Mason Harrison is the captain of the hockey team, undeniably good-looking, and always knows just what to say. But he doesn't come without his flaws... After a traumatic relationship leaves him unsure and fearful, Mason doesn't know when he will be r...
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---- MASON ----
knockin' on heaven's door - guns n' roses
Growing up, my mom used to work double shifts a lot, especially once I was old enough to stay at home by myself. That meant that, more often than not, I fed myself and put myself to bed.
To put it bluntly, I had a lot of free time on my hands.
To any other kid, that would've meant endless sleepovers, hanging out with their friends until midnight, or getting involved in something they shouldn't. But I hadn't taken that extra time by myself for granted.
So instead, I spent as long as I could at the rink. I would catch a ride to practice from a kid named Tommy, who went to my school, and then I would stay after practice to skate even more. Eventually, the rink manager would need to Zamboni the ice and go home, and I would walk to the bus stop and ride home to my empty apartment.
I think a lot of people thought I was just dedicated, but in reality, I was scared.
I was scared to go home to my empty apartment, where I would, without a doubt, see a rat run across the floor. Those things are scary as shit. No way in hell I could ever be an exterminator.
I was scared for my mom, who would be, walking back from her job in the wee hours of the morning. I was, scared that we wouldn't be able to pay the power bill and the lights would shut off.
But I was really terrified that my mom would lose her job and I would have to quit hockey.
Hockey had been the one thing in my life growing up that I knew I could depend on, and the thought of having to leave that was terrifying.
Waking up early to go skate on the fresh ice before anyone else's blades etched into it. The sound of the puck dinging off the side of the net. The smell of the popcorn from the arena concession stand. All of those things were ingrained in my brain.
So, as I sit on the bench watching Codie and the other players on his line race across the ice, I can't help but be thankful that I never had to say goodbye to my favorite thing on earth.
As soon as my skates hit the ice when it is time for my line to hop over the boards, everything seems to fade away. Skating has always brought me peace and eased the tension that I keep bottled up.
"Sunny! Sunny!" One of my teammates Callum Brooks, more affectionally known as Brooksy, yells. He quickly passes the puck to me as he skates out from behind the back of the goalie's net, and I cradle it in order to slow some of the momentum before passing it back to him.
As soon as the puck hit Brooksy's stick, he shoots it off into the top corner of the net, flying past our goalie Mackey.
"Atta way Brooksy!" I cheer. Even though it was just practice, it still feels amazing to be able to put together plays and successfully execute them.
