The Hockey Game
"Go Kendall! Go Carlos!" I cheered as the Minnesota Wild moved onto the ice to start their warm-ups before the game started.
Kendall looked up and waved back towards us as he skated by, before moving his helmet back down and sharply tuning to line up behind his teammates to take shots on the goal, just to warm up the goalie.
I smiled as I sat back down in my seat, bringing my scarf closer around my neck as I watched the Pittsburg Penguins skate on the other side of the rink. The two teams are big rivals and I couldn't wait to see how this game would play out. Of course I wanted Kendall and Carlos to win, but the whole game in general would still be awesome.
"Wow Katie," Camille remarked as she pulled her jacket over her lap, shivering a little. "You really love this sport don't you?"
"Of course!" I laughed incredulously. "Where else can you watch people smash each other into solid objects and get away with it?"
"You definitely didn't change much over the years." Jo teased as she lightly hit me on the arm. I laughed and rolled my eyes as I continued to scan the stands, wondering where James and Logan were and when they were going to get here as the game was going to start soon.
I was actually a little worried about James, ever since he told me that he wanted to leave LA and everything that he had done, my first thought was that he was suicidal. But I knew that wasn't it, James was way too happy and I knew that he had thought about what happened to his hair after he offed himself. I don't mean that to be funny, but all James did think about was his hair and his face, so it wouldn't surprise me if he did that.
Logan, I was worried about too. I had called him, asking if he wanted to come to the game and he agreed readily, but when I told him that Camille was going to be there, he became very quiet and ended the call quickly. I thought that was really strange, because Camille said that the two of them were just friends now, but I guess it would be hard if you were at a game with your ex-girlfriend. Maybe he was bringing a date, I didn't really care.
I don't like drama.
But Camille was right about one thing, my love for hockey.
I love everything about it.
And I mean everything.
It's a good idea to know what you're getting into before you even leave your house. One important thing to remember; it will be cold. The game is played on ice, and the rinks need to be kept at a low temperature so that the fast-paced, action packed hockey game will not become a sluggish, barely moving splish-splash show. Because of this, you will need to dress accordingly. I cannot stress this point enough. There is always those crazy people at hockey games, huddled into themselves, cursing and mumbling about the lack of heat. More often than not, these people are not wearing proper clothing for the circumstances. These people are a fine example of mental incompetency. Use your common sense when deciding what to wear. I suggest jeans, a T-shirt, and a sweatshirt, or just a long sleeved shirt/sweater. An item that should factor into your outfit is a good pair of running shoes. Sometimes you will find yourself needing to run very fast and very far, and you don't want to twist your ankle in a pair of stylish-yet-unstable heels.
Another decision that is key to preparation is made when you arrive at the game. Choosing where to sit may not seem like a big deal, but your goals, planning and quick-thinking skills should all be taken into account when sitting. For instance, if you plan on annoying other spectators, sit as far away from the action as possible so that you can keep up an endless litany of "What happened? What just happened? What happened when I asked 'what just happened?' What happened..." and so on and so forth.
If you plan on throwing things at the players, sit closer to the boards surrounding the ice. If you want to be yelling at the players, or the other team's fans, sit with a large group of people. (If you choose the third option, be prepared to be yelled at, and quite possibly chased after. Your running shoes are particularly useful for this option.)
Now, that's just the fun before the game. Everything gets better when the game actually starts. For example, when a member of the other team rams into (checks) a member of your team, use all the insults in your mind to express your indigence. When your team gets a goal, passionately cheer out your pride. Whenever the appearance of blood or a fight makes itself known, just make happy noise, because you can't go wrong with a bloody hockey fight. But let me tell you, when a member of my team is checked and is pressed up against the sideboards, I suddenly know that the other team is "Midget-sucking Gap-wearing pieces of meat!" Jacob yelled this to the opposite team at the last game we attended last year (I made him go), after a three members of said opposite team simultaneously attacked our goalie. It remains as the best, most creative insult I've heard yet.
Being creative is one of the most important parts of hockey watching. If you continuously use the same insults time after time, people will stop listening to you and they will cease to be effective.
For those of you who don't like to make fun of other people's shortcomings, there are other ways to be creative besides insulting. Songs are a hit with everyone. Not only are you not hurting anyone's delicate feelings (unless the song is written about the other team's body odor and sexual habits) but finding words to rhyme is an adventure all by itself. Chants are shorter, but no less fun. Repeating things is always a great way to pass the time and support your team.
There are many more things that I could explain as to why I love hockey, but that would probably bore people.
"Hey, there're the guys!" I stated and leapt to my feet, pointing over to James and Logan as they tried to weave their way through the many fans that packed the stadium. I saw James fall once and almost giggled out loud when I saw him shrug off help to make sure his hair way ok.
I saw Logan laugh and then wave when he saw me. Then I saw his eyes flick over towards Camille and his smile faded a little. I had purposely left a seat for Logan at the end of our row, just because I knew that it would be awkward for Camille and Logan to sit anywhere near each other. And James…well, James was a flirt, so I knew that he would find his own seat and not care who he sat next to. (The girls may mind, but oh well, it was fun to watch.)
"Hey!" Stephanie, Jo, and Camille got to their feet and hugged the guys. I noticed that Logan and Camille hesitated for a second before hugging but did so, probably so they wouldn't look awkward to everyone else.
Not that that worked very well. I thought to myself, rolling my eyes.
"Hey guys, say 'hi' to the camera," Stephanie instructed as she brought her video camera up to her eye. "I promised Carlos I would tape the game so he could watch it over and over again."
"Ugh, don't tell me he's getting a big head like James." Logan teased, hitting his friend in the stomach.
"No, he said that he wanted to see how he checked people into the boards to see if he could get away with it," Stephanie explained. "So he could do it again the next game or something."
"Leave it to Carlos to want a video for something like that," Jo stated with a sly smile. "When most would want it for something else…" her voice trailed off and she laughed as I groaned and slapped my hands over my ears.
"Please, some of us who don't have boyfriends don't want to hear something like that," I stated, rolling my eyes. "I get enough of it at work." I added as I sat down in my seat, moving my bag off of Logan's seat.
"Boy troubles?" Logan questioned with an inquisitive eyebrow raise, something that he could only do.
"Not really," I muttered in reply, looking down at the ice. "I'm not even looking for a boyfriend; I just have to listen to crap like that all the time." I smiled a little. "It sucks especially when Charlie, the girl that you helped back at the club, is flaunting her many boyfriends around."
"I can see how that can be a problem," Logan remarked, leaning back in his seat, holding his hands under his armpits. "But I don't think it would make a difference, no guy is good for you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked in a fake-hurt tone as I turned my own inquisitive eyebrow raise towards him.
"I'm just saying that whatever guy goes out with you has to be special," Logan replied calmly. He smiled a little. "He has to know that you're not a high maintenance person, you can be girly one minute and a tomboy the next, and he has to know not to hurt you."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "Did James tell you about Dak?" I questioned.
"Dak?" Logan looked interested as he sat up straight. "No, he didn't." His eyebrows moved together in a way that only Logan could. His facial expressions could hold a lot of emotions. Even the slightest twitch of an eyebrow could mean that he was mad at you; you usually had to be quick to catch it. "What about Dak?"
"It's nothing" I shook my head, turning back to the ice again. "Really."
I cheered loudly, along with the rest of the audience as the lights dimmed and the players moved off of the ice. Loud techno music blared over the speakers in the arena as the lights flashed and swirled around, amping up everyone's adrenaline for the game. We waited as the starters for the Pittsburg Penguins were called before the Minnesota Wild was called.
I cheered politely with my friends as the starters were called, goalie first, and then smiled in anticipation.
"and last but not least, the newcomers, Center, #13 Kendall Knight and Right Wing, #14 Carlos Garcia!"
Logan, James, Jo, Stephanie, Camille, and I screamed, cheered, and hollered as loud as we could when Kendall and Carlos skated out onto the ice, waving towards the audience. I grinned as I could hear the audience cheer approvingly, then again, it wouldn't surprise me if most of the people there were fans of when they were still in the band, but support was support and I was still happy for them.
Then the game started, Kendall moved to the middle of the ice, tightly holding onto his hockey stick, staring at the player across from him and reacted as soon as the puck dropped onto the ice. Kendall bashed the other guy in the face and moved the hockey puck across the ice. Carlos skated along behind him as he hit any player that headed for his friend.
Kendall spun on his skates, effectively moving the puck behind Carlos, freeing Carlos to knock two more players into the ground, ducking as a player jumped at him to check him into the boards. Carlos shot forward, towards the goal and Kendall passed him the puck. Carlos skated around the goal and took a shot, but it bounced out of the goalie's glove, then Kendall quickly scooped up the puck and shot it into the goal.
"Yes!" I cheered, leaping to my feet. "Whoo! Go Carlos! Go Kendall!"
"Yeah man, that's the way to do it!" Logan shouted. I turned to him and gave him a high-five in celebration before giving me a hug.
In my cheering, I noticed that Stephanie was cheering along with James, bouncing up and down as if she was on a trampoline. James looked the happiest that I had ever seen him in the past few days. I knew that it was because he was really excited for his friends and part of me wanted him to tell Kendall, Logan, and Carlos what was going on, because they were always the ones that would be able to help each other with their problems.
Jo, true to her word, actually looked bored. Sure, she was cheering along with us, but she also looked like she didn't really understand what had just happened. I couldn't be mad at her for it, she was awesome and Kendall really loved her so that's all that mattered.
But Camille, I don't know for sure, but she looked really unhappy.
I didn't think much about it then (hello, the hockey game) but thinking about it later, I knew that she wasn't happy.
But I wasn't sure if it was about being at the game, where it was freezing, or because of Logan.
A/N: Next chapter goes more into Logan's and Katie's friendship and the next chapter has everyone there again. I hope you guys liked this chapter and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. :)
-Riley
