Just Another Goal (Counting on Hockey #1)

Chapter 9: Before the Game

It's Thursday. I've been at this new school for about a week. I've become friends with the entire boy's hockey team and I have started to warm up to hockey, somewhat. I have been at every single practice this week and I have gotten to the point in skating where I don't need the boards to hold me up anymore. I'm still a slow skater, but I'm getting better.

Tonight we have a game against our rivals, the Arctic Foxes. Or 'The Cold Ones', as our school likes to call them. Apparently the schools have been at rivalry for more than 20 years.

Dad kisses me goodbye before the game and I walk onto the porch to find Noah and Cole already in the driveway waiting. I hop into the back of the car and we speed off to the rink for warmups. 

We find that the Cold Ones are already here and knew that wasn't good. It's always bad when the opposing team shows up before the home team. That means they're usually up to something bad. 

The guys and I walk through the back door. I offer to fill all the water bottles. I take the basket and walk down the hall to the bottle filler. I hear a group of guys coming down the hall towards me, but I don't think anything of it. I finish the bottles and turn to find the players from the other team blocking my way.

I say excuse me as nice as I can, but they don't move. Instead they walk closer towards me. I back into a wall, almost dropping the basket of bottles, and all I can think is don't hurt me. I mean, if you were surrounded by a whole bunch of hockey players, you wouldn't be scared?

The one in the middle speaks first, "So I hear you're the new princess this year. What's your name, sweet little thing?" I don't say a word.

He steps closer to me, "I think I was talking to you, wasn't I?" his face is just inches from mine now. I drop the basket of bottles, but he doesn't flinch.

Choking back tears I say quietly, "Meredith". I've never been more scared of someone in my life. 

"What was that?" His yellow teeth sneer into my ear. He looks strangely familiar.

I try to say it loudly enough, "Meredith".

"Well, Meredith, it looks like you won't be giving your boyfriends their water tonight". Then his hand whips across my face. The hit almost knocks me to my knees. I let out a yelp.

"You're a tough little girl, aren't you?" he says, punching me across the face this time. I fall to my knees in the corner where he had pushed me to. He hit me just below the eye. It's extreme pain. It might just be me, but I think I hear the others laugh.

"No one touches her! Ever", I hear a voice come from behind the group of Cold Ones. They turn to find Cole, Noah, Zac, and the entire rest of the team standing there. I can only see out of one eye at the moment, everything is blurry. I think it's the rest of the team, my double vision and blurriness isn't helping right now.

"What are you going to do about it?" The leader says. Then he turns to me, kicking me in my side. I grab myself around the waist and fall to my back. The searing pain just got worse.

I can feel the guys tense, or maybe it's just me. "What did he just say about touching her? Hitting a women is wrong, but when you touch our best friend, that's when we get really angry", this time it was Noah who said it. At least my hearing still works.

I think I see Cole walk up to the leader and punch him square in the nose. "Now, I know for a fact you don't want to be kicked off the team. Now leave Meredith alone and leave! Or else my team will knock each one of your asses so hard, you'll be in the hospital until you're thirty. Got me?" The Cold Ones storm off to wherever they came from. I feel someone's hands slide under my back and pick me up.

I think we end in the guy's locker room. "Coach, we aren't going to explain until after. Where's the first aid kit?" The guy who is carrying me says with a serious tone. Cole.

I'm laid down on one of the benches, and I feel my shirt being lifted off my stomach. It still hurts like crazy, and right now I only have about 75% vision between my eyes. Everything is blurry, and my left eye is starting to swell.

Cole holds the small of my back, Coach wrapping a bandage around my stomach.

"Get me an ice pack, right now", Coach yells over his shoulder. A moment later I feel the ice pack on my cheek and eye. I wince. "I think he kicked her with a......", I black out for just a second from the pain.

I'm able to sit up after, maybe, 20 minutes, with help from someone behind me. Cole is crouched in front of me, Noah right beside him. "What the hell happened? You went to fill the water bottles. I didn't realize you could make that much trouble", Cole says, trying to make me laugh. It helps a little.

"I don't really know. They just walked up to me, the leader guy slapped me, then punched me", I try to hold back from crying out in pain. "And then when you guys came he kicked me. And here we are. Your good luck charm could cost you the season if the Cold Ones run their mouths".

"It was him wasn't it?" Coach asks Cole. Cole nods, turning back to Coach for a quick second, then turns back to me.

"Mere, don't worry. You will be fine. Coach will get everything under control. You are okay", I finally broke down. I land in front of Cole, making him fall to his butt. I crawl onto his lap and wrap my arms around his neck. My pain is still excruciating. I grab a bunch of Cole's jersey in my hand.

Now to worry about the game. Well, and the fact that I was just beaten by some a$$hat who thought it was okay. He looked so familiar. Who was he?

Edited: 3/2/22