Page 14 of Hockey Bois
fine but you owe me a goal
Nick (12:17 p.m.)
deal
*
His work life had almost gone back to normal by the time Friday rolled around. It could be better, but he wasn’t a mess of nerves threatening to punch the next person who stepped into his office asking for something a.) they knew he wasn’t authorized to give them or b.) they should be able to do themselves. The unfortunate part was that this was a regular issue, one that reared its head at the close of each month and dragged on through the beginning of the next one.
Today was fine, and the next two weeks would be fine, and then he’d be a stressed-out mess again.
“I do not hate my job,” he told himself as he angrily forced his shin guards into his bag. “I donothate my job. Imaybehate some of the people I work with, but that’s irrelevant.”
Technically, he liked the job itself. Being a senior staff accountant had its perks, and it appealed to him in ways he couldn’t deny were mostly about him being a math nerd. Numbers were fun—always had been—and he liked that he had an office downtown with a view of the Washington Monument. He liked that he worked for a company that did a lot of non-profit work, he liked that (some) of his coworkers were not complete assholes, and as much as he complained about the workload, he liked that he earned a pretty penny for his efforts.
It didn’t make him any less grumpy about the bullshit that came up.
All week, the one thing he looked forward to was getting some extra hockey in. Despite his early misgivings, the pick-up game was a good idea. Hockey exhausted his body and guaranteed that his constant stream of thoughts and worries shut off as soon as his head hit his pillow. It gave him a place to work off some frustration, too. Checking or not, the game was physical. A good battle for the puck on the boards or in front of the net helped him tap some of his unspent aggression, leaving him mellow and calm.
After the week he’d had, he could use some mellow.
As a bonus, he could imagine Chad from sales whenever he was trying to shove someone off the puck.
Nick (6:07 p.m.)
anything i should know before i head out?
like any secret pickup tricks that only pros know??
Nick (6:28 p.m.)
dude don’t leave me hanging??? i’m freaking out already
Jensie from Hockey (6:57 p.m.)
bring a white jersey so we can be on the same team
it’s nothing special just a regular game except you don’t know anybody
Nick (7:00 p.m.)
so like my first game on the jagr bombs? terribly anxiety ridden and me constantly second guessing myself?
Jensie from Hockey (7:12 p.m.)
didn’t you get an assist that game?
bring a white jersey. you’ll be fine.
Jensie from Hockey (7:16 p.m.)
maybe don’t eat spicy food though
Nick smiled at his phone. His nerves weren’t completely settled, but he definitely felt better.
Entering rinks had rapidly become a familiar feeling. The cold rush of air accompanied by the staleness of the locker room grounded him as much as the routine of gearing up.
Or it did until he looked around and didn’t know any of the other people suiting up, most of them chatting amongst themselves.
