Plié and Clout

Chapter 31: Blade Trouble

this is just cute

it's not really like a full chapter but it's cute

I also changed the cover

-rabid

***

JILLY

It's honestly routine to put on Steph's game while I do homework. Having announcers scream and howl about plays and penalties adds a nice ambiance for my math homework. Tonight, he's in Tampa Florida, which honestly, I'm jealous. It's freezing cold here and it's creeping in the windows.

"Game to kick off in fifteen minutes, right now, back to warmups." I look up at the screen from my math homework.

No helmets, you know, like normal. They aren't at home so the music is weird.

I pay attention to dividing complex fractions for about ten minutes, glance up as they enter a commercial break, then start watching when they start playing. Helen is sitting on the couch watching her son sit the bench, but that's okay, she likes it a lot better when he's on the bench. She's told me that she never wanted him to get that far considering it was his dad that got him into hockey in the first place, but she let him keep playing because it's how he found friends upon showing up to Canada.

"Tampa takes the drop on the ice and we're off, Jukani to Picket back to Jukani stick tackle by Sagamore to Rex." That was a pretty tackle by Steph. All he did was lift the stick and flick it to Yeti. "Jukani chases Rex up the ice, currently, Jukani leads the league in speed, but Rex is one of the biggest guys on the ice."

"Ah, fake and a pass by Rex to Von Albrecht, Von Albrecht to Douglass, Sagamore seems to be having issues by the net." I think he lost a blade.

"Thirty seconds in and he's having issues?" The announcer tries not to laugh. "He's on his knees, yeah, that's what you think it is, he's lost a blade."

I watch the other team take shots, Steph's down, but he's a defenseman. He blocks a shot with his knee, another with his shoulder, a third with his stomach. Yeti finally gets it away from the net and Fen shoves him toward the bench, sliding on one foot.

The game stays quiet for another ten minutes, and then I hear this. "Sagamore, down again. Same skate blade and everything." This time Steph manages to get to the bench faster, but something is up.

They go on the first commercial break for the first period, and when they come back, it only takes Steph four minutes to lose another blade. This time, they're offending, so Yeti grabs him around the waist and hauls him back to the bench for an early line change. Then Steph is practically upside down on the bench, his skate in the air while Jorgen and Rod struggle with it.

STEPH

"This is kinda funny!" My head is hanging down by everyone's skates, my back on the bench, and my skate in the air.

"This is not fucking funny!" Rod hollers back, frustrated that my skate isn't taking a blade.

"It's a little funny!" Nico calls, "it's not convenient, but it's a little funny."

"Three times! In fifteen minutes!" Jorgen is trying to see into the plastic casing of the blade to see if it's got anything in it, holding his penlight in his teeth.

"We're gonna bench you for the rest of the period, we can't risk that again," Hadley calls from the other side.

Rocket reaches over and punches me in the stomach on the bench. I groan and try not to flinch my skate out of Jorgen's hands.

"Dick," I grunt.

"You know it." He snorts, then fixes his attention on my linemate. "nice job with getting him back here like that. I've never seen anyone carry their teammate off the ice bridal style, but I gotta say it was a good move."

"hey, that's what I'm here for," Yeti laughs, "plus, bridal style is just what Saggy wanted, aint that right, babe?" He pats my stomach. 

I snort. "exactly right, babe." 

"Rex!" Nico calls, "Back on with Pikachu, Pika, you're taking the first line and I'll reshuffle things a little bit for the rest of the period." 

Pikachu and Rex jump back on the ice as Jorgen wiggles tweezers into my skate. 

I roll my head back to look at Rocket. "Fifteen bucks August notices that I'm covered head to toe in bruises the second I get back."

"head to toe?" He asks, checking me out. 

"yeah, all over my chest from the shots in front of the net." I nod toward it. "what do you say."

"Bad bet," he readjusts his hat on his head, helmet by his feet, "she'll notice immediately." 

"hm, anyway I can explain that?"

"Ask Jilly, I'm no good at this part." 

"I'll call her after the game." 

JILLY

He's doing the mid-game interview. Nico must've made him do it because normally it's one of the captains.

"So, Stephan, what's up with your skates tonight?" The reporter is a pretty blonde barbie and he barely has time to start a sentence before Rocket places his glove on his head, sticking his face into the shot and ruffling his hair.

Steph smacks him in the chest as he leaves and then clears his throat to answer. "Yeah, there was a very small piece of clear tape in the casing, one side of my blade just didn't fit in and viola, king of eating shit on live television."

She laughs at this. "So, thoughts on the game so far?"

"Considering I spent all of last period either on the ground or upside down on the bench? I have no idea."

She drills him for a couple more seconds, but Nico grabs the back of his jersey and drags him back to the bench just as the interview comes to a close. Overall, the Wolves are just straight-up chaotic.