Her

: : Part XXX : :

: : Part XXX : :

Thursday, June 9th, 2011 | Ice Skating Ring | Sienna {16} and Carson {18}

“Alright,” you began with a authority in your voice, “as you all know the hockey season has already begun but we need players. We need a strong arsenal of offensive and defensive techniques, and that is where you come in. At the end of today we will announce who made the team and who didn’t. Keep in mind that we don’t have time for a lot of training… so if you don’t get chosen, remember there’s always next season.” You talked to the group of about twenty guys standing before you. They were all applying for about five open positions and about two substitute positions. Your team stood behind you, all with expressionless faces and all with their hands crossed over their chests. You were about to give the tryouts some instructions when Alex skated up behind you.

“Can I talk to them, you know, to rally them up?” He asked, and you nod. You skate back to where he was standing before, and you leant on the side of the ring. You saw Sienna sitting in the bleachers; her hair was tied to the side. Her school uniform was still on, her blazer was on and wrapped tightly around her. She waved and smiled at you. “Fight-“ Alex paused, “and you may die. Run and you will live at least a while. And dying in your bed many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance…”

“Isn’t that the speech from ‘Brave Heart’?” Sienna whispered, you turned and she stood next to you on her side of the barrier.

You nodded, “Yeah, I think it’s the only he knows.” She laughed.

“Are you going to stop him…”

“Nah,” You shook your head.

“Just one chance, to come back here as young men and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they will never take our freedom!” Alex finished, and his hand rose in the air.

“Oh, God.” Embarrassed Sienna placed her head in your shoulder. “Save him.”

You skated over to Alex and nudged him behind you. “Now, we begin.”

You instructed the tryouts around a warm up. When it came time, the group got in pairs, one tryout and one team member. You began to yell the next set of instructions to them. You skated back to the side and began writing notes on each player. But it was a hard process, taking notes, yelling, and observing.

“Here, let me.” Sienna said coming up from behind you.

“I can do it.”

“No, you can’t. Give it here… just tell me what to write.” Sienna took the clip board and began writing, her neat swirly writing contrasted heavily with your pathetic excuse that you call longhand.

“Number 19- Goalie.” You told her.

An hour later tryouts were completed.

“Okay if I call you line up next to me. Number 15- Simons, number 19- Johnson, number 3- Oliver, number 5- Clarence, number 20- Arenth, and as a sub number 18- Michaels. To the rest of you, better luck next year.” After the failed tryouts left the ring you began shouting instructions. “Now, we are a team now. After today there will be no more split sections. We are one. The new recruits stand along there,” you pointed to the side, “while the rest of us how hockey is played.”

After dividing the team into two- excluding the newbies- you skated over to Sienna.

“Can you ref?” You asked her. “You know all the rules, and you watch every game.”

“Okay, but can I do it from here? I don’t have skates.”

“I’ll get you some.”

“No, I can’t skate.”

“We will have to fix that, but for now just stand with the new recruits.” You tell her, handing her a whistle. “Just call it like you see it.”

“Okay.” She walked over to the boys and smiled nervously at them.

They began to chat to her and she eased up, blowing the whistle starting the game.

________

“What was that all about?” Alex asked you at the end of the game.

“What was what?”

“You were playing a lot harder than you have been. I mean, it was good, but just weird. This is practice after all.”

“I know, I just wanted to show the recruits how they should play.” You shrugged easily. You gathered up everyone. “Good day today guys! Practice is on again tomorrow afternoon so don’t be late.”

Everyone scattered away, and you took the opportunity to talk to Sienna.

“Thanks for that.” You tell her, she was sitting up on the side of the wall, her feet were crossed at the ankles and her hands were on the bass steading her.

“No worries, Wallace.” She mocked you, referring to a character off ‘Brave Heart’.

“Your brother is Wallace…” You tell her.

“You seem like a better Wallace.” You sink into a silence.

“So you can’t skate?” You ask her, after a moment.

“Yeah, Alex tried to teach me but he gave up.” She laughed at herself.

“Well, I might try to teach you then.”

“You could try but I won’t be any good.”

“How about tomorrow?”

“What about it?” She said, confused.

“How about I teach you tomorrow, after practise.”

“Okay.”

You smile and take the whistle from her. “It’s a plan.” It’s a date, you wanted to say.