Symphony of Chaos and a Chorus of Euphoria

Forty minuets later the team descended on Terry’s ice cream parlor and dinner. A tradition for the team before every home game. Terry, the owner loved having the boys around. He kept a big board behind the counter with the standings of all the hockey teams in the district. He was always biased and a open knights supported.

John was sat at his usual booth on his own staring into space playing with his hair.

“What’s up chief?” Brody said sitting down opposite John

John shook his head to clear it and smiled at him

“Just thinking about the game” John replied

“Or thinking about who will be AT the game” Brody teased

“Who is going to be at the game” a voice said

the voice belonged to Finn Newman and he was carrying a tray of three milkshakes.

“Who is coming to the game?” he asked again sitting down next to Brody and pulling one of the milkshakes towards him

“John’s girlfriend” Brody teased getting his milk shake

“Richi, you have a girlfriend? But you never date anyone” Finn said in a interested tone

John reached for his milkshake, laughing and shaking his head

“I don’t have a girlfriend, she is just a friend” John informed Finn

Finn and Brody were the assistant captains on the team, it was their job to help John run the team and to look out for their teammates out on the ice. The booth they were sitting in was their regular booth and no one but them sat at it.

“Who is she any way?” Fin asked after a while

“Taylor Jardine” John said.

Finn strained himself for a few moments trying to think of who she was

“Mmmm, nope don’t know her”

“Yeah you do she hangs out with that lanky weird dude, Jordan or something” Brody said

“Oh yeah she is really quiet right?” Finn said sudden realization on his face

“Yup” Brody said going back to blowing his straw around his cup and trying to catch it in his mouth

“She is kinda cute John, if she is in to you I say go for it” Finn continued.

Brody suddenly threw his arms up in the air and pointed at Finn

“see even Finn thinks its stupid to stay single if girls are interested” Brody said in mock exaggeration

“I just don’t see the point, I mean what’s the average high school relationship time frame maybe 2-4 months, well 4 is a bit generous. Anyway my point is that it never moves past that mutual attraction, once that is gone the relationship is over and I’m not going to upset some poor girl for the simple reason I got bored” John explained

There was silence after that statement broken by the occasional slurp as Brody blew bubbles in what remained of his milkshake

“Well maybe you to can be the couple that break that stereotype” Finn shrugged

“Yeah maybe” John sighed

“What?!” Brody asked sitting up

“Nothing” John said quickly

“You said maybe” Brody said narrowing his eyes at John
“Didn’t he Finn”

“That’s what I heard” Finn smirked

“You two are hearing things” John said as he stood up

“Knights, lets go back to the rink its game time boys!” John boomed through the diner.

Terry held the door as the team trooped out getting in to their cars and heading off to school. John and Brody brought up the rear leaving the dinner last.

“Knock em’ dead son “ Terry said to John as he walked out

John turned and said thank you to Terry before he climbed in Brody’s truck and the sped off towards the school rink.

Twenty minuets later John was sitting in his stall in the locker room pulling his socks over his shin pads. John loved the atmosphere in a locker room before a game, the perfect balance of dead silence and the hushed mumbling of teammates as they talked tactics. It was what brought hockey to life for John, for he knew when he stepped through that door and started to gear up that he was only moments away from doing what he loved.

He looked around the room as the laced his skates up. Finn was in his stall next to the tunnel and was talking to one of the goalies Mark. A few of the junior players looked at John nervously and he nodded at them. He finished lacing his skates and sat up pulling his jersey over his head and picking up his helmet.

“You should really are a cage” Brody said from his left

“You cant avoid a puck to the face for ever” He joked

“Ill be fine” John reassured Brody

“Well at lest ware a gum shield or something, you make me nervous out there” Brody said in a stern tone

“Oh that reminds me”

John stood up and reached into the top shelf of his stall pulling down a pack of gum. He opened it up and pulled out his last stick

“ill need to get some more” he said to himself pushing the gum into his mouth.

Brody smiled and shook his head. This was a weird tradition of John’s, every game he would chew a stick of gum and keep it for the whole game. If it came out of his mouth he would pick it up off the ice and put it back in his mouth.

“all right boys” John’s dad strode into the room from the tunnel

“now this is the quarter final for the division here tonight, I don’t have to remind you of how hard you have to play. You all ready know that. A few things to remember, keep moving that puck in the zone, lots of shots, be aggressive right off the hop here. Lepi keep your mouth shut I don’t want a fight in the first five seconds” Mr. Richards pointed at Brody.

He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and read

“we are going with, Lepi Richards, Dawson, Weather, Kelvin and Mark your in the cage” He announced the starting line up and looked around the room

“lets have a good game here eh boys, John take em out” he finished and walked out the room

John got to his feet followed by Brody.

“All right lets go eh boys take it to them all the way” He stood by the entrance of the tunnel and bumped his fist of the fists of his passing teammates as they made their way in to the tunnel

_________________________________________________________________________________

Tay got to her seat just as the opposing team took the ice and immediately covered her ears as the crowd jumped to its feet and began booing the players as they skated around the goal at the far end of the ice.

“All right hockey fans” a large voice boomed around the stadium

“Are you ready to welcome you’re Williton high Knights?”

The crowd cheered and Tay got to her feet.

In the tunnel the team stood in the shadows all john could see was the nameplate of Brody who was standing in front of him.

“And here they come” the voice boomed

Someone yelled go and the team began funneling on to the ice.

John stepped on the ice after Brody to a defining wall of sound. He took off up the ice keeping focused on Brody’s back feeling the way the ice glided underneath him.

He was coming up to the end of the rink now, he turned to his left hard and took a quick glance at the crowd closest to the glass. People had their faces pressed up against it and some were hammering on it. The he saw her, the curly brown hair and the dark chocolate eyes. It was Tay. He grinned at her and tapped his stick on the glass. She smiled back at him and watched him.

John circled the Goal a few more times before a referee blew his whistle signaling for the starting players to take center ice

“here we go ladies and gentlemen the opening face off, quick tactic talk as Richards skates away from Lepi, I wonder what play those two are cooking up” the voice boomed

John skated to his position in the face off circle and focused on the referee’s arm which held the puck. Time seemed to slow down as the only thing in the world that mattered was winning that puck in the face off. John help his breath

“A fantastic face off with by Richards who gets the puck to Lepi who streaks up the left wing, Back to Richards who takes it across the blue, Oh nice drop pass to Dawson who shoots. Rebound Picked up by Richards. They score!”

the whole play took 8 seconds. Tay didn’t know where to look, she didn’t even see the puck go in the net. The world around her seemed to explode as the fans stomped their feet and slammed the glass cheering. John went on to score 2 more goals and “assist” in another 3.

Making the score 6-2 in the third period. Things were defiantly getting more heated this period, there were more bumps and penalties. Tay found it very confusing but she only really cared what happened to John, who, so far had managed to keep himself out of trouble.

“And that is a frozen puck” the commentator said as the goalie for the other team saved a shot from Brody

“oh and a blatant late hit from Marrison of West wind in to the back of Lepi and he is slow to get up”

An opposing player who had taken a run at him had hit Brody in the back

“And here comes Richards” the commentator yelled

John had thrown off his gloves and grabbed the offending player by the collar. Two lines men came and separated the pair pushing John up against the glass in front of Tay. John was yelling at the other player to loud she could here him, even over the din of the crowd

“oh you think you’re a big man eh? You better keep you head up ill fucking take you out you fucking goon” John was yelling struggling against the linesman

the other player was staring at John, sizing him up. Thinking about taking him on. When Tay realized it, the number John wore 37. It was her month and day. March the 7th . she stared at the numbers, was this a sign?

“and that two minuets for the pair” the commentator brought Tay out of her thoughts in time to see John being escorted to the penalty box.

She could see John sitting there stewing, shooting dirty glances at the offending player in the other penalty box. Two minuets passed and they were allowed out. West wind had possession and John hung back reading the play as the other team came speeding down to his end. Then he stepped up. Right in to the path of the player who hit Brody. There was a loud dull

THUNK

As they collided and the player crumpled to the ground. John took the loose puck and took off towards their goal scoring one last time.

“rub that salt in you’re wound Morrison, cleaned up and scored on, that will teach you not to be a dirty player” the commentator was roaring through the stadium

Morrison was helped to his feet and lead to the bench. The rest of the game passed un eventful with the Knights winning 7-2 meaning they would progress to the semi-finals.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Tay left the rink and sat in her car, she pulled out her phone and texted John

“good game, ill see you tomorrow”

Before driving home. When she pulled into her drive her phone buzzed with a text.

“thanks for coming, what time shall I come round?”

was the reply from John. Tay smiled and text back

“Around 3 or 4, night”

and with that Tay let her self in and went to bed mild excitement about the next day, flowing inside her.