Back to Where We Started From (Miracle)

Chapter Fourteen

That Saturday night, the boys were playing their first home game against the Minnesota North Stars. The Bloomington Ice Arena was filled with people, all anxious Minnesotans wanting to see their NHL team take on their Olympic team.

The Brooks and the McClanahan families sat with each other in the stands, obviously missing Herb and Robbie. Patti, Beverly, and Paul sat in one row, while Kathy, Julie, Danny and Kelly sat in front of them. Kathy was asking Julie about all the boys on the team as they watched them warm up.

"That's Mark Johnson, they call him Magic. And he is. Just wait till you see him play. He's Bob Johnson's son. Mark told me Bob and Uncle Herb don't get along at all," Julie explained to the group. Patti groaned.

"Oh, yes, Bob is the coach for the University of Wisconsin. He and Herb have never gotten along, but Herb did tell me that he wanted Mark on the team the moment he got the job," Patti interjected."

"Is he cute?" Kathy asked, much to her mother's chagrin.

"Magic? Oh, totally cute, and totally too old for you," Julie giggled. "He turned 22 last Saturday, we all took him out. It was fun."

"Who's that?" Kathy asked, pointing toward Bah.

"John Harrington, the boys call him Bah. He's from northern Minnesota, played at UMD. Right wing. Also cute, also too old for you."

"And him?"

"Bill Schneider, though he goes by Buzz. He played for the U before your brother was there. Left wing. He's twenty-five, so don't even think about it."

"Julie, that is not the only reason I'm asking," Kathy rolled her eyes, seeing as she was on a bit of a losing streak. Suddenly, Kathy got a sour look on her face.

"What?"

"O'Callahan. Ugh, I hate that jerk."

"Hey, he's not a jerk," Julie reasoned. Kathy just gave her a look. "Jack is not that bad, he's just a little intense. Him and Rob are friends now."

"Julie's right, Kathy. Robbie even told me himself. The past is the past. They're teammates," Beverly told her daughter.

"Whatever," Kathy said, looking over to Julie. Julie was staring at Jack on the ice, watching him skate. It was effortless, the way he moved, like he was meant to be on ice.

"Is O'Callahan cute?" Kathy muttered, leaning close to Julie. Julie tore her eyes away from Jack, looking to Kathy. Kathy knew her answer before she said it.

"Jack is beyond cute," Julie admitted quietly, one corner of her mouth going up into a smirk against her will.

"Too old for me," Kathy sighed, a knowing smile on her face. "But not for you."

"Oh, hush, Kathy! It's not like that. Jack is just a friend. I can think someone is cute and still just want to be their friend. Didn't I just say that Magic and Bah are cute, too?"

"You said Jack is beyond cute. And you didn't have that dopey look on your face when you talked about Magic and Bah."

"Whatever, Katherine," Julie rolled her eyes as the two teams were being announced.

Julie and Kathy cheered loudly for the boys as all of their names were called. There were still 25 boys on the team. Almost immediately, the North Stars took the lead. Paul groaned out loud. Kathy and Julie hissed matching curse words under their breath. Danny and Kelly loudly booed, until their mother shushed them and lectured them on sportsmanship.

"They're starting to play more like a team. I think they got a little cocky because they won their first two games against Holland pretty easily," Julie said, watching as the boys began to get their groove.