Page 125 of Snow, Ice, and Spice
Coach Porter’s warning not to fight too much echoes in my mind. This isn’t worth it.
“Fuck you,” I spit as I turn around. He shoves me, but instead of taking the bait and socking him, I maneuver around him. I’m not wasting my energy on this prick.
He catches up and shoves me again, this time harder, then darts off, taking the puck I just had with him.
Fans smack their hands against the boards, cheering and screaming. Adrenaline slams through me like a freight train. I speed ahead and catch up with Del as he skates toward my team’s goal.
My quads are on fire as I close in on him. A Wolves defender tries to block me, but I ram him, throwing him off balance. Del closes in on the net right as I catch up. He shoots the puck and I dive ahead, blocking the shot with my stick. The home crowd roars.
I hit the puck to Xander, who takes off with it across the ice. My lungs on fire, I skate ahead and watch as Xander fires the puck straight into the Wolves’ net, scoring the first goal of the game.
The entire arena shakes as the fans scream and stomp. I run up to Xander and give him a celebratory smack on the shoulder.
He turns to me. “Smooth as fucking silk, man.”
I take in the crowd as they go wild in the stands. I do a double-take when I see a group of kids sitting behind the Bashers’ box. They’re holding a massive sign that says, “Go, Coach Theo!”
When I wave at the kids from hockey camp, they jump and cheer. Man, it’s good to see them.
“Aww Coach Theo,” Isaac teases as he skates past me.
“Did you guys plan that?” I ask.
As he skates backward, he shrugs and smiles. “Maybe.”
I can’t help but grin wide like a goober. I jump right back into the game, laser-focused.
The first period winds down and I head back to the box. I guzzle water and see the kids from hockey camp waving at me again. I make my way over to the far end of the box to say hi. The second I’m over there, they all start talking at once.
“Coach Theo, that block was awesome!” Parker says.
“Yeah, that guy from the other team was so mad when you blocked his goal,” Emerson says. “He slammed his stick on the ice!”
“Will you teach us how to do that block when you start hockey camp again? Will you?” Sloane says.
I smile. “Absolutely.”
“And maybe Coach Maya can teach us how to do more spins too?” Annabelle asks.
I try to keep smiling. “Yeah. Maybe.”
It feels like someone’s got their fist around my heart and they’re squeezing it tight. I have to take an extra second and breathe through the pain. Will it ever not shatter me to think about her?
Most days it’s a dull ache in my chest I can work through. Today’s game is the first time I’ve been distracted enough not to think about her every single minute. But one mention of her name and that pain is back, wrecking me all over again.
I swallow back the ache in my throat. The buzzer sounds, signaling the end of the first period. I tell the kids I have to head to the locker room with the rest of the team. They all crowd around for high-fives. I clap my hand against the partition, where they’re pressing their tiny palms. They giggle and squeal, which makes me laugh. That feels nice after feeling like my heart has been through a blender.
I move to follow the rest of the team as they walk off. But all of a sudden they stop.
“What the hell…” Isaac says.
I hear Xander chuckle. “What’s up with that?” he asks me, pointing up at the scoreboard.
“What are you talking about?” I look up.
And then I almost drop my stick. Because I can’t believe the words I’m seeing flashing on the scoreboard.
Maya loves Theo
