Get Pucked

29. bromance on the rocks

PARKER

For the fourth day in a row, Birk wakes me up by licking my face.

Yes, he has a name now. The girls saw him trying to eat Brooks' Birkenstocks and thought it was fate, so, meet Birk. We still haven't found his owner, and even though Connor has claimed the thing as his dog, it seems to be attached to me every minute I'm home.

It's like having a second Brooks around, except only one of them is cute.

Speaking of the devil, he struts into my room without knocking and lays down on my bed.

"Kota isn't here, so why are you in my bed?"

He's formed a habit of trying to have a 'sleepover' with us every time she's here. I shut that one down quicker than Usain Bolt, I'm not sharing her at night.

"Birk missed me, isn't that right," he pulls the dog into a hug. "And you need to get up, we're leaving for practice in ten, and I'm bringing the dog!"

~

I've never seen Coach smile as much as he is watching Birk stumble around on the ice.

The whole team is loving having him here, and it's been a nice distraction from the killer practices we've been having. Since most of the team is going home for break, there's no guarantee that we'll keep up with our workout schedule, so Coach is kicking our asses before we leave.

Connor is uncharacteristically quiet, and Lincoln has been looking at me weirdly since I walked in the door, so to say I'm unnerved is an understatement. The only good thing right now is the thought of Dakota and I leaving for North Carolina in two days.

Both her and my mom are excited about the trip, and I'm excited for her to see my favorite spots. She'll be meeting my extended family, and I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't looking forward to seeing her with my baby cousin.

"Cadell," Connor waves me over to the bench.

Skating over, I lift my chin in acknowledgment. "Everything good?"

He nods at Lincoln standing in the hall behind him, "we need to talk to you."

"Why?"

"Now, Parker." Connor is not one to get angry often, so his harsh tone has me flying off the ice.

The three of us walk to the empty locker room, and I take a seat on the bench while they both remain standing. We stare at eachother for a few moments, all of us uncomfortable with the current situation.

"Tell him," Connor urges Lincoln.

He cracks his knuckles before finally speaking. "Josh is going to hurt Dakota."

"Come again?" I lean forward, glancing at Connor who only nods, and the small action makes my stomach sink.

"We have that long road trip next month," Lincoln reminds me, "which the whole school is obviously aware of. I overheard Josh at a party talking about how he was going to finally get revenge on her for convincing Ellie to break up with him while we're gone."

I'm still for a few seconds after he finishes, not wanting to believe what he's saying. "Why should I believe you? You're the one who basically tried to use her as a prostitute," I spit out.

He sighs, "yeah, I am, but do you really think I could morally just sit back and watch this all go down?"

A laugh escapes my throat as I stand up, getting in his face. "Don't ever try to talk morals with me."

"Parker," Connor shoves himself between us, a hand on my chest.

"Does she know?" My question is directed at both of them.