It's Maggie Brooks's first year at Eden Hall Academy and she can't wait to dive into a school year full of fun. Down to earth and understanding good girl, Maggie finds herself getting into a crowd her brother and his friends don't necessarily want...
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With a pass through three players, Varsity began their way down the ice as they made sure to cover the three players and leave two of them free for a chance at the net. Cole approached the net and took a shot, Julie launching forward in an attempt to grab it, but failed. Rick regained possession of the puck and smirked, glancing up and took his shot for the empty net.
Adam skated n front with a beautiful, yet painful, looking dive in front of the goal. The crowd cheered loudly as Goldberg cleared the puck from their zone, passing it off to Charlie, who continued and deked a few players, keeping away from the boards so he didn't give himself the chance to be taken advantage of.
Charlie had lost it when Cole shoved him aside and Rick stole it. Goldberg missed a shot at shoving Rick when the boy was too quick. Adam slid across the ice, his chance of gaining possession lost as well. Rick skated up the net with the puck, sliding it side to side in front of him to confuse Julie, who's stare remained glued on the rubber circle.
Charlie had gotten in front of Rick quickly, both eyeing one another and Rick became cocky, telling the boy to try him, to try and steal it. With a quick move and stop forward, Rick swung over Charlie's back and lost the puck to the boy. Stealing it, he passed it off to Adam, before he got it passed back. Goldberg swooped in and took down Cole within an instant and Charlie had a mostly clear way to the net.
Maggie and Nevaeh stood on their toes, over looking the heads in front of them as they watched Charlie travel down the ice in a hurry. He was focused on the net with three players after him. Adam almost free to receive the puck, but had shifted quickly on his skates and turned to divert the players. He'd run into a Varsity player and both had fallen to the ice.
Approaching the net with ten seconds left of the period, Charlie glanced up as Scooter eyed him, knees bent, eyes wide and focused, as he held up his stick and gloved hand, ready for the puck. With an inhale and split second decision, Charlie rushed for the net and began to go for a triple deke. On his first deke, a Varsity player slid across the ice in an attempt to steal the puck, and failed.
On his second attempt, he managed to spin around the next Varsity player. The puck remaining in his sight and possession the entire time. but as he went for the third deke, he'd passed the puck back to where he knew Goldberg was skating up. Scooter had taken a dive forward to save the puck he'd thought had come, but actually hadn't and his eyes enlarged at the sight.
Charlie went down with three players tackling him and Goldberg gulped, eyes widened. "Shoot Goldberg!" His teammates shouted, standing on their feet now.
"Shoot Goldberg!" Coach Orion stood up at the edge of the bench.
He looked up nervously, lips almost quivering, as were his shaky legs, and he gulped once more before hesitantly, and slightly confidently, bringing his stick forward. The bottom of his stick collided with the ice and the rubber puck, sending it towards the net ahead of him as two players bashed into him from either side.
Scooter rose as fast as he could with his gloved hand and aimed his stick for the post to block the puck. Goldberg took a blow to the ground and Adam stopped, everyone from the ice to the crowd watched in silence.
The puck had entered. And the timer went out. The siren blared as a goal had been made. The Ducks had won.
The Ducks jumped the boards of their bench and skated across the ice to meet Charlie, Adam, and Goldberg, who was quite petrified of being thrown onto the spot like he had. His only wish was for Charlie to never do such a thing again. The kids in white jerseys were jumping up and down, hugging each other as they cheered and screamed.
The crowd was rushing from their seats to celebrate as well and Coach Orion nodded with a smile, proud of every kid on that team. Of every kid that pushed themselves throughout not only the entire game, but the sloppy mess of a season and first semester.
Maggie smiled to herself as a confetti had been released into the air of the arena and the laughter, cheers, and screams canceled out any other noise as it was simply celebration. Nevaeh had already ran down the bleachers with a screech and slipped onto the ice with a near miss of tumbles to the butt. Luis had caught her quickly in his arms and steadied her on the ice.
Luis had been back and forth with Nevaeh and Stacey, wanting someone a bit older and more mature, but then Nevaeh came into view. And with her self mindedness, made quite a few things about herself and Luis had gotten to know her a bit more, also thanks to Maggie.
Maggie turned away as the celebration had continued, she watched as Charlie had seen his mom and then passed on to Linda. She'd seen her brother kiss Julie on the cheek and smirked to herself, wondering of there was something between them she didn't know of. Bombay had left shortly after nodding to Charlie. Varsity had exited the arena, going to their locker room in devastation and a lost of pride, but also a sense of accomplishment for the other team, though, they still hated the Ducks.
Walking down the steps, she watched it play out with a thin smile, congratulating certain Ducks as she made her way towards the locker room hall, leaving the arena. It was a few minutes later when someone had called her name and attempted a jog down the black rubber mats. She stopped and turned, glancing to the taller boy in the white matching uniform as his friends and held his helmet in hand.
"Where ya goin', the fun ain't over yet." He told her. "It just got started."
She glanced down to her shoes momentarily, swaying side to side with her hands held neatly in front of her. "I know." She looked up and met his glance. "It'll go on till morning knowing you guys." She chuckled.
He stopped in front of her, the hallway empty of people and bare of posters and papers, it was almost cooler in the hall rather than in the arena with how packed it was. "Thanks, Maggie." He thanked her with a kiss to the cheek.
He saw the way her cheeks flustered up into a rosy pink as she turned away with pursed lips. "For what?"
"Believin' in us when no one did."
She shrugged. "What are friends for?"
Maggie kept her gaze on him as he stared down at her with a smile and head full of sweat and dam hair. Dwayne was a smiling mess, unable not to smile and lowered, bringing his arm around her and she fell into his chest with a smile. Lifting her chin, she parted her lips and kissed the hockey player. He kissed her back sweetly as her arm wrapped around his shoulders and she stood tall on her toes.
Pulling away, both were a blushing mess and her hand met his loosely, holding onto his fingers with her own as she swayed side to side, unsure of what to say. Breaking the silence, Maggie laughed and pulled her hands to her face as she did so and he watched her laugh, unsure what was so funny. "Go celebrate, Cowboy."
"Come on, Girly." He nods.
"No, you go ahead." She pushed his shoulder. "It's your win."
He turned on his skates, backing away. "All right, Girly." He nods, tossing his helmet to her and she caught it. "Mind holdin' onto that for me?"
