Mighty USA Ducks

Twenty-Seven

We all were in the locker room and Adam walked in as everyone was half dressed ready to. I had Charlie next to me. But I felt too awkward to even talk to him that I decided to just talk to Russ the entire time. Adam walked in with his bag, his wrist no longer wrapped in it's bandage. I was standing now, my hockey pants, socks, shin pads on. Same for most of the others in the room.

"Coach, look," He showed Coach his wrist. "I woke up this morning and the pain was gone," Coach smiles and we all clap him on for his progress. My best buddy ready to play for the last time with all of us.

"That's great Adam!" Coach tells him, examining Adam's wrist. "But we got a full roster," Russ was gonna take his jersey off when I stopped him and walked up to Coach saying I was going.

"I'll sit out," I tell him.

The Charlie walks up, "No I will, I'm captain," He says. I look at him and was ready to make a deal out of this until Coach split us up from each other.

"No, you're playing. Charlie, I'll need you by my side coaching," He says handing Charlie the clipboard and I turn around walking back to my seat. Just great! He outbeats at me everything. it's not that I didn't want to play, I was being nice and letting him play and I also wanted Charlie to play as well. I've been to many championship games. I sat down putting my shoulder pads over my head as Charlie started taking his gear off.

"I win, Princess," He says. I didn't know why he was acting this way. Does he think that that kiss meant somehting? I don't know because he never told me? I don't know how he feels, but I'll ask once we're alone. If he says yes, then I don't know what I'll say and he says no, than I'll find something to say. Or maybe I could ask Adam, they both bunk together are pretty close as friends. I'll just ask Adam to avoid awkwardness with Charlie again.

I walked out of the locker room and down the hall with my team. Coach in the back with Jan and Miss MacKay as the rest of us were up front. The doors were already open and the crowd was cheering loudly as we all put our hands in the air, taking in the crowd's cheerfulness and energy. I always loved walking onto the ice with a crowd of full of energy. It made me want to play harder than ever before and every time I went up to my potential and limits like never before. In one game, I had went from end of the ice to the other end and scored like thta. I was too fast and good for those boys!

So proud of that game, in fact, it's a photo in my suitcase with me next to the press. I have many photos like that. I have a really good one of my father and I, both in our hockey uniforms on the day of our biggest games of our lives, of course this was before our knee injuries. Duh! But he was wearing his Minnesota Waves jersey while I wore my Wadena Blue Ropers. I was number 89 on that team since on this team I am also 89. But back to the story I was telling, he was kneeling while I sat on his knee and we both took pictures. It was for the local magasine and in the photo before that one, there was one of my entire team and all the Minnesota Waves.

My old team had made me a book of all the pictures ever taken of us at practices, during games and just when ever. At the end of the book was a picture of each player, their names and numbers. It was awesome and some days I wish I could go back and play witht hat same team. I last played for them five months ago, but last saw them about a month or so ago.

Coach had put Luis, Averman, Jesse, Ken, and Russ out on the ice out on the ice for now and the rest of us had taken our seats. Charlie, Coach and Miss MacKay all stood on the bench behind us and the rest of us were seated on the bench watching right after we did our cheer. "Team USA all the way!"

"Hey Adam?" I asked. Charlie wasn't gonna be able to hear us so I was fine right now talking to him. He nods and watches the game but is listening. "Um, why is Charlie acting weird around me?"