Look for Me in Rainbows

It was raining outside when Maggie walked from her car to the ice rink. She lugged her bag through the rain, there really was no way to avoid getting soaked. She walked into the locker room dripping from her braids. She was immediately tackled by her team mates. She heard a chorus of “Maggie!”s and “Great to see you!”s.

One the girls let her up she made her way to her stall. They had left it empty for her. Annie Zimmerman, her linemate and best friend on the team looked over at her. “We kept it empty for you.” Maggie smiled as she sat down to lace up her skates.

“Thanks.”

“So Willie,” Stacey called from a few stalls down, “How much are you allowed to do?” Maggie rolled her eyes playfully.

“Skate.”

“That no fun.” Said an unfamiliar voice. Maggie could hear a slight accent in her voice. “I Agga Bennick I just move here from Sweden.” Scratch that. Maggie heard a very thick accent.

“Nice to meet you.” Maggie shook her hand. This girl had very fair skin and very platinum hair, and was the opposite of a stereotypical female hockey player. Most of the players on Maggie’s team didn’t meet that stereotype. Neither did most of the girls Maggie had met over the course of her playing career.

Maggie donned her practice jersey then hit the ice. She skated slowly at first, then she got into her rhythm and picked up her pace. She grabbed a puck and stick handled it to the net. She took a shot on the empty net. She felt good. She wasn’t one hundred percent, but she felt a hell of a lot better than she did before. She skated over to her coach. He smiled at her.

“Good to have you back, Maggie.” He said.

“Good to be back.” She said.

“I know why you’re back.”

“Besides the fact that I was ready to kill myself if I had to sit at home for another day?” She asked.

“You got an invite. Didn’t you?” He replied. She nodded.

“Yeah.”

“I thought you would.” He said. “You know that our last practice is in two days.”

“I do.”

“Well, Annie, Stacey, and Natalie got invites to camp for team USA, and Agga got one for team Sweden.” Maggie nodded. “I told them that I would be willing to run drills with them for the week after our season ends so that they would be even more prepared. You should come.”

“I will.” Maggie said. “Same time?”

“Same time. Same place.” He responded.

Notes