The past two days were hell for Sunny. His jaw was sore and it was difficult to open his mouth. It was difficult to sleep at night, constantly waking up to the aching pain in his mouth. But that was easy compared to hiding his injury from his friends and Mari.
It wasn't hard to do for the first half of the day after the accident because his mom allowed him to stay home. He practiced eating which was annoying without his upper teeth to help him. His mom snorted at the weird bite marks he left. But he did get used to it after a while.
He also practiced the little sign language he knew. He couldn't remember a lot of the words without the book to help him but he managed with what he did know. His mom was proud of him for taking the time to learn something to help out his teammate.
But when Mari got home, things went downhill. When he messed up his part she got mad like always, but she got angrier whenever he didn't respond to her. She yelled and scolded him for being disrespectful and he took it. He wanted to argue but he couldn't because it would reveal his injury and that would open a whole new can of worms.
Dinner wasn't any better. Mari told their father what happened and he was angrier than Mari had been earlier. He yelled at him for being disrespectful and he should apologize to Mari. When he didn't his father yelled at him more and he thought his dad would jump across the table and smack him. Luckily his mom was there to defuse the situation but Sunny could see his father was still fuming.
Lunch with his friends was easier. He never talked much during the period and he could go days without talking so neither Basil nor Kel batted an eye at his silence. Aubrey was a great help in distracting his friends so he could eat without them noticing his injury.
Speaking of Aubrey, she has been extremely remorseful after the accident. She formed a type of self-hatred that he was worried about. She declined half of his lunch when he tried giving it to her and she had a sorrowful look whenever she saw his injury.
He told her the accident was his fault, but she didn't see it that way. She was quick to argue that she hit the puck too hard, never mind the fact he told her to do it. She would never let him get a word in, and when he did get an opportunity to rebuttal she would always tune him out. It hurt to know she blamed herself for something that was completely his fault.
Luckily, he was getting his denture tomorrow. After the rough, and tiny bit annoying days he went through he hoped that once he plugged the hole in his teeth things would go back to normal. But he had to go through the one thing he had been dreading since his injury; hockey practice.
After getting severely hurt the last time he practiced, Sunny wasn't too keen on playing again. The only reason why he didn't want to quit was because of how supportive his teammates and coaches were. Mari wasn't praising him and he wasn't seeing his friends as much as he used to, so hockey was his only escape from his sister's unreasonable expectations. He wasn't going to get rid of that after an accident.
But he wasn't entirely worried about practicing, but how his teammates would react. He avoided them in school because he didn't want them to tease him. He knew Alec told some of them because JJ asked to see his injury during science class. He saw how disappointed JJ looked when he refused to show him.
He stood outside the locker room with his gear. He could hear them through the door and Sunny pondered if he should leave. He could miss another practice and wait until he got his denture. Also, Aubrey wasn't with him today so he had no one to run to for support.
With the stress getting to him, Sunny decided to leave. He didn't get far because he instantly turned into Coach B.
"Woah, where are you going, Sunny? The locker room is that way," he told him.
Sunny kept his head down, too scared to look at his coach. Coach B got on his knee and picked Sunny's head up by the chin. He gave the young boy a concerned look when he saw how frightened he was.
"Is everything OK?"
Sunny kept his mouth shut and made it obvious he wanted to keep it that way. Coach B easily noticed it and smiled while rolling his eyes.
"JJ and Alec told me what happened. Can I see?" He asked.
Sunny hesitated but slowly opened his mouth a little, just enough for Coach B to see. Sunny noticed his coach's eyes bulged a little, but he didn't laugh or make fun of him. All he did was get up and ruffle his hair in a friendly manner.
"I understand why you're worried but it's not so bad. I'm sure your teammates won't make fun of you, but if they did I'll make them do laps."
Sunny began to calm down after he knew he had his coach's support. He was glad he had someone's support, but it raised more concerns. He was worried if someone teased him and Coach B made them do laps, then they would become resentful.
Sunny, once again, wanted to go home, but he couldn't. Coach B had him trapped and was leading him to the locker rooms.
"Go get changed. Coach Ivanov and I have a surprise for you guys, and we want you all together for it."
Coach B brought Sunny into the locker room and closed the door behind him when he left. Sunny instantly felt everyone's eyes glued on him. They all stared at him as if he were some kind of rare zoo animal. By the time he got to his locker, they swarmed him, asking the same question.
"Can we see it?"
Sunny was so taken aback by this he fell to the ground. He thought they would've given him some space after that happened but they continued to crowd around him. He almost showed them just to get them to back off but he knew they would get closer to get a better look. It was a good thing Alec and Rudy were there to speak up and pull some of them away.
"Come on, guys, give him some room. If he wants to show you he'll show you when he feels like it," Alec said as Rudy was pulling some of the closer people away from Sunny.
They all backed away from Sunny, allowing him to breathe. He was thankful for Alec and Rudy's, which allowed him to get ready. When he finished, his teammates were still looking at him. It got to a point where Sunny thought about showing them just to get their eyes off of him.
He chose not to, but he couldn't be vocal about it. Alec noticed this and spoke up for him.
"Listen, guys, Sunny doesn't want to show you so please don't pressure him to do it."
Slowly, they all turned their attention to their own things. Sunny gave Alec a thankful thumbs up and he responded by giving him a fist bump.
"Don't mention it. I saw it and I understand if you don't want to show anyone. But between you and me, some of the sexiest hockey players have missing teeth so you already have a head start on that."
Sunny gave Alec a puzzled look but he was still thankful for the support.
Shortly thereafter, Coach B and I walked into the room, each carrying a box. The boys all circled around them as the two put the boxes down and Coach B raised a fist.
"I said during our first practice that we're more than a team, we're a family. To do that we need to unify and work together. And the best way to do that is by looking good," Coach B said, and everyone cheered, except Sunny.
He was confused by what they were cheering about until Coach B and I opened the boxes and pulled out the contents that were in them. Coach B held up a cherry red jersey that had white shoulders and white and black stripes on the sleeves and the bottom of the jersey. Coach I held up a similar jersey except it was white with cherry red shoulders and cherry red and black stripes on the sleeves and bottom of the jersey. What both jerseys had in common were the block letter numbers on the sleeves and back and an image of a menacing forward-facing buck that had big antlers and light brown fur.
They were good-looking jerseys, but he was confused by the logo. He didn't know why it was a deer. In fact, he didn't even know the team's name. He pulled Alec over to ask and he was glad to answer.
"The team name is Hart, which is a male red deer."
Back up front, Coach I pulled out a clipboard. Coach B held up a fist again to get everyone to settle down.
"All right, when Coach Ivanov calls your number and name, come up and collect your jerseys. Today we'll be wearing our red home jersey for practice. Tell us if they feel too big or tight so we can order a new one for you."
Once Coach B finished what he needed to say, Coach I took the lead and started listing off numbers and names.
"First, Goalies: number 35, Liam Hill. Number 70, Josiah-Jaxon Blanchet."
As the two boys went up to collect their jerseys, Alec leaned over and spoke into Sunny's ear.
"Last practice, Coach B asked us what our five favorite numbers were. It's his way of secretly asking what jersey number we want. I also picked out your number so I hope you don't mind."
Sunny didn't. He doesn't really have a favorite number and he was glad Alec picked one for him. He wouldn't have wanted to upset someone by stealing their number.
"Defencemen: Number 1, Mikhael Baker. Number 3, Finneas Bailey. Number 4, Milton Knox. Number 7, Rory Tobin. Number 9, Rudy Adolphus."
Sunny zoned out after he heard his friends' numbers were called. He wasn't surprised to hear Mikhael chose the number one. He did wonder why Rudy picked the number nine though. He asked Alec about it.
"Oh, it's because one of the best hockey players and the best defenceman wore the number 9. It's Rudy's way of paying homage to them and putting the expectations on himself to be the best."
Sunny gasped with amazement. He couldn't believe Rudy would set himself to such a high standard. He now had a newfound respect for the boy.
Coach I finished with the Defencemen and moved on to the final group.
"Forwards: Number 10, Beau Saxton. Number 11, Elliott Rockwell. Number 14, Ranger Kendrick. Number 15, Sunny Suzuki…"
Sunny walked up and got his jerseys and returned to his original spot. He looked at the number 15 which was in big white block letters, the white jersey's numbers were cherry red, and felt indifferent about it. He didn't hate the number but it wouldn't have been his first choice.
"Number 16, Alec Bonefat…"
Sunny looked at Alec, who was grinning. He gave Sunny a friendly nudge after returning.
"I'm glad they gave you that number. They assign lockers in numerical order so this gives me a chance to help you out during games."
Sunny looked at his number and then at Alec's. He couldn't believe that Alec was still looking out for him. He thought Alec would've moved on from him after the tryouts but he continued to help him out when he did and didn't ask for it.
Coach I was finishing off the list with only a few more players to go.
"Number 81, Claude Rhett. Number 86, Wyatt Taysom. Number 91, Tobias Graham. And number 97, Victor Ivanov."
After everyone got their jerseys and put the red ones on, Coach B clapped to get everyone's attention.
"All right, our first game is weeks away so these next few practices will be important. Let's get the mistakes out now because come game week, Coach Ivanov and I need to get the lineup ready. I want you to make these next few weeks difficult for us to decide who'll be on the first line, first D-pair, and starting in net."
Coach B and I then led the team out of the locker room. Sunny lagged behind for a few seconds to digest everything. From what Coach B said he knew these next few weeks are going to be brutal. He hoped he could keep up.
(3 Weeks Later)
Hero liked to consider himself an observant man. When Kel cleans his side of the room, Hero knows his little brother wants something from him or their mother. When his mom does laundry around dinner time, it means she wants him to cook. Or when Kel and Aubrey get along without anyone telling them to, it means they've done something bad.
So when Mari started showing up to school more and more agitated, he knew something was wrong.
At first, he didn't notice her plight because she was great at hiding her emotions, but over time he started noticing the signs. First was a few strands of hair sticking out. He knew she hated having messy hair because whenever they had sleepovers she was in the bathroom first thing in the morning to straighten out her hair.
Second was the lack of makeup. She wasn't a heavy makeup user, but she would put on some foundation to cover up some acne. Now little red dots were spread out across her face.
The final clue is when she shows zero emotions. When she reaches this level, may whatever god you worship have mercy on you. The last time he ever saw her reach that level was when she learned someone was bullying her brother, and let's say she was more effective than any self-defense class or restraining order would ever be.
Thankfully, he spotted her troubles when he noticed she wasn't wearing makeup. He asked her what was wrong and she said she "Didn't want to talk about it." He knew that meant, "Ask me later when I'm in a better mood." So he made it his mission to make her happy.
Luckily, it was their date night and he had a plan to make it special. First, he would pick up Kel and Sunny from school. Then, they'll go to Othermart and pick up some cookies for the boys and a small cheesecake for him and Mari. Finally, he'll drop the boys off at Sunny's place and get to work on making his mom's world-famous tamales.
It was foolproof, or it would've been if it wasn't for one thing.
When Hero arrived at his brother's school he saw his brother waiting. He was glad Kel listened to him instead of running home. All that was left to do was wait for Sunny and then they could leave.
"So does Sunny stop by his locker before he leaves or is his class on the other side of the school?" Hero asked and Kel responded kindly by giving him a look of guilt and embarrassment.
"I, uh, forgot to tell him you were coming…"
"Kel…" Hero said like a disappointed mother.
"I'm sorry, it slipped my mind! Besides, I saw him leave with Aubrey earlier, so he must already be home."
"He better because Mari will kill us if we lost him."
The brothers then headed to their first stop, Othermart, more specifically the bakery. Today it is being run by the owners' two oldest children, Daphne and Bowen. Daphne was working the counter while Bowen was in the back kneading some dough.
Hero turned on his natural charm and placed his order while Kel distracted himself with the display case and all the delectable items that were inside.
"Hello, Daphne, I'm here to pick up the cheesecake I ordered this morning, and I would also like two dozen of your assortment cookies."
"What is bothering Mari, Hero?" Daphne asked while ringing up his order.
"Huh?" Hero said after being taken by surprise by her out-of-nowhere question.
Daphne ignored his outburst and got to work. She first placed the box that held the cheesecake on the counter before filling two to-go bags with cookies.
"You buy a cheesecake whenever Mari is upset," she finally answered.
"Always a cheesecake," Bowen added.
Hero smiled embarrassingly, realizing that other people might realize his habits.
"She's probably stressed about the recital. It's at the end of the month and she keeps talking about how 'It's not perfect.' I'm just getting her something to help take her mind off of it."
Daphne placed the cookies on the counter and Hero paid. They said their goodbyes, but before they left the bakery, Kel noticed something in the back.
"What's up with the stuff in the back?"
Hero turned to see what his brother was looking at. In the back of the bakery was an assortment of treats. There were a lot of brownies and cookies that looked like weirdly shaped sticks, thick cookies covered in black frosting, and gingerbread men that were decorated in what appeared to be some kind of sports uniform.
"Those are for our darling brother's hockey team. His first game is tomorrow and Mother wanted to make treats for the team," Daphne answered.
"Delicious homemade treats," Bowen added.
"Oh, wow. I didn't think Mikhael was into sports, let alone hockey," Hero said.
"He isn't, but Mother forced him to take lessons after she heard the Suzuki boy was taking them," Daphne said, and Hero and Kel shared a confused look.
"But Sunny doesn't play sports. He plays the violin," Kel said and Daphne shrugged.
"That's not what Mother said. She said how he was a big help with teaching Mikhael and helping him make the team."
"Mikhael said the Suzuki boy has missing teeth," Bowen added.
Hero and Kel stared at each other as they processed this new information. The twins had to be lying. There was no way Sunny would play a sport. He wasn't the most active kid in the world, always preferring to stay inside and draw, read comic books, or watch TV.
Also, he wouldn't sign up for something when the recital was around the corner. He knew how much it meant to his sister and he would never do something to ruin it for her. That wasn't the Sunny they knew.
And what was this about him having missing teeth? If something that severe happened to their friend then they would've heard about it.
"Are they playing hockey right now?" Hero asked, and Daphne nodded.
"They're at the Ice/Swim Center. Mikhael said today was going to be a scrimmage to prepare them for tomorrow."
The boys thanked her before rushing out of Othermart and to the Center. They needed to see with their own eyes if what the twins said was true.
It didn't take Kel long to make it to the Center's front entrance, but he waited for Hero to catch up after he left him in the dust. Once the older boy finally caught up the two walked into the building. They first checked the big ice rink but didn't see anyone but couples and families skating. It wasn't until they made their way further back that they finally saw what they were looking for.
They saw a group of boys skating around, half of them were wearing red while the rest were wearing white. They were passing around a small black disk and shooting it at a boy wearing a lot of protective gear. The brothers then spotted their friend Aubrey sitting on the bleachers, amongst the parents and children, watching the action intently.
Kel ran up to her before Hero could get a word out.
"What are you doing here, Aubrey!?"
The young girl jumped and looked surprised to see Kel standing before her. She then looked angry and appeared to be ready to yell at the energetic but held back when she saw the boy's older brother. She looked worried and looked at the action on the ice to find that all the players were still engrossed with their warmups.
"What are you guys doing here?" She asked in an annoyed tone.
"I asked you first!" Kel shot back and Hero quickly took the lead before a fight could break out between the two.
"We came here because the Baker twins told us that Sunny was playing hockey. We wanted to see if that was true."
"And since you're here then Sunny must be out there, right?" Kel added.
Aubrey appeared as if she was trapped in a corner. She did her best to bite her tongue for as long as she could, but both Hero and Kel kept pressuring her for an answer. Luckily for her, a whistle rang out and she could see from the corner of her eye all the players skating over to their coaches. Kel and Hero backed off a bit from the noise, but she knew they would pressure her again shortly.
She then let out a long-winded sigh before patting the opening spot next to her.
"I know you won't stop bothering me about it, but it's not my secret to tell. Just sit and watch with me and you'll learn the truth later."
Kel and Hero shared a look again before Kel shrugged and sat on the open spot. Hero wanted to ask more questions, but he saw the players taking their positions on the ice and he didn't want to disturb anyone who came to see their children play. He joined his friends on the bleachers and watched as the game began.
Sunny sat on his team's bench and waited for the game to start. After an excruciating three weeks, Sunny felt confident enough to say he had improved. Now, he wasn't one of the best players on the team but he was a lot better than he was when he first started.
He could make some good passes and receive passes without having to worry about the puck bouncing off of his stick. His stick handling has also gotten better according to Alec and Rudy. His only problem was his shooting which was something he could live with. Alec said he didn't have to worry about being a goal scorer as long as he put his teammates in a position to score.
True to his word, Alec always gave him tips on how to improve after every practice. He also gave advice to the other players as well. It was one of the reasons why he now wore the C patch on his jersey. It was almost a unanimous vote for Alec to be captain, with Rudy and Elliott getting the remaining votes; they both became the alternate captains and got to wear the A patch.
After the last practice, Coach B told them they would be having a scrimmage today to simulate an in-game experience to prepare them for tomorrow. He even had the lines and D-pairings ready. Before today's practice, he informed everyone what line and pairing they would be playing on.
The first line will have Victor at the Left Wing, Alec playing Center, and Ranger at the Right Wing. The second line has Elliott playing Left Wing, a kid named Tobias Graham playing Center, and a kid named Tracy Everett at Right Wing. The third line has Reuben Brooks at the Left Wing, Claude playing Center, and Jake Hayes at the Right Wing. The fourth line has Beau at the Left Wing, Wyatt playing Center, and Sunny at the Right Wing.
For the defencemen, Rudy and Finneas on the first pair, Milton and a kid named Jaden Dean on the second pair, Rory and Mikhael on the third pair, with a kid named Keith Gray as the seventh defenceman.
Coach B also named JJ as the starting goalie, which came as a surprise to no one because JJ had been nothing short of a brick wall these past three weeks.
Today, Coach B split the team in half for the scrimmage. The red team would have the first line, the third line, the second D-pairing, the seventh defenceman, and JJ in the net. The white team would have the second line, the fourth line, the first D-pairing, the third D-pairing, and Liam in the net.
Now, you might think the red team was at a disadvantage with fewer defencemen, but it was the opposite. Since the red team had Alec leading them and Victor's sniping ability, Sunny knew his team was going to have to play an air-tight game to prevent them from scoring. The red team also had JJ so Sunny knew they had to scheme some plays to get some shots on an open net and hope for lady luck to be on their side.
For once, Sunny was excited about a practice… If it wasn't for one thing.
When Sunny looked over at Aubrey he felt his breathing hitch when he saw Hero and Kel sitting next to her. He didn't know why they were there or how they figured out where to find them. He knew Aubrey wouldn't tell them, and given the apologetic look she was shooting him, she was taken by surprise by this as well.
He was so stressed about his friends knowing his secret he couldn't pay attention to what was happening on the ice. He kept his head down and tried to control his breathing, but he couldn't because one thought kept invading his mind.
'They're gonna tell Mari.'
He knew Hero was definitely going to tell her because he could never keep any secrets from her; she could always sniff them out. He knew Kel would tell her unintentionally because he rarely thinks before he says things. Hell, he expected Mari to pop up behind him and drag him away to practice for their recital.
All he could think about was how this was going to be his last practice; he didn't realize the opening shift was coming to an end. He didn't hear his teammates' voices telling him to get ready or the sound of players skating toward his bench. It wasn't until Wyatt nudged him to tell him to get ready.
Sunny looked up in time to see Tracy, a brunette who had a mullet and slightly crooked teeth, skating to the bench. Sunny got ready by putting one leg over the wall, and once Tracy got onto the bench Sunny took to the ice. Since he just started his shift, Sunny had the fresher legs on his team.
He saw Rudy had possession of the puck behind their team's net. Rudy saw him on the ice and did his best to get the puck to him. He first passed it to Elliott, a bespectacled boy with long curly brown hair, who then passed it to Sunny. Now with possession in the neutral zone, Sunny knew his main job was to keep the puck and allow his linemates to change. When he saw Tobias, a dark-skinned boy with a black frohawk, get off the ice and be replaced by Wyatt.
Sunny passed Wyatt the puck, but it was intercepted by a defender Sunny didn't see coming. The red team had caught them in an awkward position as Elliott was getting off the ice. Now, being in an odd-man rush, Sunny and Wyatt tried to get back on defense, but they were too late. The defenceman passed the puck to Victor who sniped it into the net.
1-0 Red team.
Sunny angrily huffed because he knew that score was his fault. Wyatt patted his back as if he was telling him to "calm down," and "don't worry about it." Sunny wanted to take Wyatt's silent advice but he knew he couldn't. His mind was still clouded with the thoughts of his sister being angry at him for not practicing for the recital.
The whistle blew and everyone got set to start again. The third line and Milton and Keith were now on the ice for the red team. For the white team, the whole fourth line and the third D-pairing were now on the ice. Claude, a tall redhead, and Wyatt waited for Coach I to drop the puck. Once he did, they were off again.
Wyatt won the face-off and passed it back to Mikhael. Reuben went straight at Mikhael to poke the puck away, but Mikhael passed it to Rory who then passed it forward to Beau. Beau then entered the offensive zone with Sunny and Wyatt on both sides of the net, and Mikhael and Rory covering the blue line. Wyatt then skated to Beau who drop-passed the puck to him and got into his position on the left side of the net.
Now that everyone was in position they executed their game plan for this lineup. Since the red team only had three defencemen they knew the best way for them to win was to exhaust this unit and keep the first line off the ice for as long as they could. They would start by passing the puck around and forcing their opponents to keep moving. They made sure to keep passing the puck back to either Mikhael or Rory to make the other forwards and defencemen travel further distances.
It was working well and lanes to the goal were opening up. Sunny, Wyatt, and Beau each made a rush at the net but passed it away when they saw them closing up. They knew that if they kept up the pressure there would be a scoring chance for one of them.
Sunny received the puck and saw a lane opening up for him. He also saw how exhausted the red team was. He knew this was his best opportunity to score and tie the game. But the looming threat of JJ gave him some pause.
If JJ managed to stop him and freeze the puck then the red team would be able to put fresh bodies onto the ice then all the work they did would be fruitless. He then saw Wyatt open next to the net. If he was able to get the puck to him then he would have an open net for him to score.
Deciding to forgo his scoring opportunity, Sunny passed the puck through the lane to Wyatt. Sadly, JJ managed to get a pad on it and knock the puck away. It bounced off the wall and trickled into the neutral zone, making everyone skate into the neutral zone, and allowing both teams to make a line change.
Now back on the bench, Sunny grumbled with annoyance. That's now two times he's cost his team. He can already hear the jeers and taunts from his teammates, just like Mari would do when he made a mistake on the violin.
He looked over at his friends to read their reactions. Aubrey was giving him a supportive look while Kel was engrossed by what was happening on the ice, but he couldn't get an exact read on Hero. He couldn't tell if Hero was disappointed or uninterested in what was happening. Sunny groaned again because he knew that when Hero tells Mari about this he'll mention how he messed up and how he wasn't good enough to fuel Mari's anger.
He wished the day could be over so he could deal with HellMari, but they needed to finish this and two more five-minute periods. Sunny groaned again and placed his head down in the hopes of making the practice go by quickly.
"I know you're frustrated, but keep your head up and be ready. We can't have you quitting on us so early in the game," he heard Rudy say to him.
Sunny did what the alternate captain said, but he was still miserable. Rudy rolled his eyes and sighed when he looked at Sunny's face.
"I can tell you have a lot going on in your head, but you need to push that aside. I need you to pay attention to what's happening on the ice or I'll have Coach B pull you for the rest of practice."
That made Sunny pause. During the short time that he knew him, Sunny had never seen Rudy this serious before. He was always friendly and easy to be around. He couldn't believe Rudy made that type of threat.
"If your head isn't 100% in the game then you're not only putting yourself at risk but everyone else on the ice. You understand?"
Sunny frighteningly nodded and Rudy appeared to have calmed down a little.
"Good. Now get ready because Tracy is coming to make the switch."
Tracy skated to the bench and Sunny quickly got onto the ice. His team was going onto an offensive attack and he joined them. He knew that one of the red team's defenseman was tired after being on the ice for so long. They were going to have to attack him if they wanted to even up the score.
When they entered the zone, Tobias directed him to stand in front of the net and create a screen. Sunny obliged and did just that. He used his eyes to follow where Tobias and the puck were moving and moved his body to hide them from JJ.
There was some light pushing and shoving from Jaden, a tall boy with short dyed green hair, but Sunny stood his ground. He watched Tobias pass the puck to Finneas, a ginger who had hair that went down to his neck, for a one-timer. The puck flew through the air and Sunny jumped out of the way at the last second to not block his teammate's shot. It ricocheted off the left pole and over to the boards.
Sunny quickly skated over and recovered it, but was sandwiched against the wall by Ranger, a short and pale boy. Ranger tried poking the puck away but Sunny kept his skate against it to prevent that from happening. He looked for his teammates but only saw Alec and Milton, a boy with a buzz cut and a slightly crooked nose, coming to help Ranger. It wasn't until he saw Elliott in the corner of his eye, standing behind the net, calling for the puck.
Sunny kicked the puck to him and Elliott instantly passed it to Wyatt, who had just replaced Tobias. He skated up the lane and tried to use his backhand to score, but JJ swallowed the attempt. He froze the puck and everyone skated over to the left face-off circle.
Before they got ready, Rudy skated up to Sunny and put an arm around him to hide what he wanted to say.
"There's only a few seconds left in the period. Tell Wyatt to tie up Claude and I'll tell Beau to take the puck. What's going to happen is you're going to get open over by the right face-off circle and Beau is gonna pass it to you. Get ready to shoot when you see the puck coming to you. Don't hesitate to shoot."
Sunny nodded and skated up to Wyatt to relay the message. He has gotten pretty good at sign language, but he wasn't able to have a full conversation with him yet. Alec said they could practice that during their free time, but was adamant about learning the words that related to hockey.
He poked Wyatt on the back and signed the two words Wyatt needed to know.
"Tie. Up."
Wyatt nodded and got ready and Sunny did too. Coach I dropped the puck and Wyatt tried to do what Sunny told him but was immediately overpowered by Claude and lost the face-off. The red team then proceeded to eat away the rest of the seconds of the first period.
Sunny grumbled as he skated over to the bench. They weren't able to execute their plan and now they're going into the second period down by one. What makes it worse is if it wasn't for his mistake then they could be tied.
He took a swig from his water as Coach B came over to acknowledge the team.
"All right, boys, it's time to see how you respond. You finished the last period strong, build on that and you can come back and win. Stick to the plan and more scoring opportunities will open. Fourth line and first D-pair will start, but only for a limited time."
After the brief intermission, Sunny and his line went onto the ice. Instead of the third line, the first line came onto the ice. Sunny gulped with anticipation because he knew how good this line was. They were thrown to the wolves.
Coach I dropped the puck and Alec won the face-off. Sunny, Beau, and the defencemen instantly backchecked onto defense while Wyatt chased after Alec. Sunny and Beau remained in the neutral zone, by the blue line to prevent any easy zone entries while the defencemen were in the defensive zone in case the red team got past them.
Alec passed the puck to Victor who zoomed past Beau and into the offensive zone. Sunny backchecked into his defensive zone and became aware of anyone who skated into it. Since he was an RW, his job was to stay in the upper right half of the zone and defend against any player that skates into it. Most of the time he faced the left defenceman and LW.
Defending against defencemen is easy because they'll stay up by the blue line for the majority of the attack. LW were different because they're always looking to attack the net. Sunny knew he could handle them though because he was a great and fast skater. But he was going up against his biggest challenge, Victor.
Victor was faster and more agile than him. When Victor gets the puck he could easily deke past him and he wouldn't realize it until it was too late. When Victor gets in his zone he will need to blanket him as best as he can.
The puck was passed to Milton and Sunny moved up to poke it away. Milton passed it over to Jaden and Sunny backed off to close up any passing lanes. He watched Jaden pass the puck to Ranger who shot it, but Liam used his blocker to make the save. The puck trickled over to the boards and Sunny moved to retrieve it but Alec came out of nowhere, stole it, and passed it to Victor who was in his unguarded zone.
Sunny hurried back before Victor could take a shot. He reached his stick out to poke the puck away but Victor used his stick-handling skills to avoid it. Victor then skated past him and he stuck out his stick to try and slow him down but pulled it back last second to avoid tripping him. He didn't want to commit a penalty and make his team play down a man.
Luckily Rudy was there to stop Victor before he could make a play. He poked the puck away and Liam froze it, ending the play. Both teams changed lines, allowing all the starting players to rest. Sunny was thankful for it because he was starting to get tired.
The rest of the period flew by in a flash. The white team had multiple opportunities, but JJ was standing on his head throughout the whole period. They managed to keep the first line quiet, with a few scares here and there. Sadly, the third line off of a tipped pass from Claude.
It was now 2-0.
The third period was almost a carbon copy of the second. The white team couldn't finish their scoring opportunities while playing shut-down defense. The red team spent most of the period killing the clock and trying to find the game-sealing goal. Thankfully, they couldn't get it but as the time ticked down it was getting obvious that the white team wasn't going to win.
With under twenty seconds left in the period, all they could do was hope to break the shutout.
The last sequence of plays ended with JJ freezing the puck off of Mikhael's shot. Knowing they only had time for one more push, Sunny thought back to the play Rudy wanted them to run at the end of the first. They would now be facing off on the right face-off circle so he would have to retrieve the face-off and Beau would be taking the shot. With nothing to lose, Sunny told his teammates the plan and they agreed.
Both Wyatt and Claude were ready for Coach I to drop the puck. Once he did, Wyatt successfully tied up his opponent and Sunny got the puck before the red team realized what was happening. He passed it to the wide-open Beau and he blasted it past JJ and into the net.
2-1.
After that, the clock soon stuck zero after the face-off at center ice, sealing the red team's victory. They shook hands after the game and Alec pulled Sunny aside to talk to him.
"Great final play. Where did you come up with that?"
"R-Rudy wanted to d-do it at the e-end of the f-first. I-I just r-remembered it," Sunny answered and Alec patted him on the back.
"Well, good job remembering it. Just because it didn't work earlier doesn't mean it won't work at all."
The two boys then skated over to Coach B who was getting ready to rundown what happened. He highlighted all the goals and acknowledged all the players that made them happen, which made Sunny feel good. He then praised the two goalies for playing a great game and the players gave them some congratulatory stick taps. He then finished it off with tomorrow's schedule.
"Tomorrow our game starts at one, but be here by twelve for pregame warmups. Make sure to wear your red jerseys. We'll be facing the Nearby Broncos, and I know some of you want some revenge after last season."
The Broncos were the team that beat them in the championship game. Sunny could tell from the serious looks on Alec's, JJ's, Victor's, and anyone else who played for the team last season was looking forward to facing them again.
"That's all, get out of here and have a big dinner and a good night's sleep."
Coach B then walked off the ice and the players followed his example by heading to the locker room. Sunny stayed behind to look at his friends. Unlike the parents, they stayed in their seats and were watching him.
He knew he couldn't stall any longer.
Sunny was taking deep breaths as he walked the halls and to his friends. He tried telling himself Kel and Hero won't tell Mari but he couldn't believe it. He saw the look on Hero's face earlier. He knew the second they got home he'd tell Mari everything.
He'll have to quit and his new friends will hate him for it. He wished this didn't have to happen but if it would lessen the rath from HellMari then he'd do it in a heartbeat. He hoped they would understand.
He emerged from the hallway to see his friends. Kel was the first to see him and he ran straight at him. Sunny was scared he was going to jump on him but Kel stopped just inches before his face.
"Oh my gosh, Sunny, you were amazing! When did you learn to skate so good and how can you skate backwards!? And how did you know when to get onto the ice and get off it? I thought they would've stopped playing to allow you guys to switch players. I didn't understand what was going on but I knew you were great!"
Kel's reaction didn't surprise Sunny. He knew his friend would be supportive; just didn't trust him to keep quiet about it. When Kel knows something the whole town would've heard it by the end of the day.
But Kel is the most supportive person he knows. It didn't matter what you were doing, Kel would be there to support you even if he didn't fully know what was going on. Sunny just wished Kel could show it at a respectable distance and not in his face.
Aubrey stopped Kel's relentless support by pushing him aside.
"Can't you see you're suffocating him!?"
She gave him a supportive hug, not caring what their friends thought about it. Sunny returned it and when he did she whispered in his ear.
"I didn't tell them. They showed up out of nowhere."
Sunny nodded to what she said. At least he knew Mari was still in the dark about this whole thing. They broke apart and Aubrey discretely took his bag. Now all that was left was Hero.
The older boy was giving him a look that was a mix of pride and disappointment.
"You were good, Sunny, but does Mari know about this?"
Sunny shook his head and Her let out a disappointed sigh.
"Sunny, you know you can't be wasting time when the recital is so close. You know how much this means to Mari."
Sunny tried to argue but Hero put his hand up before he could stutter out a word.
"Plus, Hockey, is a very dangerous sport. You could get seriously hurt. I watched those kids crash into each other and they're taller than you. What would Mari say when she hears you got hurt playing such a dangerous sport?"
Hero was right. He's gotten lucky that no one on the team has hurt him, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen. He could get a serious injury during the game tomorrow.
Plus, Mari has been super protective of him ever since he almost drowned. She wouldn't let him do anything that she perceived as dangerous unless she was there to protect him. He was better off quitting now and practicing until he had scars covering his fingers than giving his sister a heart attack when she learned about this.
Sunny was ready to find Coach B and tell him he wanted to quit, but Aubrey spoke up.
"She wouldn't care."
"Excuse me!?" Hero said and Aubrey repeated herself.
"I said. She. Wouldn't. Care!"
Sunny saw Hero was starting to get upset while Kel was confused by what she said.
"But, Aubrey, this is Mari you're talking about. She wouldn't let Sunny eat steak unless she cut it into really tiny pieces after he almost drowned."
"I don't care. She's already hurting him with their practices."
"You're lying! Mari would never do that!" Hero argued.
Frustrated, Aubrey furrowed her eyebrows and turned to Sunny.
"Show him your hand."
Sunny hesitated, but after Aubrey urged to, he slowly raised his left hand. Hero and Kel gasped when they saw the blisters and band-aids that littered his fingers. Kel tried to touch it but Aubrey smacked his hand away.
"Don't touch it."
"Sorry," Kel apologized.
As that was happening, Hero was having an inner battle with himself. He tried reasoning why Mari would do this, but he couldn't. Mari loved Sunny more than anything and would never hurt him, but the evidence says otherwise.
"Do you see it now, Hero? He's not playing hockey to spite Mari. He's doing it to escape her and because he loves playing."
Hero nodded. He couldn't argue with her any longer after seeing what Mari had done to her brother.
"I'll talk to her and try to get her to ease up on your recital practices. Maybe me and Kel can come over and watch you guys practice to make sure she doesn't overwork you."
"Th-Thanks, Hero. But could y-you do one m-more thing?" Sunny asked and Hero nodded.
"Sure, Sunny, anything."
"C-Could you k-keep this a secret f-from Mari and k-keep busy t-tomorrow so I can come t-to my game?"
"I can do that. I'll have the whole day planned out if you need it."
Sunny thought it over. It was tempting to be free from Mari all day, but he ultimately declined. He knew Mari would want to practice for the recital until the dead of night if Hero convinced her to go out.
"If you're sure then it's fine by me. But right now we need to get home before our parents or Mari wonders where we are," Hero said and the group began to leave.
They weren't even out the door when Kel remembered something from earlier.
"Bowen said Sunny was missing some teeth. What's that about?"
Sunny and Aubrey shared a look of panic before booking it out the door. Sunny knew he'd have to tell Kel about it later, and knew Kel would want to see it. But he would rather do that in private than in front of Hero. Especially after they convinced Hero to not tell Mari and let him continue to play hockey.
The jerseys are exactly like the Oilers' Blue Home jerseys and away jerseys. For the home jersey replace the blue with cherry red, the orange with white, and the white with black. For the away jersey keep the white, the blue with cherry red, and orange with black.
The red I used is #CB2B44
Line-up
Forwards
L1: Victor-Alec(C)-Ranger
L2: Elliott(A)-Tobias-Tracy
L3: Reuben-Claude-Jake
L4: Beau-Wyatt-Sunny
Defencemen
D1: Rudy(A)-Finneas
D2: Milton-Jaden
D3: Rory-Mikhael
7th D-man: Keith
Goalies
Starting Goalie: JJ
Backup Goalie: Liam
Player numbers (Numerical order): Mikhael 1, Finneas 3, Milton 4, Rory 7, Rudy 9, Beau 10, Elliott 11, Ranger 14, Sunny 15, Alec 16, Reuben 21, Jake 26, Liam 35, Keith 42, Jaden 59, JJ 70, Tracy 77, Claude 81, Wyatt 86, Tobias 92, Victor 97