I took my plate to the sink and then ran up to my bedroom. I picked up the phone and immediately dialed Chris’s phone number. He didn’t pick up, only his machine was there to answer. I slammed the phone down and then tired Charlie’s number. He answered.

“Charlie? It’s Anna. I’ve got a huge problem,” I started, breathless.

“What is it?” he asked, concerned.

“Linda and Sarah are going ice skating at Rainy Lake tomorrow! How am I supposed to play if they are there?” I asked.

“I don’t know. This is not good. Did you call Chris?” Charlie inquired.

“Wasn’t home,” I replied quickly.

“Boy, this is a problem,” Charlie said.

“I have no clue what we should do,” I sighed.

“I’ll think about it and see you in school tomorrow, okay?” Charlie suggested.

“All right. Good night, Charlie,” I hung up.

I couldn’t sleep very well. I was worried all day long about what might happen. I couldn’t concentrate on any of my school work. All I kept thinking was how was I going to handle this. I am pretty sure that I managed to fail my history test because my mind wasn’t entirely focused on it. Before my last class, I found Charlie and Chris.

“Thank goodness I found you!” I exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, I have this all figured out,” Chris said, “it’s simple, really. All we have to do is move our game to the opposite end of the lake from where the regular ice skaters are. Then we set up our net so that your back is towards them. You just try not to turn around and hope that your sisters aren’t interested in watching our game.”

“It’s not exactly foolproof,” Charlie stated, “but it’s better than nothing.”

“I’ll take it,” I replied, “I doubt that they’ll be interested in the game. See you after school, boys.”

“Bye Anna,” Chris and Charlie called out in unison.

I was able to finally get my mind on class for my art class. It was probably the class where I needed to be able concentrate the least, but at least I was not worrying anymore. My art class went by fast, and I rushed to my locker to get all my hockey gear and meet the guys so we could walk to the lake together. When I got outside, it seemed a little warmer than usual for a February day in Minnesota. I didn’t take too much notice of the fact and continued to our regular meeting place.

Everyone else was there when I arrived and we took off. This time no one ran ahead of me; they usually didn’t run when everyone was carrying their gear. When we reached Rainy Lake, I quickly got my gear on and scanned the ice skaters for my sisters. They had not shown up yet. I felt slightly relieved, perhaps they had changed their minds. The other team showed up and I skated to my crease. I was ready for the game.

The first ten minutes or so of the game were uneventful. I made a few easy saves, but most of the action was down at the other end. The other team must have got frustrated because a fight broke out. I thought about leaving the crease, but I didn’t. Once it was all broken up, the other team won the face off and was headed directly for my net. I got into position to make a save, but the other team had other ideas. The guy carrying the puck skated right into me. We got tangled up and slammed to the ice.

Unfortunately, the ice was pretty thin and we broke through the surface and fell into the lake. Despite the somewhat warm air and soft ice, the water was not at all warm. At first I sank, my gear was extremely heavy underwater. Once I righted myself, I pushed myself up to the surface and sucked air into my burning lungs.

“HELP!” I screamed.

My gear proved to be too much for me and I went under again. I tried frantically to loosen some of the heavier pads, but it wasn’t working. Before I knew what had happened, I blacked out.

“Anna? Anna, speak to me,” Linda’s voice was frantic.

“What happened?” I asked, groggily.

“You fell through the ice. You got stuck underneath it for a minute. Someone ran out and was able to pull you free,” she explained.

“Oh,” I moaned, “don’t tell Mom I was playing hockey.”

“Too late. I already called her. She’s meeting us at the hospital. The ambulance should be here any second,” Linda told me.

“Where’s Sarah?” I wondered aloud.

“She’s scared to death and won’t come over here. She thinks she will fall through the ice if she even sets foot on it. Not that I blame her. She’s only five years old. Why didn’t you tell anyone that you were playing hockey?” she asked suddenly.

“Dad knew,” I muttered.

“What if no one knew where you were? What if no one was around to rescue you from the water,” Linda lectured.

“I’d rather not think about it,” I closed my eyes as the paramedics arrived.

A/N: If you can think of a possible title for this story, please tell me in your reviews. I appreciate any and all suggestions. Reviews are welcome, good or bad.