Parker was just finishing a lap. I could hear the Sharks players still laughing from the bench and saw Parker’s eyes narrow. He started skating toward me, but I quickly held out a hand to stop him.
“Don’t,” I said. “I can handle it.”
He glanced between me and our snickering opponents. Judging by the look in his eyes, it was taking all his willpower not to ignore my request, jump over the boards, and beat the two guys to a pulp.
“But—”
“No, Parker. I told you, I can handle it.”
He skated away with a disappointed sigh, as though I’d stopped him from playing with his favorite toy.
As I took up my position in front of the net, my nerves only increased. The arena felt much larger when you were right in the middle of it, with rows of seats looking down at you, all filled with cheering Suffolk High fans willing you to fail. Music blared from the speakers surrounding the rink so I could barely hear the familiar sound of skates scraping the ice, and the arena somehow felt colder than Ransom’s. Not for the first time, I tried to convince myself this was all in my head, but before I knew it the game started. There was no turning back now.
I’d watched countless hours of ice hockey from the stands and on TV over the years, but it felt like an entirely different game from where I now stood. The players seemed faster, the collisions bigger. The puck flashed across the ice so quickly I was struggling to keep track of it. I soon realized I couldn’t afford to lose focus for even a second because the Sharks forwards were relentless, firing off shots whenever they had half a chance. I managed to save the first few, but that didn’t dent their resolve, and they continued to test me, with both their slapshots and their verbal blows.
“Try not to cry when I score.”
“Don’t worry, baby, I’ll take you out after we’ve won.”
“You know we’re going easy on you, right?”
The patronizing comments kept coming, and I did my best not to let them put me off. But there was only so much I could ignore before my jaw started to twitch and my anger started to build.
Unfortunately, my lack of fitness wasn’t helping my performance. Each save I made felt a little harder than the last. I kept waiting for my dad to notice and replace me with Anderson, but the call never came. Eventually, my exhaustion got the better of me. I saved a shot but the puck fell at the feet of a particularly mean-looking Sharks forward. I was too slow to react to the rebound, and he scored the first goal of the game, less than a minute before the end of the period.
As my dad barked instructions at us during the intermission, I could tell Anderson was itching to take over. But there was no way I was going to ask my dad to pull me out. Besides, I’d only let one goal in so far. We could still win this game. I was just going to have to ignore the way my body was screaming for a rest.
As we took to the ice for the second period, the Sharks forward who had scored earlier slid up alongside me. He was easily their most intimidating player, and he towered over me. His mouthguard was hanging from his lips as he leered through the grill on his helmet, revealing a couple of missing teeth.
“Damn, I thought for sure they’d have sent you back to the kitchen by now.” He let out a low menacing laugh. “Not that I’m complaining. I could do with another goal or two.”
“Is there a problem here?” Parker skidded to a stop next to us, putting his body between the guy and me. They wereinches from each other, and I knew I needed to deescalate the situation quickly.
“There’s no problem,” I replied, tugging Parker away. “Let’s play.”
Once again, he reluctantly obeyed, like it went against every instinct in his body to skate away from a fight. Was he always this desperate to throw down in a game? I didn’t see him squaring up with Sharks players on behalf of his other teammates.
“You know,” Parker said, “I could easily knock a couple more of that dude’s teeth out for you, if you like.”
“I’d much prefer you even the score instead.”
“Okay, okay,” he said. “I’ll leave you to it. Just don’t let these idiots get in your head, yeah?”
I waved him away, but things only got worse when the game started again. The Devils pushed hard for a goal but couldn’t find one. Parker was an unbelievably skilled player, but it was almost as if he was trying to win the game on his own. I couldn’t really blame him, as the rest of our teammates looked as tired and frustrated as I felt. They were constantly making mistakes, missing passes, and giving the puck right back to our opponents.
Suddenly, after yet another turnover, the Sharks had a breakaway. The toothless forward was tearing straight toward me with the puck, skating so fast it was like he was going downhill. I wanted to move forward to close the angle, but his size and speed were overwhelming. I instinctively felt myself retreat to the goal line as he bore down on me and he easily scored his second goal. My confidence shattered.
I’d never flinched like that while playing against my brother. In fact, I didn’t think I’d ever shrunk away from a challenge that way, on or off the ice, in my life.
“You okay, Foster?” Seth asked, as I clambered back to my feet.
“Fine.” I nodded. “I’ll get the next one.”
I had to believe it was a one-time mistake; that I wouldn’t let it happen again. Seth seemed convinced, but as he skated back into position, I saw Parker pull him aside. The other defenseman, Marc Jansen, joined them. The junior was so tall and broad he could easily have been mistaken for a college senior. The three of them huddled together and Parker appeared to be issuing strict instructions to each of them. From the way they kept shooting glances over their shoulders at me, I had to assume I was the root of their problem.
It didn’t take long to figure out Parker’s solution. Seth and Marc began shadowing me so closely it was like I had my own private security detail. They seemed primed and ready to throw themselves in front of any player or puck that came my way, and they kept drifting close to my crease and blocking my view.
“Hey, there,” Seth said as he hovered in front of me. His voice was cheery, like we’d just randomly bumped into each other at a coffee shop. “Having fun?”
