I'm adding these chapters quickly, so I'm not getting any reviews or anything in between. Please excuse any total oblivious ignorance on my part!

"Hunter," Herb said. "Get in here." Hunter snuck into his office, her hands in a knot behind her back.

"Hey coach. Listen, please don't be mad. I mean, if you'd heard the things he'd said," she blurted out quickly.

"Hunter, now just stop. I don't know what he said, but I can guess." He shook his head slightly. "We both knew full and well that this was coming. You can't tell me you weren't prepared for it."

"Well, sir, I didn't expect it like that. And I expected to have a little help, to at least have Cox around."

"From what I hear, he was around."

"Yes, sir, he was," she murmured.

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Oh, Hunter. I thought you said you had your fighting under control.

She tried to look as innocent as possible. It didn't quite work. "Well…I…umm…do?" she sputtered, ending it with her famous puppy dog eyes.

"It sure as hell seems that way." Herb laughed at her and motioned for her to sit in the chair in front of his desk. "What am I gonna do with you?"

Her eyes grew wide. "Please don't kick me off the team Herb," she said with fear.

"You don't have to worry about that. I wouldn't think of sending you home. I think we really could use your help." She breathed a sigh of relief, not realizing that she had been holding her breath. "But as your punishment," he started, watching her grimace. "You have to go clean the ice." He winked at her. He'd known her long enough to know that she loved to drive the zamboni. It was one of her favorite things to do as a child.

She walked out of the office, smiling a thank you to Herb before running to the zamboni. She giggled like a giddy child.

Hunter had been spinning around the rink for about a half hour, taking many more circles than was needed. Something about the steady noise of the water stream, the fluid motion of the big machine on ice. Mike Eruzione had appeared on the bleachers, searching for something. She stopped the zamboni and smiled at him. She was taken with him more than the other players. Other players had caught her eye, the intense aura around Craig, the cute accent of OC, and the slow wit of Buzz, but Rizzo was her favorite. He was so much quieter than the other boys, slightly reserved. She could identify with him.

"Hey Rizzo! Whatcha looking for?" she called.

"Hey…Hunter? HP, right?" She nodded to him and he smiled, praising himself for remembering. "I can't find my jersey."

"Your spare one?" He nodded. "The green one?" He nodded again. "With a beaver patch on the sleeve?" He blushed and nodded for the third time. "Right here." She held up his jersey, wrinkling her nose at him.

"You found it?"

She smiled. "Eons ago. Okay, well, actually just about an hour ago, but whatever." He walked out on the ice and reached his arm out to grab it. She held it just out of his reach. "Wanna ride?" she asked playful. He reluctantly hopped on and she began to drive again.

The two began to talk and ride around the ice. She had plenty to talk about and found a way to get Rizzo to open up to her. He talked about when he was a child and the people he met playing hockey. Hunter talked about how hard it was to play hockey as a girl, but how it was the only thing she wanted to do. Little did they know, they had been talking for most of the night. The clock read 2:47 when it finally caught their eyes.

"Wow. It got late too quick," Rizzo said, turning the wheel on the zamboni. They had switched mid way through and now Hunter sat next to him, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Yeah. Definitely too quick," she agreed, sitting up, blinking to try and get rid of the throbbing in her head.

"Can I drive you back to your hotel room?" he asked, being the gentleman he was.

"No. Thanks, but no," she said.

"Why not?" He looked slightly hurt.

"Nothing against you Riz. It's just…I could drive you back to your hotel room with my own." He stared at her blankly, not positive what she meant.

"You mean you're staying in your…"

"You better believe it. How else would I get here so early?" She smiled, driving the zamboni back into its place.

They both hopped off, Rizzo helping her off.

"G'night Rizzo. I had a great time."

"Me too. We'll have to talk again sometime."

"Mhmm," she agreed. She leaned into him and gave him a kiss on the cheek before walking out to her car. He grinned like an idiot, watching her go.

"Good night."

Author's Note: Ah, Rizzo. You will make Hunter's life oh-so-difficult later on. I hope everyone enjoyed it. Please keep on RR! It's the Red Bull to my keyboard!

-Shelby