SOMEBODY ELSE ⇢ LUIS MENDOZA [2]

thirteen

"Alright, I've been doing my homework on The Varsity. I'm not gonna lie to you, they're good. The way they wiped your faces in the dirt last time was no fluke. So, if you want your pride back, you better be willing to work. There's nothing glamorous about it. In the pros, we call it blue-collar hockey." Coach Orion began.

"Now, there's one thing The Varsity does very well; they're vultures around the net. They pick up every piece of loose trash." He held up a piece of trash that he'd taken out from the bin, which he had brung onto the rink, for some reason.

"That's how they beat you. Not with the first shot; the second and the third. They bang in the junk. So if you wanna win, you're gonna have to pick up the trash." Coach Orion finished. He picked up the trash can and emptied all of the loose trash onto the ice.

"Nice..." Hailee grimaced.
"Whew, man." Russ remarked.
Averman picked up a bagel. "Have any cream cheese?"

***

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Coach Orion shouted, hitting the pieces of trash towards the team, who were all stood in front of the goal.

The team all took turns to take a piece of trash and hit it into the net.

They even went outside and skated down the roads, picking up pieces of trash and throwing them into the trash can Coach Orion was holding.

"Let's go, get over here!" Coach Orion ordered once they were back inside. "Grab a knee?"

Hailee kneeled down in front of the coach and Adam kneeled down beside her. She turned to him and smiled.

"You guys are not skating like Warriors! You look like something else..."

Hailee frowned as she shared confused expressions with Dwayne and Averman.

Charlie watched as Coach Orion opened a box in the center of the circle the group had created. "You look like Ducks." He held out the team's old jerseys.

Hailee excitedly turned to Adam, making him chuckle.

"Robertson." Coach threw Dwayne his jersey.
The team got up and skated to the box, all eagerly searching for their jersey.

Once they had all replaced their previous jerseys with their Duck ones, the Ducks skated around in a circle, chanting: "Quack, quack, quack!"

***

"Fasten your seat belts and hold onto your hats, everyone. Oh, do we have a special showdown for you! David vs Goliath in a titanic grudge match! The winner can truly say that he is the symbol of Eden Hall."

"Tonight, the Eden Hall Varsity Warriors do battle with the Eden Hall freshman Ducks. That's right, folks, look at those uniforms - the sign of the Duck is here at Eden Hall for at least one night."

"This is for Hans." Charlie said to Fulton and Hailee, who were leading the team onto the ice.

They both nodded before skating onto the rink.

The Ducks skated around in a small circle, gently touching the ice with their hockey sticks.

"It appears they're paying honor to their departed friend and mentor, Hans. The touching of the ice is a Norwegian symbol of respect."