Carlos's POV
'Carlos! Levántese usted no desea llegar tarde el primer día!'(Carlos! Get up you dont wanna be late on the first day!)
I groan as I'm woken by my Mami yelling from the kitchen.
'Cinco minutos por favor!'(Five minutes please!) I yell as I try to fall back to sleep.
'Carlos! Get up so your Mami will shut up and stop shouting through the fucking house!'
That voice was without a doubt in my sleep fogged mind was Papi's. He is where I get my 'morning mood' (as Mami calls it) from. He's a cop and was up late with a small drug bust and didn't leave til nine AM.
It's six thirty... in the fucking morning!
Why is it no matter where you are schools start in the morning?
Begrudgingly I throw back my cover and nearly drag my self outta bed. Since I slept naked I throw on my robe that I kept by my bed and walk downstairs. I dont/cant speak English til I have some coffee.
'Hola hijo, ¿cómo estás?(Hey son, how are you?)' Mami says while pouring two cups of coffee. One for me one for herself, like every morning since I was thirteen. {thats when i started drinking coffee}
'Muy mal.'(Very bad) I groan as I take the coffee she offers to me, nodding a thank you.
I down my black coffee and head upstairs with some pep in my step. I took a shower, shaved, brushed the teeth and was getting dressed within twenty minutes. I was being indecisive about my clothes.
My family just moved to California from Minnesota because Papi got promoted, he is officially a criminal detective at the police station. I was happy for him, he'd been dreaming about this job since... like before he even met my Mami. But it sucked that I had to change schools in the middle of the year.
I settle with a purple shirt with horizontal black stripes, black skinnies and black VANS. I give myself one last look over in the mirror before picking up my bag and heading downstairs. I was going through a checklist in my head. Dressed to impress; check, phone and wallet; check, keys; check, lucky helmet; che-
I pause for the cause halfway down the steps and touch my head, and felt my hair. DAMMIT!
I run back upstairs in my room and look around my room and spot my favorite item in the world sitting on my desk. To the average eye it's a dumb hockey helmet, to me its my good luck charm. I grab it and place it on my dome and tap it twice before leaving the room and going down the stairs again.
'Bye!' I yell.
'Adios!' Mami yells back.
'I'm trying to sleep here! Shut up and go!' Dad yells.
I laugh and mutter a 'Love you too Papi' as I leave the house. I climb into the pick up truck I got for my seventeenth birthday last month and head to my new school.
As I drive I think about the day I got my helmet.
FLASHBACK
It's my very first little league hockey game today and I'm pumped up on ice cream Mami let me have for a good luck breakfast. I was in the locker room with my teammates, who were all just as pumped up. We were all in uniform, Mami thought that us five and six year olds were too cute in our hockey stuff.
Coach Winchester {see what i did there} was going over the plays and making sure we all knew what positions we played. I was goalie, and had been practicing with Papi for a whole month and felt confident.
But the other team was really really good, my team was hardly keeping the score tied. The visiting team had the puck and was about to shoot into the goal, but I jumped in the puck's way and blocked it. Sadly my helmet fell off in the middle of my jump and I landed on it and broke the old helmet.
Calling a time out Coach Winchester pulled me into the supply closet to find a new helmet. He was digging and digging, finally he threw up his hands.
'None in your size little man. But-'
He picked up a real big black shiny helmet and handed it to me.
'It's too big.' I whined.
'I know, but when I was in high school, I wore that helmet to every game and we never lost.' the coach said.
'Never ever? Are you telling the truth? Cuz if you fib you grow a tail.' I said smartly.
The man chuckled and assured me he wasn't lying.
'How do you know its yours?' I ask.
'I'll tell you...when we win this game.'
Back on the ice I couldn't see because the helmet covered my eyes. All I know is the announcer said the visitors were taking the winning shot. I tried to skate where I thought the puck would be, but fell and then felt the puck bounce off the helmet. I blocked it, and we won!
I still had on the helmet when we went out for pizza as a team , and I was pulled aside by Mr. Winchester.
'You wanna know how I know it's my old helmet?' he asked.
I nodded wildly, helmet wiggling on my head.
He lifted it off and scratched the top of the helmet. I looked at what he did nosily.
The paint was chipping, and I saw something written in red ink.
Finished scratching, he showed me what was there.
GOOD LUCK DEAN! LOVE SAM
'Who's Sam and Dean?' I ask as I take the helmet back.
'Dean is my first name, and Sam is little brother. He wrote it on there for my first game.' The coach- I mean Dean explained.
'Dont'cha wanna keep it?' I ask curiously.
'Nah, I like hockey but it's not what I love to do. From what I see every practice, you love hockey more than anyone else on the team, me included. So-' He dug in his pocket and pulled out a purple sharpie and wrote below his brother's note.
'I'm giving it to you. Remember to repaint it before the next game, or they wont let you where it.' Dean said before rejoining the pizza party. I looked at the helmet and read what he wrote.
PLAY THE GAME WITH REASON LITTLE MAN! LOVE DEAN
END FLASHBACK
I pulled into the parking lot of Palmwoods High School. I got out of the car and entered the building with a smile. I tapped my helmet twice like I always do when I think I need some luck.
Let's play this game.
