Chapter 1: Every Day

Every day is a great day for hockey. --Mario Lemeiux

“Truth be told, you would probably play a little better if you didn’t fall all the time,” I called out onto the ice after watching him slip for about the twentieth time in a row. Okay, so I may be exaggerating a little but who really cares.

“Oh, and maybe if you didn’t miss the goal all the time, it would help too,” I continued, not thinking twice about it.

Silence followed; however, I knew he heard every word I’d said.

“And while you are at it, you should probably –” I began but was quickly cut off.

“I wouldn’t provoke him anymore,” Megan grinned next to me on the bench. “For some reason, I think we are supposed to be encouraging him, not pointing out his weaknesses.”

“If no one points out your weaknesses or what you need to work on, how will you ever get better and overcome them?” I turned my head to look directly at her. “And besides, he probably gets it ten times worse from Coach Kersey. And furthermore, he is your brother; aren’t you supposed to want people to give him a hard time?” I replied with a smile, bringing my gaze back to the figure on the ice.

“I guess,” she chuckled, shaking her head. This was nothing new for her. Ever since I met him, I have given him a hard time, but before you start getting worried, he reciprocates the action to a harsh degree. It is a love-hate relationship and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I have known both Megan and Connor since forever. Well, I guess not technically forever, but since I was in eighth grade, and they moved to the oh-so exciting town of Ithaca, New York.

Ithaca can be summed up easily—it snows a lot. Well, I guess you could also mention the fact that there are two hills on the outskirts of the town and everything else falls into the middle. On one hill lies Ithaca College, home of the Bombers, and on the other is Cornell University, home of the Big Red, but surprisingly, the two schools are not rivals. We sort of coexist. Cornell is Ivy League and Ithaca, well, isn’t. Ithaca is more liberal based and known for its music and theater departments. Ithaca is division III and Cornell is division I.

“Come on, you have been playing for over eighteen years, you should know how to shoot by now,” I shouted after watching Connor hit another puck off the pole of the net.

“I don’t know how you do it,” Megan commented.

I took my eyes off the ice and turned towards her again. “Do what?” I enticed, not having any idea where she was going with this statement.

“He’s probably double your size and weight, can crush and beat you up in a heartbeat, is one of the best hockey players in the ECAC Hockey League, and still you tease and incite him,” she said with a smile, leaning back against the wall.

“Well then, it is a good thing he will never hurt me. I’m his little sister’s best friend; he can’t touch me.” I grinned, well aware of the fact that in the right situation, he would do anything in his power to protect me.

The three of us were an interesting group. Connor was the oldest, a senior at Cornell. I was a junior there, and Megan was a sophomore at Ithaca. Yet somehow, with the age differences, we were all close.

Hockey fans are one of a kind. They are loyal until the end, and while the sport may not be the most watched, the fans are dedicated and take everything personal, especially the fans at Cornell.

I was raised on hockey. Granted, my dad had a hard time with me after my mother died, but I would say he did a pretty good job provided the situation he was given. I might love hockey a little too much, but for me, it was a part of my dad’s life, my grandfather’s before him, and soon it became imbedded in mine.

My father, Joe Jensen, was in charge of coordinating all events and overseeing the upkeep within Lynah Rink, which just happened to be owned by Cornell University. He loved his job as much as he loved the game of hockey, and that said something. I can proudly say that he taught me everything I know and love about the sport.

I was never interested in playing the sport myself, but I always loved watching it, whether it was college students or seven-year-olds. I’ve seen a lot of great players and also a lot of wimps come through these halls, and Connor was one of the better ones – that is when his game wasn’t off, like it was today.

The Madisons moved to Ithaca from Ontario just as I was about to enter high school. Their dad, Paul Madison, got a job opportunity at Ithaca College to head the finance department, and he jumped at the chance, forcing his family to move with him. Megan came more willingly then Connor, who, at the time, was upset to leave his local hockey team and play on the high school level. Luckily he got over it quickly, started on the team his sophomore year, and instantly was recognized by Cornell who pegged him to play for them the moment they laid their eyes on him.

People are usually surprised when they hear that I met Connor first and that it was actually when I caught him trespassing in Lynah after hours. Since my dad ran the place, I practically had my own set of keys and could come and go as I pleased without any problem..

Dad had forgotten some papers in his office and asked me to get them from him and, not having anything better to do that day, I agreed. When I entered what I presumed to be an empty arena, I was rather surprised to find a young brown-haired boy standing up against the glass, staring out onto the ice. All the main lights were shut off and only the emergency lights illuminated the arena. I approached him slowly, unsure if I should call the cops or run away, but for some reason, I had this odd feeling he wouldn’t hurt me. Luckily, I was right.

“Can I help you with something?” I questioned, somehow keeping my voice steady when I was still unsure of this intruder. The break in silence caused this boy to jump and bang his head hard against the glass.

I winced as he grabbed his head in pain and not knowing what possessed me, I signaled for him to follow me. I led him down the stairs to the training room and tossed him an ice pack, motioning for him to take a seat at one of the tables.

“Are you okay?” I asked, still keeping my distance from the stranger across the room.

“I’ll be fine. You shouldn’t go around startling people like that,” he grumbled, motioning toward the bump on his head.

“Well maybe you shouldn’t be in places that are off limits. The rink is closed, in case you didn’t notice. The lights were off for a reason,” I countered, taking a step back.

“Well then make sure you lock all the doors next time, then when the rink is closed, it will truly be closed,” he replied moving the ice pack to the top of his head so he could see me with both eyes. “Who the hell are you anyways? Why do you have authority to be here? How do I know you are allowed to be here?” he had the nerve to ask.

“First of all, my father runs this building, I was simply picking up some papers he left in the office,” I said raising my hand to draw attention to the folder I was holding, “and second of all, what the hell are you doing here?” I replied in the same tone that he gave me.

“Connor Madison, pleasure to meet you,” he said with a smile, extending his hand out to me. I simply stared at it, not bothering to move an inch from across the room. “You know, the polite thing to do when someone extends their hand is to shake it,” he grinned, putting the ice down on the table.

“Well then, I guess it is a good thing I’m not polite. Now cut the crap, why are you here?” I pressed, shifting my weight to my other foot and crossing my arms. I wanted my initial question answered.

“Jeez, you are uptight. I’m just checking out the arena; I’m new to town and I play hockey. I want to make the Ithaca High team, and I just wanted to scope out the rinks in the area. Honestly,” he continued after seeing my expression of disbelief, “I walked up to the front door; it was unlocked so I figured I was fine. Go and check it for yourself;, I didn’t break in,” he said earnestly.

“But you found it perfectly normal to be in a rink where all the main lights are off and there’s no one around? That isn’t the least bit creepy?” I asked, my curiosity about this boy growing.

“Like I said, I’m a hockey player; I take the game seriously. Being the first and last one off the ice is nothing new to me; hence, I’m used to dark arenas. They used turn off all the lights except the ones I needed, and I would shut the rest off when I left. No big deal.” He paused as I tried to make a decision about him. “Listen, I’m not gonna kill or rape you. I’m a good guy, honestly. If you want me to leave right now I will, but I would like to look around a little more. I love old arenas.”

“Fine, I’ll flip on the main light for you,” I replied, not sure as to why I was giving into his request, “I have about a half an hour to spare, and then you need to leave.”

“Awesome, and what is…” he started, but I quickly cut him off.

“But you are not leaving my sight,” I demanded, getting up, pointing him towards the door.

“Yes madam,” he saluted, and yes, he actually saluted to me. I guess he was sort of cute but only in the obnoxious, annoying type of way. “And, I was just wondering before you cut me off,” he stated pausing near the door, “ do you by any chance have a name?” He smiled at me, causing my heart to skip a beat.

“Alex Jensen,” I replied, extending my hand, hoping that he would not reciprocate my previous action and simply stare at it.

“Please to make your acquaintance my lady,” he replied, dropping down on his knee, taking my hand, and kissing it lightly.

Let’s just say that my heart never skipped a beat around him ever again, thank God. Half an hour later, like he promised, we exited the building where he showed me the unlocked door, and he was, in fact, telling the truth. Since we both lacked licenses and both had walked to the arena, we discovered his family moved in a street away from my house. By that time, I’d figured he wasn’t going to kill me the first chance he got, so I was able to relax a little. I soon learned he had a younger sister, and after a little persuasion, we decided to stop and meet her. To this day, Connor jokes about the fact he never should have introduced us, saying it would make his life a whole lot easier, but I know that it’s all crap. We make his boring life more colorful, to say the least.

I guess you could say the rest was history: Megan and I became friends instantly, and Connor and I, well, we will always be Connor and Alex. Always giving each other a hard time no matter the occasion from now until the end of time.

“Jensen, you have something to say to me?” a voice boomed from in front of me, snapping me back to reality. I turned in my seat only to see Connor hovering over me on the ice. Wearing all of his hockey equipment, he was double my size, yet still, I was not afraid to pick a fight with him.

“Maybe if you stopped sucking on the ice, Cornell would have a better season,” I replied, standing up hoping to add more height to be more intimidating, though I knew it was a hopeless cause.

“Maybe if you actually played, you could give me some pointers that were actually valuable,” he said with a smile. Connor was always giving me a hard time because I never tried out for a women’s hockey team. He sees and understands my passion for the game, and while I have played it as a friendly game, he cannot understand why I haven’t joined a team.

“You just want the opportunity to laugh and make fun of me like I get to do to you on a daily basis,” I replied and heard Megan quietly laughed beside me. She learned a long time ago not to take sides when it came to Connor and me. In fact, most of the time she found us amusing and merely laughed at our banter.

“Nah, you give me enough chances everyday anyways,” he retorted, sitting down at the end of the bench, grabbing a drink of water.

Not sure how I would reply to that comment, I was thankful when another Cornell player emerged from the locker room. I glanced over my shoulder to see it was none other than Mr. Brian Banks, the object of half the campus’ hearts, including Megan’s. I heard her breath catch and could only smile. Banks was the team goalie and one of the best in the ECAC Hockey League. He was a big part of the reason Cornell was expected to have a good season. The other part: Connor Madison.

Brian came out and offered me a smile. All of the players had to be nice to me because of my father, but I felt that he was one of the few that wasn’t faking it. He is sweet, caring, and always looks out for everyone, which is part of the reason for his female interest. The other part had to do with the fact that he was hot – even I couldn't deny it. First of all, he was tall, like all the other players on the team, and was also well built from all the years of training and lifting weights. He had brown shaggy hair with brown eyes and a charming smile to complete the look. From the moment she saw him, Megan was in love, but unfortunately, she is too afraid to do anything about it. Typical Megan.

Another unfortunate thing was that somehow Connor found out about her crush a few months ago and, despite all my protests, loved to see her blush and get flustered whenever Brian was present.

Connor looked over at me and gave me an all too familiar smile. He was just about to open his big mouth and cause trouble when a voice boomed out from across the rink.

“MADISON! BANKS! STOP FLIRTING AND GET OUT ON THE ICE,” the voice screamed, and I instantly recognized it as Coach Kersey. I laughed as both Connor and Brian literally sprang off the bench and skated out to their respective places on the ice—Brian in the goal and Connor as center forward.

There were some coaches I cannot stand and luckily, Kersey was not included in this list. Let’s take the women’s hockey coach for instance—I practically live at the arena during hockey season and do a lot of work to help run the place, no matter how small or dirty the task is. I love watching, practicing, and helping out when I can but Coach Delyn had a problem with my presence for some reason. She knew that she couldn’t say anything bad to me because I would most likely tell my father. She still treated me as poorly as possible but only to the extent that she knew she would not get in trouble. My dad knew my hatred toward her and on some level, felt the same way. The word around the arena was that her contract would not be extended past this season, and unfortunately, that had only worsened her mood towards us.

On the other hand, Kersey respected me and my love for the game. He didn’t mind me hanging around the team and allowed me to sit on the bench during home and away games. On occasions, he’s asked my opinion on plays and let me come up with a few of my own, and what was even better: he would, on occasion, use these plays in regulation games. He respected the fact that I have been around the game my entire life, and had even let me coach when the rest of the coaches were busy. It was a little hard to get all the players to do what I wanted, but in the end, they knew I would be reporting back to him so they had to obey.

“You two are going to be the reason my team loses this season,” Coach joked to us as he skated over to the team’s bench.

“Well,” I began, “maybe you should find someone else to replace Madison here, and your season will do a 180,” I said boldly. “In fact, last time I check, my grandpa’s schedule is free for the rest of the season.”

Coach laughed at my response and shook his head. He, like Megan, found my relationship with Connor extremely funny. He once told my father that my banter with him kept Connor in his place and stopped his head from getting too big.

My eyes drifted off to the ice as Connor was shooting trying to give Brian a challenge.

I guess I could not deny that Connor was good on the ice. He was from Canada so what else can you expect? But in all honesty, he knew how to skate and he knew that he was one of the better players in the league. He had the best freshmen season ever for a Cornell player and had only gotten better since then. He was now the captain of the team, a position he earned by all his hard work and sweat, which included coming in early when the rink wasn’t open and staying late into the night working on his slap shot, something he told me the first time he met me. While he may not be considered the most drool worthy guy on the team—not my words trust me—he still has the ability to turn heads. Tall, blonde, blue eyes, muscular and a charming or evil smile, depending on the mood you catch him in. I’ll admit, he’s hot.

However, he sometimes has a big head, can get way too defensive, and is not known to be the friendliest person during a game. He’s been thrown out of a few games because of his temper and often needs to be reminded to keep his cool. Over the years, he has learned to control it, at least enough not to be thrown out, but if someone keeps pushing him, he will crack. Also, add the fact that he can be moody, is completely stubborn, and can hold a grudge. Taking all that into account, how he became team captain is beyond me.

With the females, Connor was outgoing, and it was not uncommon to see him on campus with his arm around some hot girl. I wouldn’t go as far as to say he was player, but he had hooked up a lot.

“You going to be around for a while Alex?” Coach asked me, taking a seat next to me on the bench.

“When am I not around?” I replied with a grin.

“True. Anyways, I have a quick meeting that I can’t miss and I have a recruitment coming in a few minutes. I was wondering if you could meet him at the front and start giving him a tour of the arena. After you are done, bring him down to the ice, and Madison will take over from there.”

“No problem,” I replied, slightly honored that Kersey trusted me enough with a prospective player.

“If for some reason he gives you a hard time, just get Madison’s attention, and he will help you out. I got to run, thanks again,” he said in a rush, getting up and disappearing into the locker room.

“And here you have it, ladies and gentleman,” Megan said next to me in a deep announcer voice, “Alex Jensen, the girl who would do anything for hockey.”

“Shut up,” I quipped, giving her a small shove.

“You better go get to work now,” she said with a laugh.

“You better grow some balls and finally ask Brian out,” I countered, watching her face instantly turn red. Her eyes turned towards the ice, making sure no one else heard me.

I laughed as I opened the gate and made my way to the front of the arena. I can only hope that this hockey player wasn’t a know-it-all hotshot.

I only had to wait about five minutes until I saw the kid approaching. The funny thing about hockey players was that you could always spot them a mile away. Tall, built, usually ungraceful on land. I guess you could also factor in the fact he was wearing a sweatshirt with the words Wethersfield Hockey on it as an indication.

“Hey, I’m Alex,” I said with a smile, extending my hand to him. He gave me the once over and sort of returned my smile, only to a lesser degree. I withdrew my hand, realizing he was not going to take it.

“Anyways,” I continued in a fake cheery tone, “Coach Kersey had a last minute meeting to attend to that shouldn’t last long and wanted me to start the tour.” He remained stiff and unresponsive. I knew what he saw when he looked at me. To him I was just some girl who probably knew nothing about the sport and was just doing this because it was my job. Not knowing what to do, I was thankful when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Granted it was sweaty, but I was thankful nonetheless.

“Connor Madison, pleased to meet you,” he said next to me, extending his other hand. And, much to my surprise, the kid took it and introduced himself as Ken Benson.

“Nice to meet you, I have heard some good things about you. I’m the captain of the Big Red, and this here is Alex. Her father basically runs this building, and she voluntarily helps out the team a lot,” he added, giving me a small squeeze. To my dismay, Ken extended his hand, and against my better judgment, I shook it, but only after Connor discretely nudged me. Now he wants to play nice.

“Anyways, let’s show you around this place shall we?” he began. “Alex, after you,” he said with a grin, well aware that he left me no opportunity to escape and let him deal with this new recruit on his own. He was going to pay later on.

“Well aren’t you the charmer,” I said with a scowl glancing up to meet Connor’s eyes. The recruit was now talking to the coaches down at the bench while we stood on the concourse overlooking them.

“Don’t worry about it babe; there is no way he will play for us. He has a sour attitude that will piss coach off in a minute, plus he’s a second rate defenseman. I think the only reason he is here is because of some connection he has towards one of the assistant coaches; I forget the exact the reason. What?” he asked, after seeing my nasty glance.

“Don’t call me babe ever again,” I said honestly, shifting my weight and turning my attention onto the ice.

“Alright hun,” he replied with even a bigger grin. Knowing that this was one battle I wasn’t going to win and also fearing the nicknames he could come up with, I surrendered. I grabbed my bag off the back row of seats and turned to Connor with the biggest smile I could muster.

“Let me guess, you want a ride,” he groaned.

“Why else would I smile and be nice to you?” I countered, grabbing a bottle of water from my bag and taking a big sip.

“A guy could think that you were actually interested in him with a smile like that,” he smiled and fluttered his eyelashes.

Let’s just say I spend the next minute coughing as the water went down the wrong tube.

Thanks and please let me know what you think (reviews help me write faster :-D )

Alex