Christian Garcia, a struggling international student and seasonal hire at Nova Arena, discovers he's inherited a unique healing gift from his grandmother. Desperate to keep his job, Christian offers his therapeutic touch to Zane Wilder, a hockey sta...
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"Alright, rookie," Trevor plopped down on the bench next to me, arms crossed. "So, are you gonna tell me what the hell happened on Valentine's Day?"
I glanced up from the clipboard I had been fake-studying, trying to look busy. "What do you mean?"
Trevor raised an eyebrow. "Don't play dumb. You left early. Thought you were supposed to be out there working your magic."
I shrugged, keeping my face neutral. "Wasn't feeling great, so I went home."
Trevor immediately smirked, shaking his head. "It was the farmers wrap and iced capp combo, wasn't it?"
I sighed. "For the last time, my stomach is perfectly fine."
"Uh-huh," he said, unconvinced. "You say that now, but I'm telling you, that combo is cursed."
"Trevor, I swear to God—"
"Anyway," he interrupted, leaning forward, "you missed some wild shit. You wanna hear what happened after you ditched us?"
Not really.
"Sure," I said instead.
Trevor grinned, launching into the recap. "So, Brandon? Dude was so drunk he tried to flirt with the bartender, not realizing she was literally engaged to one of the bouncers. Almost got his ass thrown out."
"That sounds about right."
"And Daniel? He disappeared for like an hour, and when we finally found him, he was making out with some chick in the coat closet. The coat closet, Chris."
I made a face. "That's disgusting."
Trevor just laughed. "Oh, that's not even the best part. I had a great night."
I already knew where this was going, and I regretted asking.
"Trevor, I swear—"
"This one chick? Absolute dime. And bro," he leaned in, as if about to reveal classified information, "she had a tongue piercing."
I choked on my own saliva. "I—okay. Nope. We're done here."
Trevor just grinned, slapping my back. "Oh, come on, you gotta let me live, man!"
I shook my head and sighed. "Seriously, man. TMI."
"Thanks for paying for our drinks by the way."
Before I could die of secondhand embarrassment, the locker room doors opened, and the energy in the room shifted immediately. I exhaled, shaking off the conversation and switching gears.
This was the part of my job I actually enjoyed.
I followed Trevor and the rest of the equipment staff to the bench, making sure everything was in place. Once the players suited up, the team was ready to hit the ice.
