Chapter Text
Nicole Haught, star player of the Ghost River Slayers, needed a break. She had made the winning goal against the Miracles Blues, which resulted in her team going to the playoffs for the first time in 28 years. Nicole’s happy to have contributed in sending her team to the playoffs but all the interviews that came with it are a lot. So after her last interview of the day, Nicole decided to get out of the Big City and go to the ice rink in her hometown. There’s just something about going back to your roots.
Purgatory was only about an hour drive from the Big City. The town wasn’t much but it was home to Nicole. Having arrived at the ice rink, she cut the engine and checked her phone for any messages. Nicole sighed a happy sigh of relief when she saw she had no messages. She put on her black baseball cap to cover her vibrant red hair as much as possible, got out of her car, locked it and made her way into the ice rink.
Once inside, Nicole noticed kids hockey practice was taking place and she took a seat in the stands. She loves to see the kids just enjoying the game. That’s what the game is all about in the end: just have fun. 20 kids who seem to be about 7 years old were on the ice but one really caught her attention. Out of all the black and white socks, this one has on bright pink socks. Out of all the little players on the ice, this one is the only girl.
After about 10 minutes of Nicole having watched the kids practice, the coach – a tall man with dark skin and broad shoulders – blew the whistle.
“Alright kids, that’s it for today. You all did an amazing job! Go home, relax and practice your wrist movement whenever you can. See you next practice!” the coach said.
“Thank you, coach Dolls. See you next practice!” the kids said in unison before starting to make their way off the ice.
The girl was staying behind, waiting for the rest of her group to make their way off the ice first. Nicole recognised herself in this as she likes to be the last one off the ice just so she has longer to take it all in. As the girl made her way off the ice, Nicole saw that a couple of the boys had made sure to wait for her to skate off.
“What are you even doing here?” one of the boys said, voice laced with venom.
“Yeah. Girls don’t belong in hockey.” the other said.
“Leave me alone.” the girl said.
“Your gear is old, your skills stink and you’re simply no good on the ice. You don’t belong here!” the boys said.
“Just leave me alone.” the girl said again, rolling her eyes and moving past the them. The boys just laughed as she walked away.
After about 10 minutes, the girl came out of the changing room wearing a hoodie, sweatpants and sneakers. She was looking around and sighed when she saw that no one was there to pick her up. Nicole was still sitting in the stands, just taking the rink in, when the girl sat a few seats away from her. After about 2 minutes of silence and nobody showing up, Nicole decided to talk to the girl.
“You do belong on the ice, you know.” Nicole said.
“Excuse me?” the girl asked with a puzzled look.
“I’m sorry. I heard what those boys said to you earlier. None of that is true, you know. You do belong here.” Nicole said with a smile.
“Oh. Thank you. Sometimes I’m not too sure about it.” the girl said a bit sadly.
“How come?” Nicole asked. “I’m Nicole, by the way.” she added.
“I’m Alice.” the girl said. “Those boys aren’t wrong. My skills are bad and I’m really not that good on the ice.” Alice said after a little while.
“Not from what I saw.” Nicole said, smiling. “You’re good, you have a lot of potential. And you know, practice makes perfect. Never give up on practicing. Here’s a little tip: tie your laces a little tighter. That way your feet don’t move as much and it helps with your balance.”
“Thank you.” Alice said. “Are you some kind of big hockey person, Nicole? You seem to know a lot about it.”
“Ah, something like that. I just have some experience.” Nicole said, happy she didn’t seem to get recognised right away.
The sound of the doors opening and closing and hurried footsteps filled the rink. A beautiful woman with long wavy brown hair came running toward the stand Nicole and Alice were sitting in.
“Alice! Sweetie, I’m so sorry you had to wait. I got held back at work and couldn’t leave in time. I’m so sorry, angel.” the woman said, a little out of breath from the running.
“It’s okay. I had Nicole to keep me company and talk to while I waited.” Alice said.
“Oh.” the beautiful woman said, only just now noticing that another person was in the stand. She turned towards Nicole and took her in. “Thank you for keeping her company while she waited. It means a lot that she isn’t the only one here.” she said.
Nicole was speechless at the beauty of the woman before her. It took her longer than necessary to answer.
“Oh, no problem. It was my pleasure.” Nicole said with a smile on her face.
“Okay.” the woman said, a bit awkwardly. She checked the time and started to hurry again. “Alice, sweetie, we have to go. Grab your bag and let’s go.” she said.
Alice grabbed her bag and stood up. Before walked off the stand, she turned to Nicole. “Thank you, Nicole. I’ll keep your tips in mind.”
“You’re very welcome.” Nicole said with a smile. “Goodbye, Alice. And good luck with everything.”
“Goodbye, Nicole.” Alice said before joining the gorgeous woman and leaving the rink.
Nicole sat there for another minute, thinking about what had happened that night, before she stood up and went to her car. She checked her messages once more before starting her car. Still no new messages. For Nicole, it was a perfect night. She looked back at the Purgatory ice rink with a smile and left the parking lot.
There’s just something about going back to your roots, Nicole thought to herself while making her way back to the Big City where she would be faced with the press again tomorrow.