Olympic Fire [Miracle on Ice]

CHAPTER 7: Seriously?

Rewritten with slight changes :)

~JACK'S POV~

My roommate is another guy from Boston, Jack Hughes. Yes, two Jacks in the same room, both Bostonians. When I get to our room, he is laying on his bed and reading a book. When the door close behind my back he looks up: "Didn't you go out with the others?"

"Well, I did. But I don't feel like being around Min-"
"Guys from Minnesota, right?"
"And that girl."
"You mean Kimberly, right? Chick from Brown University?"

"Yeah, her," I plop down on my bed and bury my head in a pillow. "I don't get it, what is a girl doing in men's team?"
"I don't know, it's weird. Hey, did you answer all of those questions?"

I lift my head and look at him: "Not all of them, what about you?"

"Halfway through it. Ya think coach is slightly insane?"

"Slightly? After all, he is a coach of Minnesota. And he has proven his insanity already..." I mumble with a hint of resentment in my voice, remembering that game we just talked about. That infamous game, the bench-clearing brawls...the accusations, which I firmly believe are true, that Herb's attack was premeditated. They were underdogs, we all knew they wouldn't stand a chance.

"Have you seen how many guys from Minnesota he picked? Bet the team will not have any guys from Mass on the final roster."

"I hope he won't make the team only from Minnesotans, that would be unfair."

"Let's hope we stand a chance... Hey, should we finish the test?"

Okay, I am not in a mood, but I know I will have to finish it eventually. And solving a test with a teammate can't hurt anyone, seems like a good way of bonding.

One hundred fifty questions and more than an hour later our tests are completed and I have learnt so much about this guy. I must admit, I wouldn't mind having Jack Hughes as my teammate (or even line mate, to be honest) at the Olympics more than half a year away from now. He is an easy-going player, but it's obvious he dislikes Minnesota. After we finish our tests, I grab one can of beer from the mini fridge for myself and toss one to him before sitting down on my bed.
"So, do you think playoffs '76 will repeat?" Hughes asks, taking a sip of his beer. Ah, the semifinals '76...infamous semifinals. I did play back then and I was of course one of the enforcers. From all the guys from BU here, Rizzo and I were the only ones to actually be a part of the team. A minute into a game the gloves dropped and this huge fight happened. It took quite some time for an actual game to begin. And yes, it was Boston University against University of Minnesota.

"I hope so," I grin and empty the can.

"Trust me, Terriers are still not over that. I know we won two years later, but Minnesota has just won another title."

"I know, I know, but remember, Brooks is a coach of the U, do you think it would be clever to get into a brawl?"

I think for a second: "Better now than later."
"You are right about that. What about the girl? Why you hate her so much?"

I get up from my bed and start pacing back and forth the small confined room: "Well, during the tryouts she told me I should get lost. While I was just, you know, trying to help a damsel in distress."

Hughes' eyes are wide open: "Really? She seems really nice, I would never expect her to do that."
"Well, she did. Plus, a girl has nothing to do among men. No matter how good she is or how fast she can skate."

"I agree she has nothing to do here, but... would you really injure her that much to force Brooks to send her home?"
"No. I am going to make her wish like hell she never came here. I am going to make her go home by herself."