Depraved Valentine (St. Valentines)

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

RAFE

The rink is cold this morning. The kind of cold that makes your teeth tingle when you breathe in too deep, but it feels good. Like a clean slate. The smell of fresh ice cut through the air, mixing with the faint scent of stale sweat from the locker room. I don’t mind. It’s part of the ritual—gear, sweat, the sharp, metallic edge of the ice, all of it.

I slide my skates on, one after the other, the laces tight enough to make my toes burn just slightly. I like it that way. It’s a reminder I’m about to put everything into this, like I always do.

The locker room is half-empty. Just a few of the regulars milling around—Ben, Mark, and Tyler. I don’t pay them much attention. It’s game face time. I make my way out of the locker room and out to the rink.

We hit the ice ten minutes before practice is supposed to start. The coolness of the rink is a welcome contrast to the stuffy air of the locker room. My skates cut into the ice, carving smooth lines beneath me. The sound of the blades biting the surface echoe in the empty rink. There is something almost meditative about it—the quiet before everything starts.

“Warm up, then we’re hitting drills. Let’s move it, boys!” Hayes yells from the bench.

I shift into gear, zipping around, getting my legs loose. A few laps, some quick starts and stops, all to get the blood flowing. I can feel the muscles in my legs warming up, the familiar tension building up in my core. I’m ready.

We do the usual routine. Line drills first. I focus on quick passes and quick movement, as well as seeing all that's happening around me. The puck feels perfect on my stick, sliding easily on the ice. The goalie—as usual—is good, but he’s just a little too slow for some of the quicker shots. That doesn’t matter to me, though. I’m already planning my next move, thinking two steps ahead.

I drop into a better stance, my knees bending, head up, stick ready. I can feel my muscles burning after a few minutes, but that’s part of it—burning in the right way, the kind of burn that comes with pushing yourself past the limits. I love it.

After a series of breakout drills, where we have to transition from defense to offense in under ten seconds, Coach moves us into power play scenarios. I take in the magical feeling of the ice gliding underneath my skates.

“Make it count, boys,” Hayes says. The power play has been struggling lately. Our passes have been off, and timing was everything.

We finish out with a few more goals and technique explanations.

After an hour and a half, Coach calls it quits. We skate a few more laps to cool down, then make our way back to the locker room. I pull my helmet off, running my hand through my damp hair, feeling the sting of the cold air on my skin. There’s always this weird calm after practice, a moment when the world slows down just enough for you to catch your breath before everything picks up again.

I grab my water bottle, take a long drink, and sit down on the bench, letting the chill air soak into my body. JD tosses a towel at me, and I catch it without looking.

After a hot shower, everybody makes their way out of the building and to their cars.

Despite constantly working our asses off and beating ourselves up over the lack of perfection, I know I’m surrounded by brothers who value the sport and the adrenaline just as much as I do. I couldn’t imagine having gone to another school and not had my boys through this with me.

I pat JD on the shoulder, and we head toward my Bronco.

“What’s on your mind, brother?” JD’s question throws me off. He knows me more than I know myself. He’s been by my side for as long as I can remember and has never left.

“Just thinking about heading to the bar to clear my head a bit,” I say before hopping in the car and starting it up. We both know I wont be going anywhere but to bed tonight. Especially since we have practice in the morning.

“Go get laid, sweet cheeks. That’ll fix your problem real quick,” JD says with a smirk before heading to his truck. Fucker.

I throw him the finger before driving off and heading home to spend my night relaxing alone.