His Best Friend's Sister

Chapter 12

Ricky, Alexander, be careful... what if the ice breaks and you both fall into the water?

Anastasia, you're such a baby.

I'm not a baby I'm already ten years old!

Hey, leave her alone. Anastasia, watch me score on your brother now – this goal will be for you.

*

I used to love watching Ricky and Alexander play pond hockey. But I had forgotten how much I hated sitting in arenas. My mom and I would often travel with Alexander for his weekend hockey tournaments; those times now falling under the category of 'repressed memories.' There was nothing enjoyable about a cold butt in a dingy ice rink sipping on mediocre hot chocolate.

My dad used to be the one who took Alexander to all of his games and tournaments. Something I'll never forget was his constant critiquing of Alexander. It made Alexander want to always strive higher, skate faster, do better. Dad made everything so serious and competitive. 

But when Ricky and Alexander played, it was just for fun. That was the kind of hockey I liked better. 

Ricky used to play in the same tournaments - until the later years. I remember asking Alexander why Ricky wasn't playing on the same team as him anymore. Alexander evaded the subject before my mom informed me that "Ricky was in a different rep league now." I never knew what that meant – until now. Ricky's skill level obviously placed him in a higher league. In our school, however, there was only one competitive hockey team, and you had to be either a junior or a senior to join. Ricky and Alexander both made it on the team instantly after try-outs, of course, and both boys dropped their other leagues in order to play for the Davenport team. Alexander had actually been awarded Captain when first joining the Davenport team, a feat he was particularly proud of.

"DAV...EN...PORT! DAV...EN...PORT!"

The energy from the stands was magnetizing. All the seniors, and most of the juniors, were in attendance of the game, and to Robin's credit, everyone was decked out with school spirit. Painted black and gold faces, bright coloured signs and clappers, and there was even a row of shirtless guys with the word: DEVILS painted across their chests, letter by letter. I laughed in amazement. The game hadn't even started, and I was already uplifted by the atmosphere and school pride. 

"Anastasia, hey," a friendly voice cooed from behind me.

I whipped my head around to see Valerie – the kind senior I had met at my party back in December. She was sitting beside a tall and lean blonde-haired senior with soft blue eyes, rocking a Davenport jersey. I had definitely noticed him before in the halls.

"This is my boyfriend, Denis," she told me. "Denis, this is Anastasia."

Denis and I gave each other cordial waves before he said, "Morales, right?"

I smiled proudly at the exclusion of Alexander's name from that sentence. "That's right. My brother is on the team!"I cringed at myself. The one time somebody knew me for me, I still mentioned my brother. It was almost comical that even I couldn't escape from the association. 

Denis chuckled. "Alex, yeah."

"Are you friends?" I asked curiously.

"He's a great guy, but I wouldn't say we're close. I've always been more into music than hockey."

"Denis is in a band," Valerie told me with a wink. "They're awesome." 

Denis turned a light shade of pink but smiled at his girlfriend's not so subtle brag. "Thanks babe," he said sheepishly.