Monty After Dark

Chapter 17

She looked downward and back up at me.

"Again?" I asked. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"It's fine," she said. "I just like when you do it, it feels so good." She gasped as I filled her up.

"Oh," she whispered and closed her eyes. She wrapped her arms around me and I felt for once like this was someone who wasn't going to let me go. My throat got caught up and I buried my face in her hair.

"I love you, Chantelle," I whispered.

"I love you, too, Matt," she whispered back. She said it. She loves me. I kissed her.

For those few seconds, everything was good. Nothing else mattered because someone loved me. I couldn't remember the last time anyone had said that to me. Other than Mrs. Murphy, I wasn't sure anyone ever had loved me. I had some family out in Calgary, my dad's family. I met them once when I was 11. He had a sister who was much older, she was married and had some kids about ten years older than me. She was a nice lady, but I never saw her again after that.

In the morning, I had to bail on my bacon and eggs fantasy. "Gotta work," I said, kissing her goodbye. I grabbed my bike and headed to the shop for a thrilling day of skate sharpening. Chris came by to get me to do his wheels before our game that night.

"Buds, where have you been?" he asked, dropping his skates down on the counter.

"Sorry, man, I'm kind of all over the place right now, shit's fucked up."

"Is it your dad?" he asked. Chris had been around long enough, he knew what my dad was like. I tried to shelter him from it, so he wouldn't know how bad it really was, but if he was noticing, that wasn't good.

"Yeah, I don't really know what's going on there. He isn't speaking to me, I said some shit to him I probably shouldn't have."

"Well, hey, if you want to come crash at my place tonight after the game, you can," he said. I felt a bit better knowing my buddy was looking out for me.

"Nah man, all good. I haven't really been home much anyway." Although. I hadn't made any arrangements to go back to Chan's tonight after hockey. She wasn't really one for making arrangements.

"You still with Chan?"

"Something like that," I replied with a shrug. "She's cool. She thinks I should go talk to my old man, but I don't know how much good that's going to do."

"He ignores you for days at a time, it's not like the guy is up for Father of the Year, but maybe you should talk to him. What did you say that was so bad, anyway?
"I told him he's jealous of me because I got over my mom leaving us and he didn't. Oh, and that he's a shitty parent. Basically everything that would hurt him."

"Shit, man, that's no good. I mean, maybe it's true, but you can't say shit like that sometimes you gotta keep that under wraps."

I turned to the machine and watched the sparks fly off the blades of his skates. The whir always calmed me. I made sure to do his edges the way he liked, and passed the skates back to him.

"Thanks buds, you want my dad to come pick you up before the game? I'll bring you some pasta and chicken?"

When Chris's dad came to get me, I threw my bike and my hockey bag in the bed of his truck, and hopped in. Chris's mom had packed me a pasta and chicken, my favourite pre-game meal.

"Hey Matt, haven't seen you in a while," said Chris's dad.

"Yeah, been really busy. I'm trying to get a scholarship, so been studying a lot, joined the yearbook, working ..." falling in love with a girl I have no future with? You know, the usual.

"Well, hopefully you've still got enough time to score a few points," he replied with a laugh. Sean's dad had moved around some of the lines at practice this week, and I was on a new combo with one of the captains. I had also been playing on the second powerplay unit, which was awesome. Coach wasn't a big X's and O's guy, so we had freedom to do different things. Plus, Sean's dad had known us since we were in Tyke, so he and the other coach gave us lots of creative licence. Tonight's game was against one of our rival teams, and the boys were all really fired up.

I whipped out my phone. Chan had messaged me. "Good luck at your game tonight." She didn't usually do shit like that. Sure the sluts at school did, but it was mostly annoying. When Chan did it, I liked it.

"Thanks – getting some PP time. Hope to score one," was my response.

And I did. Was a total garbage goal, but I just kept hacking away at a loose puck until it went in. The new line was working out great. I picked up another assist on a late PP, and I was feeling great.

After the game I checked my phone to text Chan and tell her the good news.

"That's awesome, Matty. Proud of ya. Gonna be caught up at work pretty late tonight. Sorry :("

"No worries, let me know when you're free," I said. "Going out wtb."

"What does that mean?" she asked. Oh, Chan.

"With the boys. Hockey thing."