We win the game 2-1 against the Wolverines. Mason made the game winning shot 5 minutes into the third period. We went out for dinner at the pizza place and Noah and Cole brought me home.
They help me up the stairs into my room. I know I can walk with my left leg, but it's so sore, and my incision still hurts like crazy. I turn my light on in my room and they lead me to my bed, putting my crutches by the chair in the corner of my room. It's late, my clock says 10:36.
Noah take the pillows off my bed that my mother probably made after I left earlier. He puts them in a pile on the floor at the end of my bed. "Goodnight princess. Sleep good. See you bright and early tomorrow", he says before him and Cole walk out of my room.
I fall asleep fast. I'm so tired, I can't see my dreams.
~~~~~~~~~~~
I once again awaken to loud noises down stairs. Why is it that every morning there is screaming and jumping around my house? I really have to stop my mother from letting the boys in before I wake up.
I pull my shirt from off the floor, and put on my shorts. I wait for the guys to come up to my room, but they don't. I hobble down the stairs with my crutches to find a group of guys, my sister, Noah, and Cole in my living room. They all seem happy to see each other.
"What is going on here?" I say in my half asleep-voice. Everybody turns to me. The guys who I didn't recognize a moment ago are professional hockey players. My uncle Richard, who played for the Flyers, and now coaches them, Chris Osgood, goaltender for the redwings in 98', and Doug Brown from the Red wings in '00, who now is the head coach for Michigan State hockey. I grew up around them. They are like more uncles that I can always count on.
"Meredith", they gleam. Uncle Richard walks over and picks me up in a hug. My crutches drop beside me, and my stomach hurts like crazy, but I don't care.
"Uncle Richard, Chris, Doug, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you guys be coaching snotty NHL players", I laugh. They were always saying that their new batches of NHL players were little show offs who thought they knew a lot.
"Mr. Daddy told us about your beating. We thought we should come over and rough you up even more", We all laugh.
Picking up my crutches for me, Cole and Noah walk me into the kitchen. Mother sits there watching the small TV, the morning news. The weather says it's going to be really cold this week. Good thing I don't have to wait for the bus anymore, or ever for that matter.
All of us take a seat at the dining room table. Mom puts out pancakes, cereal, toast, and bacon.
"Why do I always end up feeding at least two hockey players. Do all mothers do this?" Mom asks sarcastically.
We sit down and fill our stomachs with food. Dad and the guys catch up, since they hadn't seen each other in at least a year, and Noah and Cole couldn't be happier to meet 3 more NHL players. They are ecstatic. I help mom clean up the food from the table when everyone was done. It's 7:30, Cole and Noah need to leave for school soon.
I walk the boys out onto the porch. It snows slowly here, a dusting already on the ground. "Have a good day boys. See you tonight at the rink for your away game. Wait, how many game do you have this week?"
"We have the one tonight in Williston and one on Saturday night in Fairville. I guess Coach said you could ride the bus with us on Saturday if you wanted. Oh, and would you mind asking your dad's friends to come to the game tonight. It isn't far, just the next town over, maybe a 20 minute drive", Noah asks.
I nod, "Of course. I will do what I can to get them there", Noah gives me a hug, and then Cole. "Have a good day. I can't wait to go back tomorrow".
The boys get into Noah's car and drive off towards school. I go back inside and sit with the guys as Cara gets her bag ready for school, leaving herself. "Hey guys, could I ask you a quick question", I say between major conversations.
"Of course".
"So, my friends who you just met, they were wondering if you guys would go to their hockey game tonight? I know for a fact they have already wanted Dad to go, but since you are here, they wanted all of you to come".
They look at each other for a moment then turn back to me, "sounds fun. Why not?" Dad says from the other side of the table. "Maybe Doug can get Noah a scholarship to Michigan state if he plays well enough tonight", I smile gratefully.
~~~~~~~~~
Dad and the guys left earlier for who knows what, and I am here with mom. My stomach doesn't hurt as much as yesterday, so I'm glad about that. I shower and put on my usual Bengals sweatshirt and yellow and purple plaid chucks.
Cara took my crutches last night and covered them with purple and yellow duct tape. It looks really good. But honestly, I do have to return them on Saturday and I don't think I was allowed to decorate them, but I guess taking tape off isn't going to be that hard.
Mom drive me out to the rink where Dad and the others are already there. The bus pulls up just behind us. I sit at the back door, watching Mom drive off back to the house. The team piles off the bus into the back door. I meet them in the visiting team locker room and they start to change.
"Okay, so a few of you already know this, but I have to tell you guys something. You aren't allowed to tell anyone, and if it comes down to it, I would be moving again because my family hates dealing with this sort of stuff. But, my father is Randy Adams, like the NHL player." A few of the guys mouths practically drop to the floor. "So as an NHL player, he knows people. Including the head coach at Michigan state, Doug Brown, who just happened to show up at my house this morning. Noah here, wanted them to come to your game tonight. He would like to watch you juniors and seniors and how you play. He may not be the recruiter, but he the one who coaches you, so make the best of it". The guys clap and cheer.
I lead the guys out to the bench, and they all run onto the ice. They warm up. I hear my name from behind me, Doug appears at the door to the bench entrance. He holds a clip board and a pen. "So, Mere. If they want me to watch, I need to know the numbers of the juniors and seniors". I grab the roster from Coach and head right back to Doug.
"Um, seniors are numbers ten, eleven, fifteen, twenty-eight, thirty-one, thirty-three, and thirty-five. Juniors are seven, eight, thirteen, twenty-two, twenty-six, and twenty-seven". He writes down the number their last names. Doug and I head over to where Dad and the other guys sit. Cara is off in her student section. I can't stay here for long. Coach wants me on the bench.
I hear Coach yell over to me, I say goodbye to the guys and head to the bench before closing the door. Cole is at starting position and his opponent is a lot bigger than Cole. That doesn't scare Cole though.
Come on team, impress Doug. I know they will.
Edited: 3/4/22
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Just Another Goal (Counting on Hockey #1)
Romance*Book one of the Counting on Hockey series* To Meredith, watching hockey was torture. But her sister was a hockey player. She wanted nothing to do with hockey, even thinking about it made her angry. But she had her reasons. Starting 10th grade at a...
