Love For A Game

Chapter 23

The next two games do not go our way, either. Colbert defeats us easily, and we fall behind in the series 3-0. We lose game two by a score of 5-1, and lose game three 6-3.

Nicole shows up to practice the day before game four, the bruises on her face and body almost completely healed. She plays with us in scrimmages, but she doesn't play like she did before, like she isn't quite 100%. We all know that she isn't, either. How could she be, after what happened?

The practice ends well, and she promises all of us that she will be playing in tomorrow's game. She is met by plenty of remarks, telling her that she shouldn't play, that she isn't ready, that it isn't the right time.

I stay silent through all of this. I know that she wants to play, that she needs to play, so that she is satisfied with herself. I also know that we need her to play, and that maybe she can be the x-factor that can turn this series around.

Nic and I go to a coffee shop after practice. We both order coffees, and sit in a corner booth.

"Are you sure you're ready for tomorrow?" I ask.

"No," she says. "But I'm going to play anyway."

"You didn't look 100% in practice today."

"I know. I still feel pain sometimes. Like a dull throb in my head, arms, and legs, that never goes away. It upsets me, that I was so vulnerable. I allowed it to happen. And I'm suffering the effects of it."

I take her hand in mine. "What happened was not your fault. Don't ever think that. Tomorrow is a must win for us, and if you want to play, then play. I don't advise it, but I won't stop you."

She smiles at me. "Thank you," she says.

"How did practice go for you?"

"I don't know," she says. "It hurt to do all that. Especially the scrimmages. I'm glad no one hit me very hard. It might have re-aggravated one of the injuries."

"That would be bad," I say. "That might've taken you out for the rest of the series."

"You know that the team needs me there. If I don't play tomorrow, you'll lose for sure."

"You can say that again."

"Are you ready for tomorrow, Jordan?"

I smirk. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

***

Darren Reynolds is pissed. How could this happen? My plan was foolproof! She can't be back now!

Upon hearing the news that Nicole Lavoie would be playing in game four the next day, he went into a rage, and threw the controller to his Atari 2600 across the room. Luckily, it didn't break. He didn't need to spend another twenty bucks for a new one.

He was also bewildered at the fact that she is playing. Questions ran through his mind: How is she physically able to play? Will this affect the outcome of this series? Will we still win?

His arrogance tells him that he will. However, his logic tells him otherwise. This is what scares Darren. The fact that his chances of walking all over the Ryerson Raiders are diminished chills him to the bone.

Of course, there's Jordan Devlin to deal with. Darren knows that he can defeat him. He also know that Jordan doesn't have it without the talent around him. If you shut them down, he's quiet on the ice.

He's also a loose cannon; the fight back in December tells him that. Get him mad, and he snaps. Maybe he can get Jordan kicked out of the game. Now that would be nice.

He knows in his brain that losing tomorrow's game is not an option. He has to win. If he wins, then the Raiders are out in four, easy-peasy, no harm done. But if the Raiders win, they have a glimmer of hope. They could pull themselves back up, and then they might win.

It wouldn't be a cakewalk, Darren thought. That has to change.

***

I wake up the next morning ready to play hockey. The game isn't until three, but I cannot wait. At eleven, I phone Nicole, and we walk down to the arena.

We change in the locker room as we usually do, and we skate out onto the ice for a skate. We skate around for god-knows how long, and shoot pucks against the boards, and practice our deking. We don't stop for a break, until the zamboni becomes visible at the side doors. We skate off the ice, with our pucks in a bucket.

We head to the locker room, and remove our jerseys. We sit at our stalls in our Under Armour shirts, with the rest of our equipment.

The rest of the team arrives one by one as we sit there. No one says anything to each other, we just nod in greeting and sit in our respective stalls. The tension is too high; we cannot ruin our concentration.

After a few minutes of silence, the trainer walks in and tells us that we must go out to the ice. We all stand up, and exit the dressing room.

Today is the fourth game, and it has got to be the most important game for us. Winning means we break into this stronghold that Colbert has on us. Losing means that everything that has happened this season (my record-breaking season, the countless hours of practice, and the acquisition of Nicole) will be for not. To have that happen will be a disaster.

It cannot happen. Not today. This is our series to win. And we are going to win it.

____

The song on the side is "Light in the Tunnel/ Human Race" by Tom Cochrane and Red Rider.