The Slap Shots

Chapter 5

My back is drenched in sweat. I can't see it but I can feel the huge dark stain on the back of my t-shirt.

The sweat beads roll down my clumped up hair and fall down onto my nose.

My eyelashes are soaked, I feel like I've been crying for the past hour.  I rest my hands on my knees bending down and letting the blood rush back to my head. I take as many breaths as I can and then splash some water on my face.

My hands reach the bottom of my shirt and I pull it off, letting the soaked fabric fall to the asphalt.

Practice is almost over and I must say, for our second practice without Matt we're looking pretty good.

Actually, it's Emerson who looks good.

Out of all of us, she's the only one that isn't completely breathless after the end of practice suicides.

She lets her sweater fall off her shoulders, letting it land on the floor like I just did with my shirt and I know right then that every single player who is either laying on the ground, walking off the soreness or drinking water now have their eyes turned to her.

She shakes her hair with her fingers and then pulls it into a high ponytail, her eyes closed the entire time.

I must say that every single boy here is gross looking when they are sweaty. Their hair flattened because of the water, their faces shiny and gross. Their shirts revealing pit stains and chest and back stains.

Not her.

It doesn't even look like she sweat that much at all. Sure, her forehead and stomach are shining a little thanks to the setting sun but other than that she looks hot and not to mention sexy.

She rips off her socks, balls them up and then lets them land on her sweater next to her roller skates.

She grabs her water bottle and sips from it as the rest of us do the same.

"How was first practice ?" I yell at Em as she screws back on the cap to her pink bottle.

"Meh. I've had worse." She winks and picks up her gear. "It looks like  you guys are pretty beaten down though." She raises an eyebrow as she walks towards me, and past all of the third stringers.

"Me ? Nah. Not at all." Her eyes flutter to my chest and stomach as she saunters over closer to me.

I grab a towel from the ground and dry my back and forehead.  Xavier comes marching over and steals the towel from me.

He rips his shirt off and starts drying himself from all the sweat.

In that instant I can see that Em's eyes widen slightly at the sight of Xavier's body.

His eight pack is more apparent than ever and his arms bulge as he stretches to get the sweat on his back.

His neck muscles bulge a little, and his deltoids and back muscles literally glisten.

It looks like he has on armour, but really it's just him.

"Anyways." I say staring at Xavier willing him to put on a shirt.

"We'll see you tomorrow at the same-" At that my cell phone rings. I pull it out from under my shirt.

My mom's happy smiling face appears on the screen. I suddenly grow nervous. It's never a good sign when my mother calls.

I press the answer button and press the phone against my ear walking away from Em and Xavier.

"Hello ?"

"Don't act like you don't know who this is Freddie." She sounds pissed and that's never good.

"Yeah, sorry. What's up ?" I ask as nicely as possible.