Ice Lovers (boyxboy)

CHAPTER 26

(Diego POV)

Today my team has another game. I'm finally allowed to play in the games again so I'm pretty excited for this. I even invited Mason to come and watch. He agreed, so he'll probably be there.

I also invited my parents and sister. I didn't expect them to actually say yes though. So they'll be there too apparently.

I don't really enjoy the first few minutes before a game, they always feel so slow and filled with worries. The most I can do to distract myself is just getting ready and listening in on everyones conversations around me.

I know everyone is out there waiting for me, waiting for me to go out there with the rest of my team. I'm the center, so I usually score the most on my team, but that also means I get lots of attention.

I wanted to be a defenseman when I joined but my coach thought I'd be better as the center. But at least I don't have to be a goalie, that position seems kinda scary. But as the center, I still get hurt every now and then.

I sigh to myself as I sit on the benches in the locker room, listening to all the snickering going on around me. I bounce my leg up and down in anticipation, gripping onto my hockey stick.

I take a deep breath, fixing my posture and looking behind me. “Hey, Graham, pass me the tape.” I say to one of my teammates, stretching out my hand towards him.

I wrap the tape around the blade of my hockey stick, making sure to cover it as well as I can. One of my teammates taps me on the head as he walks by, glancing down at me. “You ready, Sanchez?” He asks me, a smirk on his face.

I nod my head to him, smiling back. “Do I look ready, idiot?” I respond with a chuckle. He laughs and walks off, shaking his head. I stifle a huff of laughter to myself, turning back to work on my hockey stick.

Then I check my skates, making sure they're completely laced and secured. Then I put on my helmet, then my gloves, grab my mouth guard, and I'm all done and ready. I take another deep breath, resting a hand on my chest.

“Alright, head out!” The coach booms across the locker room, letting us know it's time for the game to start. I follow everyone out and make it to the player benches where we all talk for a few more minutes.

This is a home game so I know exactly where Mason will probably be sitting, I don't know where my family will be though. I look back at him, giving him a wave and a smile.

He smiles and waves back, how lovely. Just that small interaction alone is enough motivation to get me through five whole games.

I stuff in my mouth guard and enter the rink, taking up my regular position ahead of the others. And just a few moments later, the game begins. Within seconds everyone is skating around the ice, chasing after the puck, or defending.

Within the first section of the game, I was able to score once and assist one of the wingers in scoring. Then we were able to take our first break. I sat down on the player bench and one of my teammates handed me my water bottle.

I take a few drinks and listen to whatever the coach has to say about the game so far. I take the break to catch my breath, looking around at all the people cheering in the bleachers. I look back at Mason once again, giving him another smile.

He returns the favor, this time smiling and blowing a kiss at me, which I pretend to catch. I can see him giggle from this, I wish I was close enough to hear it. I let out a short chuckle and only turn back to look at my coach when one of my teammates hits me on the shoulder.

And soon I'm back on the ice, catching and carrying the puck across the ice, trying my best to dodge any incoming players. The other team gets the puck, my team turns to defense, trying to block the goal once they finally take the shot.

I try as hard as I can, in every game, just to get hit in the face by the puck. “Fuck!” Suddenly I feel a sharp sting of pain, I kneel down, dropping my stick and clutching at my face. I drop my gloves, feeling my face and seeing blood. I look down at the ice where several drops of my own blood lay.

The game stops and someone skates towards me, handing me a towel and placing a hand on my back. I put the towel to my nose, where I think I'm bleeding from. “Alright, off the ice.” The person says to me, pointing to the exit. I nod to them, standing up a little straighter to skate out of the rink, taking off my helmet as I do so.

This isn't how I wanted this game to go at all. Even if it's just a simple nosebleed, why me. I'd have preferred Simon get hit or something but he wasn't on the ice, still on the benches. It must've been the puck that hit me in the face then.

I make it off the rink and one of the coaches leads me out through one of the corridors, probably back to the locker room, and I can feel a few of my teammates pat me on the back as I pass them. They lead me back to the locker room, letting me sit down on the bench for them to inspect my face.

Then another adult comes in, carrying a first aid kit, probably some kind of nurse. They both touch and prod at my face, asking me questions as well. Eventually they get my face all cleaned up, giving me a thumbs up and telling me how bad it is.

“Got a pretty bad nose bleed and a small cut on your left cheek, might bruise, maybe a mild concussion, too.” The one with the first aid kit tells me. “Can I go back to the game?” I ask him, placing a hand on my face and feeling the few bandages he placed. “On the bench, Forman is taking your place for the rest of the game.”

I grimace at that, Forman is Simon's last name, which means he's on the ice now. I sigh and nod at the guy, letting him know I understand. I hope Simon gets hurt now that he took my spot in the game.

The two guys lead me back to the benches where I'm handed back my stick and gloves that I'd dropped. I sit down on the bench and drink from my water bottle, answering all the questions from my peers.

I bet Mason is pretty confused about this. I didn't expect to get hurt so he probably didn't either. And my mom is probably so terrified right now, my dad and sister might just be surprised though.

I look over to Mason and he looks back, a look of confusion and concern on his face. I smile, giving him a thumbs up this time. He nods his head in understanding then looks back to the game.

The rest of the game went well, we ended up just barely winning. Simon was able to score just enough times to get us a win just before the time was up, good for him. I know this game didn't go so well for me, but at least we won. Maybe I won't get hurt in the next one.