed to the center of the circle and throws his hands up, unsure of what to do. The boys are yelling at him to do something.

"Don't be such a pussy," Hicks calls out to him.

Finally, he shakes his head and decides to do a move that resembles him mowing a lawn.

The crowd boos. And it goes back to Keelan, who is now on the floor doing 'the worm' and shocking the hell out of everybody.

The cheers start up again.

Keelan stands and throws it back to Sincaid, who makes some pathetic excuse for the wave with his arms.

"Laa-aame!"

"You suck!" The guys heckle him.

Sincaid gives up and throws his hands down like he's over it, and the crowd goes crazy over Keelan.

A few of the guys grab Keelan by the legs and hoist him up into the air, cheering. I forgot what a good dancer Keelan is.

"Oh no, that's not it, folks. We have another competitor being called to battle. Keelan, our champion, who else do you call forth?"

Keelan jumps up on the stage and grabs the mic, his breath erratic, "I call forth...the Heatwave starting goalie!"

Um, what?

The guys go wild around me.

"Oh, no...I don't—"

They're already pushing me out of my barstool and towards the center of the dance floor.

DJ Nova is back on the mic. “Ryker Balinger, you have been served, sir!"

Fuuuck.

I get tossed into the lion's den by my own teammates, and the song changes to "Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift. I roll my eyes at my friend's audacity.