[HIATUS] Malls and Arcades | Max Mayfield

Chapter Two

「 "Softly smile, I know she must be kind" (Good Vibrations, The Beach Boys). 」
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Why were boys so rough? This one she has the displeasure of interacting with was trying to knock her off her game. Or more accurately, her skates. Yes, hockey was a contact sport, but this boy was doing too much contacting.

But it didn't matter, she had important things to think about. None of which were related to the game she was playing, but it was something.

Just when she was going to pass the puck over to her center, the wind was knocked out of her. She collided head-first into the ice and was suddenly very glad to be wearing a helmet.

Her center and the ref skated over to her and the boy, who didn't at all look like he regretted what he did. Luckily, her team's goalie was much closer than the two oncoming skaters.

Before the boy could even register it, her goalie tackled him. They went straight for the ice and her goalie was giving out what could only be punches to the other boy. Talia watched them in astonishment, now sitting on the ice instead of laying on it. There was definitely no smile on her face at the sight.

It made sense her teammates were protective of her; she was the only girl on the team. They didn't appreciate when people took offense to this. So, her team would always deal with those people.

It reminded her of Haydn. He would do these types of things all the time at school. Speaking of Haydn...

But she didn't have time to finish her thought as the ref and her center had made it over. The ref's whistle almost made her deaf from its high-pitched ring. But it was an obvious cue for the boys to stop their one-sided fight, which they did.

Her center pulled her to her feet, and they watched as the ref reprimanded the boys. Their coaches had even come over to listen in and lay in the conversation. In the end, the boy who knocked her down was out without a substitute, and her goalie was put in the penalty box.

It was easy to continue with the game after that. Or it would've been if Talia was allowed in anymore. Her coach thought that being antagonized like that knocked her off her game and she was on the bench. She didn't mind it allowed her to think about more important things.

And as much as Talia loved hockey, she found herself drifting away from the match in front of her.

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Her team had won the match, obviously. They were the best team in the town! Admittedly, they were the only team in the city, but that still made them the best! (But technically, also made them the worst. But Talia didn't want to think about it.)