High on Life
Im not sure if this story will go anywhere or if it will just be a few chapters long, but we'll see what happens.
The shrill ringing of the alarm clock woke Connie with a start. She rolled over, twisting her bedclothes around her and sending her pillow to the floor. There was a grunt as it hit Julie, who had been asleep on the camp bed.
"Turn the damned thing of!" Julie said crossly, pulling her pillow over her head.
Connie swung her arm until it found the clock. It went cascading off the bedside table and hit the wall, so that the room was silent again. There was a loud knock at the door, and Connie's mum came in.
"Morning girls!" she said brightly, bouncing over to the curtains and throwing them open.
Connie groaned and hid her face.
"What time is it?"
"It's eight am! Time for hockey practice! Coach Bombay just rang, and you two have half an hour to get yourselves ready."
Connie's mum left the room and closed the door.
"Julie? Do you feel as crap as I do?" Connie mumbled.
"That depends. How crap do you feel?"
"Like I had an accident with a lawn mower and then got eaten by a herd of rhinos."
"Then yep, pretty much."
The girls talked for a few minutes, and then rolled themselves out of bed. Julie packed up her sleeping bag whilst Connie stumbled around her room picking up disguarded bottles.
Once Connie's mum was moderately satisfied with the state of her daughter's room, the girls made some breakfast, and took it with them as they scrambled into the car.
"Connie?" Julie mumbled through a mouthful of marmite crumpet.
"Yeh?" Connie was chewing hard too.
"You know that thing you told me last night? You know, about liking …"
Julie checked that Mrs Moreau wasn't listening.
"….Charlie?" she whispered.
Connie jumped and orange juice went everywhere.
"I told u that?"
"Yeh. Is it true or was it the alcohol?"
Connie blushed.
"It wasn't the alcohol."
She blushed even deeper, and rubbed her face against the cold window in an attempt to get rid of the redness. Julie smiled and gave up with her crumpet and threw it out of the window. The two girls spent the rest of the journey in sleepy silence, their heads lolling heavily against the windows. As the car drew to a halt outside the ice rink, a snowball hit the window of the car, jerking Julie awake. Mrs Moreau got out and smiled at the boy who had thrown it.
"Sorry Mrs Moreau," Russ Tyler said, trying to ignore the gang of laughing boys behind him. Connie's mum smiled.
"No worries Russ, throw a few more and maybe we can claim some insurance on the heap of junk."
Connie and Julie climbed out of the car and dragged themselves over to where the rest of the hockey team were gathered.
"What happened to you guys?" Charlie Conway said, leaning against a bike post. "You looked wrecked."
Julie cleared her throat as Connie blushed.
"It was Connie's mum's birthday so we went out for a meal and came back to a fridge full of alcohol. Combine that with about four hours of sleep and voila."
"I wouldn't give that explanation to Bombay, he's in a foul mood this morning," Adam Banks said, moving out of the way as Fulton Reed went to hug Julie.
"Hey! You two! Get a room." Averman said as Fulton and Julie went one step further than hugging.
"Uh-oh, here comes Mr Happy."
The team watched a very disgruntled Bombay lock his car, trip up on a curb, kick it and then swear.
"Looks like we're in for a rough practice today," Dwayne stated.
"Oh crap. What do we do Connie?"
Connie rubbed her head and looked at Julie.
"Pray for sympathy?"
As it was, Bombay had a good enough reason for his bad mood. The new school that the team were soon to attend had promised full scholarship for the whole team, but had phoned that morning withdrawing two.
"You're kidding!" Averman yelled.
"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Bombay snapped.
"What are we gonna do coach?" Charlie said in a worried tone.
"Well, you lot are going to go and practice your hockey with Miss Mackay whilst I try to sort this mess out."
Michele Mackay drew up and got out of her car, announcing that she would see the team inside in ten minutes.
The team all followed her in, except for Charlie, who hovered beside his coach outside.
"Coach, are you ok?" he asked.
Bombay looked up, and smiled.
"Sure Charlie. I just don't want to see the team torn apart when we are doing so well."
"Yeah, but you're great at this sort of stuff. You'll sort it out coach." Charlie said confidently.
Coach Bombay was touched by Charlie's confidence. He patted the boy on the back and grinned.
"You bet I will. Oh, Charlie?" He fumbled for something in his pockets.
"I want you to captain the team in the Iceland game. Think you can do that?"
Charlie's face lit up as he took the 'C' that Bombay held out.
"You bet I will coach." He smiled, hugged Bombay and ran inside after the team.
Bombay stood outside, smiled to himself and took out his cell phone.
Not very exciting I know but there will be more fun in the next chapter, and more romance….