We headed inside to the rink and Drake ran into the locker room to tell the guys about the snake. I followed him and began to change for practice. I could hear him excitedly retelling the snake story to the guys, but this time the snake was much bigger than when he told me. I smiled at Drake, who was trying to impress the guys.
“Alright, Drake, we have to practice. Go find a seat.” He obediently ran off.
We practiced relentlessly for two long, hard hours. I felt exhausted as I drove home. Knowing what was to come made me feel even more tired. Drake ran inside, probably to tell Dad about the snake. Maybe Dad would be in a good mood. Doubtful.
I made my way to the kitchen to start dinner. Dad always seemed fine around Drake. He seemed a little more cheerful and not so depressed. Maybe Drake would be his reason for moving on in life.
3
Emily
The time had arrived. It was game time and my dad could not be happier to see me out of the house. His enthusiasm showed at the arena. I think he was the loudest person there. I focused on the game, but I couldn’t find it in myself to yell and cheer.
I stayed quiet the entire three periods plus the intermissions. I was probably the only person that was quiet. I smiled at the irony of my dad and I.
My dad caught my smile and gave me a huge hug. “I love you, honey. Thank you,” he whispered in my ear. I hugged him back. It seemed like he was squeezing all of the breath out of me.
“Dad. I can’t breathe.”
He released me, smiled, and focused on what was happening. Naturally, I hoped so anyway, my eyes were drawn to Jake. He really pissed me off yesterday. He made me talk and then had the nerve to laugh at me. I wasn’t looking forward to tomorrow at all. I didn’t want him anywhere near me.
I noticed a little boy sitting on the bench with the players, watching intently. He had the same black hair and face as Jake. That had to be his little brother. My eyes soon traveled back to the ice and followed Jake as he skated back and forth across the frozen surface. He made the winning goal with three seconds left in the final period. The crowd went wild. A smile rose and I clapped.
“That was a great game,” my dad commented on the way home.
“Yep.”
We stopped by McDonald’s to grab a bite to eat. Of course, we had to go inside and eat. Once we were seated, my dad asked, “Any plans this weekend?”
I tried not to sigh. “Someone is coming over tomorrow.”
“Oh yeah?” He was excessively pleased with this.
“Yes. We have to work on a project.”
I glanced up when the door opened and saw Jake and his little brother. The boy was talking animatedly about something and Jake laughed.
“Hon?” I looked at my dad for a second and then glanced back down at my food.
“What?”
“Who is coming over?”
“Just some guy.”
“Well, what’s his name?”
“Jake. He was number 11 on the hockey team.”
“Really? He’s a great player. I’ll be excited to meet him.”
That caught me off guard. “Why would you need to meet him?” I asked quietly.
“I don’t need to, but I’m going to.”
“His little brother will be there too.”
“Okay.”