“And definitely not me,” Markus added and Jace laughed.

“You watch. You’re both going down.”

“We’ll see,” Markus mumbled more to himself, but Jayden nodded, tapping his stick to Markus’s shin.

“Let’s do this.”

“Hell yeah,” Markus said, leaning on his stick and watching as the ref bent down, blowing his whistle before dropping the puck. Unfortunately, Jace won it back for the Panthers, and they quickly entered the Assassins’ zone. Thankfully, though, Jayden was there, stealing the puck before sending it to Markus. Cradling the puck, he carried it up. Before he could send it up the boards to Johansson, though, he saw out of the corner of his eye, Jace coming at him for a big hit. Markus stopped short, and Jace went into the boards before Markus sent it up to Anderson, who was waiting.

“Oh, so it’s like that?” Markus asked as Jace came off the boards, glaring at him.

“Hey, friendship is left off the ice.”

“Oh. Good to know,” Markus said as he skated out since somehow Anderson lost the puck and the defense was carrying it back up. Jace went to the blue line as Markus skated to the left, waiting for them to enter. He knew they were going to pass it to Jace, and as he expected, they did. But then, he was surprised by his best friend because, in a rookie move, he kept his head down as he entered, trying to get the puck to lie down right. Markus knew what he was about to do was an asshole move, but they weren’t friends on the ice according to his best friend.

Skating hard to Jace, he got in his way, and Jace hit him hard. Flying off him, Jace landed on his ass, at which Markus stole the puck and sent it over to Jayden before skating off behind him. He glanced back, making sure Jace got up, only to find him right behind him, a grin on his face as he skated hard to the bench.

“Fucker.”

“Love you too,” Markus sang to him as he went into the doors, sitting down as the Assassins attacked the zone.

“Great hit,” Jayden said, and Markus smiled.

“Cocky little shit.”

“Yeah, he is.”

Markus laughed but then stopped when Coach put his hands on his shoulders and then Jayden’s. “Your job is to contain Sinclair. Do not let that little shit score. Sorry, Sinclair.”

“It’s good, Coach,” Jayden laughed as he nodded, leaning on the boards as Markus did the same. Watching the play, the Assassins attacked but got nothing past the goalie. He was playing like Odder did every night, which sucked for them but was good for the Panthers—if Markus cared about their well-being.

Which he didn’t.

When the Panthers won the puck, they carried it into the Assassins’ zone and hammered shots at Odder. But like the ninja he was, he batted them away with the help of King and Thomas. Trying to clear, Thomas tried to hit to Franklin, but he missed and the puck sailed across the ice as the Panthers’ goalie raised his arm for icing. The whistle blew just as the Panthers got fresh bodies out there, including Jace.

Fuck.

“Shit, as soon as they get it out, Sinclair, Reeves, on,” Coach yelled from down the bench. “King, Thomas! Watch thirty-two!”

Jordie and Karson nodded as they lined up in front of Odder for the puck drop. They were sucking in air, and Markus felt a sinking feeling come over him. He was basically on the tip of his skates, ready to jump over the boards. But before he could, Jace won the puck like a boss and rushed the net right as his defender sent it to the goal. It came off Odder’s left pad, right to Jace’s stick, to which he just tapped it in softly, hitting the back of the net.

Markus’s head fell as the horn sounded, and Jayden yelled, “Fuck!”

Looking up, he saw Jace grinning as he held up one finger. “That’s one, boys. Two will be on you two.”

“I don’t like him,” Markus decided.

“I hate him, and I’m going to fart on his pillow when we’re home next. Maybe then he won’t be able to see to score,” Jayden announced, and Markus sputtered with laughter as they went over the boards and onto the ice.

“I’ll hold him down, and you can fart on his face to guarantee the pink eye,” Markus provided and Jayden nodded.

“Good plan,” he said, leaning on his stick and then tapping it to the ice. “All right, boys. Let’s get one.”

Everyone nodded in agreement as the puck was dropped and Franklin won it back to Markus. He sent it to Jayden, who sent it back to him before he shot it up quickly to Titov, who was waiting at the line. Skating it in, he sent it to Brooks, who shot, but it was batted away. Then the Panthers carried it back toward the Assassins’ zone. But Markus was there, stealing the puck and sending it back up to Jayden, who sent it to Anderson as he broke the zone on a breakaway. He cut left and then right, but when he went to shoot, the goalie poked the puck away, sending it to the left as Anderson went into the boards.

Markus watched as Titov rushed the puck, fighting for it in the boards against two Panthers. Anderson went to help, finally getting it out and sending it to the point where Jayden was, but instead of keeping it, he sent it to Markus, who was ready, pulling back and shooting it on a one timer.

He thought the goalie batted it away, but the light went off and Anderson and Titov threw their arms up as Jayden attacked him from the left, hugging him tightly.

He scored.

He fucking scored.

Throwing his arms up, he screamed out loudly as he looked to Mekena, who was by the Panthers’ penalty box. She was on her feet, screaming and jumping up and down as he looked to her in disbelief.

He had scored.

He wasn’t sure what she was saying, but she was screaming as the boys wrapped him up tightly, hugging him and congratulating him.

“Attaboy, Reeves!” Jayden yelled.

“I got it!” Brooks said, holding the puck, and Markus took it. “For the mantel.”

Markus could only nod as he held it tight in his glove and skated toward the bench, hitting his teammates’ hands before going in the door and sitting down, still looking at the puck.

His first NHL goal.

Coach came up behind him, shaking him as he yelled, “That’s the way, Reeves! Great shot!”

Markus was still speechless as the trainer took the puck. Markus looked up, meeting Mekena’s gaze. She was still cheering for him, a big grin on her face, and all he wanted was to kiss her. He had scored his first goal, and the only thing that could make this better would be a kiss from Mekena.