Michigan vs. the Boys by Carrie S. Allen

Author:Carrie S. Allen
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781525303890
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Published: 2019-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

17

I may not have a scholarship or roster spot on the line, but I want to play on that big ice at the U. I want my dad and my brother to see me play in front of a huge crowd. And, as much as I’d like the opportunity to punch someone on this roster, I’d really like to maintain my status as leading scorer.

So I’ll step it up this week. I’ve been playing well, so that’s a tough concept. But there’s always something more you can do. My slapshot is inconsistent. I can work on that. I’m still tentative going into the boards, wondering if I need to brace for a hit. So I’ll work on keeping my feet moving and reaching for the puck instead of worrying about the check. I think, in the last week, I’ve proven I can take a hit.

On Tuesday, Coach hands out a packet to each player before practice — our access pass for this weekend. Plus we each get four tickets for our families, both for the Showcase and the U game after. It’s like injecting Red Bull into our veins. I swear, even our slowest skater could get drafted off that practice. The rink manager takes a hint and lets Coach have an extra twenty minutes at the end of practice, and no one complains or slows a stride.

This eats into homework time, which will send Mom’s blood pressure up a few ticks. But I don’t care. I’ve already decided French and world history will take a hit this week so I can get some extra sleep. I need to be well rested.

School has turned the Showcase into a popularity contest, of course. All students get free entry to the Showcase, but each player gets only four extra tickets to the U game after. Apparently, it is the thing to do this weekend and tickets are in high demand.

I’m jittery waiting for Jack before school on Wednesday and it’s only partly due to the extra ticket in my jacket pocket. My back is pressed against the lockers so no one can sneak up on me. I’ve got the nearest restroom on my radar so I can sprint toward it if I need a safe haven. I’ve stashed extra clothes in my locker.

I wonder if I should add a first-aid kit.

Jack meets me at my locker, now our regular routine, and kisses me hello. I can still taste his morning toothpaste and smell the chlorine from his morning swim. Now I don’t mind being pressed up against my locker.

“So,” I say. I hold up my extra ticket. The other three went to Dad, Mom and Trent, of course. “But I have to warn you, you’d be sitting with my family.” The thought brings me nearly to hyperventilation. But there’s no one else I’d rather have there.

“I thought you’d never ask!” he says.

“If it weren’t for the interrogation my mom will spring on you, I would have asked yesterday. Are you sure you want to do this?”

He rolls his eyes at me.

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