Quietly His Fault

Ch 10

Friday during lunch Zach and I are eating and there is a comfortable silence surrounding us, when suddenly Zach breaks the silence by saying, “Come to my hockey game tonight. PLEASE!”

“Zach I don’t know. I love hockey, but school spirit…”

“I just want to see your face in the crowd.” Zach tells me as his hand grazes my cheek causing me to shutter in happiness.

“Zach I don’t know.”

“Come on, please! We’ll do whatever you want on Sunday, I’ll even ditch an hour of band practice on Sunday.”

“You really want me to go that bad?” I say knowing very well that his band is one of the most important things to him.

“Yes.”

“Why do you want me to go so bad?”

“You’re my friend, and seeing your face in the crowd will get me to play better.”

“I have no idea why that is true, but fine I’ll go if you want me to go that bad.”

“Fantastic! Thank You!”

“Yeah Yeah”

Then bell rings.

“See you at the rink at six we’ll grab some food afterwards.”

“Doesn’t the team normally go together and eat after the game?”

“Doesn’t matter you and me after the game with food.”

I laugh and reply “alright” as Zach runs out of the room so he won’t be late for his next class.

Then I take an end seat expecting no one to sit next to me per usual, but Nathan sits by me.

“Hi Aida.” He says.

“Hi Nathan. Sorry about the song last Friday by the way. I knew someone wrote the song with Zach, but I didn’t know that was you that wrote it with him.”

“No big. I would have only minded if you didn’t do the song justice, but as I said that day you killed it.”

“Thanks.”

“Course. Hey you going to the hockey game tonight?”

“Since I was practically begged to go yes actually.”

“Cool. Come sit by me so you won’t sit alone. I was supposed to go with one friend of mine, but ditched out last minute, and then my other friend goes to opposing school. So we could sit together and keep each other company.”

“That would be really nice.”

So we traded numbers before class began.

***

I’m at the rink trying and failing to find Nathan. Until I hear someone yell, “Aida!”

“Nathan, hey.” I say once I sit next to him.

“Hi to you as well.”

“First hockey game?”

“School one.”

So the games begins, Zach manages to find me in the crowd after three minutes into the game. When he sees me he smiles big and attempts to wink at me. He succeeds, but that boy can’t wink. His wink looks awkward and not quite right. It’s cute though.

Behind me I hear Marsha squeal, “Did you see Zach’s smile got so big when he saw me, and he even winked at me.”

I noticed Zach heard because he rolled his eyes after her squeal and then shared a secret smirk with me before he put his helmet back on. Time-out is over.

I love hockey so I was getting really into the game. We are tied with 15 seconds left in the game; Zach has the puck.

“Go Zach!” I yell. He must’ve hears me because as soon as the words are out of my mouth a smirk appears clear on his face before he whips the puck past three guys and the goalie into the net just as the buzzard goes off.

I jump up from my seat and start screaming, Nathan joins me as does the rest of the crowd.

Everyone is gathered in the locker room hallway. I decide to send Zach a text saying, “I’m sure the team wants to celebrate with the captain and the guy who scored the winning goal.
Amazing shot by the way. Go have fun with your team and stop by Sunday. I decide what we do!”

“No way! I don’t want to eat with the team. I want to eat with you.” Zach almost insantly texts me back.

“You sure?”

“Yes, wait outside the locker room, be out soon.” He replies to my last text.

So I say bye to Nathan and wait outside the locker room with all the groupies.

“What are you doing here?” Marsha spits out.

“School Spirit?”

“Ha!”

“Well, well, well! Do we have a new groupie?” Josh says as he walks out of the locker room.

Then he grabs me by the shoulders and says, “After we get some food you can always come back to my place. My parents won’t be home and then you can be an official groupie.” He says touching too high on my leg.

“Or” I begin as I elbow him in the gut, “You can never touch me or talk to me again, and I’ll let you keep your manhood.” As I finish my statement Josh is keeled over on the ground.

I hear someone laugh, then I look and see Zach is the one laughing his ass off. After we make eye contact Zach uses his head to gesture towards the exit. Before I leave I say, “Try to support your school for once and have to elbow and threaten someone. Last time I come to a game.”

Then I decide to smack him across the face and say with venom dripping for each word, “Don’t dare treat me like a piece of meat.” Before walking out.

Once we are safely outside in the parking lot Zach says, “I saw that whole thing, and Aida, that kicked ass!!! I was going to go and help you, but once I saw you had it under control I let you continue. I can’t believe you did that!”

“He was asking for it.”

“Oh he most definitely was, but no girl has the guts to do what you just did.”

“Well then people need to grow up and grow some balls.”

“People don’t get why you’re cool because they have never talked to you, because you are cool, and a hard ass, which is good, and I like it.” Then he says at my purse, while petting Cuddles, “Hi Cuddles. Hope you liked the game.”

“She did.”

“Alright let’s grab some food.”

I am getting this weird feeling in my tummy… like there are butterflies flying around. Also my heartbeat is increasing, though I’m not doing any real physical activity. … What’s going on?