Chapter 10
CHAPTER
TEN
CHARLIE
Charlie was going to kick the Swedes’ asses.
It simply had to happen. Though she had no way of verifying if Olive actually came, Charlie wanted to impress her.
She needed to impress her. It was definitely a pride thing, but there was no way Charlie was going to let her girl see her lose at a sport that was so quintessentially Canadian.
Besides, what would the country say if Team Canada lost their first game at the Olympics? Charlie was not willing to let that happen.
During the intermission, Charlie sat on the locker room bench and tried to work through her meditations in her head.
Though she was fired up, she needed to remain calm and remember all their training.
The Swedish team preferred certain plays, exact players to execute them.
Charlie needed to remember who they were and try to stop them.
“We got this, Lajoie,” Plaker said next to her. Though they were frenemies at best, it was comforting to hear from her at this moment.
“You’re right,” Charlie echoed. “We totally got this. Hockey is Canada’s sport. There’s no way we’re losing.”
“Exactly,” Coach said, having heard their conversation. He clapped them both on the shoulder. “There’s that dynamic duo. Go kick their asses, okay?”
“Yes, Coach,” Plaker and Charlie both echoed.
With the intermission over, Charlie slipped her helmet back on and skated towards the ice.
It was smooth from the Zamboni, and she looked towards the goal, where Campbell was already digging in her grooves.
Charlie wanted to look around the stadium for Olive, but she knew that would be the worst idea ever.
It would only distract her, and she had to keep her head in the game.
When the captain completed the faceoff again, Charlie skated towards the puck, remembering the assignments the team had practiced. It was hard work to get the puck away from the Swedes, but they did so after a few minutes of battling, and Charlie was closing in on the goal again.
Plaker had the puck and she feigned passing it right, but then passed it to Charlie from between the Swedish player’s legs.
Charlie caught the pass and aimed it at the net, shooting right between the goalie’s legs before she could catch up.
The puck flew towards the net and in between the goalie’s legs where she had hoped.
The cheering began immediately, and Charlie dropped her stick in celebration.
“YAHHHHH,” Charlie yelled at Plaker as she skated over to celebrate with her. In a post-goal bliss, Charlie pulled her roommate in for a hug that she knew she’d never repeat in another context.
“WOOOOOOO!” Plaker screamed back at Charlie.
As the celebrations and cheering continued, they skated back to the rest of the team and their coach, who all cheered with them.
“On fire, Lajoie!” Coach praised.
The rest of the game was intense as the Swedish players became much more aggressive trying to score, but the Canadian players stopped them.
With only a minute and a half left, one player tussled with Charlie for the puck.
She had Charlie pinned against the glass as she swiped for the puck.
Charlie blocked her with her elbows, and she could feel her temper rising.
“You bitch,” the Swede said as one of her teammates appeared on Charlie’s other side and tried to swipe at the puck.
“No need for that,” Charlie tried to call, but it was too late, and another one of her teammates came to defend her.
One thing led to another, and Charlie may have thrown a hit or two.
By the time the refs came to break it up, Charlie knew she was done in the game.
At least there was not too much time left, and she was confident that the Swedish team would not be able to recover enough to score a goal—even at four-on-four, with herself and one of their players off the ice.
The ref led Charlie to the penalty box, and she accepted it with grace, skating and nodding to the attendant there. They handed Charlie a water bottle, which she guzzled. At least now she could watch the game in peace.
“Charlie!!” Charlie heard her name being yelled behind her, and she swore it was Olive’s voice.
Charlie turned around, and her eyes widened as she realized it was actually Olive.
She was watching the game from three rows behind the penalty box, and Charlie could see her and everyone around her standing up to cheer for Team Canada.
The people around her were focused on the game, but Olive clearly only had eyes for Charlie as she waved at her.
Charlie should not have found it as cute as she did, but she waved back slightly before turning her attention back to the ice. Just in time too, as the buzzer above announced the end of the game.
Holy shit, we did it.
They had won their first Olympics game.
“Fuck yeah!!!” Charlie yelled, and she felt the attendant next to her flinch.
“Sorry,” Charlie said as she turned to her and winked. “Didn’t mean to be so loud, but it’s the Olympics, after all.”
The attendant shook her head, and Charlie ignored it as she skated back to the ice to celebrate with her team.
It was a cheering for the ages, and she knew she would be riding this emotional high for many days to come.
Charlie just had to do this all over again a few more times and she’d be an Olympic champion.
Charlie could hardly wait.
In the locker room, the mood was jubilant.
“You coming out to celebrate with us tonight?” Campbell, the goalie, asked as they changed next to each other.
“Maybe. I need to see what Blake’s up to,” Charlie replied.
“Oh yes, you and your bestie.”
Charlie nodded. “That’s the one.”
“Make sure you take some time to yourself and actually celebrate, eh? We’ll be back to this tomorrow, but we need to remember our wins to keep them going.”
“Trust me, there will be no shortage of celebrating tonight,” Charlie said. It was unusually forward of her, and when she finally pulled her street clothes on, Campbell had turned to her with an incredulous expression on her face.
“Woah, what is this?” Campbell said when Charlie wasn’t forthcoming.
“I know,” Heather piped in from where she was changing on the other side of Campbell. “Something’s been going on with Lajoie. I think she’s seeing someone.”
Charlie didn’t bother to correct the assumption, as it was true. “Speaking of… Plaker, can I have the room tonight?”
Heather nodded but crinkled her forehead. “Gross. I don’t even want to think about what you want it for.”
“Aww, Plaker doesn’t know anything about sex,” Campbell teased her. “Why don’t you come find out in my room tonight?”
“You’re incorrigible,” Plaker said, and Charlie promptly tuned out the rest of the conversation.
With privacy secured, Charlie pulled out her phone to text Olive.
how would you like to see the Olympic Village?
count me in… but shouldn’t you be celebrating with your teammates?
i see them every day, i’d rather celebrate with you
Though Charlie didn’t regret hitting send, she was instantly struck with a panic upon seeing what she had written.
Was it too forward? Would Olive even appreciate it?
Based on their earlier conversation, Charlie knew that she was clearly the one who was way more into Olive than she was into her.
But she also knew that keeping her thoughts to herself never benefitted her.
Charlie had done that all her life, and she was tired of it.
Charlie sighed, and glanced up to notice that most of the players had already left the room.
She really was caught up in this woman. Charlie shook her head and followed the rest of the remaining players out of the locker room.
that’s sweet
sure, i’d love to see the olympic village
great, meet me at the coffee shop?
Charlie sent her a Google Maps link to the shop, then tried her best not to whistle as she made her way there.
With a hat on and general hurried demeanour, she was thankfully not stopped by anyone as she walked through the village.
It was probably all the star power combined—since everyone around her was special, it meant no one really was, which worked to her benefit then.
When Charlie arrived to the coffee shop, she saw Olive waiting outside for her. Though Charlie had seen her this morning, and from a distance during the game, Olive was perhaps even more beautiful now.
Maybe it was the high from the win, or the high of knowing that she’d see her all night, but she was practically floating on air as she approached Olive.
“I see you found something to wear,” Charlie said as she stopped in front of her. She was probably too close for comfort, but she had employed all her self-restraint to not kiss her right then and there, and this was the best she could do.
“Eventually.” Olive tugged on her black hoodie and then glanced up at Charlie. She smiled at her obvious good mood.
“Congratulations to you, gold medalist,” Olive said. Charlie laughed; Olive really did know nothing about sports.
“Not gold medalists yet, but we are still in the running. I mean, it wouldn’t be my first gold medal,” Charlie said this with the pompous air she most frequently saw from Blake, and it seemed to work, because Olive laughed.
“Hmm, do they have gold medals in cockiness?” Olive moved closer as she asked, glancing up at Charlie.
Charlie stepped closer to her, and she was sure the hunger in Olive’s eyes matched hers as she dipped her head lower. Olive captured her lips before Charlie could react, sweeping her up in those kisses Charlie was already obsessed with.
Someone behind them whistled, and they pulled away reluctantly. Charlie assumed the passerby had already moved on, as no one in particular lingered when she glanced around, but the spell around them was broken, replaced with the more humoured tone they had shared earlier.
“So… have you ever had a sleepover in the Olympic Village?”
Olive furrowed her brow. “No, but what happened to your roommate?”
“She found a new room for the night.”
Olive slipped a hand through Charlie’s and gestured for her to lead the way. “I guess I’ll be finding out whether those beds are made of cardboard or not.”