Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
They have forty-seven seconds to score, so they’ve pulled their goalie to give them a leg up. With McKinstry in the penalty box, we’re outnumbered six to four.
It’s time to put on a show.
This is all me.
I roll my shoulders and bounce around as the centers line up for the face-off.
It’s time to earn my paycheck. My enormous paycheck.
I’m making eight million a year to stop that puck and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
The puck drops and the Grizzlies grab it. There’s an immediate shot on net that I stop with my stick. It bounces away and the players explode into action around me.
They have an extra two players, so they keep control of the puck. Cadogan gets in my face again. I push him so hard he falls to his knees.
The shot comes in when I’m out of position. I leap to the side, my knees groaning in agony, and stop the puck. Cadogan grabs the rebound as I land on the ground. He flicks it up into the open corner, but I twist and contort my body into an unnatural position and stop it with my glove.
It spins away. The center of the Grizzlies comes flying in from behind the net, grabs it, and shoots. I yank my leg up and stop it again.
And again. And again.
Two more saves. The home crowd is going nuts.
I’m on my back now as the defender gets it. He unleashes a devastating slapshot on the nearly open net.
I reach up and do a beautiful butterfly save, catching it in my glove.
The crowd is roaring as I drop the back of my head onto the ice, taking deep breaths as I stare up at the giant lights overhead. The ref blows his whistle.
There aren’t a lot of goalies in the world who can stop six shots in ten seconds. I’m one of them. That’s why I come with such a high price tag.
I don’t want to brag, but I’m the best in the league. When it comes to speed and flexibility, I’m unmatched. Gymnastics, yoga—I do it all. I’ll do anything to keep my body flexible, which also helps prevent injuries so I can stay on the ice longer than the next guy.
I want to be the best goalie who’s ever lived. I want to beat Ken Dryden’s insane save percentage over my career. I want to be a legend.
The game starts up again, but this time, Sebastian gets the puck and passes it back to Harris. Harris launches it to the other side of the rink and it slides easily into the open net.
There are seventeen seconds left, but the game is already over.
We win.
Again.
“I’m telling you, man,” Austin says as we get dressed in the locker room. “True love is the most amazing thing you’ll ever experience.”
He’s talking about his new girl, Norah. She was his realtor. The guy went off to buy a house, but came back with a fiancée instead. Pathetic.
“I just stopped the puck six times in ten seconds in front of a roaring crowd,” I say with a laugh as I put on my pants. “Experiences don’t get more amazing than that.”
Austin chuckles as he shakes his head knowingly. “You’ll see.”
“Fuck, Barlowe,” Sebastian says as he comes over with his towel wrapped around his waist. His brown hair is all wet from the shower. “You looked like a ninja out there. Were you born in the Matrix?”
“It doesn’t work like that,” Austin says.
Sebastian looks at him funny. “Huh?”
“You’re not born in the Matrix,” Austin explains. “You’re born in the real world and released from the Matrix.”
“I’d like to release you from the real world,” Sebastian says with a hard stare.
“Yeah, me too,” I say with a laugh. “He keeps talking about falling in love. He’s turning this locker room into a damn rom com.”
The door to the coach’s office bursts open and Coach Moss storms out. He’s flanked by his two assistant coaches.
Everyone immediately quiets down. We all like and respect Coach Moss.
He’s firm and tough, and he knows his shit.
I like that in a coach.
I didn’t grow up with a dad or with any uncles, so my coaches were the only male role models I had.
My mother was too busy working to date. She had it rough, grueling through minimum wage jobs, but she still made sure to always put enough money aside to pay for my hockey registration and to buy all of those expensive pads that I was always growing out of way too fast.
She’s my number one inspiration. She’s why I’ve always been so dedicated.
I wanted her investment in me to pay off. I wanted to support her, retire her, and buy her a mansion. I’ve done all that, except for the mansion. She refused to let me buy her a new house. She loves her little townhouse in the city because she’s close to all of her friends.