Holiday Hockey Tale The Icebreaker's Impasse (By Ivory Row) novel Chapter 10

Luci

“You are bad luck usually. We won though Easton was off at the beginning, having to sit out because he was late. Maybe that was your fault.” He snarls. I panic a little with his hand tightening.

“Luci!” Barrett shouts and I stomp on Maxton’s foot before shoving his chest. He’s not putting his hands on me again, especially with the littles watching. I didn’t have time to react last time.

“You have no right to touch me!” I tell him angrily.

Barrett runs and I shove him behind my legs. He gazes down at his little hands and narrows his eyes.

“Not over, little mouse.” He snarls and turns to stomp off angrily. He calls out, “MOVE!”

But the girl in front of him doesn’t register he’s talking to her. He shoves her and she hits the ground hard. I hear her cry out in pain. The others with her move immediately to help her up.

“PORTER!” I turn at the sound of Coach Humphries‘ angry voice.

“Coach Humphries, he just pushed my daughter!” A woman says sharply. “He needs to get his temper under control.”

“It wasn’t my fault, Coach. Forrester caused it.” He snarls and I glare at him.

“Sorry about that, Mira. I will handle it. Take her in that door and ask for the team physician to look her over.” They do just that before he moves toward Maxton.

“That was Kendall’s cousin, you f*****g i***t! And Mira will call the dean, who is a relative. You’re suspended for three games. Get gone now and don’t show up at practice until I call you!” Humphries says pointing toward the cars.

Humphries shakes his head angrily. “Go before I make it six games.”

He leaves not before mouth at me, “You’re mine.” His glare is murderous. He climbs into a black Mercedes sporty sedan and peels out.

Humphries stands watching. I take a deep breath. I need to do this to make amends for my mistake. Gathering all my courage, I step closer, but not within arm’s reach.

“I made him late…Easton Reed.” I say quietly, hoping he doesn’t see how badly my hands are shaking. He stares down at me with disgust as I continue. “It was my fault. I got…I got the time wrong to show up. He…he didn’t…”

He gets right in my face and Cole grips my leg tightly. Barrett holds tighter too.

“You are nothing but a pain in the ass and cause problems everywhere. I had to suspend a player after he reacted to you. Not to mention, your self–admitted screw up forcing my star player to sit out the first few minutes for his tardiness!”

“Leave her alone!” Barrett yells in his little voice as he shoves his way between us. “Barrett, it’s ok. I got it.” I assure him, cupping his little chin as I gaze down at him. Standing my ground because there are two little boys watching what happens, I speak softly raising my eyes to meet his. “You should be upset with me for making Easton late. I understand your anger and you expressing it. I don’t appreciate you talking that way in front of the boys and calling me names though. I will make sure it doesn’t happen again. Maxton Porter is responsible for himself.”

Nick Humphries stares down at Barrett and Cole for a second. He blows out a breath before adding very quietly. “Yes, he is, wasn’t your fault.” It’s all he says before he turns and storms back inside the arena.

I let out the breath I was holding and sit down on one of the metal benches. I know that’s as close to an apology for his erroneous comments about Maxton as I’ll ever get.

Cole climbs into my lap. “Luci, you ok?”

Barrett is watching me. He looks so much like his father right now with his mutinously angry face.

“I’m fine. Let’s wait for your daddy here.”

“Luci, why did you let him be mean to you?” Barrett asks softly.

I think for a minute. I always tell him to stand up for himself and others who cannot. “Because I did something wrong and he was expressing his anger for it. He has that right to tell me how what I did, my actions, affected him today.”

“But he called you a pain in you. That part was wrong.”

You know bad word.” Barrett continues. “He shouldn’t say things like that to.

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