Page 37 of Unrecognizable Player

“Hope you brought your earplugs,” she says before the band strike up their first rendition ofSeven Nation Army. I’m expecting many more throughout the evening. I put my earplugsin and enjoy watching Alice play with an earnest look on her face as if she’s at Carnegie Hall, not a college hockey game.

When the team skate out onto the ice, my heartrate soars. Fuck, why am I so nervous? Or is that excitement?

It takes me a moment to realize that the big guy with number 18 on his back is my roommate. The guy I share a shower with and who has his grandmother’s chicken soup in the fridge. The guy who doesn’t seem to realize he’s insanely hot.

A song about hockey starts playing and the crowd sing along, out of tune, of course.

Alexei – or Simakov – looks up into the crowd and I swear his gaze lingers on me for a second before he looks away. I look up at Alice and she grins at me before picking her trumpet up for a rousing rendition ofHighway to Hell.

I keep my eyes on Alexei while he’s on the ice, not realizing I’ve been picking at the skin around my thumb until it starts to bleed. When he jumps over the boards to sit on the bench, I try to keep my eyes on the action happening on the ice. I don’t want him to catch me staring at him.

Every time there’s a lull in the game, like there’s a penalty or something else I don’t really understand, music blears through the speakers or Alice and the band strike up a new classic rock cover and nearly blow my head off, even with the earplugs.

I glance at Alexei once again on the bench, he’s leaning against the board, teasing a mouthguard between his teeth. Something fizzles in the pit of my stomach and I look away.

I don’t know how long the game’s been going on, but it feels like forever when Alice tells me the first period’s over.

“How long is the break?”

“Fifteen minutes,” she says. “Gotta pee, watch my trumpet.”

She drops her instrument in my lap and I’m trapped with everyone brushing past me to get to the bathrooms and beer and hot dog concession while House of Pain plays in the background,then I’m pretty sure a Nickelback cover ofWe Will Rock You – please kill me now!

Both teams have disappeared from the ice and people seem to get excited and start banging on the glass when a big machine like a snow plough comes out. The guy driving the snow plough honks his horn and the crowd go wild.Huh.Watching a guy drive a snow plough to cheering crowds andCrazy Trainwasn't on my bingo card for tonight, but I’m learning something new every day.

When the players start coming back onto the ice, my heartrate picks up again. I’m zoned in, looking for number 18 when Alice leans in close to my ear and says “boo!”

I jump, nearly dropping her trumpet.

“Distracted were we?”

“What? I was just wondering where that snow plough went.”

“Snow plough? Are you taking about the Zamboni?”

Before I can ask her what the hell she just said, she’s called back to announce the start of the next period with some tune I don’t recognize. The second I see Alexei skate out onto the ice, my face floods with heat.

I actually try my best to follow the game in the second period. It would be nice to know what’s going on and maybe I can even have a semi-intelligent conversation about it later with Alexei. Taking an interest in my roommate’s sport is just good manners. It has nothing to do with how insanely hot he looks in that jersey.

It’s not easy to follow a tiny black disc when there are giant guys clambering over it and speeding down the ice at god knows what speed. I only know someone’s scored a goal when the crowd around me go crazy. People near the front start banging on the plexiglass like cavemen. But that’s nothing compared to the guy who scored skating right up to it and bashing his body against it, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. He skates backwards and looks up into the crowd with rosy cheeks andsweat dripping down his face. This time he definitely locks eyes with me and smiles.Alexei.

Alice scares the crap out of me when she and the band start belting outWe Are the Championsright next to my ear. Thankfully, it snaps me out whatever trance I was in.

Our team score another goal, someone I don’t know scores this one and I calm down by the end of the period.

Watching Alexei out there, I never thought hockey could be graceful. But he’s a really talented skater. I’ve only ever been ice skating a handful of times and I could barely stay on my feet. But they just run straight onto the ice and then keep running. Skating backwards, being tackled, going down on their knees and coming back up in one swift movement. It’s mesmerizing.

In the second break, Alice sits next to me and sips some water, her trumpet resting across her legs.

“So… how are you enjoying the game? We make a puck bunny out of you yet?”

“A what?”

She laughs and shakes her head. “Never mind.”

I don’t notice the team coming back onto the ice until I’m mid-laugh at Alice dancing to some 90s techno song and my gaze locks on Alexei’s. Was he watching us? Alice waves before I can stop her and he waves back. I pinch her and she squeals.

“What?”

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