Hey everyone! Thanks for reading and thanks for all the reviews. They've been a great help. I've gone back and edited Chapter 3 a little bit to fit this chapter. Reading it isn't necessary, but it may be interesting to read what I wrote. It makes Mac a little better. Don't get me wrong y'all, Mac's one of my favorites, but I had my reasons. Also please excuse the misspelling of Janny's name. One of these days, I'll get around to fixing it. I would now, but I am planning on writing into chapter 6 at least. Who knows?
Hunter skated around the rink early in the morning like she always did. It was the advantage of having the keys to the rink. Some one the boys had gotten wind of this and liked to come early to skate with her. Herb still didn't want her to be out with the team all the time, but she did sneak out every now and then and do drills with them.
Hunter was used to some of the boys coming and skating with her, so she didn't look to the door when she heard it creak open. She figured it was Jimmy, ready to take some of her slap shots, or maybe Rizzo there to skate around with her for a little while.
"Hunter, right?" said the voice she had not wished to hear. She looked up to see Mac standing in his jersey and skates, stick in hand. He had a guilty look on his face. Hunter just nodded to him. "I heard from some of the boys that you skate early. Mind if I join you?"
Hunter wanted so badly to say no, to beat him to ground with her hockey stick. She knew, though, that she needed to be nice to all the guys if Herb was going to let her help the team. Even if she didn't want to admit it, she did want to patch up things with Mac. She couldn't understand why he had acted like he did, when he seemed like a decent guy.
"Sure, whatever," she said, taking off at full speed around the rink. She had to keep herself skating so she wouldn't act out. Herb was right; she didn't have her fighting under control.
Mac watched her skate around the rink, wishing she would slow down so he could talk to her. "Hey, Hunter? Do you think I could talk to you for a second?"
Hunter slowed down and looked at him from the other end of the rink. He wanted to talk? "Okay," she said, slowly skating to him. Mac stepped on the ice and met her half way.
"I'm really sorry," he started, "about…you know." Mac grimaced; it sounded so insincere in his ears. "I wish had said or done anything, but I couldn't help it." Hunter looked at him, not speaking, but letting him say what he needed to say. "People were just giving me crap all day. I had O'Callahan checking me for no reason, and then all of his guys are ragging on me during practice. Then coach pulls me and O'Callahan aside and chews both us out, but me worse since I hit back."
Hunter's face softened. She knew what it was like to get chewed out by a teammate or two. She had grown up with it. "I know what that's like, trust me."
Mac still wore his guilty face. "Right. I'm not used to girls not responding to me. Not that I'm this bigheaded jerk, but they don't normally shrug me off like you did. I guess that little thing just made me…you know, snap."
Hunter waited a moment, seeing if he was finished. When she saw he was, she started. "You acted like an ass. You really did, but since you realize that you did, I guess I can forgive you." Hunter sighed. "I did egg you on a bit, though, didn't I? Herb says I have a fighting issue. I call it spunk," she said, laughing. Mac relaxed a little and laughed as well.
"Yeah, I guess spunk is a word for it." Mac skated further out on the ice. "You're a hell of a skater. What is you job here, exactly?"
"I don't really know. Herb told me I could help out with the team, but what I'm doing exactly, no one knows. I mostly sit around the locker rooms and clean up after you pigs."
"We are pigs, aren't we?" Mac remarked, smiling. Hunter nodded before she took off and began to race around the rink. Mac took it as an invitation and a challenge and began to race after her. Herb appeared in the stands, unseen by both players. He nodded approvingly before disappearing to his office.