Page 84 of Breakaway
Fletcher
Reed shook Henley awake, his hands gentle as she fought consciousness. Her lids fluttered as they attempted to open, the lack of sleep catching up to her. She rubbed the gunk from the corner of her eyes before opening them and looking around in confusion.
“We’re about to descend,” Reed said. Henley stared at him, her forehead creasing.
“Huh?” She blinked, her mind still addled with sleep.
Between Dakota accepting the challenge, the J18 scout visiting, and the game from Hell ending with Reese being injured, the past forty-eight hours had been a whirlwind .
“Reese!” she gasped, her hand clenching the armrest between them.
“Is back in Utah with Sera and Sean,” I replied softly from her other side. Henley nodded as she remembered, her hand relaxing at the information.
Reese had suffered a ligament strain in their wrist and would be out for a few weeks while they recovered. Thankfully, it hadn’t been broken, but telling a young hockey player they had to miss a few games was just as devastating.
Henley had almost stayed back to care for them, but Reese had been insistent that she had to be there for the team if they couldn’t be there. Sera had stepped in to watch over Reese while they recovered, ensuring they would be safe while we were away from campus.
“Right. They’re okay,” she repeated, finding comfort in saying it out loud.
Deep down, I was glad Reese wasn’t here to deal with Royal Hill. It was one less person to worry about in the crosshairs of Kurt, Anders, and Pippa. None of us had slept much between the stressful game on Wednesday and coming into this one. I’d been glad Henley had fallen asleep on the plane, hoping it gave her strength against Royal Hill, especially since I wouldn’t be there.
I didn’t know which of us was more worried—her being with Kurt or me being with Pippa.
It didn’t help that Royal Hill was our next opponent after the last game. Morale was down after the clusterfuck of a game, Reese’s injury not helping.
The sick players had slowly recovered, returning to normal after twenty-four hours of sickness. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that they’d all eaten the same thing before the game. Pizzas had been delivered to their dorm, and being the hungry teenage boys that they were, no one thought to question it.
It only proved Henley’s earlier conclusion—someone was purposefully attacking us.
The only people willing to use psychological torture would be the Society. Their club wasn’t above getting their hands dirty or using teens to inflict damages with promises of future enrollment. They were a frenzied group willing to take desperate measures to achieve their end goals.
The fact they were willing to target kids showed me they had no redeeming qualities about them, and I’d do everything in my power to expose them.
The plane landed easily, and I sighed in relief that we were one step closer to returning to Utah. I didn’t like being this far away from Reese. They had become a big part of my life in the short time I’d known them, but I cared for Reese like my own sibling or child. I knew Henley was struggling too.
I think all of us felt better when we were in the same zip code. We’d have to figure out what next year would look like when Reese went off to college, but for now, safety was better in numbers.
“Ready?” Reed asked as he stood and pulled his bag from the overhead bin. Henley nodded as she scooted out of the seat and squeezed his arm in thanks. I followed her, grabbing mine and checking the plane after everyone else was off.
“We’ll be back right after the game,” I told the pilot. They nodded, following me down the steps to take their own break before preparing for flight again.
A bus waited for us a short distance away from the stairs. I squinted my eyes at the sun, pulling my coat tighter as the chill sank in. The airfield employees had already removed the team’s gear from the plane and loaded it under the bus. I watched as they finished, giving them a nod of thanks before I climbed onto the bus.
“Listen up, Blizzards,” Henley shouted as I slid into my seat. “Today’s game is going to be tough. The last time we were here, Ana got injured. We can’t let that distract us. The Cavillers are hungry to redeem themselves, and we’re not at our best. They’ll be pushing the bounds of penalties even more and taunting us. So we gotta play smarter. We don’t want anyone else to get injured or suspended. We’re at the end of the season, save your anger for the playoffs. After the game, we’re not sticking around, so head back to the locker room, change as quickly as possible, and get on the bus. We’ll deal with stinky pits if we have to, but I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary. Be alert.”
“Yes, Coach,” a few people said back, the others nodding.
She sat down as the bus took off, and I shoved my anxiety down into my box, knowing I had to be the strong one for the kids and Henley today.
“We’re with you, Petal,” Dax said beside her, squeezing her hand. He got to sit next to her on the bus since Reed and I had been on the plane. I watched as she rested her head on his shoulder, and I was glad he was with us this time. We needed all the support we could get.
“Thank you,” she whispered as her eyes closed, and I said a prayer to whoever would listen that everything would go okay today.
* * *
I turned back and watched Henley one more time as she ushered the kids onto the ice. The Alpha Security guard stayed a few feet back, giving me a semblance of privacy. He’d been the final compromise; a part of the only solution Henley and the others would accept in order for me to meet Pippa alone—along with the GPS tracker I wore in my shoe and the panic button in my pocket. I wasn’t worried about the Society trying anything against me, but I could suck it up and do the things my family needed of me.
My family.