Overtime (13 page)

Julia’s eyes narrowed.

“I think they got held up … or something,” Charlie offered.

“They should come on time, don’t you think?” Alexandra pressed.

“We may as well get started,” Charlie said to Cummings. “They don’t need to do the skating drills.”

“Of course not,” Alexandra said. “But we girls need all the skating practice we can get.”

“I didn’t mean that,” Charlie said.

Cummings interrupted. “I’m not particularly impressed by some of the players’ apparent lack of commitment, but it makes sense to run through some warm-up drills. Then I want a scrimmage. I might be able to organize an exhibition game on Saturday against Flemington and it would be nice for linemates to play with each other first.”

Charlie’s heart did a flip-flop. The Rebels had a practice.

“Do you know what time the game is?” he blurted.

“Their coach said he had ice at nine in the morning.” She paused. “Is that a problem?”

“Kind of,” he said. “I can’t do it — and neither can Pudge, Zachary, Matt, Scott or Nick. We have a practice.”

Cummings pursed her lips and seemed about to ask another question, when she raised her whistle and let out a short blast. “Let’s line it up on the goal line,” she said.

As they skated over, Alexandra asked, “Can’t you guys miss one practice?”

Julia and Rebecca glided over, with Emily and Trisha trailing behind.

“We … um … uh …” He had a feeling they were not going to be happy with the answer. “We lost our last game, so … Hilton won’t be happy.” The truth was the boys would never miss a practice to play co-ed hockey. They weren’t that stoked to be playing in the first place.

The girls stared at him for a few moments and skated off.

* * *

By the time the boys got there, the skating drills were done and they’d spent a few minutes doing two-on-ones
with Cassie in net. Cummings blew her whistle and called them to the bench.

“I told you this ice time was given to us by a friend of mine. The team he coaches agreed to let us practise. I am disappointed that you do not respect their sacrifice enough to get here on time,” Cummings said quietly.

The guys lowered their gaze to the ice.

Cummings turned to address the rest of the players. “It also doesn’t sound as if we can get it together for an exhibition game.”

Pudge shot Charlie a questioning look. Charlie shook his head.

“In the meantime, I want to announce the lines, so you can at least get some practice time together,” she continued. “Remember we need three girls on the ice at all times.” She held up a whiteboard.

A smile spread across her face. “We’re not at a funeral, people. Don’t take things too seriously. This is fun — it’s hockey. Let’s put the negatives behind us, and come together to win this tournament. With the talent on this team we can do it — and win a lot of money for the school.”

Her attempt to lighten the mood fell flat. Charlie tried to help out. “Let’s do this, Terrence Falls,” he said, slapping the ice with his stick.

All that was missing were the crickets chirping.

Emily broke the silence. “Coach Cummings, why is Trisha on the wing?” she said. “She’s a centre.”

“We’ll try things this way, and then make adjustments if need be,” Cummings said.

Emily scowled. “I don’t think it’s right that the boys get to be centre, as if none of the girls can play. Trisha’s the best player on the team, and you put her on right wing. It’s not fair.”

Trisha looked straight at Cummings. “I’ve always been centre,” she said. “I’ve never played wing in my life.”

“I can play the wing,” Charlie said. “It’s all the same to me.”

The girls were not satisfied.

“Julia is a centre too,” Alexandra said, “and Zachary is a winger, so …” She shook her head, and leaned on the butt end of her stick.

Zachary tried a joke. “I’m just happy to be allowed to play after being late.”

The girls were in no mood to laugh.

“You’ve seen Trisha play,” Emily said. “She scored fifty-two goals last year in Bantam. We need her at centre.”

“We need Julia at centre,” Alexandra said firmly.

“I’m okay at the wing,” Julia said. “It’s … fine.”

Charlie didn’t believe her. He was pretty sure she was not happy either. Then he noticed how Trisha, Emily and Li were standing together on their coach’s left, and the rest of the girls were grouped on the other side. He knew those three hung out together. It occurred to him there
was more going on here than who played centre.

The smile had long since disappeared from Cumming’s face. “I think some of you have forgotten a simple rule in hockey. The coach decides the lineup. I welcome you to approach me after practice to discuss anything, including your positions, but remember I make the decisions. Second, my decision to put the boys at centre is based on the reality that Charlie, Zachary and Matt are bigger and stronger physically. It’s not about skill level. I think the other teams will put a boy at centre, and we can’t get pushed around there. Trisha and Julia are terrific players, and I expect a lot from them.”

She pointed her stick to one end. “Cassie, you set up down there. The other team has to hit the post to score. Charlie and Zachary’s lines will start. We’ll rotate the lines, with Zachary coming off first. We’ll do the same for the defence. Nick and Michelle and Pudge and Emily will start. Let’s move it. We’ve wasted enough time already.” She gave her whistle a blast and skated off.

Charlie was impressed. He figured Cummings for a softie because she was always so nice to the students. But she had delivered that in no-nonsense language, and she was right.

Charlie lined up at centre with Zachary. “That wasn’t the most relaxing moment,” he said.

Zachary laughed. “Next time I make a joke remind me that I’m not funny.”

Matt joined them. “Which one of us is big and strong again?”

“It ain’t Charlie,” Zachary said. “We know Emily can take him.” He had that lopsided grin of his firmly in place.

“Who said you’re not funny?” Charlie deadpanned, and all three of them had a good chuckle.

“You guys just take this so seriously.” Alexandra’s eyes were blazing. “Everything’s a joke to you, including this team. And obviously the Rebels think it’s a joke to play with girls.”

Charlie finally ran out of patience with her. “We’re here to win the tournament for the school, no different than you. There was no dissing.”

“Right. I must have totally misunderstood,” Alexandra said.

“Give it rest, Ms Drama Queen,” Trisha said, from her left. “I’m finding it hard to concentrate.”

“I’m not sure I asked for your opinion, Superstar,” Alexandra shot back.

“That’s Ms Superstar to you.”

Alexandra opened her mouth to say something but was cut off.

“Alex. We should focus on the hockey,” said Rebecca, who was lining up next to her.

Matt wisely skated to the bench. Zachary leaned over for the faceoff and Charlie followed suit. No chance he was getting between Alexandra and Trisha. Pretty funny, he thought, since, as their centre, that’s exactly where he was.

“You just can’t stop yourself from laughing, can you, Joyce?” Alexandra said.

He could not let that go. “I’m in my happy place — so maybe you could give me a break.”

“Charlie is right. You definitely need to hit your Happy button,” Trisha said. “You’re bringing everybody down.”

Cummings came over with a puck, Julia by her side. Alexandra shook her head and pressed down on her stick. Julia lined up next to Trisha.

“Get ready, boys,” Cummings said.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Trisha had put her stick across Julia’s. Julia pulled hers away, but as soon as she put it back down, Trisha did it again. And again.

“Set up, Charlie,” Cummings said.

He had been distracted by the stick drama.

Cummings blew her whistle and straightened up. “Can you two girls line up properly, please,” she said to Julia and Trisha.

Trisha grinned and put her stick to her side. Julia scowled and held her stick at her waist.

Cummings held the puck over the centres’ sticks and let it drop. Zachary was a winger, but he had quick reflexes and Charlie wasn’t going to take anything for granted. With a reverse grip, he timed his sweep well, and sent the puck spinning back to Scott. Zachary sidestepped him and pressured the puck. Scott hesitated, and then slid it across to Sophie. She took a few steps across the blue line to her right and banged it off the boards, where Trisha and Julia gave chase.

Trisha got her stick on the puck first and knocked it forward, but Julia established body position and cut her off. Trisha could do nothing but watch the puck roll to Michelle. Charlie veered towards the puck and saw Trisha give Julia a shove with both hands.

Michelle saw Charlie coming, and she passed quickly to Zachary at the bottom of the centre ice circle. He took it on his backhand and headed up the ice. Alexandra cut him off, but not before he had gained the red line and
fired it in deep. Scott was on it first, and he was able to whack it up the boards to Alexandra. Charlie hustled to support her; and was surprised when she passed him the puck.

She might hate him, but it seemed that would not interfere with her play, which made him feel better.

Trisha broke across the neutral zone wide open. Julia was sitting on the ice near the boards. He dished the puck, and Trisha took it without breaking stride. He set off, without much hope of catching her. Nick and Michelle backed up warily. Three metres from the blue line Trisha bounced outside to her left, puck on her backhand, with Nick content to let her run herself into the boards. By this time Charlie had crossed the blue line. Trisha had her head down and she was bombing down the wall; and then without slowing she spun almost backwards and whipped her stick around her right hip on her forehand.

The pass was timed perfectly, and Charlie was in alone. Nick and Michelle had been caught napping. Cassie came out to challenge him, and he was about to try a low shot to her glove side when he caught a glimpse of a green sweater flying past and heading to the right post. That decided things. He cut to his left on his forehand, drawing Cassie with him, and then slid a hard pass back to the right. Alexandra calmly deflected the puck into the open net.

Charlie and Alexandra looked at each other.

“Nice pass,” she said hesitantly, and skated to centre.

He felt a glove tap the back of his helmet. “Slick pass, dude,” Trisha said to him. “Even she couldn’t miss that.”

For some reason, it bothered him to hear her diss
Alexandra. But Trisha’s pass to him had been sweet, and he had to give her props for that.

“Your pass was slick too,” he said. “I didn’t expect it.”

“Keep two hands on the stick and go to the net,” she said. “You’ll score lots of goals that way with me.” She tapped his shin pads with her stick and skated back.

That bothered him too. Like he needed to be told how to play?

“Keep up, Jules,” Trisha said. “That was too easy.”

Julia did not move a muscle. She remained bent at the hips, waiting for the faceoff. Trisha laughed and casually crossed her stick over Julia’s. Julia chopped on the shaft of Trisha’s stick and it bounced on the ice.

“Okay. Could you two behave?” Cummings said.

“How about her tripping me?” Julia said.

Trisha smirked. “Can’t we just play hockey? All this complaining …”

Charlie thought he heard Trisha mutter, “Miss Goody Two-Shoes,” under her breath.

Cummings looked at both girls intently. She thumbed over her shoulder. “Charlie’s line to the bench,” she said. She grabbed Trisha’s sweater as she skated by. “Do that again and you’re off the team.”

“What do you mean? … I didn’t … I don’t know what …” Trisha gave her head a shake, stormed off the ice, and sat in a huff on the bench. “Typical favouritism. Kick me off for setting up a goal. Makes sense to me.”

Charlie wanted to be anywhere but sandwiched between two girls who hated each other and seemed to thoroughly dislike him too. He braced himself for the inevitable storm.

“Cummings is cracked,” Trisha said to him. “Can you
believe her?”

“I didn’t really see what happened.”

“What happened is Princess Julia chopped my stick in half, and I get in trouble.”

“As if you’re totally innocent,” Alexandra said. “Julia doesn’t lose her temper for nothing.”

“Like at the ball hockey game?”

“Like … whatever.”

“That was clever.”

“Clever was our line getting kicked off the ice because of you.”

Trisha elbowed Charlie. “She scores an empty-net goal and suddenly she’s The Great One.” She leaned forward. “A chair could have scored.”

Alexandra leaned forward. “I’m getting off this line. No chance I’m playing with her.”

“Whatever.”

“Whatever.”

Trisha wasn’t done, though. “Alex, tell your bud Jules to work on her skating. She’s falling all over the place.” She elbowed Charlie again and chuckled.

Charlie suddenly thought back to their goal — and Julia sitting on the ice. Julia would never just fall. He glanced at Trisha, and she smiled back. Had she tripped Julia? It would explain why Trisha had been so wide open.