185Chapter 2: The Hero's Reward
AUTHOR'S NOTES: All the names of my characters are completely random, no similarity to actual persons, living or dead, should be assumed or inferred.
This will be my last update until at least next week. I wasn't expecting to draw such a reaction with this, so I took time away from studying for Final Exams to keep the fans happy :). Anyway, Christmas vacation begins on Friday, and I won't have any time to write this weekend. But stay tuned, I will definitely continue this.
Please review! I still need ideas!
It seemed like he had been out on the ice forever. Just to stop the play, Shawn flipped the puck into the penalty box, and after the whistle, Becton Valley called a timeout.
Shawn hunched over and skated breathlessly back to the bench. He was leaning heavily on his stick as he looked up at the scoreboard. Belleville was playing a tough game, and the score was tied, three to three, with less than one minute left in the game. Belleville's center, Steve Rosival, looked over at Shawn and smirked when he saw him doubled over against the boards. Rosival had been making Shawn's life miserable all night, and that was the big reason why the game was so close.
"Hey Rogers! Wake up out there! You like you're skating in your sleep!" Becton Valley's coach, Walt Harris, wasn't very happy with the result of the game so far.
Shawn spit on the ice before straightening up. His teammates were looking at him expectantly, even though more than half the team was older then he was.
"We're going to win this game," he said. The rest of the team cheered, and the five starting skaters took the ice. This would be the last shift of the game.
Shawn warmed up by skating over to the opposite side, listening to the cheers of the crowd.
"Let's go Wildcats! Kick their ass!" That was Jason, he was always a huge source of school spirit at these games.
"Go Shawn!" Startled, he looked up and saw Alexandra standing right behind the glass waving at him. He grinned and saluted, drawing a huge smile from her. God she looks beautiful, he thought.
"Come on Shawn, score that goal!" Shawn looked up again and spotted his father waving a large Becton Valley flag, yelling himself hoarse.
A lump tightened in Emily's throat ten rows higher. She somehow felt...sad that Shawn was paying special attention to Alex with the game on the line. Why should I even care? Stop fantasizing. She shook her head before her friends noticed her staring.
With a new determination, Shawn skated to the faceoff circle and drew the puck back to Nick, just in front of the blue line. Nick passed it across to his fellow defense partner, who promptly shot the puck into the corner, starting a huge scramble for the puck.
Shawn looked up quickly. Only forty-five seconds to go. He skated directly in front of the Belleville net and stopped, knowing that Rosival was going to hit him, but standing his ground anyway.
To his surprise, there was no resistance. Rosival was tied up with one of Shawn's teammates, and he found himself all alone just five feet from the net. The puck squirted back to the point, and after another quick pass, the puck was back on Nick's stick.
Nick wound up to take a shot, but saw Shawn skating back towards him, all by himself. Nick passed him the puck, and Shawn looped around to the left side, skating right by Rosival and creating some free space.
Shawn leaned back and let the shot go, putting all his weight behind it. The puck whistled past the goalie's glove and rippled the mesh behind him. Shawn didn't even have to look, the huge roar told him all that he needed to hear.
Everyone on the Becton Valley side immediately leaped to their feet, shouting as loud as they could. The upperclassmen came down to the first row and pounded loudly on the glass. The noise was deafening. Shawn was immediately mobbed by his teammates, and when he was finally able to look up, he was stunned to see just twelve seconds left on the clock.
A few moments later, the game was over. Becton Valley had won four to three. Rosival slammed his stick against the boards, smashing it into hundreds of pieces. The Wildcats skated off to another huge roar from the crowd, and Shawn saluted Alex again before heading into the locker room. He wondered what could possibly be better than this.
Alexandra waited twenty-five minutes for Shawn to come out of the locker room. Most of the crowd was lingering in the lobby, talking excitedly, and waiting for the players to emerge. Elaine left with one of the upperclassman guys, leaving Alex alone, as she made it clear that she wasn't going home with anyone else tonight. Finally, Shawn emerged, and she raced over and hugged him before he had even dropped his bulging hockey bag.
"You're amazing Shawn!" she squealed happily, hugging him tighter.
"Nice to see you too Alex," he looked at her and grinned. "But don't assume too much. Without that screen I never would have gotten the shot away."
She hit him playfully on the shoulder. "Stop being so modest, you are that good." She let go of him when Jason and Shawn's dad approached the two of them.
"I'm proud of you son," his father said.
"Thanks dad." Shawn dropped his head, and Alex thought he was blushing.
"You rule dude! Great way to end the game!" Jason said excitedly. "So what are you planning for his reward Alex?" He was grinning mischieviously.
"Let's go get something to eat Shawn, just the two of us," she winked and flashed her best smile.
"Food? Now? You've got to be kidding me, toss me a pillow and I'll fall right asleep."
"Oh come on!" she protested, grabbing his arm. Her eyes widened, pleading.
He stared directly into her wide hazel eyes. No wonder she's so irresistible, he thought. He sighed, and looked down before speaking again. "Fine, but I need to shower first."
"Great! Let's go, the Howard Diner closes in a few hours, and you always take forever to get ready." She laughed when Shawn made a face at her.
"I'll drive you over after he showers," Mr. Rogers offered.
Jason came up right beside Shawn. "She wants you dude, I envy you," he whispered. Shawn rolled his eyes and picked up his heavy bag. Alex grabbed his sticks and smiled at him again. Mr. Rogers led them all out into the parking lot.
"Shawn's getting the hero's reward!" Jason yelled, drawing everyone's attention to Shawn and Alex as they were walking out the door. She turned and waved, a wicked grin on her face. Several hoots and catcalls followed them out into the parking lot.
Emily turned when she heard Jason's shout, and felt a slight stab of jealousy when she saw Shawn and Alex leaving. What is wrong with me? Why am I feeling this? I shouldn't even care. She hastily averted her eyes, the silent tears brimming, but she refused to let them fall.
An hour later, Mr. Rogers drove into the parking lot of the Howard Diner.
"Call me when you want to come home," Mr. Rogers said as he handed Shawn some money.
"We won't be too late," Alex said, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. "Don't want Shawn to fall asleep on me," she grinned. Actually, it wouldn't be too bad if he fell asleep on me, she thought wickedly.
Shawn led her into the restaurant and they were seated at a table in the corner, away from everyone. She took her coat off and sat directly across from him.
She folded her hands under her chin and just stared at him. She knew this would make him very uncomfortable, but she didn't stop herself. She knew a lot of guys who were better looking than Shawn, but there was just something...different...about him.
He caught her staring, and engrossed himself in the menu. He was so tired and definitely did not want to be here, but he had to be civil, at least for Alexandra's sake.
"You played great tonight Shawn," she said, initiating a conversation.
He looked up and gave her a small smile. "Thanks," was all he said before turning back to the menu.
A tall waitress appeared, interrupting them. "Can I get you anything?" she asked in a high-pitched voice.
Alex glanced at him, not really caring what they ate, she just wanted to see Shawn alone.
He saw her indecision and made their choices. "Cokes for both of us, and a large plate of nachos," he said. Alex nodded, and the waitress took off for the kitchen after writing down their order.
A few moments of silence passed. He still wasn't looking at her. "Is there something wrong Shawn? Why won't you look at me?" she asked.
He looked directly at her and shrugged. "Nothing's wrong, I'm just really tired. Rosival did a number on me tonight." He flexed his right arm to emphasize his point.
"Aw, poor baby," she teased. She stopped chuckling when she saw him scowl. "Come on Shawn, I'm just kidding." She reached over and patted his hand. What is wrong with him?
He squeezed her hand and let it go. Just be friendly, he told himself. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm just surprised that you weren't going somewhere tonight."
"Why? I'm still your friend right?"
"Of course."
"So what's the problem?"
"Just wondering what happened to the fan club," he said it a bit more harshly than he intended.
She leaned forward and her face creased in anger. "What's this about? What did I do to you? You're upset that your friend wants to spend some time with you?"
He sighed. The last thing he wanted was an argument. "I'm sorry Alex."
She settled back in her seat and crossed her arms. "You don't look too happy to see me," she accused.
"Should I be?" His face seemed to be carved from stone.
"Fine, just forget it," she said, exasperated. "You don't appreciate me at all."
He shook his head but said nothing. This is the bitchy attitude that I really don't like, he thought.
The waitress brought their food and they ate in silence. Alex didn't even look at him while they waited outside for Shawn's father to come.
"Good night Mom," Emily called downstairs, about to close the door to her room.
"Good night dear," her mother's voice was barely audible over the noise of the television show she was watching.
Emily closed her door and shut the lights out. She padded over to her bed in total darkness. She slipped under the blankets and flopped down hard on the pillows.
She felt angry and hurt, for reasons that she couldn't explain. She didn't want to feel this way, but didn't understand why the feeling was there in the first place.
It's just the sight of Alexandra that disgusts me, she thought. That must be it. She squeezed her eyes closed, somehow knowing that she was lying to herself.
Shawn...she trailed off, before falling into a restless sleep.
FINAL NOTES: Ok, I PROMISE that there won't be any more hockey scenes for awhile. They're really hard to write, but later on, another major game will be a big part of the story. The next few chapters should focus entirely on the characters. That's enough rambling, I need to get back to studying! Thanks to all my reviewers!