Love Game

Chapter One - Dreams And Nightmares

I wake up in a cold sweat, jerking up at my alarm goes off. It’s 4 o’clock in the morning, telling me that it’s time to get to the ice rink before anyone else has the chance to. I jump out of my queen sized bed and I immediately slip into a pair of gray sweatpants and a Niagara Ice Dogs hoodie. I wipe the sweat off my forehead as I look in the mirror. My auburn hair hangs in my face, soaking wet with sweat. When my nightmares would end, I will never know.

I’ve been having the same nightmare for months. Ever since that night I was drunk with one of my brothers teammates. One thing led to another, and he stole my innocence. I don’t remember all that happened during our drunken night, but I know I have felt nothing but regret since.

My nightmares always included him. His eyes staring through me as he pinned me to the bed. The way his lips locked with mine, and the taste of the whole bar on his breath. His words were full of venom and lust as he slurred in my ear. Everything from that night would always repeat in my brain while I was asleep. I hated it. I absolutely hated it.

I splash my face with cold water, waking me up instantly. I throw my wavy hair into a ponytail, pinning the falling hair from my face. I put on my tennis shoes and I slowly open my bedroom door, looking down the hallway to make sure my brothers wouldn’t see me.

It was the middle of summer, and Dougie and Freddie were home to train and be with friends. I loved having my brothers home, especially Dougie. Him and I have always gotten along, even though we both try to get on each others nerves. We would always gang up on Freddie, and Freddie hated us for it. But then there were some days Dougie and Freddie would gang up on me, considering I was the youngest Hamilton and the only sister.

After I quietly and successfully tip toe my way down the stairs, I open the closet door underneath the stair case. After I lift several sleeping bags out of the way, I grab my hockey bag. I always knew how to hide it perfectly.

I put my bag over my shoulder and I swiftly walk into the kitchen, grabbing an apple and a granola bar. I put the bar in the front pocket of my hoodie and I keep the red apple in the palm of my hand. I hear a door from upstairs open, and as quietly as I can, I sneak out the back door and I start running towards the rink.

The reason I wake up every morning to go to the ice rink is because that’s before any of the “town studs” come to the rink to practice. Since my best friends father owns the arena, he lets me practice as long as I want before the rink opens. Plus the hockey players in St. Catherine’s aren’t exactly the friendliest. Beside my brothers, all the hockey hunks here pick on me. They always tell me that girls shouldn’t play hockey and should stay in the kitchen. I’ll admit that it was hard to me to swallow when I was told that. But since my experience with the man who took everything from me, I refuse to let anyone step all over me. I love proving people wrong, and practicing and working hard always seemed to do just that.

***

"Hamilton, you’re late!" my friend Karson waits outside of the arena, holding the keys in his hand.

"You try running five miles at 4:15 in the morning, Blake." I say as I approach him. "At least you have a car."

"I’ve told you several times, Mallory." Karson says as he unlocks the door. "I would be happy to pick you up."

"But running is good for cardio!" I protest, smirking at him as he holds the door open for me and I walk inside, seeing the pitch black arena.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You just want to be like Dougie and Freddie, don’t you?" he laughs as we start to make our way downstairs into the locker rooms.

"You know I want to somehow break the barrier in the NHL." I say as I throw my bag down onto the floor of the locker room.

"Mal," he sighs, sitting down on the bench. "It seems silly, don’t you think?"