Cheap Shots

00:11

UNEDITED

11.

         “I didn’t think you had it in you,” Beckett told me as we snuck out the back door of the girl’s locker room and through the middle school parking lot until we reached the senior lot near the track. 

            “Well get used to it.”

            He laughed as I followed him over to his car.  “Wait, you’re coming with me?”

            “Yeah.  How else am I supposed to get to the rink?”       

            “Your car,” he said like it was obvious.

            “Jacque usually picks me up in the morning, and I usually walk home after going to the trainer’s.”

            “Get in.” He told me with a slight huff as he slid into the drivers seat and put the keys in the ignition.

            “Did the game already start?”

            “No, it starts in a few minutes, we’ll be a little late, but at least we’re going.”

            “Yeah what’s the plan, by the way?” I asked, “I mean, I don’t think you should just march in and be like, ‘Hey, coach, fuck you, I’m sitting on the bench with my team directly going against your orders to stay in the trainer’s office.  Oh, and about that, I may or may not have went into the girls locker room and snuck out the door inside the laundry room that Orion may or may not have accidentally known about even though it’s against school policy.’ Sounds like a great approach.  I’d like to keep my caption-ship thank you very much.”

            He laughed, “I was thinking something along the lines of, ‘Hey, coach, I heated my thumb during my last three periods so I’d be okay to come to the game and Justin let me off the hook for an afternoon, sorry to go against what you said but I was just looking out for the team because I’m a captain.’  Better?”

            “Better.”  I affirmed.

            “Sweet.  We’re here, too.  Are you staying for the party after the game, too?”

            “Well you’re my ride back now so I’ll go wherever you go.”

            “Wow, Smith, I didn’t know you liked me so much!” Beckett joked as he got out of the car, and I soon followed suit.

            “You wish, Manno!”

            ***

            They lost.

            I think it had something to do with the fact that the ice hockey coach was less than pleased with the fact that his captain showed up halfway into the first quarter, with an illegal cross on the ice to get over to the bench where he was.

            “So tell me again why you thought it would be a good idea to cross the rink as we were in a time out?  Seriously, dude, I thought coach was going to break your other thumb,” Sean asked Beckett as they climbed into Beckett’s car, along with me.

            “Yeah, well, I didn’t really think that part through.”

            I snorted.  “Obviously.”

            “Whatever, Smith, you better be nice because I could kick you out and make you walk, you know.”           

            “Then I’d catch the stoner bus,” I told him like it was no big deal.