Chapter 51 Ice down
The rest of the day was a blur of anxiety. I couldn't focus on my lectures. Every time a hockey player walked past me in the hallway, I felt a surge of anger. They were all wearing their team jackets, talking about how Julian was going to lead them to a massive win against State.
Nobody was talking about Jaxson.
I went to the rink early for the pre-game warm-ups. The building was already starting to fill up. The band was playing, and the student section was a sea of our school colors.
I found Leo near the locker room. He was dressed in his full gear, his Captain’s 'C' looking bright under the lights. He looked stressed.
"How is he, Leo?" I asked, pulling him aside.
Leo sighed. "He says he’s fine, El. But I saw him in the locker room. He spent ten minutes just sitting in front of his locker with his eyes closed. He’s not fine. He’s dizzy, and he’s slow."
"Then tell the Coach!" I cried. "Don't let him go out there!"
"I tried to talk to him," Leo said, looking defeated. "But Jaxson told me that if I reported him, he’d never speak to me again. He said he’d quit the team before he let Julian take his dignity. And honestly? Julian is already acting like he owns the place. He’s telling everyone that Jaxson is mentally checked out. If Jaxson doesn't play, it looks like Julian was right."
Just then, Julian walked past us. He looked like a million dollars. His skates were polished, his jersey was crisp, and he had a smug grin on his face. He stopped when he saw us.
"Everything okay, Captain?" Julian asked. He looked at me, his eyes dancing with a mean kind of joy. "Elena. You look worried. Is our rookie friend having some trouble finding his locker?"
"Stay away from him, Julian," I said.
Julian leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper so only I could hear. "I saw him in the training room earlier, Elena. He couldn't even walk in a straight line. He’s hurt. And if he goes out on that ice tonight, he’s going to get hit. Hard. State plays a physical game. They aren't going to care about his little headache."
"You did this," I hissed.
"I played hockey," Julian said, shrugging. "If he wants to play with the big boys, he has to be able to take a hit. But if I were you, I’d tell him to sit this one out. It would be a shame if his career ended before it even started because he was too proud to admit he was broken."
He winked at me and skated onto the ice for warm-ups, looking perfectly relaxed.
The game started at seven. The noise was deafening. The crowd was screaming, the drums were beating, and the energy in the room was like an electric current.
I sat in the front row, right behind the Vipers’ bench. I watched Jaxson closely. He was on the third line, just like the Coach had ordered. When he skated out for his first shift, I could see it. He was a second slow on every turn. He was squinting against the bright white ice.
Every time a State player got near him, my heart stopped.
Julian was on the first line with Leo. They were playing incredibly well. Julian scored a goal in the first ten minutes, and the crowd went wild.
He skated past the bench and tapped Jaxson’s helmet with his stick, a friendly gesture that was actually a taunt. He was showing everyone that he was the leader now.
In the second period, things got worse.
Jaxson was chasing a puck into the corner. A giant State defenseman was right on his heels.
Usually, Jaxson would have been fast enough to turn and avoid the hit. But he hesitated. He stumbled for just a fraction of a second.
The State player slammed him into the boards.
Boom.
The sound was like a cannon going off. Jaxson went down and didn't get up immediately. He stayed on one knee, his head hanging low. I stood up, my hands over my mouth, ready to scream.
Leo skated over and helped him up, whispering something in his ear. Jaxson pushed him away, shaking his head. He stayed on the ice, but he was moving like he was underwater.
During the intermission, I went down to the hallway near the locker rooms. I had to see him. I found him leaning against a cold concrete wall in the dark, away from the other players. He was holding an ice pack to the back of his neck.
"Jaxson, stop this," I said, my voice trembling. "You're going to get seriously hurt. Please, tell Coach."
Jaxson looked at me. His pupils were different sizes. I knew enough about first aid to know that was a bad sign. "I can't, Elena. We're winning. Two-one. If I quit now, Julian will tell everyone I'm a coward. I just need to get through twenty more minutes."
"Twenty minutes could cost you the rest of your life!" I said. "Is your pride worth that much?"
"It’s not just pride!" he yelled, then winced and lowered his voice. "It’s everything. If I lose hockey, I lose the scholarship. I lose the chance to help my mom. I lose my place in your world. I’m just a guy who can play hockey, Elena. If I can't do that, what am I?"
"You're the person I love," I said, tears blurring my vision. "And I don't care about the scholarship or the hockey. I just want you to be okay."
"I have to go back out," he said. He pushed off the wall, his legs wobbling for a second before he straightened up. "One more period. That’s it."
The third period was the longest twenty minutes of my life.
State tied the game. Two-two. The tension in the arena was so thick you could feel it. The crowd was on their feet, screaming for a goal.
With five minutes left, Coach Reed put Jaxson back on the ice. He wanted Jaxson’s strength to clear the puck.
Julian was out there too. They were on the ice at the same time.
The puck was loose near the center line. Jaxson saw it and started skating. He was focused, trying so hard to overcome the dizziness. He reached the puck first. He had a clear path to the net. If he scored now, he would be the hero. He would prove Julian wrong.
But Julian was skating right behind him.
"Watch out, Miller!" Julian shouted.
Jaxson flinched. He looked over his shoulder, expecting another hit. That split second of distraction was all Julian needed. He didn't hit Jaxson. He didn't trip him. He just skated past him, using his superior speed to steal the puck right off Jaxson’s stick.
Jaxson tried to turn to chase him, but the sudden movement was too much. His world must have spun. He lost his balance and fell to the ice, sliding toward the boards.