“Alright kids!” Coach Riviere shouted from the door of the locker room. We were all sitting on the wooden benches, breathing heavily. Coach had given us a hard practise and he seemed quite proud of our efforts. “You did well tonight but remember that it’s Wednesday afternoon and the game is on Friday. I won’t be at school tomorrow to supervise your training so Tai, I’m leaving you in charge.”
A mix of laughter and groans sounded throughout the team. I simply grimaced. Tai’s training sessions – even the sessions that were meant to be light ones – varied depending on the guy’s mood. The hardest training session I’d ever been through was at the hands of Tai on a bad day. I couldn’t walk afterward. Vas was able to crawl and I think Riordan managed to stand for about twenty seconds before falling flat on his arse.
Coach faced Tai who was sporting a smirk, “I expect a light practise Tai. Don’t kill my A-team.” Coach warned.
Tai laughed in the strong, deep timbre that belonged solely to him. “They’ll be fine, Coach.”
Coach Riviere shot Tai a ‘sure they will’ stare before dismissing us all; leaving the locker room full of tired, sweaty hockey players.
“Who’s ready to kick some Monarch arse?” Luke called from his seat to my left. The response to his question came swift and loud in the form of many variations of, ‘yeah!’
“They’ll be hard to beat. Frankston have always been tough but we’re tougher.” Tai said as he made his way over to the stereo system that Riaz had brought in yesterday. He’d claimed that he’d bought a new one for his room – an upgraded stereo. He brought his old not-even-a-year-old system into the locker room and installed it. Riaz had said that he wanted to replace Tai’s iPod radio as he was sick of the music ‘not being loud enough’; this of course, we all scoffed at. The music was plenty loud.
“Frankston has that high-and-mighty attitude about them; I hate that!” Adam declared.
I smirked at his comment, “Adam, name one hockey player who doesn’t think they’re the shit.”
Vasic smirked as he walked over to stand in front of me. Leaning down so that we reached level height, he placed his hands on my short clad thighs, “I don’t think I’m the shit thank you very much Alara.” I smirked at my best friend and raised a single eyebrow.
“Bullshit.”
Vas laughed, “Okay, so I have a small ego but none of us are anywhere near as bad as those Frankston Monarchs.”
“True!” Xavier shouted
I shrugged, “You’re right. You guys are nowhere near as egotistical as they are.” I conceded.
Drew laughed as he approached me, “That’s because we’ve had your influence Ari. You’ve kept us from becoming complete arses.” He explained.
I smiled at the rugged boy in front of me, “Thanks Drew.”
He nodded as he removed his shirt and turned to walk into the large shower room.
Originally, when the ice rink had been built, female players hadn’t been expected so there was only one locker room and a communal shower. When my team advanced into high school, Coach Riviere fought tooth and nail for an extra room to be added specifically for me and any other female who wanted in on the team. Coach had an old storage room converted into a shower. The room consisted of a shower, mirror and wooden benches skirting the walls of the room. There was more than enough room for me to change. It was perfect and I was so grateful to Coach.
I stood from my seat and opened my locker, taking out my gym bag with my clothes and towel inside, just as music started blaring from the newly added stereo. I turned to see Tai flicking through the song lists on his iPod, trying to find a song… He settled on Addicted by Bliss n Eso and turned the stereo up as loud as it would go.
Smirking, I walked from the room and toward my personal shower. I closed and locked the door, stripped quickly, turned the warm water on and stood underneath the soothing heat of the water. After training, I lived for showers.
I stepped out from the shower and quickly dried and changed, collecting my things and leaving quickly – minus my shoes. I always seemed to forget those, leaving them in my locker.
Opening my locker door, I dropped my bag on the wooden bench below it and reached for my shoes. I heard my phone ringing just as Vasic, Nate, Drew and Riaz walked out from their communal shower – shirtless of course. They never wore shirts after showers.
I walked over to the stereo to turn it down before quickly answering the phone, “Hello?”
“Hey Kid.” My dad answered.
“Hey dad, what’s up?”
I heard a heavy, exhausted sigh from the other end of the phone. “I hate to do this to you again kid, but I won’t be home tonight. Work stuff.” He explained.
I felt my lips move into a grimace but quickly checked myself. “That’s okay dad. It’s not your fault so don’t feel bad.”
“Kid, I really am sorry though. I promise that one day soon we’ll have a day just you and me okay?” I smiled at that. I did love my dad, he really did his best.
“Yeah dad, that sounds good.”
“It’s a plan Kid. Alara, I want one of the guys to stay over our place tonight please. I don’t like the thought of you being alone.”
“Dad, I’m sixteen, not four.” I answered.
He sighed, “I know Kid but please. Put my mind at ease and make Vasic stay over or something, please.”
“Okay dad. Look after yourself okay?”
“Yeah Kid, you too.” He said before hanging up.
I threw my phone back into my gym bag and picked my shoes up before turning to sit on the seat to put them on.
“Why were you defending your age to dad?” Vasic asked. He often called my father ‘dad’ and the man in question encouraged it.
“He won’t be home again tonight and he wants one of the team to stay over. I think he’s worried about me.”
Vas nodded and his wet hair fell into his eyes. Pushing the hair from his face with a strong hand, he smiled. “He loves you Ari and I’m free so I’ll stay over, okay?”
I nodded, conceding to the men in my life once again.
“It’ll be good anyway. We haven’t had Vas and Ari time in ages. I miss it.”
I smiled at that. “Yeah, I miss it too.” I said as I turned to face him with my shoes successfully on my feet.
The boy still didn’t have a shirt on and unable to resist, I smacked him upside the head. “Hurry up and get a shirt on Vas, let’s get out of here.”
Vas glared at me playfully before standing and moving toward his locker.
“What do you want for dinner?” Vas asked as he walked toward me – fully clothed now.
“Did someone mention food?” Riordan shouted as he walked into the locker room, followed by the remaining members of the team – all shirtless.
Nate, Drew and Riaz all closed their lockers and joined Vasic and I on the bench in front of my locker as we waited for the rest of the team to finish getting ready.
“Yeah, I asked Alara what she wanted for dinner. We’re going out to eat somewhere.” Vas explained.
“How about the whole team go?” Tai suggested.
I glanced up at Vas who was already looking at me for my opinion. I shrugged in response. It didn’t really bother me either way.
“Okay, sure.” Vas conceded.
“How about the Tavern? It’s a Wednesday so it shouldn’t be too busy and it’ll fit all of us.” Adam suggested.
“He’s right. Wednesdays are usually pretty slow.” Lucas – who actually worked at the Tavern – agreed.
“It’s settled then.” Tai declared before turning to his gym bag in search of a shirt.
“You and Nate seemed comfortable at dinner.” Vas commented.
We were on the way back to my place from the Tavern. He’d called his mum to let her know where he’d be for the night and she’d agreed easily and wished me well.
“What do you mean?” I asked as I studied his profile in my peripheral vision.
He smirked, “You two were sitting real close and sharing secretive smiles the whole time. It was cute.” Vas explained.
I fought back a blush.
“Yesterday’s date must have gone well then?”
“Yeah, it did actually.” I agreed.
Vas ‘humphed’ me and I smirked. “Well it’s not like I’d know the details now is it Ari?”
I laughed, “Well whose fault is that Vas?”
The phone call that I’d received from Vas last night upon arriving home had been a short one. He’d hung up when I had refused to explain why I had laughed at him.
“I take it that you told Hilary everything at school today?”
‘Pff, like I had a choice. She pounced on me first thing.”
Vas laughed, “Did you expect anything less?”
“I suppose not.”
“How was it though, seriously?”
I smiled as I recalled yesterday’s date. “It was nice Vas. He treated me well and really showed that he knows me.” I explained.
Vas nodded, “I’m glad Ari. He best not hurt you though. He’ll be dead if he does.”
I grinned at my best friend. “Vas, I’ll deal with him myself if he does. Besides, you know Nate. He’s a good guy, you’ve said that yourself.” I reminded him as he parked his car in my driveway.
Vas looked over to me before saying, “It doesn’t matter who is Ari, in my eyes, no guy is ever going to deserve you. You’re family.”
A small smile graced my face, “Just as no girl will ever deserve you Vasic D’Angelo.”
He grinned, moving on from his serious deep and meaningful mood and into what I liked to call, ‘smug Vas mode’.
“Because I’m too good for all of them of course.” He stated with a joking air.
I laughed, “Isn’t that the truth.” I responded, smiling.
Vas grinned at me as I opened the front door and let us both in.
“What do you say to crashing on the couch with a good movie?” Vas asked.
I nodded. “What movie?” I asked as we made our way to the kitchen.
Vas grinned, “I came prepared.” He stated as he opened his gym bag and pulled out a copy of ‘Red Dawn’ as evidence.
I raised an eyebrow at him as I pushed myself up onto the bench-top. “How’d you get that?”
Vasic shrugged, “I was planning on asking if I could stay over anyway. I felt like some Alara time.”
Smiling at my best friend, I bumped my shoulder against his as he came over to lean against the bench next to my seated position.
“I love you too Vas.”
Can I take you to school this morning?
I smiled as I read the text from Nate. I replied with a simple, ‘Sure.’ as I ate my Crunchy Nut cereal at the kitchen bench. I’d prepared a bowl full for Vas too but he was still getting changed after his shower.
Finishing my cereal, I placed the bowl in the dishwasher, grabbed my iPod from the bench, put the earphones in my ears and lay down on the tiles of the kitchen.
Not ten minutes later and someone was lightly kicking my thigh. I took one earphone from my ear and looked up at a school uniform clad Vasic. He was smirking.
“Nate is at the door waiting for you. I gave your school bag to him already. I’ll finish up here, lock up and meet you at school okay?”
I grinned as I stood, “Thanks Vas. See you later yeah?”
He nodded.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Nate asked as I went to walk away from him and toward my form classroom.
“Going to class?” I responded.
“Nice try.” He said as he stalked toward me with a confident grin. “Where’s my hug?”
I laughed. “We’re at public displays of affection already are we?”
He shot me his usual, ‘Seriously Alara’ look and smirked. “We hug at school often enough Ari and you know it.”
He was right of course, but this felt different. Nate moved closer to me and wrapped his strong arms around me, encircling me in his warm embrace. I relished in the safe feeling he gave me.
“I’ll see you at lunch Ari.” He said as he moved away only to place a soft kiss on my forehead.
He chuckled when I stiffened.
“We don’t usually do that at school Nate.”
He grinned broadly and I couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was when smiling that warmly.
“I know, but I felt like going off-script. I’ll see you at lunch.” He waved over his shoulder as he walked away and I shook my head, walking toward my own form class.
“Hey Ari.” Drew greeted as I walked over to them.
“Hey Drew.” I smiled back and nodded at Riordan who was sitting next to Drew on the ground.
“Nate looked pretty pleased with himself.” Riordan teased me as I threw my bag onto the ground next to him and sat down in front of the pair.
I was proud when I didn’t blush. I shrugged by way of answer.
“Are you officially a couple yet Ari?” Drew asked.
I shook my head.
Riordan laughed, “Good. Boy has to do much better than one date before he gets to call himself your boyfriend.”
Drew nodded in agreement with Riordan’s decision.
Smiling at my two teammates I asked, “Is that so?”
Riordan nodded, “Damn straight.”
Laughing, I bumped my knee against Riordan’s thigh, “You tosser.”
He grinned broadly, “You love me though.”
I grinned at him, “If that’s what helps you sleep at night.”
“Oh baby, you kn-” Riordan’s retort was cut off by a voice I would have rather not heard.
“Is it not enough that you get to spend time with all of them, you have to throw yourself all over Nate as well?” Georgia – the senior dance captain – accused.
Members of the dance team, under Georgia’s lead, had always given me trouble over my close friendships with my team. They hated me because I was close to the boys they idolised and wanted to be with. The stupid girls didn’t even realise that they weren’t my boys’ types. They were too snarky. Not all of the dance team was like this of course and I had nothing against the other members, only the girls who chose to attempt to bully me into a corner.
I stood up, facing Georgia and her two minions, Clair and Tessa who flanked her. “Georgia, I know we don’t know much about each other but I know for sure that I am nothing like you. Please explain to me why I would start acting like you and throw myself at Nate? I actually have self-respect.”
Georgia scoffed at me. Usually neither she nor her minions acted out in front of my team but Georgia had always been mainly focussed on Nate, so she obviously didn’t care about the reactions of Riordan and Drew.
“You threw yourself at him just now! Like Nate would want to date you! You’re ugly and you’re not even a girl!”
“Hey! Watch it Georgia.” Drew called from his place on the ground.”
“Don’t worry about it Drew. Miss Priss can think whatever she likes. Doesn’t bother me.”
“Mark my words Alara,” Georgia pronounced my name as if she were referring to the faeces. “Nate will not be with you. He deserves a girl like me. He’s too good for a tomboy like you.”
“Okay Georgia.” I said as I turned from the fuming dance captain. I sat back down in front of the two boys just as Drew said, “She may be an idiot but she can make things hard for you Ari.” He warned softly.
I sighed, “I know Drew but it doesn’t bother me. I don’t care what she thinks. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” I smiled rather falsely but I was certain he would believe it – or he would at least pretend to believe it.
I had the feeling that school was going to get a lot more interesting in the future and not in a good way.
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A/N: Sorry guys. I know it's been a while. My absence of late has been due to personal reasons that I'd rather not go into but I sincerely apologize for the late update.
I know this chapter isn't the best, it hasn't been proof-read or edited and it's merely a filler. Next chapter will be another game and a bit more eventful.
Thank you for reading,
Jayde.