"Oh c'mon Callahan! Are you really going to let him beat you?" Mason yelled from hind me.
"Shut up! I don't know where he is!" I pushed various buttons on the controller as I tried to hunt down Conrad's player.
"She doesn't stand a chance man," Conrad laughed.
I screamed when Con came around and shot at my person, instantly killing me. I threw down my controller and flopped down on the ground. I was just beat badly. Normally I can destroy anyone, but not today.
"I've been wounded," I cried.
Conrad let out a cry of victory and started awkwardly dancing around the room. He kept saying that his little brother, our little brother, Brandon more affectionately known as Bran, would die if he heard Con had beaten me in Call of Duty.
Even through all of the craziness Con was still able to hear his phone from across the room. He cursed when he read the text and messed up his long hockey hair," Its- Well its my dad, our dad... It's him. He's pissed off because I'm not home."
"Sure has you on a tight leash doesn't he?" I questioned.
"Cal-"
"No it's fine. I don't want to be blamed for your absence. He already dislikes me enough," I told him.
***
"Push Callahan!" Coach yelled from center ice," Harder! You have to skate harder!"
I tried to draw in a deep breath and push off harder. The harder I fought to skate, the worse I felt. Coach was pushing me to extremes that I knew I needed to get too, but I couldn't force myself to skate harder. Not today at least.
"I can't coach," I mumbled gasping for air.
"Okay that's enough for today, you're free," he said patting my shoulder," You're getting a whole lot faster by the way kid. We might actually stand a chance this year."
"I'm just one member coach," I reminded him," It takes a whole team to tango."
He laughed and nodded," So it does Callahan. That's why I think we stand a chance."
"We're going for Natty's coach. That's what we all want. We'll do what we have to."
"Is that a promise?"
"Absolutely, I don't want to go home empty handed. I don't think the rest of the boys do either."
He nodded and shooed me away. I grabbed a quick shower and drove back home. Mom already had dinner on the table, but there were three more places set at the table. I heard the voices before I saw who they belonged too.
"Callahan!" My little six year old half brother yelled as he ran towards me.
"Bran!" I knelt down down so I could give him a hug.
"Sorry to intrude, Danielle invited us. I hope that's okay with you Callahan."
I then came face to face with the woman that had giving birth to Conrad and Bran, my two new brother and best friends. I couldn't bring myself to hate her though, maybe if my father was here I could.
"Yeah of course! So long as you're okay with four boys fighting over food," I said nervously.
Conrad came swooping in a few seconds later," Okay... Awkward first encounter over. Cmon, the awkward dinner is next."
YOU ARE READING
The Penalty Box
Teen Fiction"Why do you play hockey?" He asked with a sense of urgency to his voice," Callahan why do you play hockey?" She shook her head, not able to find the right words," The box," She finally forced out," I used to play for the box." "Why do you play now?"...
