VII
(edited.)
Taylor continued to hit the pucks with as much force as he could muster, not taking notice of how he missed the net with each shot. He tried to take out his anger on the pucks but the only thing he was doing was allowing his skills to worsen.
He was so into what he was doing that he didn't hear as someone walked onto the ice. And when the person placed their hand on his shoulder, that was when he noticed.
"Don't touch me," was all he said, still focused on what he was doing.
"Taylor─"
"I said don't f*cking touch me!" he yelled, jerking his shoulder and turning to face the person. His best friend stood beside him dressed casually, looking at him worriedly.
"You're missing the net."
"Don't you think I know that?" he asked rhetorically, returning to what he had been doing. He took several shots at the net and when he missed each one, he became even more agitated to the point where he was about to break his stick until Mike took it away from him.
"Give it back to me," he told his friend, trying to control his anger.
"You need a break, man. Just─"
"Don't tell me what to do!" he yelled.
"What's up with you? You've been acting strange lately."
"And whose fault do you think that is?"
"What?" Mike asked.
"You know, all of this is your fault. If you hadn't convinced me to go to that stupid party and drink when you knew that coach would be against it; if we hadn't done that stupid drinking contest; and if you hadn't put me in that room, NONE OF THIS WOULD'VE HAPPENED!" He grabbed onto his jacket and shook him slightly.
"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO RUIN MY LIFE?!" He formed a fist and punched Mike in the face, causing him to immediately drop the hockey stick and push him back.
"I didn't do anything to you. You have the power to make your own decisions, don't you?" he asked Taylor. But Taylor didn't hear what he said and attempted to hit him again before an angry voice stopped him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing Hill?" he asked Taylor.
With his fist just inches away from his best friend's face, Taylor turned his head to look at his coach.
"If you don't put that fist down before I reach you, you're going to regret it, Hill."
Begrudgingly, he dropped his arm and fully turned to face his coach, feeling his anger at his best friend still lingering around him.
"Now I don't know what's going on between the two of you, and I don't plan to find out. But the ice is not a place to fight," the coach said. And although his voice sounded calm, both Taylor and Mike could tell that he was anything but calm at the moment.
"Mike started it," Taylor said, attempting to remove the blame from himself.
"I don't care who started it. Until both of you get your act together, you're off the team."
Taylor almost immediately forgot about the situation between him and his friend and turned to face him as both of their eyes widened.
"Coach, you can't do this to me─" they both started to say in unison.
"Not another word from either of you. I want you off my ice─NOW!"
With their heads hung low, the two friends exited the rink. They both turned to look at it one last time before turning around to leave. But before Taylor could get any closer to the changing room, Mike spoke.
"You're going to pay for this, Hill. No one gets me kicked off the team scot-free."
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