Sam doesn’t give me a chance to react to his statement. He turns on his heel and walks out the door as I stare after his profile. It takes me a full minute to remember where I am. When I snap back to attention, I hear the Zamboni machine hit the ice and make its rounds in preparation for tonight’s game. I decide to head back to the cafeteria for lunch before making my way back to the dorm for an afternoon nap. I feel uplifted and internally berate myself for ever thinking Sam could have possibly been Devin’s Dad. I laugh at myself and then with the knowledge of “game on” still as far as seducing Sam goes. I fall asleep, tired but happy and let my muscles find a complete state of relaxation before tonight’s game, or games rather; one hockey, one hottie.

When I wake up, I look over and see Jimmy lying on his bed, arm thrown over his face and snoring in short staccato bursts. I work my way out the door quietly and head back to the arena. It will be about time to suit up for Coach’s pre-game pep talk and go over the things we had accomplished in practices that he wants us to put to the test tonight. As I enter the locker room, the cadence of various voices hush and all eyes turn to me as I walk past Stevie and his crew. He leers at me and is about to say something when Kasey comes up behind me and looks from me to Stevie.

“All good here?” he asks but his tone dares Stevie to say whatever he is about to.

“Yeah, I’m cool.” I glare at Stevie, also daring him to mouth off. He shrugs and turns away. But not before I catch the hint of malice in his eyes.

“Whatever. It’s good.” Lucky for me we’re on the same team, otherwise I’d be watching my back on the ice today. Coach strides in through the office door, sparing any of us having to say anything further as I begin to suit up.

“Let’s look alive boys!” His pre-game is always peppier than his serious, carefully controlled attitude in the bench box. We continue to dress as he calls out names and gives instructions. I’m just finishing lacing my skates when he yells, “Fisher!”

“Coach.” I look up and wait.

“Watch the right defenseman on the Cougar’s team. He’s also Southpaw like you and has an angle on your stick-side.”

“Will do Coach.” He looks between me and Stevie but says nothing. There isn’t a lot that happens among the team that Coach doesn’t know about, but he lets it slide for now since Stevie is J.V. and won’t be on the ice with me.

We all file out of the locker room and begin warm up, circling the ice and taking practice shots on Kasey. I search the stands but see no sign of Sam’s return and feel a twinge of disappointment. I feel a sharp pang as someone shoulder bumps me, skating astride on my left.

“Better watch out Fisher,” Stevie snarls in my ear. I glare through my mask at him.

“Or what? You’ll throw the game for the whole team?” I quip back.

“Hell no. J.V. is going all the way to the Championship. Just saying, your little boyfriend better watch his ass next time he tries to check me off the ice. I’ll put him in check if you get what I’m saying.”

“Go anywhere near him…” I snarl, but Stevie laughs in my face, further raising my ire.

“Yeah I figured you and he were that kind.” He makes it sound repulsive and I am about to lunge for him when Coach’s whistle blasts.

“Off the ice boys, it’s time!” He bellows just as the siren blares signaling the start of the game and queuing the J.V. players to take position. I skate over and bale over the side of the bench wall as Stevie and his friends gather in a group and snicker. I feel the weight of Coach’s hand rest on my shoulder pad and tap as he starts bellowing orders to the J.V. team. The siren blasts again and the Ref drops the puck between Stevie and the Cougar’s center and the game begins.

“Let it go Son.” I hear Coach’s voice in my ear and I nod. The J.V. team plays hard. I have to give him credit; Stevie is one hell of a player. He’s definitely going to make Varsity second string by next year and give me a run for my money with his skills. If he chooses to continue when he becomes an upperclassman, he’s going to have Pro’s scouting him. I’m fortunate that he steers clear of me, opting to seat himself at the far end of the bench when he is called off to take a breather. The Cougar’s J.V. team has skill, but they are disorganized and our boys pull the lead in the second period and keep it there until the end of the game.

When the siren sounds, a cheer erupts through the crowd, signaling the school pride for the J.V. Bobcats. I hop off the low-rise wall and onto the ice, circling the net next to Kasey as we have a minute before we have to line up. I glance at the crowd one more time before looking back at Stevie’s smirking face. I don’t see Sam anywhere.

“Focus on the game, Jayden,” Kasey calls out and I skid to a halt next to the net. We bump heads through our helmets and I hear a voice in my mind that skates with me at every game.

You can do anything you put your mind to Jayden. I’m proud of you and the man you’ve become.

I recenter my focus with the thought of what Dad would say if he was here and glide up the ice, taking position at the center. When the whistle blasts and the puck is dropped, I check out the Cougar center, a guy with a few inches in height on me. I blast through with the puck stick-side and speed down the rink on skates that make me fly.

The feeling of euphoria is interrupted as the right defenseman for the Cougar team comes battering toward me and checks me so hard, stealing the puck and taking off to pass to his wingman. I’m dazed as I clamber back up from the ice and sprint down the center. Fortunately, Kasey is one hell of a goalie and makes the first save. I look over at Coach as he bellows, “Remember the Southpaw!” I raise my gloved hand at him in acknowledgment as I swing back around Kasey’s net and collect the puck. Barry has checked the wingman and I circle back and around on another sprint. This time I’m ready for the defenseman and fake-out so that he thinks I am banking right and away from him, but I cut left and go around him. The net is wide-open as their Goalie also shifted right and is scrambling to get back to cover his open net. I shoot and the siren for the first goal sounds.

I raise my arms and stick and the guys skate up, giving me slaps on the helmet and bear hugs, but we all know the game is far from over. That’s when I do a double take and see a man sitting in the center section of the home team’s spectator stands, on the very first row. At first, I thought it was Dad as the image was hazy through the plexiglass, but then I see Sam push his glasses up on his nose and I smile.

The rest of the game is brutal. The Cougars step up, wanting the win just as badly as we do and by the third period, I’m a skating bruise from being checked so much. The score is tied, and we are pushing for the last few minutes to pull ahead. It’s only in the last few seconds of the game that I have another break-away. The Cougars, it seemed, assigned a defenseman specifically to be all over my ass for the rest of the game, making it difficult to rack up the points and pull into the lead. We’d remained tied because my wingmen, Jeff and Carter, had received some passes from me putting them in prime position to be free of the defenseman who was tailing me and scoring themselves.

The last few seconds remain, and I am face to face with the center who is snarling at me when I hear Sam shout, “win it for Devin!”

I blast through the center with this thought and Barry and Remy check the wingers for the Cougars and Jeff and Carter slam into the defenseman, leaving me wide open with their goalie. I fake out again and see the goalie prepped for this, but what he isn’t prepped for is the slap shot I hit the puck with, lifting it from the ice and sending it whizzing past his helmet in the upper right corner, catching the net just as the buzzer sounds.

The raucous cheering is deafening. The Bobcats are going to the playoffs because both J.V. and Varsity won. It will be only one game now, with players having to work together from both teams, and per Coach’s discretion, but the team is whooping together nonetheless. I catch Stevie’s eye and he stares for a moment before turning away, but I shrug it off.

There’s a lot of cheering and banter in the locker room after, but I hasten to shower.

“Keep up the grade,” Coach warns from the office door as I pass it.

“I will Coach.” I head to my locker and get dressed.

“Yo, man, celebration tonight! You coming?” Barry asks.

“Sorry man, I can’t. I need to work on that paper, so Coach doesn’t bench me through the playoffs.”

Barry looks slightly crestfallen, but Clive slaps my shoulder and Kasey nods at me.

“Won’t be the same without you there, brother.”

“Yeah but it would be worse if he wasn’t there at the games.” Kasey supplies.

“True.”

I grab my bag and make my way out the door, not giving Stevie and his group a backwards glance as he stands up like he’s about to say something. When I exit the locker room and step out the front door, Sam is standing there, beaming at me with Devin in front of him who is jumping up and down.