Something So Perfect (Something So 2)

“No worries, it’s okay.” She smiles and is about to walk around him when he stops her with his hand on her arm. I’m about to go and break his hand.

“I’m Jamie. I play for New York.” He smiles at her, holding out his hand.

I see her looking down at it, grabbing it and shaking it.

“I’m Karrie Cooney.” The forced smile is on her face. Unlike the ones she gives me at home. Well, there are also the glares. I can’t decide which one I love the most.

“Shit, the boss’s daughter.” He laughs. “Just my luck. The only girl to pique my interest and she’s off-limits.”

Okay, this is enough.

“Totally off-limits, bud.”

She looks over Jamie’s shoulder, finding me.

Jamie smiles at me, walking past me and slapping me on the back. “Got it.” Is all Jamie says, making Karrie cross her arms.

“The nerve of him,” she grumbles, turning around, walking toward the arena, and I’m pretty sure she’s still talking to herself. I shake my head while I watch her ass walk away. Fuck, my handprint would look great on her.

Walking back into the room, I zone everything out. I warm up my muscles and start doing my routine that I’ve always done. Gearing up, I look around the room as some of the teammates argue and joke with each other while some music fills the room.

Coach Dan sticks his head into the room. “Go time, boys.”

I look at the board with the lines. I’m on the third line with Jamie and Phil. Third line is better than no line. I walk to the ice, the noise of the crowd growing when everyone skates on. I’m the last one out of the door and the roar of the crowd goes nuts. I hold my stick up, saying thank you while skating in a circle.

I stop by the board while we do drills, looking around. I look up at the boxes and my eyes find her, but she’s looking over at the other box while she must be listening to the girls talking. I don’t know what they are saying, but I can see her lips mumble from here. She’s a nut.

Once the puck drops, it takes a while before I get my feet under me. A fuck up in the neutral zone has me skating to the bench, almost ready to snap my stick on the board. It doesn’t help that Max shoots his mouth off when I get to the bench right before he goes on, “Well done, rookie.” I shake my head.

“Don’t mind him. He gets pissy when someone prettier comes along,” Phil says to me. “You’ll get it back.”

By the time the end of the first period comes it’s still 0-0. We walk into the dressing room, all of us sitting down while the coach goes over plays that we fucked up on. Once he’s done he walks out, leaving us to ourselves.

“Almost made us down one with that move,” Max says to the whole room.

Luka gets up, taking his stick.

“What, Max? You never fucked up? What about the time you had a cramp and couldn’t skate and I had a three on one?” Luka shakes his head, looking at me. “Don’t do that shit again.” He points to me and walks out to get his skate fixed.

I don’t say anything nor do I try and engage in any conversations. I

go over plays in my head. Once I get on the ice I get more comfortable. I make more daring plays, more chances till one finally pays off when I stick poke at a pass, intercepting it at the blue line.

I skate up to the puck ahead of me, my speed going ahead of the puck, so I’m toe dragging the puck through my skates and coming one on one with the goalie. I’m coming in fast and the goalie goes deeper into his net, protecting nearly every single part, but he goes a little too low and I see the sweet spot right above the pads. I lift up my stick a little, snapping it into the net.

The building goes crazy. The fans are on their feet. I throw my one leg up, skating on one, fisting my hands by my sides, roaring out, “Fuck yeah.”

My line mates come and celebrate with me.

“There goes that monkey off your back,” Jamie says as we skate to the bench, high-fiving everyone.

Brendan puts his hands in my face when I get on the bench. I smile big and look up at the only person I care to see. Karrie. I find her and see her smiling at me. I wink at her, the camera catching it and having everyone cheering, thinking it is for them, but she knows it is all for her.

The rest of the period is rushing to keep the lead. It ends with us sealing the win with an empty net goal. While celebrating, I’m walking off the ice when I’m tapped by a reporter who wants to ask me questions, but he has to wait because I’ve been voted the first star of the game. I skate back onto the ice with three pucks, throwing them into the crowd while I skate around. I look up at the box, seeing her standing on her feet while she cheers for me. Or the team. I’m saying she’s cheering for me.