Elliot ditched his jock reputation after high school. He happily traded his cleats and shoulder pads for college cafeteria food and seminars notes. Now, without the distraction of football, he has managed to find success at the University of Minneso...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Change your speed on the rush, Charlie. Strengthen your legs. Bend your knees," Pierce instructed. The young boy obeyed, but still couldn't block the goal. "Good!"
"He got past me," Charlie whined.
"But your form improved," Pierce encouraged.
The ice was glossy. Pierce and the boys had shoveled the snow to the banks, leaving a wide-open space to skate. The morning sun had glazed the surface, leaving it perfectly smooth. Elliot stared at the white rime beneath his shaky feet as he approached the group of kids.
Cold was an understatement. Minnesota winters were brutal and sharp. There was a brittleness in the air that nipped his cheeks and ears, leaving his skin pink and his lips chapped. Before he could even daydream about a good moisturizer, his balance faltered and he collapsed onto the ice. He had barely moved three feet from the perimeter when his entire body smacked the frozen lining.
The loud thud caught the attention of the group of boys, who all cringed with sympathy. Pierce only squinted in disbelief.
"Alright, guys. Go home. Take a break. We'll start a new game later," he said, already gliding away. Some of the young boys grumbled in disappointment, but they all obeyed. "I gotta' go help a rookie."
Skate lines tailed behind the edges of Pierce's blades. As he sped toward Elliot's location, the etching sound of scratched ice echoed off crystalized pinecones and mounds of snow - a winter wonderland.
