The Way He Looked at Me
I know the play I’d normally make pass, wait, protect the puck.
Not today. Not now. Not with Nathan’s little voice in my head and Carter’s smile burning behind the crowd.
It’s me. Puck. Net. One shot. One chance.
Not this time. Not today. I see it all the puck, the angle, the tiny sliver of net just waiting for me. The goalie’s in perfect position. Any mistake, even a millimeter, and it’s over.
I shift my weight, coiling like a spring. Stick pulled back. One heartbeat pause. Then snap wrists whipping, puck flying like a missile from a taut bow.