The Hoodie Girl

Chapter 6

Asher

By the time game night rolls around, I'm wound as tight as a coil. I stretch a bit to ease the tension in my back, but it does little to help. Lifting my leg to rest it on the bench, I shift my gaze to Zach as I pull on my gear. Dude's struggling to distinguish between his left and right shin guards. A ghost smile makes its way on my face, and Zach doesn't miss it.

"Yo, Reed, get that shit-eating grin off your face," Zach mutters. "You put your skates on the wrong way that one time, I ain't forget."

"What grin?" I smile innocently. "And you had them right the first time."

He groans, pulling his socks off more violently than necessary as he swaps his guards for the third time in the last ten minutes. I snicker to myself. He didn't have them right the first time.

When I chuck my jeans into my duffel bag, a red blur tumbles out of the pocket. Frowning, I reach down to find a red ribbon. It comes back to me in waves. This is Wren's ribbon—the one I stole a few days back at Dunkin'.

Half of me has the strange urge to tie it around my wrist as a sort of lucky charm, but the other half doesn't believe in luck or superstition. Eventually, the latter wins, and I shove the ribbon into my duffel along with my jeans, making a mental note to return it to her later.

Now that some of the anxious energy has rolled off my chest, I start tying the laces to my trainers, which some of us wear to avoid walking around with skates on. The game's against Maris Stella, one of the best high school teams in the state. For the last five years, Eastview seniors haven't won against Maris Stella. That thought alone adds a lot more pressure on my shoulders than there already was.

"I think I'm going to shit myself," Harvey murmurs.

"It'll be fine," I say. "Don't worry about them; stick to the game plan and we'll be good." I stare at them. Determination fills me as they raise their heads, promising to play their best.

"Yeah," Daniels says to Harvey, patting his back. "We'll be fine, Oompa Loompa."

"That's so funny." Harvey throws his hands in the air. "So freaking funny, man."

I roll my eyes with a lingering smile, ignoring their banter. Today's game is at Lynwood, meaning we don't get the extra warm-up time on the rink that we normally do. Taking my phone out of my duffel, I check that I haven't gotten any new messages from my mom. Coach pops his head into the changing room. "Everyone out in five! Meet me at the benches on the far right."

A few of the guys follow me out and we walk along the hallway leading to the large, transparent doors. The clamor gets louder as we get closer. A rush of cold air strikes me as I trudge to where Coach is standing.

When I reach him, I sit down, placing my helmet and mouth guard next to me. The rest of my team arrive, and they sit and start shit talking our opposition. Coach told me that there would be some important people in the crowd today. Scouts.

"Okay, boys!" Coach says. "This is the second game of our season. The first one wasn't the greatest, but we've improved during practice these past few weeks. I know it's hard adjusting to new positions." He pauses to look at Miller, our center, and Harvey, on defense. "But it's no excuse. You all know who's starting: Reed, left winger, Miller, center, and Knight, right winger, Chandler and Harvey at the back. For today, I want to go back to our original setup—Knight, back up Reed." He looks over at Brody, who gives him a firm nod. "The rest of you are on the bench for now. Get ready to go on now, and Chandler, for heaven's sake, keep your damn mouth guard in! Break a leg, boys."

After Coach leaves us, we put on our guards and helmets, then huddle up. We stand in a circle, looking at each other before letting out a loud cheer: "Eastview!"