𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓

chapter 18

charlie was able to get the perfect guy, russ. he was a short boy with abig mouth. he'd been playing street hockey nearly his whole life with his brother and friends. he fit in perfectly with our team as well.

we were now playing against russia and it was the third period. we were winning so far, 2 to 1. russ was wide open, slapping his stick to get the puck to him.

he easily got it, wound up for his famous 'knucklepuck,' and the puck went right to the back of the net. we all jumped in excitement as now we had a good chance to win.

after our game, we all stood in the locker room in our gear. coach bombay said he had a surprise waiting for us. then in walked in the wayne gretzky.

my jaw dropped and i couldn't even move. dean slung his arm around me and pulled me over towards him.

everyone shook hands with him and we got a team photo with the man. as he had said a few words with us and then had to leave, i was still in complete shock.

one of the most famous hockey players in the world stepped into our locker room and talked with us. "might catch a few flies if you don't close your mouth, mymy."

i was taken out of my small trance as dean commented that towards me. i looked up at him to see he was looking at me with a smile planted on his face.

it felt like we stared into each other's eyes for eternity. at that moment i had taken in most of his features that i hadn't seen before. he was just so-

"okay let's get changed and head back to our rooms. tomorrow's a big day," coach bombay said to the whole team. we immediately looked away from each other and i went to go get changed.

"we don't have a game tomorrow though, coach," charlie commented towards the man. a small smirk arose onto bombay's face.

"i know, i just thought a little more fun wouldn't hurt anyone." we all cheered in unison as tomorrow already sounded like a blast.

when we arrived back to our rooms, i set my bag down and plopped onto my bed. i came to reality that i hadn't called back home for what felt like forever. i punched in the numbers onto the phone and let it ring.

after four rings, someone finally picked up. "jenny's talking." i could hear she was chewing gum as she smacked her lips when she talked. a small chuckle came out of my mouth.

"hey jen, it's mymy." a little gasp came from the other end of the phone. "oh my gosh! i haven't talked to you in ages! there's something big i got to tell you but, you speak first."

i caught her up on everything. from our coach being known as 'captain blood,' to now coming back to reality, meeting wayne gretzky, and even dean. boy, did i have a lot to say about him.

"okay so clearly he's in love with you," jenny began as i wanted her input on what to do. "so i say, take the shot and if you miss, it's his loss."

as much as jenny and  may have fought or had our rough moments, i loved her so dearly at the end of the day. i mean, she was my older sister for peats sake.

"alright well enough about me, what'd you have to tell me?" i questioned, intrigued by what she said at the beginning of the call. 

"okay so, you know how jacob got to college and just dropped hockey in total?" she asked me. a confused look spread across my face. "yeah. he was the best on his team and then he just stopped."

"well what if i told you, he wants to start coaching?" my jaw dropped at her words. i had always wondered, and even asked, why my brother stopped playing. he was amazing at it and he knew it.

"wait but how? he said he'd never want to step foot on ice again?" i twirled the phone cord in my hand as i wanted to hear her response. "it's you."

once again, a confused looked was splat on my face. "what do i have to do with this? i haven't even been home for a month." i chuckled quietly to myself.

"we've been watching your games, mymy. he saw you out their; having the time of your life and that smile on your face that never went away. he wants to feel that again."

i was quiet for nearly a minute as i had to process what she said. i inspired my own brother to start coaching. plus, i knew exactly what she was talking about.

the warmth in your stomach when you slam someone into the boards, sitting on the edge as you watch your teammate skate down to make a goal, if you lost or won a game, that feeling of family you have with your team.

it wasn't always about winning or losing, it was about feeling home.