Thin Ice

Instead of doing something remotely fun, they make us run

“So,” Nina whispered, leaning towards me, “I’m having really bad lady time cramps, and I’m just gonna ask to go to the nurse.”

So much for hanging out with Nina.

“Good luck with that,” I replied, and Nina grinned at me before walking over to the gym teachers who were taking attendance. Nina didn’t actually need any luck because said gym teachers couldn’t care less about kids using excuses to get out of class. I watched as she played up the cramps, and after only a few seconds, she was dismissed with a pass to go to the nurses’ office.

“Fantastic,” I muttered, and I pulled my hair up into a ponytail. The gym teachers finished taking attendance, and then they both blew their whistles.

“Let’s get started, everyone!” the male teacher yelled, and he pointed at the track. The athletic boys and girls started running immediately, while the rest of us lagged behind. Yes, I was fairly physically active, but running just wasn’t my thing. I preferred hockey because there was a point; I wasn’t just running around in an oval.

After about one lap of speed-walking, I picked it up to a light jog, and I kept towards the inside lane of the track. Usually, Nina and I would talk as we ran or walked, but now I was on my own and pretty bored. Had I known I’d be on my own, I would’ve brought my phone out to listen to music. I’d just bought the new Skylar Grey album, and I still hadn’t managed to listen to the whole thing.

“Hey Kelsey!”

At the sound of my name, I came to a quick stop, and I turned around to see Dane making his way around the bend of the track towards me. “Wait up!” he yelled, which surprised me.

Dane and I were in two classes together; history and gym. In neither of those classes did he ever make a real effort to talk to me or hang out with me. I didn’t take it personally, since he had other friends who he knew better than me, but I couldn’t help the feeling of pleasant surprise now that he wanted to talk to me.

“Hey there,” I said with a grin as Dane reached me. He slowed his pace from a run to a walk, and I quickly matched his stride.

“Hey,” Dane replied wiping his forehead off with the collar of his shirt. A period of silence followed our greetings, which was awkward for both of us I’m sure. I decided to take it upon myself to break the ice.

“So,” I drawled, untwisting the strap of my tank top, “What’s up, Dane? Did you have a question or something?”

“Do I need to have a question to talk to my teammate?” Dane replied, and instantly, my eyebrows shot up in the air. Both he and I knew that we didn’t talk much outside of hockey, so obviously, this was weird.

Again, there was an awkward silence, and again, I thought of something to break the ice with. “So how did you start playing hockey?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest as we walked.

“Oh,” Dane said, nodding with a smile on his face, “I started playing when I turned seven. My dad took me to my first NHL game, which was the Sabres versus the Bruins. I just got bitten by the bug, and I started playing as soon as my dad could get me on a team.”

“Please don’t tell me that either of those teams is your favorite,” I said, and Dane laughed.

“Nah,” he replied, “I’m a diehard Toronto Fan, which takes a whole lot of dedication.”

“Wait, seriously?” I asked, my voice rising slightly in volume, “I’m a Leafs fan too!”

“Really?” Dane asked, getting a bit excited, “That’s so cool! Since we live so close to Buffalo, almost all of the guys are Sabres fans.”