𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐤~𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏

3. Cheating...

|Time skip...a day before the second game|

"Hey, guys, this one's from Minneapolis," exclaimed Peter looking through the revealing magazine. "You guys are idiots. Like you'll ever get one of these girls. Pshhh." I said. Peter looked at me and I knew it was coming. He was going to say something I wasn't going to like. "Brie, baby you don't gotta be jealous. I mean you're probably one of the prettiest girls we get to see every day. Though you just won't give us a chance so we gotta do this." Peter said, winking and continued with the boys who were drooling over the girls. Did they really think that I was the prettiest girl? I mean Connie was so much better looking and acted more like a girl than I did. Peter was just sucking up. Before I knew it they were chasing him into the alley about to give him a wedgie. They were interrupted by the Hawks who began to call them names and pick on them. I wasn't going to put up with it today. I walked up to them. "Nah she's probably too busy with the mailman." I caught the last of Larson's sentence. "Hey, losers I don't know what your problem is but it must be too hard for you guys to pronounce. Get you rich, preppy asses out of here!" I shouted at them. "And what if we don't, what are you gonna do about it girl? On the ice, you can't do anything so what makes you think you can do anything to us now?" said McGill. The other boys began to taunt my boys. Karp said something to McGill and he called Karp a wuss-breath. He charged at the three of them only to be thrown in the trash pile in the corner. They lined up in front of us about to start a fight but were interrupted by the boy in the alley. He picked up both McGill and Larson. Then he threw them on top of Banks and they all landed on Karp in the trash pile. Scared of the alley boy they skated off and that was the last of them for the day.

|Time skip....practice that night|

Coach was teaching us about tripping and acting after we fell. Spazzway was my partner, of course. We practiced a couple of times but gave up on the idea halfway through. Bombay was teaching us how to cheat and I did not like it. I already knew it wasn't going to work because I could tell by the way the acting was going the refs were not going to buy it. I could tell Charlie didn't like it either so we decide to just play around. "Bubbles you so slow you make a turtle look fast." he teased. "Spazway you're so clumsy you make a bull in a china shop look graceful," I said back. He obviously didn't like it and shoved me. I fell backward landing on my back causing me to moan in pain. I exaggerated it to the point where Charlie apologized and put his hand out for me to grab. I pulled him down with me and he fell on his side. He began to laugh through the pain and so did I. "Hey you two stop playing around and practice the drills so that you don't look that bad this time." Coach Bombay said as he walked by. I rolled my eyes at him and I got up. "Bubbles you going to help me?" asked Charlie. I reluctantly took his hand afraid he was going to drag me back down there. Once he was back on his feet we began to practice the drills again.

|Time skip....the second game|

I watched the Jets score and Goldberg did a fake fall trying to get the ref's attention. Charlie and I looked at each other dumbfounded at how dense Goldberg was. "Take the fall! Act hurt! Get indignant!" I mumbled to Charlie. He giggled as we watched Goldberg come up to the bench and talk with coach. Then Charlie and I were told it was our time on the ice. Spazzway got caught with two Jets as he tried to clear the puck and I was checked into the boards as I tried to go help him. We were both called over by coach. "Those guys are twice your sizes. So next time they get you guys in the corner like that or check you against the boards I want you to grab your eye like it's cut and hit the ice! Got it? Let's go." He finished as we began to skate off. I was furious! He really thought I was going to cheat and get them in trouble for no reason.

We were on the ice and Charlie was going for the puck. He was going to clear it and two Jets had him trapped as I tried to go help him again I was checked into the boards. These assholes wouldn't quite. Coach looked at me waiting for me to hold my eye but I got up and began to skate around. Bombay was mad that I didn't listen and I knew he was going to say something to me. He shouted to Charlie but he also didn't listen and kicked the puck out to Guy. The Jest ended up scoring again.

The team walked in the locker room disappointed in the loss against the Jets. Some of my teammates thought we would win with the cheating technique. It was clear that it was only to get penalty shots and it wasn't going to help us. I began to take my stuff off as the coach walked in pissed. "Charlie! Brie! What the hell is the matter with you guys? When I tell you to do something, you do it! You guys got that?" he yelled. "Look at me! You got it?" he seethed. "You can't make me cheat." said Charlie as he stormed out. "Sorry coach but I don't play that way." I said as I pushed past him.

|Time Skip.....two days later|

Coach had canceled practice the past two nights. Well to be honest he never canceled it just nobody showed up. The whole team was mad at him for losing and making us cheat. Even if we did have practice tonight I wasn't going. Today was my dad's birthday. Grams and I always celebrated it even with him gone. We would have his favorite pizza for dinner, pepperoni, then we would have his favorite cake, strawberry on strawberry, and dad and I would finish the night playing hockey on the pond.

We sat there singing happy birthday to the empty chair in front of us. I watched as tears ran down my Grams face. I haven't cried over his death since the day he died. Everybody told me how strong I was but on the inside I was breaking down. My world crumbled and my heart was broken. I hated people seeing me cry or be sad. It made me feel weak.

When we finished Grams handed me a piece of the pink cake. I quickly ate it and grabbed my skates, hockey stick, and a puck. "Grams I will be home by 9:30," I said. She hummed in response. Grams used to play hockey with me but she hasn't touched the ice since his death. That was the last time she played. As I walked up to the frozen over pond I saw somebody skate effortlessly across the solid liquid. Then I noticed him. It was Coach Bombay.

"Hey," I said. He stopped and faced me. "Uh, hey there Brie." he replied nervously. "Wow, I just learned that you can skate let alone skate like that." I said. He chuckled and replied with "You know Brie I am sorry about making you guys cheat. I was just trying to help." "It's alright coach, I get it. You are probably embarrassed to have us as your team. I mean I don't blame you. I'm more embarrassed since I am one of the players." I said as I began to skate on the ice with my stuff. I wasn't mad at him anymore. I kind of wasn't really mad at him in the first place, just frustrated that we tried to cheat but still lost. "Kid what are you doing out here this late?" he asked. "It's a tradition. Today's my dad's birthday. You might know him. Kenny Davis? He played on the Hawks with you. He played pewees, junior, minor, and got drafted into the NHL but quit right before his first game with them." I said to him as he began to smile. I started to race around with the puck. "Yeah I know your dad. He was an amazing hockey player. He also had a really good looking girlfriend. Marissa Washington." he exclaimed. I knew that name.... it was my moms. I chuckled "Yeah that's my mom..." I said. "Oh really, how's she doing? How are both your parents?" he asked. This was the one question I feared most. Now I had to explain myself. "I never knew my mom because she ditched my dad and I when I was born. My dad is the one who taught me everything about hockey and how to skate. I have been in skates for as long as I could remember. My dad was diagnosed with Leukemia when I was two and lost his fight to it when I was five. The two of us had lived with my Grams my whole life and she was the one who had taken me in when he was gone. Ms. Conway has been like a mother to me and Charlie's been my best friend since we were two. So they came to the viewing and that was it. He was buried and some of his hockey buddies came to the burial. He's been gone for 5 years now. I do our tradition every year on his birthday." I explained to him. "He skated over and gave me a hug. Pulling me in tight. I hugged back. Nobody had ever hugged me after I told them my story. They would just awkwardly say sorry or walk away.

We hugged for a couple more minutes until my watch beeped. It was 9:20. Time for me to go home. I waved goodbye to coach, took off my skates, and walked home. Grams was already asleep when I got there, so I quietly crept into the bathroom and took a shower. After I braided my hair and flopped onto my bed. I fell asleep peacefully to the sound of silence.