Hockey Towns Favorite Girl

7| Making A Friend

P.O.V Hazel

Practice went by slowly today, Conner wasn't awnsering his phone and social media had nothing exciting. I was also pretty anxious to try and make conversation with Zach and do like Gail said. "Make a friend".

There were no hockey games on NHL or AHL, I even checked Livebarn out of bordom.

I was despret to stay entertained. So despret I went into the office and began looking at jerseys for our team.

The jersey store the rink used was on a sticky note on the desk in the office so I went off of that.

Then I created a parent calendar with a game schedule on it.

I was a workaholic and I knew it. The hockey boys made fun of me for it.

I took as much AP and honors classes as I could, before stepping foot in a college I was already through my freshman year.

I couldn't sit still. Even as a kid, which was why my parents got me into hockey.

As the thought crossed my mind a little kid came running past the office his mother close behind.

I looked over at the desk to see the team off the ice and taking off there gear.

My eyes met Zach and he raised an eyebrow looking at me trying to figure out what I was doing.

He crossed the lobby, walking in his skates with ease. He set his stick next to the desk and leaned his elbows on the counter.

"Hey." Was all he said while looking at the office before looking back at me.

He said the hey in a way that wasn't flirtatious, but made my stomach twist. Part of me had to admit, looking at his blue eyes and dirty blonde hair, he was very attractive and him working with kids didnt help.

"Hey." I replied clicking my pen on my knee.

I found myself fiddling whenever I was talking to someone new, it was nerve racking unless I was talking shit on the ice.

"What are you doing?" He asked leaning over the counter to see the computer screen.

"Oh," I said enlarging the screen so Zach could see better, "I was bored and so I thought I would make myself useful and pick out jerseys."

Zach nodded his head as I showed him the jersey design.

"Thats nice. You even picked the right brand." He said monotone, his eyes focused on the design infront of him.

He seemed amazed like he'd never seen this process happen before. Like he was used to just being given a jersey.

"Yeah," I paused for a moment, clicking the pen a second time, "look, its only my second day of being here and I have to make myself useful for 6 months and I know nothing about hockey."

"Well you know something about it." Zach cut in gesturing to the computer.

My heart skipped a beat out of fear as he did. It was hard for me to contain myself around hockey, I just wanted to go all out when it came to the sport.

"Well, look. I will try to stay out if your way but be as helpful as possible." I explained, "so you do your coaching thing on the ice and I'll do everything else."

Zach smiled, for the first time up close. I watched his dimples forming on his cheeks.

I noticed when boys smile they never give a full smile, but just enough to let you know that theyre happy.

I smiled back the same way, my body language closely mirroring the way Conner, Killian, and the other boys behaved. It happens when it was the type of culture you grew up around.