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I shook my head. “I was usually the quieter, well-behaved kid. I stood back while everyone else acted like little assholes and then I ended up being the one who was praised for listening and being good.”
“Ah, I should have figured you’d be finding a way to stroke your ego somehow,” she mused with amusement dancing in her eyes.
I skated closer to her, my mouth dipping dangerously close to her ear. “I have something for you to stroke.”
She inhaled sharply, her head whipping to the side and her gaze colliding with mine as I began to slowly skate backward. Juliette quickly glanced around to see if anyone was looking at us, but no one seemed to be paying any attention. Especially not her father. He was talking with one of the other coaches off the ice with his back toward us.
Juliette looked flustered with her cheeks tinted pink and her chest rising and falling in a frantic manner. I winked at her before spinning to face the other way as I skated over to the door where the kids were. They all stopped yelling, their eyes wide with excitement as they stared up at me. I couldn’t help but smile as I looked at them and then back to my teammates that came along with Juliette and the rink's coaching staff.
“Should I let them loose?”
Juliette glanced over at Chase and the way he smiled at her was a thorn in my fucking side. I knew they were just friends, but goddamn him. He couldn’t seem to just disappear like I wished he would. Instead, he was always here.
The guys all looked at one another and me, shrugging before looking over to Juliette. All eyes were on her, waiting for her command. She stared over to where I was standing, a smile creeping onto her lips. “Go ahead. Let the wild animals out on the ice.”
Lifting my stick in the air, I pressed down on the small knob that was on the top of the boards and undid the latch. The hinges creaked from the metal being rusted. I pushed it open, half pushing the kids out of the way, but they were all shuffling around, running into each other, way too eager to get out on the ice.
I stood off to the side as they all came barreling out. Some of them were skilled skaters and they were zipping around the rink. There were a few that had been skating but were clearly still learning; these kids had the grace of a newborn calf. I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched three run directly into one another, each of them toppling onto the other as they all fell down onto the ice.
As I closed the latch, I caught Coach Anderson’s gaze from where he was standing along the boards. His expression was unreadable, his lips pressed firmly in a straight line. I was the first to break eye contact and ducked my head as I spun around and skated over to the group. The last thing I was going to do was stand there and be caught in an intense stare-down with him. There’s no way that would end well.
The guys were all standing by the bench with the group of kids on one knee in front of them. We had a few different teams that we were going to skate with this evening, but the first was the youngest. The little six-year-olds who still had stars in their eyes when they looked at the ice. It wasn’t necessarily something that diminished as kids got older, but once you started to play more competitively, that spark dissipated. Perfectionism would set in and there would be times when hockey was the worst and best part of your life.
I stopped next to Wes and listened to the sound of Juliette’s voice as she told the kids what we were going to be doing today. We had a few fun games and drills we planned on doing with the kids, that way it would still be enjoyable and a positive experience, while we could also teach them a few things.
She introduced me and the other eight guys from the team who had come today, before breaking us all up into groups. Lincoln and I went to one corner of the rink, while Wes and Nico were on the other side. We had two players in each corner and then one in the center of the rink for the drill we were going to be working on.
Our first group was five little six-year-olds from the travel and house league, who were all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. They were ready to go and all lined up on the goal line as Lincoln began to explain what they were supposed to do. As he talked, I demonstrated, and then we let the kids get started.
There was a little girl who was a stronger skater than the others in the group. She was still a little wobbly, her feet randomly slipping out from under her. Determination was carved into her face and her eyebrows were set as she continued to work harder. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched her resilience, loving how she refused to give up, even though it wasn’t something that was coming easier to her.
“She’s my favorite from this age group.” Juliette’s voice broke through my thoughts as she skated up to me. She slid to a stop as she watched the little girl, her expression filled with pride.
Turning my head to the side, I gave her a look. “You know you’re not supposed to pick favorites.”
The corners of her mouth twitched. “Well, that’s a shame because you were becoming a favorite too.”
My eyes widened slightly and I shook my head at her. “I take it back then. Pick favorites, please.”
Juliette smiled as she began to skate backward. “I pick you.”
Her voice was meant only for me and I couldn’t help but smile like a fucking idiot as I turned back to Lincoln and our group. I loved seeing Juliette like this. She was in her element on the ice, working with these kids, but it was even more than that. She was happy.
I loved her happy.
The night drew to an end and after spending a greater part of the evening skating with the kids, we were all headed out to the parking lot. Wes and Nico both got into their cars and Lincoln and I headed over to our own, where we were parked beside one another.
“What do you have going on tonight?” he asked me as he pulled open the driver’s side door of his car. “I think some of the guys are going out.”
“I’m not sure yet,” I told him, half lying, half telling the truth. I planned on seeing Juliette, but I wasn’t completely sure what I was going to be doing. I didn’t get a chance to talk to her to see how much longer she was going to be here. She was left to close up the rink and I couldn’t help but hate the thought of her being here alone by herself.
Lincoln nodded, not questioning me on it. “Hit me up if you decide to come out.”
“Sounds good,” I told him as I glanced around the parking lot while he climbed into his car. I saw Juliette’s father across the way, getting into his car. Following suit, I got into my own vehicle and turned on the engine. I sat there, pretending to fiddle with my phone and music as I watched everyone slowly depart from the rink.
The last car to leave was Coach Anderson’s. I turned off my engine and got back out, my strides long as I moved across the parking lot to the front door. It was quiet inside, as everyone had already left. I went up to Juliette’s office, but it was dark inside and the door was pulled shut. My eyebrows scrunched together and I began to walk around the rink, checking the various locker rooms.
Juliette was in the very last one, checking under the benches for any gear anyone had left behind. Standing in the doorway, I reached up and held on to the trim above the door as I watched her. She didn’t notice me at first and moved along the lockers. She bent down, picking up an elbow pad before she stood up and saw me.
