Olympic Fire [Miracle on Ice]

CHAPTER 8: Come On, Drop Those Gloves!

Photo url: http://i.imgur.com/239rwnX.gif

~JACK'S POV~

"Tell your boy to keep his head up so he won't have to worry 'bout it," smile draws on my face as I watch McClanahan laying on the ice while two of the guys, Harrington and Verchota, help him up. With a spark of a satisfaction I notice the hit gave him bloodied nose.

"That was cheap," I hear other guys mumble, but my eyes are focused on three guys from Minnesota and especially Verchota's death glare.

"Let go off me," McClanahan tries to free himself from two iron grips, but doesn't succeed.

"Mac, it's not worth it. Stop it right now, let's get you patched up," Phil tries to calm his friend down, but he has hard time keeping his voice calm and I am sure if this wasn't an Olympic team tryout, he wouldn't hold him back. He would probably help him. Especially since he is one of the players to play for the U in '76.

"I want a piece of that ass!" McClanahan's face is red with rage. If we were in a cartoon, there would be probably steam coming out of his ears and bloodied nose.
"Next time watch where are you skating, ya whiny baby!" I yell after him when he is taken off the ice. He turns around, drops of his blood landing on his jersey and Doc's shirt, and tries to skate back, but Harrington stops him. My grin grows wider, but then I see Herb. Well...he is not happy at all.

"Come over here, Jack."

Mentally rolling my eyes, I skate over to him: "Yes, coach?"

"Was that necessary?"

I think for a second before answering: "It was, coach."

"Do you wanna get your ass flown back to Charlestown?"

Even though he says that calmly, chills run down my spine. There is no doubt he wouldn't do that. And McClanahan is one of his players from the U, of course he wants to send me back right now. I look down and shake my head: "No, coach. I am..."
Okay, I am not sorry, but if that's gonna keep me here...

"I am sorry for hitting McClanahan, coach."

"Are you now? Get back there and give me one good reason not to send you back home!"

McClanahan comes back soon and we continue with scrimmages. And this time, she takes McClanahan's space. Yeah, yeah, I know, coach warned me, but come on, this is hockey. And of course I won't pull the same trick again. I know she will be watching every move I make. As soon as the puck drops and coach blows the whistle, she skates for the puck and passes it to Johnson, who skates with the cold rubber towards Jimmy's goal. Just in front of the net, he passes it to Strobel. He fakes a slap shot and passes the puck back to her, when she losses ground beneath her feet and collides on the ice. With the help of my stick and slight nudge at the right time, of course. Everyone gasps as her helmet hit the ice and I can feel their glares on me once again, only this time I bet they are all nearly death glares. Strobel and Johnson want to help her get up, but she shakes them off: "Wanna go, ya showoff?"

"What would a baby like you do, uh? Maybe cry for help?"

"Okay, that's it! Or are you afraid of fighting?"

"Beat the shit out of you? It would be my pleasure."

I drop my gloves on the ice and look at her again before charging into her: "Drop those gloves, ya baby. Or do you fight with your gloves on? "

"You asked for it," she yells and in a next second her gloves drop too. One thing I forgot is that she is much lighter and she can dodge my fists faster than anyone else I have ever fought. My fist clenches tightly around her jersey and she does the same before throwing the first punch. She clearly aims for my head and her hit was somehow expected, so I dodge it with no difficulties. She tries to punch me in a jaw two more times before I pull her up by her jersey, just a bit so she is now touching the ice only with the tip of her skates.