I honestly can’t tell which one is him because they’re moving so fast. I lean forward to try and make him out.
“Right there.” Jenny points her hand to the middle of the ice and I can just barely make out his name on the back of his jersey as he skates away from us and toward the other team’s net. He really is a good skater.
The puck, as Christa called it, flies away from him and to someone else as he continues to skate right toward the net. I just make out the puck moving straight across the ice to another player who deftly snags it before the other team can and then he shoots it back toward Hutch who catches it and hits it so hard toward the goal, it does sound like a slap.
The buzzer sounds and people start screaming. I guess he made his goal as his team surrounds him and starts jumping around on the ice like lunatics. If one of them falls, then all those blades will destroy them. Shouldn’t they not be jumping around like that on blades of mass destruction?
“He won the game,” Jenny screams. “He won!”
“He made two of the three goals including the game winning goal,” Christa explains, whispering in my ear. “It’s a big deal.”
“I can see that. Hopefully no one falls and gets damaged by the blades of mass destruction.”
His mother full on belly laughs when she hears me. “Oh honey, you and I are going to be good friends.”
“Come on.” Jenny tugs me up. “Let’s go wait for them.”
“Where?”
“Outside the locker room, duh.”
“Uh…is it cold in there?”
“Yes.” Kathleen nods her head emphatically. “You’re frozen sweetheart. Let’s go wait for Jonathan in the team’s family room. It’s warmer in there. Christa, Jenny, you’re welcome to come with us or you can wait by the locker room.”
“Family room,” they both say at the same time.
Kathleen takes my hand and starts pulling me out of the emptying bleachers. At least it’ll be warmer.
CHAPTER 10
Hutch
I can’t believe it.We won. And I made the game winning goal. Coach is smiling so hard, I think his face is going to break. It took us a while to get cleaned up and then through all the interviews. I had scouts from three different teams come into the locker room to talk to me. None of them were the Raptors though. It was the only negative about tonight’s game. The owner was here, but he didn’t come by. Maybe I wasn’t what he wanted. But I’m not going to let it bring me down at least for tonight. I know I have a good chance of someone offering me a spot somewhere if I can keep up my winning streak and my time doesn’t fall behind again.
And that’s due to Daisy. Sure, it’s all about superstition, but athletes live and die by superstition. It’s the way it works. If you’re not a sports fan, you’ll laugh. Those of us in the know, well, we know.
I still can’t believe she came. I figured she’d be sound asleep under her blankets or coughing up a lung. She really didn’t feel good and her fever was pretty high too. Hopefully, the coldmeds I bought her helped. She looked bundled up appropriately tonight. I’m guessing Jenny and Christa made sure of that. And don’t think I didn’t see my mom sitting next to her at one point. I knew she’d come snooping. I’m glad, though. It’ll make it easier for me to convince Daisy to go to Sunday dinner. Maybe not this week or next week, but within the month.
Or Mom will come snooping on campus with food in hand. The guys will love it since it’s a home cooked meal, but me, not so much. I love Mom, but she’ll be all up in my business when I have no business to report. She’ll ask a bazillion questions about Daisy, questions I don’t have the answers to. Yet.
Yet being the key word.
Mom texted that she and the girls were waiting in the family room and that’s where I head as soon as Coach declares the interviews over. There’s this burning need centered in my gut that rushes me to check on Daisy. She honestly shouldn’t be here in the cold when she’s so sick, but I’m glad she came.
“Dude, you killed it out there tonight.” Dylan slaps my back as he falls into step beside me. Jenny is waiting upstairs as well.
“Thanks. I was worried since my time’s been off.”
“It wasn’t tonight. I think you were faster than even last season. Fast and deadly. Any team is going to be lucky to pick you up.”
“You did good yourself.”
“Yeah, I hope so.”
“Dude, you did! I don’t think Parsons got a single hit on any of us tonight because of you. You made up your mind about what you plan on doing? Scouts were out and about tonight.”
“No, not yet. Part of me wants to try, but I don’t know if I’m good enough for the pros. High school and college hockey isn’t the same as the NHL.”
