The Hockey Boy

Chapter 17

TY

December 22

"Okay, team, great practice today," I said as my team was gathered around me by the bench. "Coach told me that this is our last practice until we come back to school in the new year. Rest up over the break, but keep doing some cardio so we aren't totally hopeless when we come back after New Year's. See you after break."

Our team dispersed, and I went over to talk to Coach. "How are you feeling, Brady?" he asked.

"I'm feeling pretty good. I only have to be on these crutches until tomorrow, then I just have to wear a brace for a few days. The doctor changed his mind about completely staying off my knee for a week. He thinks it'll be better if I start walking around with a brace for a while," I explained.

"Well, that's good. So will you be able to practice after break?"

"Yup," I replied. "I'll be able to practice and then our first game back I'll have to play limited minutes, but after that I'll be back to normal."

"Good deal. This team needs you, Brady. I'm glad you didn't have any serious ligament damage."

"I know. My dad went through it, and I saw how worried he was when I went down in our last game. I'm so thankful that I didn't hurt my knee too badly. It would've crushed him if I had to be out for a few months instead of weeks."

"Yeah, I knew your dad back then. He was crushed when his hockey career ended. It was so hard to watch," Coach said, shaking his head as if he was having a flashback from years ago.

"I bet. I just want to make my dad proud. Maybe if I can make it into the pros, It'll make him feel better about himself not making it there. I don't want to let him down."

"You won't let your father down, Ty, whatever you end up doing. He's very proud of you, I can see that," said Coach.

"Thanks, Coach. I'll see you after the break," I smiled as I made my way out of the rink on my crutches.

The past few days had been hard, with me not being able to practice and all, but I had made it though the last week of school before Christmas break. I was so glad that Coach had given us the whole break off. It would give me time to get my knee back into shape. It would also give me time to relax and focus on family and friends, something that doesn't happen often during hockey season.

I was making my way to the girls locker room to grab my stuff when I heard two people arguing. "You need to stay away from my girl," the first guy said.

"'Your girl' happens to be my friend, and I haven't talked to her since she hurt her knee. I wanted to make sure she was okay," a second guy said.

"Well, you know what, that's not your job. You don't need to protect her, that's my job," growled the first guy.

"She is my friend, therefore, it is my job to protect her. Cal helped her off of the ice, and he's her friend. Why aren't you screaming at him?" shouted the second guy.

"I'm not screaming at you! I just need you to stay away from Ty. She is my girlfriend, not yours. You and her have absolutely nothing between you. She will never be yours because she's mine!" yelled the guy I now knew was Jake.

"You know what, Herrington, Ty and I do have something between us, something you obviously don't know about. I have accepted that you are her boyfriend, but that doens't mean I'll stay away from her. Yes, I realize that I'll probably never have the same kind of relationship that you have with her, but I want to be her friend and that's enough for me. I care about Ty, and as long as she's happy, I'm happy, even if it breaks my heart to see her with you."

"Oh, yeah right. What 'thing' do you two have? Hmm?" challenged Jake.

I could hear Easton take a deep breath before replying, "Well, I know that I kissed Ty way before you kissed her." I could sense that Easton was smirking at Jake.

"What do you mean you kissed my girlfriend?" Jake growled.

"I mean, Ty and I kissed before you and her were even a thing, but you know what, that doesn't matter now," said Easton.

"YOU DID WHAT?" yelled my boyfriend.

"You heard me. I kissed Ty, and you know what, it was magical. I have never, ever been kissed like that. That kiss was amazing, something special, and I know I'll never get to experience it again. Ty's yours, and I accept that. The thing that I have a problem with is that you're just trying to get into her pants. She likes you and you don't even give a s**t about her. I know you're just using her, and when you've had your fun you'll leave her, just like you've done with a hundred other girls. I know your type," spat Easton.

"So what if I'm just trying to get into her pants? Can you blame me? She's smokin' and by the looks of her, she won't run out of energy so quickly," grinned Jake.

"You did not just say that," growled Easton, and I heard a fist hit a face.

"Hey, man, you're the same type of guy I am, so you have no right to be talking," Jake said before punching Easton back.

"No, I'm not the same type of guy as you," Easton said through gritted teeth as the two guys continued to fight. "I may be arrogant, but I treat girls with respect. I've never even had a girlfriend."

"Sure, you've never had a girlfriend, but I can sure as hell guarantee that you're not a virgin. I'm sure you're just looking to make Ty another one of your one-night stands," laughed Jake.

"Just for your information, I am a virgin, so I've obviously never had a one-night stand. I certainly can't say the same about you!" Easton shouted as the scuffle continued.

"Well, guess what, West? At the end of the day, Ty is my girlfriend, not yours, and there is nothing you can do to change that."

"You know what? I'm done with you, you're not even worth it," Easton spat, and I heard the two guys stop fighting. "I just hope Ty's smart enough to see through your whole 'gentleman' act. I'm out of here." I heard footsteps going away from me, and I knew that Easton was gone.

I was breathing heavily from where I hid, and I hadn't even realized it until now. I took a deep breath, then rounded the corner in the direction of Jake and the locker room.

"Hey, babe, how are you doing?" Jake smiled when he saw me.

"I'm good. What's up?" I asked.

"Can't a guy see his girlfriend after practice?" he laughed. "Actually, I was going to ask if you wanted to come to a Christmas Eve party at my house. It starts at eight."

"Yeah, I'd like to come. Will you pick me up or do you want me to drive over so you don't have to leave the party?" I asked. A Christmas Eve party seemed like a great thing to take my mind off of everything.

"If you could drive over, that'd be great," said Jake.

"Okay cool, I'll see you at the party then. Casual or fancy dress?" I asked.

"Fancy. It is Christmas, you know," Jake replied with a charming smile.

"Yeah, I know, I just wasn't sure," I said.

"Okay, I'll see you Christmas Eve, then," Jake smiled, turning to leave.

I was still feeling uneasy about Easton and Jake's argument and what Jake had said, so I called out to Jake, "Wait, Jake, I wanted to ask you something."

"Yeah, Ty?"

"Do you care about me?"

"Of course I care about you. I come to your games, and when you got hurt, I went to your house to see if you were okay. I most definitely care about you," he replied sincerely.

"Okay," I replied unsurely. Jake kissed me gently on the lips, said good-bye once more, and then he was gone. I sighed and walked into the locker room. I still felt like Jake was hiding something from me, but I decided that there wasn't anything I could do before the Christmas Eve party. I was just going to have to wait.

I thought about texting Easton and seeing what he'd have to say about Jake, but I knew that he'd have nothing good to say about him. I finally decided to just leave it until Christmas Eve. Hopefully, I'd learn more about what type of person Jake was in his own home.