flipped. charlie conway

13

sliding out onto the ice with the number sixty-six on her back was odd. leah didn't feel like herself and she was partially desperate to cleanse herself of the foreign jersey, but part of her was relieved to be free of the heavy black of the hawks jersey.

leah's hope was quickly shoveled back into her gut as adam and her approached the team warming up - and they didn't even acknowledge their two new players. adam and leah should have expected such a welcome, but it was still disheartening. she couldn't believe she thought charlie conway would welcome them, he was supposed to be their friend!

adam and leah joined in with the ice sprints and shots, eventually diverging from the team altogether as they shielded the puck from the two. they just wanted to play hockey. as adam and leah were passing the puck to each other, coach bombay reeled the team in.

"now, let's give it our best shot, alright? cradle the puck, concentrate." coach bombay encouraged. adam and leah stood to the side, aware of their perceived place in the team. the ducks piled their hands together, and leah was hesitant to join in. she didn't feel welcome to chant.

"we're ducks now." adam nudged his sister, sensing her hesitance. adam's words shifted the reluctance in her chest, realising that she wasn't alone. with a sigh, leah placed her hand into the pile and joined in the last few 'quacks' of the chant.

the team cheered and diverged onto the ice, adam taking his position on left wing as leah took my position on right wing. jesse hall centred for the face off against the huskies, and leah instantly felt the familiar rush of adrenaline enter her veins. the only thoughts in her head were hockey strategies.

once the puck dropped, jesse immediately nudged the puck out of centre ice. leah quickly chased the puck and passed to adam, pulling back so that jesse could sneak into centre ice. adam passed to jesse, who unfortunately lost the puck as a husky slid by.

if only the game went as fast as their skates, because adam's and leah's exclusion from the game was growing tedious. it was frustrating - none of the ducks would pass to them. they only had possession of the puck if they intercepted it, which leah was the only one doing.

"over here," she called to jesse as she slapped her stick onto the ice, "i'm open!" leah was free right in front of the husky goal, basically begging jesse the duck to pass the puck.

to her frustration, he only passed to charlie as the two ducks struggled to keep possession of the puck. adam was on the bench as leah frustratedly moved back and forth across the goal.

"here!" she called, continuously skating in what seemed like pointless directions, "come on, pass it!" this game was tedious, and leah was already starting to hate playing for the ducks.

"pass it to banks!" coach bombay shouted, his voice echoing in the rink. after what seemed like forever, leah took initiative in annoyance and skated away from the goal. as charlie passed to jesse, she intercepted the puck and manoeuvred her way back to the goal, shooting the puck in victoriously.

leah threw her arms into the air, immediately looking to adam who also had his arms up. but, her small victory was quickly burdened when she looked to jesse and charlie, who only shook their heads and skated away with annoyance. leah let her arms lower as her chest sank a little. leah really didn't feel like a duck.

leah's shift on the bench went faster than expected, and soon enough they were in the third period. adam and her were back on the ice for the final period, taking the opportunity to work together and integrate their teammates into their plays. with each goal, their teammates seemed to warm up to them a bit. guy, connie, greg, terry and lester were ecstatic to play on the ice with the two new players, but charlie and jesse still seemed unhappy.

when the final buzzer rang, the ducks cheered victoriously.

"we're going to the playoffs!" coach bombay exclaimed as the ducks crowded him. adam and leah joined the huddle, celebrating with their new team. perhaps not the banks' best game, but it was a success.

that evening, leah sat on the raft in the pond. she had drifted a few metres away from the bank during the last hour, but it only meant she could see deeper into the mossy lake. the sun was starting to set and the purple sky was reflecting off the gentle ripples created by the wind. it was serene.

at the sound of rolling wheels, leah looked up to meet eyes with one pair of dazzling eyes on roller skates.

"charlie, hey!" she waved and started using a fallen branch to wade back to the bank, "you should come out here, it's so peaceful."

"no- uh, i can't. i've got- um, i have stuff to do." charlie immediately denied the invite. leah's shoulders dropped in slight disappointment, but she understood. he started skating away before she could even formulate a response.

"maybe another time!" she called out, sighing at the interaction. leah realised she should be getting home herself, before the sky turned navy. as leah walked, she couldn't get that one pair of dazzling eyes out of her mind.