Frozen in Ice

Chapter 14

Luke's POV

I wasn't really that happy to have to be heading to school on Monday. I hadn't seen anyone of the hockey team since our incident on Friday. Justin had sent me a text on Friday apologising for what everyone else had said and I sent a reply telling him that it was fine but I wanted the weekend to myself so I didn't hear back.

Justin smiled as I headed into school and I smiled as well but didn't join him. Instead I headed to my math class and was glad when Brynn wasn't there. I had worked from open to close yesterday and it was a good pay day but it meant I was up late and exhausted when I was finished.

I rested my head on the table and closed my eyes as I listened to everyone move around me. I heard when Brynn sat down because her books hit the table and made me jump.

"Still staying up too late sleeping with your girlfriend?" she asked.

I didn't say anything to her but I did sit up and blink sleep out of my eyes. She glared at me and I turned away so that I wasn't looking at her anymore. Mr King started talking and I'm sure that it was interesting but I couldn't pay attention.

The rest of my morning classes were like that I was glad that we weren't doing anything important. I almost didn't join the hockey team in the cafeteria but I didn't know where else to do. I took a seat next to Justin and Mark smirked at me.

"Oh, look the Next One has decided to join us."

I rolled my eyes and didn't dignify him with a response. I had heard it all before and it wasn't worth fighting about it with anyone. I tuned out of their conversation and turned to talk to Justin about anything else.

I listened to Justin tell me about something that he did over the weekend but I wasn't really listening. I was fine letting him talk all lunch and I half-listened to him and ate my lunch. I was happy to not interact with the rest of the team.

We had training after school so I had to see them again. I wasn't the first one into the locker room and I made sure to be quiet so that people wouldn't talk to me.

"The Next One is running late today," Dan mocked.

Again I didn't say anything and made an effort to change faster so I could get out of the locker room and onto the ice. I grabbed my stick and joined some of the team on the ice. Coach was already out there and he got us to start skating as soon as were ready.

I was already starting to get warm once the whole team made it out. We all skated a couple of laps together before splitting up to run drills.

I was starting to get annoyed because my teammates, except for Justin, had taken to calling me the Next One all practice. Even Coach had started calling me it as well. After the most reason time I took my anger out on the puck.

It was going much faster than my previous shot and it bounced off the back of the net. Everyone turned to look at me and I didn't say anything. I ignored them as they continued to tease me for the rest of practice.

It was starting to get on my nerves and I was trying to not let them see how much it was annoying me. I had teammates try and do this before and it drove me mental.

To get rid of my anger I grabbed a bunch of pucks after practice and lined them up on the ice. Since I was just trying to get rid of anger I wasn't worried about trying to improve and I was just hitting them as hard as I could.

All of them would hit the back of the net and bounce out leaving pucks scattered around the rink. I had hit an extra fifty or sixty pucks before I decided that it was good enough and I felt more relaxed and calmer.

I was surprised to see a lot of the team still in the locker room, already changed, but Justin had left. I didn't saying anything to them as I started to change. I listened to them talk among themselves but it stopped when I was ready to leave.

"Next One, do you want to come out with us?" James asked.

"I think I'm just going to head home," I said trying to get out of it without being too rude.

"Come on, you never join us. You have to," Kris protested.

I couldn't see to get out of it and after they had been calling me Next One all day I really didn't want to spend more time with them but they wouldn't let me leave. I didn't see good things coming from this since Justin wasn't here.

I got shoved into a car and listened to some of the team talk about various things and I didn't bother joining in. We pulled up in front of a restaurant that I didn't recognise and I found a large portion of the team already there.

I felt so out of place because I didn't really belong with this team. They were still calling me Next One and I really just wanted to leave. Every time that I mentioned something about leaving I got stopped.

"So Next One, we need to do some sort of freshman initiation with you," Mark started.

"I'm not a freshman," I countered.

"No, but you are new to the team so we should do something," Mark said.

I knew this conversation wasn't going to end well but I still couldn't leave.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked cautiously.

"Next One, we were thinking that you should come to a party this weekend and we can see what sort of person you are," Mark said.

No one said anything for a few moments as I thought. There was no way that it was going to work because I was working both nights this weekend.

"I'm not going to do it," I said plainly.

"So you are that sort of guy Next One. The type of person that doesn't do any fucking thing."

"No, I don't want to come because you guys are rude to me. I'm not the Next One and you guys have been rude to me the whole time that I have been here."

I stood up and pushed past everyone. Mark tried to stop me but I continued to push past him.

"You are a fucking loser," Mark snapped.

"I don't care what you guys think of me. I'm just here to play hockey so leave me alone."

No one said anything and headed out.

..........................................................................................................................................................................................................

Comment and Vote

The Wise One