Jake
We’re up two to one going into the second period against Boston and tensions are running high.
It’s been an all out battle, and I wasn’t expecting anything less from them.
We set up for the face off. Maddox wins and passes the puck between his legs to Connor, who shoots it to the right and sends it to Brayden.
The puck hits Brayden's stick just as one of Boston's players comes up from behind him and steals the puck out from underneath him.
He then passes it off to one of his forwards behind the net who is able to skate around it, catching Beckett off guard and causing him to score a wraparound goal.
The lamp lights up signaling a goal, making the score two to two.
“It’s okay, boys. It’s only the second period, and we still have a lot of time left in the game. Let’s keep our heads focused!” Coach yells as we all skate back to the bench for a line change.
“I should’ve seen that coming.” Brayden sighs frustratedly as he rips his helmet off and squirts water all over himself to cool down.
“It’s not on you. He was behind you. You couldn’t have known he was coming.” I try reassuring him.
We all shake it off as we watch the second line set up, getting our heads back in the game.
We all sigh dejectedly as we walk off down the hall to the locker rooms. At the end of the second period, the score is five to two with Boston in the lead.
The team is all over the place.
We’re making sloppy passes, bad calls, and just overall not paying attention to each other. Blake ended up getting checked into the boards pretty hard and when he took his time getting up from the ice, the medical team came to help him off.
I noticed that it was Alyssa, one of the other trainers that was helping Hannah, and not Kailyn.
Not that there’s anything weird about that, she could be tied up doing something else, my gut just has an uneasy feeling after how she was behaving earlier, the pale color of her cheeks and the tired expression on her face.
I couldn’t exactly stop the game to ask her where Kailyn was, though.
“Alright settle down,” Coach starts, and the locker room quiets. “I know you are all feeling frustrated leaving the ice. It’s evident in your eyes. We still have another period to play, so take this break to focus up and reset yourselves.”
We all nod in agreement and then scatter around, some guys retaping their sticks, some chatting and walking around, and others listening to music to calm themselves.
I make my way over to Emilia, who’s chatting along with Hannah as they laugh about something that I didn’t hear. “Hey ladies, how’s it going for you?”
“Not too bad, other than the hit Blake took. It’s been a slow night. We just finished loading him into the back of an ambulance. He's gonna go get some testing done to make sure that everything is okay.”
“Yeah, it looked like a hard hit, I hope he’s okay after this.”
“He seemed fine when I checked him out, but from how he was acting afterwards, we wanted to be sure.” When Blake couldn’t even get up from the ice or make out what was happening, I knew that they were most likely to take him to the hospital.
“You wanna tell me the real reason you came over here Jake?” Emilia calls me out.
“What if I really came over here to see you both? I can’t talk with my friends?” They both give me a knowing look and I sigh, laughing that they’ve caught on. “Okay, fine. I wanted to see if you know where Kailyn is. I haven’t seen her since before the game.”
They both share an uneasy look before Emilia looks back at me and places her hand on my arm and squeezes. “She ended up not feeling well, so she’s not working the game tonight.”
Panic starts to rise in my chest, my stomach bottoming out. “What happened? I caught onto something before we went out, but I wasn’t sure what it was.”
“She got her period this morning, and it’s been a really bad day for her. She could barely stand up, couldn’t really speak, and looked miserable. So, I talked to my dad and he told her to go back to the hotel and rest.” Emilia says, voice in a hushed whisper.
A heavy breath escapes me, but it doesn’t ease my worries much.
When we were dating the first time, Kailyn told me about her periods, how her PMOS made them ten times worse for her, and how she had such crippling pain it kept her from functioning most days.
She told me everything about it, from what it felt like to how it affected her everyday living and how she had her good and bad days.
On her really bad days, which were never regular, I would always take care of her, dropping everything to make sure that she had someone to help ease the pain, even just by a little.
“How bad is it?” I ask cautiously.
“Let’s just say that when she went to the bathroom to throw up for the third time, I decided to ignore her wishes to stay and told my dad anyway.” Emilia says.
“She can be so stubborn, but I’m glad you were looking out for her.” I slightly tease, even if my nerves are shot and all I want to do is run out of this arena and take care of my girlfriend.
“She’s my best friend. Of course I would look out for her.
And listen, I don’t know as much as you do about her history, so I’m trusting that after the game you’re going to take care of her.
” She reaches into her back pocket and hands me a key card.
“Here’s my room key. I hadn’t brought my things to the room, so I’m just gonna bunk with Hannah and Alyssa tonight.
Just make sure you take care of our girl. ”
“Thank you Em. I promise, I’ll take care of her.”
Em nods, and I walk back to my locker, sitting down with my head between my knees.
I hate that she’s in pain right now, and I’m here. I think this game just has us all defeated, and I’m not sure that we can come back from it.
Coach is right, losses happen, and I’m just going to give everything I have this final period, then focus on taking care of my girl, even though the ice is the last place I want to be right now.
The final buzzer blares across the stadium, signaling the end of the game.
As I predicted, the game did not go in our favor, a five to two win for Boston. We’re all currently back in the locker room, a somber tone taking over the atmosphere. Everyone moves just a bit slower, tension lining their bodies as they all undress and get ready to board the bus.
This is our first game for this away series with two more to follow, and while this isn’t the way we wanted it to start, it doesn’t mean we need it to define us.
“Before Coach comes in here and gives us his post game speech, I just want to talk to you all.” Connor shifts into Captain mode, walking towards the center of the locker room and looking at all of us.
“I know that losing sucks, and today definitely wasn’t our best performance.
” Nods and hums of agreement fill the room.
“We weren’t in sync, we were making sloppy passes and rookie mistakes.
Those games happen, but it’s how we bounce back that truly matters.
” He looks around the room, meeting each player's gaze.
“There’s still two more games, so do whatever you need to do, sit in your feels, punch a pillow, follow a routine, but after tonight, center your focus and put the work in.
I know every person in this room can bounce back, so let's focus on the next game. If you need anything or wanna talk something out, I’m always here for you. ”
Excited murmurs come from the group, appreciating Connor’s words and his support as not only a Captain, but as our friend.
“Connor is right,” Coach walks in, arms folded across his chest, expression soft with a small smile, “I couldn’t have said it better myself. Now, finish up whatever you’re doing in here and let's load the bus in ten minutes. Get a good night’s rest and focus on being prepared for the next game.”
“Yes, Coach!” We all shout in unison.
I finish piling all of my gear in my duffle and pulling on my hoodie when I spot the key card for Kailyn’s room on the top shelf of my stall. I pull it out, tucking it into my pocket so that I don’t forget it here.
There’s only one place I want to be tonight, especially after a long and brutal game.
Following the rest of the guys out, I file onto the bus, making my way to my usual seat near the front. I’ve just settled into my seat, eyes closed from exhaustion when I feel Connor slide his duffle above us in the storage bin and plop down in the seat next to me, sighing in relief.
We don’t technically have assigned seats, but most of the team is superstitious about where they sit, claiming that it’s part of their routine and what helps them perform better.
I’m not one to believe in all that nonsense, but I know plenty of guys who do.
They swear that by sitting in the same seat on the bus or wrapping their tape on their sticks the same way each game, or even the order in which they put their gear on is important to the outcome of their game.
If they believe in those superstitions, that’s on them and I’m definitely not one to judge.
“What a day man,” Connor says, exhaustion seeping out from his tone.
I open my eyes, turning my head to look at him.
“Tell me about it. I swear, half the time I tried to pass the puck, there was no one there. It’s like we were back in our rookie days with how out of sync we were.”
“Yeah, shit happens, but hopefully after tonight, we’ll all be better off for it and go on to win the next one.
” He stretches his neck side to side, before he looks at me.
“I know Coach wants us to head to bed, but I heard some of the guys might go down to the hotel bar and chill for a few. You gonna join them?”
“Nah, I have other plans tonight.”
“Ah, you mean plans with your girl,” he teases, but he must notice that I’m not laughing along because his smile drops and his expression turns concerned. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m not sure. Emilia and Hannah told me that Coach sent her back to the hotel during the first period. She wasn’t feeling good and I’m gonna drop by and make sure she’s okay.” I give him the basic information, not wanting to explain the entire thing when I’m not sure if she would want me, too.
“Shit, I hope she’s okay. If you want, the hotel has a small gift shop and pharmacy. Maybe you could pick a couple things up that might help her, some meds or snacks.”
His suggestion sparks an idea in me, and I immediately compile a list of some things that I can grab to bring to her room. It’s been a long time since I’ve taken care of her during her period, but I still remember everything that used to help, and hopefully it still does.
“Thanks, man. That sounds like a good idea.” I reach over and pat his arm.
“No problem. Listen, taking care of Tasha is one of my favorite things to do. That, and spoiling her whenever I get the chance,” he winks, and I laugh along with him.
“I’ll have to keep that in the back of my mind.”
I rest my head back on the headrest, closing my eyes as the bus finally pulls out into traffic. I let my thoughts drift off, waiting to finally reach the hotel where I can grab what I need and make my way to Kailyn, ready to take care of her.