A/N: I'm sorry. Really. Please don't hate me for this?

Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee and I do own Alex.

Chapter 10: Ice Belongs Under My Feet

It was Tuesday. Alex was excited. She was also incredibly nervous. It was her first hockey practice with McKinley. She was allowed to be nervous. It sucked that she'd have to miss Glee club, but she was just happy to be playing hockey again.

She had lunch with Artie again. It seemed to be their thing. They would meet up at Alex's locker and then go sit underneath the farthest staircase from the cafeteria to eat their lunch.

"Alex, calm down," Artie told the bouncing girl after they sat down.

"I can't. Do you realize how exciting this is?" she asked him. "I'm playing hockey again and I'm on a boys' team. I call this progress towards less discrimination in this school and women playing in the NHL!" He stared at her. "My excitement level is about equal to McFly playing a concert in Columbus," she clarified.

"Oh," he said. "That is pretty big then."

Alex nodded. "And I'm so excited because I'll get to prove to them that I'm just as good, if not better than them, and I deserve to be on the team."

"Well, just try to stop…bouncing," said Artie.

She stopped. But she couldn't stop thinking about it. This was literally one of the greatest days of her life. The last time she had been this ecstatic was when she auditioned for Glee club, sang 'Transylvania', seen Artie for the first time, and been reunited with Blaine.

After school ended, Artie met Alex at her locker again.

"Shouldn't you be going to Glee club?" she asked him.

"Not until I walk you to the locker room," he answered. "I can't have you passing out due to pure excitement before you even get to practice."

She laughed and took his hand in hers and they made their way through the hallways. Alex didn't walk though. She was back to bouncing. When they finally reached the change room, Artie was unwilling to release Alex. She turned to face him and recognized the look in his eyes. It was the same look he had when he said that he sung 'Obviously' for her.

"Is it still too soon?" he asked.

Alex pondered the question. "I'll tell you after practice," she told him. Artie accepted the girl's answer and squeezed her hand before letting it go.

"Have a good practice," he said quietly and then he turned away.

Alex let herself into the locker room and changed as quickly as she could. She didn't want to waste one second of ice time. The more time she had on her skates, the better. She pulled her new jersey over her head, grabbed her helmet, gloves, and stick, and made her way into the arena, prepared for whatever the Coach Holden had to offer.

She was not prepared for what the rest of the team had to offer though. As she walked through to the rink, she was met by several slushies to the face.

"Did I say Tuesdays and Thursdays?" taunted an all-too familiar voice. "I'm sorry. I meant Mondays and Thursdays."
Ben, she thought. The loser.

"Y-you g-guys don't know what you're m-missing," she stuttered through the cold slushy. "C-come f-find me when y-you're about t-to lose a championship and I'll w-win it single-handedly."

"Oh yeah?" asked another voice. "Well guess what. You've been playing with girls for too long. Girls have nothing on the speed, stamina, and skills of guys." A taunting laugh erupted from the team and then Ben spoke again.

"Just go crying back to your little loser Glee club Alex," he said viciously so only she could hear. "We don't want you here." She turned to leave, but she was stopped. "Oh and before you go," started Ben. She turned back to him and found another slushy being thrown in her face. The team laughed again as Alex walked as fast as she could in her skates back to the change room.

A/N: Again, I'm sorry! Thank you to every on who has favourited this story or who follows it! Please review so I know how you like it!