Page 6 of Hitting the Goal Line
I take Blake’s hand and we walk over to the ice.
“You won’t let me fall, right?” I ask as we step on the ice.
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
And I believe him.
CHAPTER THREE
BLAKE
Ten years old
I skateover to the boards during my warmup and I try to look for him but he’s nowhere in sight. Not in the seats that are right behind that glass and definitely not where mom, Hunter and Jainie are sitting.
Maybe he’s out at the concession stand getting something to drink.
Doubt it.
This happens every single game, every single practice. Every single time he says that he is going to be there, yet he never is. I don’t know why I even believe him anymore.
Oh, I know why. Because he can go to Hunter’s games and practices but he can never make mine. I don’t have to ask him to know who his favorite son is.
I can’t help but wonder if he doesn’t come to my games because I’m not at the high school level like Hunter or because he really is picking favorites.
Favorites, of course it’s favorites.
“Blake! Finish your warmup!” Coach Martinez yells in my direction from the team box.
I look over at my coach and have the thought that I’ve had more than a few times since I landed on his team.
I wish he were my dad.
Sophia, his daughter, and my best friend is so damn lucky to have him as her dad. He never misses anything and always puts his kid first. Not like Roy Jacobi, where he only cares about one kid and his job.
He cares about you.
If he cared he would be here right now.
“Jacobi!” Coach Martinez yells out again and this time I follow orders and continue with my warmup.
Today we are playing against the Ducks and if we win, we will be able to move on to the bracket and be one step closer to winning our league championship.
As I finish up my warmup, I notice that someone has joined my mom and siblings but it’s not my dad like I’d hoped. It’s Sophia.
Her mom must have dropped her off because she never misses one of my games. Well, she never misses one of her dad’s games but I like to think that she is also here for me. I have been her best friend forever for five years now. That’s worth attending every single game over. I attend all her soccer games so that should mean something. She sees me looking in her direction, so she sends me a wave and I wave back right before skating over to the bench.
Coach has me playing goalie today to see how well I do in the position and to see if I like it.
I already know how I like it, I don’t, but because I respect Coach Martinez, I do what he tells me to do. And maybe playing this position every so often will help me out in the long run.
Fingers crossed.
For right now, I have to put my dislike for the position and play my best game ever.
I doubt that will happen though, because as the games starts, I look out to where my mom is and see that my dad is still not here. He’s not coming. I knew that was going to happen, so I don’t know why I’m disappointed.
I try to put the anger I feel about my dad not being here toward the game and try to stop every single puck that is comes in my direction. Operative word being try. One of the centers from the Ducks is able to get one puck past me and then somehow so is one of the left wingers.
