The Lonely Hour

Chapter 3: The Last First Time

It was the same familiar smell that triggered flashbacks of my first practice for a college team, my fist goal, my first celly, my first everything. I always took a second to breath in the scent deeply before taking a step onto the ice. The smell just always triggered memories.

It was a new season, my last season. It's crazy to think how fast my four years have gone. No matter the stress that was put on me during the year, when I stepped on the ice it melted away. The rink was my safe haven.

As I stepped onto the ice I could see familiar faces. It was only our second practice of the season and girls were just meshing so well with each other. I took a warmup up lap for myself before standing next to Rebecca and Julie, my lines mates from last season.

Rebecca was the tallest out of the group, she measured six feet in her skates. She had this super long blonde hair that always fell nicely even when it was sweaty from practice. Although today it was braided neatly down her back. As for Julie, her hair was dark and fell just to her shoulder blades. While Rebecca's most stunning feature was her hair, Julie's was her eyes. They were this intense shade of green and they seemed to shimmer in the light.

I had played with Rebecca, my right wing, since sophomore year. I only began to play with Julie, my left wing, junior year.

"Where's coach?" Julie mumbled impatiently. Her hands layered on top of each other as they rested on the knob of her stick. Julie was very serious and never wanted to waste practice time.

"I haven't seen her" I answer back. Just as the words escape my mouth there's a whistle.

"Listen up!" Was followed by it, on the bench stood coach. Her curly hair pulled into a low pony tail, the whistle hanging from her neck as two fingers fumbled with it.

"I've got a little surprise for you, I figured what better way to begin the first real practice of the season than with Coach Quenneville of Chicago Blackhawks" As she said the sentence a smile formed, which was very rare. She stepped aside revealing the man behind her. I knew who the man was, but I wasn't exactly impressed with him.

"Hey girls I'm looking forward to coaching you , I also have a guest here to help" he paused "Patrick Kane, number one over all pick of the Blackhawks-" he had begun to ramble but the man who seemed to appear out of know where cut him off.

"Please I don't need the whole introduction coach" He said, interrupting the coach in the middle of his sentence, cocky much? I knew of Patrick Kane, all of Chicago knew of him. But as with Coach Q, I wasn't impressed with him either. He didn't have a cup, and playing for Chicago wasn't exactly something you could brag about either. Especially with them being on a forty year something cup drought.

The practice went by rather fast and quick, my line of Rebecca, Julie and I had stuck. Quenneville made us the first line and with that we were able to choose how to close out practice. I had suggested a scrimmage in which Patrick Kane had to play on the opposing team. The team was in favor so the first two lines and three D men changed into black jerseys, the other team kept the pale blue ones on.

I took the face off against Kane, winning it clean, I left him with a speechless look on his face. I gave the puck straight to Rebecca who retreated into our zone reading the few options she had. Kane didn't leave me, his 5'11 hight towered over me, blocking me from the eligibility to receive a pass. Rebecca passed to me anyway and I spun around Kane, skating him out of his boots. It turned into a break away, a foot race of Kane and I.

Backhand, forehand, backhand right in off the pipe and behind the goaltender. Rebecca and Julia congratulated me on the goal. We set for the next face off, Rebecca against Elizabeth, a girl on the team.

The whole scrimmage Kane and I were head to head.I had to admit that my competitiveness had gotten the best of me as Kane and I hogged the puck the entire time. Finally a whistle stopped the game, my team won by a score of 4-3.

I found myself being the first off the ice and first into the locker room, giving a smirk to Kane as I left. I pulled my helmet from my head, pushing back my sweaty hair. I than stripped down all of my gear and headed to the showers, leaving the team in the locker room.

After a cold shower I changed into a pair of sweats and a hoodie with my team's logo on the front. I threw my hair into a ponytail and collected my gear. As I was walking out of the locker room there was Patrick Kane.