Frozen in Ice

Chapter 6

Luke's POV

"Coach Luke is here," one of the kids called.

I immediately got swamped by 11 and 12 year old kids. David smiled at me but then told the kids to get back out on the ice in preparation for their game.

"Didn't they think that I was coming?" I asked.

"I told them that you were but they seem to love you," he smiled.

I smiled as well because they seemed like really good kids as well. They were all really interesting in playing hockey and they took instruction as well as any 11 or 12 year old kid. I was beginning to learn everyone's name and position but I let David get them into the right positions before the game started.

The game started not long later and I had a lot of fun. They all had so much energy and they all seemed to love the game. The team won so that made them even more excited. I made an effort to high-five every single one of the kids before they left with their parents.

I noticed that there was one kid left sitting on the bench and he looked a little upset so I moved to sit beside him. Just as I was doing that I remember that his name was Thomas.

"Hey, are your parents not here yet?" I asked him.

"They are always late," he said soberly.

"Do you want to come onto the ice with me then?" I asked.

There wasn't another game on so the ice was completely empty. I had clearly said the right thing because he brightened up and smiled at me. I was glad that I was wearing trousers and hoodie so I could skate in them and that I had brought my gear.

I joined Thomas on the ice moments later and we were shooting pucks. Thomas seemed to have completely forgotten about the fact that his parents were late to pick him up. I didn't keep track of how long we were out there but it was at least twenty minutes.

I heard someone call Thomas' name and we both turned around. A woman was standing just off the ice and I assumed that it was this Mother. He quickly skated off the ice and started to pull his skates off.

"I'll see you at practice, Coach Luke," Thomas smiled.

I offered him a smile and watched him trail after his Mother. I didn't know whether I should have said something about her being late but I decided not to. I wasn't sure if that was rude so I didn't. I pulled my own skates off as I sat on the bench.

There was going to be another game on in half an hour or something so I packed up and headed out. I had shift at the restaurant in an hour so I needed to head home and change anyway. It didn't take me long to pack up before heading out.

Mom wasn't home but I was expecting that. I had got used to the silence of the apartment now but it still felt empty and lonely. I missed having Mom to talk to as I got ready for school in the mornings and when I got home but it hadn't been like that in years. Years since Mom has had time away from work to spend with me.

To counter that I got busier. I spent more time playing hockey and would take on a lot of shifts at my job so that I didn't have to spend much time, alone, at home. I quickly changed and headed back out again. We were all working because Saturday is busy so it requires everyone.

I arrived fifteen minutes early for my shift but there was work to be done so I just started working. Lisa and Max had started earlier and they smiled when I walked in but then gave me tables to wait on and I started.

The lunch rush was busier than I expected but I should have really expected it. It wasn't the most popular restaurant but a lot of people still came in. I didn't have a chance to talk to anyone until after 2 when most of the lunch diners had left.

Max and I sat down on the ground in the kitchen during our break because neither of us could be bothered going into the break room. We made sure that we were out of the way of everyone else before we sat down.

"How have you been?" I asked.

He offered me a half smile before talking about his current college work.

"What about you? How are you finding Pittsburgh?" he asked.

"I haven't really had a chance to look around yet but it seems like a nice city," I said.

"I really like living here. We should go exploring some day we don't have work," he said.

I nodded and we talked a little bit more before we were needed to get back to work. A couple more people came in and I headed out to take their orders. The rest of my shift past quickly because we had a lot of fun when we weren't taking orders.

I headed home headed straight to bed. I was tired and didn't feel like staying up. I had already finished all my homework so I didn't have anything to do.

I was still tired when I headed to school on Monday. I had a late shift again on Sunday night as well as rec practice. Brynn was already there as I sat down. I grabbed my book out and then started using it as a pillow.

She didn't say anything to me but I could see her glaring at me. Mr King came in and started the lesson and told us to work on our worksheet in pairs.

I turned to Brynn and we started working together. She clearly knew what she was talking about because it didn't take us long to finished it.

"How are you finding the school so far?" she asked.

"It seems nice. I haven't really had a chance to talk to many people yet," I said.

We talked a little bit more throughout the rest of the period since we were finished. As we talked I forgot about the other things that she had said because she seemed to be really nice. I was still tired but by talking to Brynn was I distracted and didn't think about it.

The bell rang and we both started to pack up.

"Maybe you aren't as bad as I thought," she mused mostly to herself as she left.

I stood there for a minute in shock because I didn't really know what to say to that. Clearly she really judged me before she really got to know me. If she decided that she was over that then maybe she would be nicer to talk to during Maths.

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The Wise One