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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑

❝ 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔦'𝔪 𝔰𝔬 𝔰𝔦𝔠𝔨 𝔬𝔣 𝔰𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔢𝔫 ❞

     "OH, MR. TIBBLES, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

Fulton gulped, looking at the unconscious man that he just hit. "My bad"

"Oh, uh, I'll have a cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate shake, please." Tibbles knocked the ice pack off of his head, the melted water cutting through his cheeks.

Fulton's slap shot was so absolutely insane you may as well have hit Tibbles with a bowling ball. We all crowded around him after he shot the puck, hoping that Tibbles would awake from the dead, but it was the kind of feeling there was no adjusting to.

I was also hoping I'd get used to the feeling--a strange, acrid feeling like the supply closet in a chemistry classroom--but no such luck. So I shuffled around my peers, with my shirt collar pulled up over my face and my hands held out in front of me, and hoped for the best.

I tripped and nearly fell. Something stopped me from skidding away across the floor. The sight of Tibbles only made me feel worse. I began to imagine what we would do now that we killed him.

Forget winning or losing--what if Fulton got us all sent to jail? I'd never survive there. And I was too big of a follower to not join a gang or something. Everyone here with me was as good as dead.

The lady gaped at Tibbles. "I think he'll be okay, but we'll keep an eye on him."

Quietly, I sighed, thanking whatever gods that were there for not sending me to jail. Maybe I'd live to see that Johnny Depp movie that Averman cared so much about.

     "Oh, I'm sorry! He didn't have a chance to introduce us.," she said, standing up and silencing the group, "I'm Michelle Mackay, their tutor."

     Coach Bombay dangled a glove in our direction and, when everyone around failed to take it, dropped it on the ground.

     "I'm Coach Bombay," he said. "Their coach."

     "Who said we need a tutor?" Casting a mistrustful glance at Mackay, Banks whispered something in Charlie's ear.

     "Now, Miss Mackay, we're America's team here," said Goldberg, letting out a booming laugh. "Shouldn't we just be concentrating on hockey? May I suggest... optional attendance?"

     I felt a flush of relief; maybe I wasn't the only one who thought we needed to focus on what was important. I was hoping I'd actually have some fun this summer!

Averman began to protest, but Mackay shut him down with a withering glare. "Well, thats not a bad idea," Mackay sighed. "Yes, school will be optional."

     And with loud cheers from the rest of the team, the silence fell away.

     "However, should you not attend," said Mackay as we continued celebrating, "you will not be eligible to play."