Chapter 1: A Fresh Start, with Icing

The first day of school was very much a huge re-union. All of Dave's school friends had heard about his adventure in B.C. and wanted all the details directly from the source. When Dave finally arrived home after his first day at school, he was exhausted. He decided to lay down for a short nap before his first physiotherapy session that evening.

Physio, the insider's term for physiotherapy, went well that evening and Dave quickly realized that Randy Manning really knew his stuff. Randy was a former trainer for one of the professional Canadian Football League teams and seemed to know everything there was about sports injuries and how to regain flexibility and strength. Randy told Dave he couldn't start any strength training for two more weeks and couldn't engage in any major physical activity for at least four weeks. One of Randy's first procedures was to take all of Dave's measurements. Dave knew he had grown over the summer because his shorts seemed to be getting shorter and shorter; but he hadn't worn long pants since the spring so he was shocked when he found out he had grown four more inches since the previous May. Dave was now six foot three inches and one hundred and ninety-five pounds.

Dave also did a quick calendar calculation in his head and realized training camp for the midget AAA team started in just over two weeks then ran for two weeks leading up to tryouts. He would only be able to get one or two practices in before tryouts. He asked Randy about it and Randy said he would know better in three weeks but absolutely no training camp before then.

Edwardton has four levels of midget hockey for boys fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen years old. The top level team is the major midget team which is chosen from the best players from all across the island. There are currently two major midget teams representing the whole island; those teams play outside the island. The next level down is the AAA level. It is a very competitive intra-island league with eight teams which play a seasonal schedule, then a play-off series to determine the championship. The five larger urban towns and cities each have a team, while three rural areas have zone teams representing east, west, and central QAI.

The next level is AA and almost all communities have a representative in this league; league size varies from year to year but is usually eighteen teams who play a rotation schedule of about thirty games each season. The final level is the A level which is the house league level; these teams provide the basics for new and casual players. These teams also play a regular season schedule in either the east or west division with the top three teams in each division advancing to a weekend tournament style playoff. Most communities have one or more teams in this level and there are usually between twenty and thirty teams in total.

Dave had played on the AA team last year as a first year player. He had almost made the AAA team but was a late cut. This year he had hoped to play on the top level major midget team but now, because he had missed most of the tryouts which started in August, he hoped he would at least make the AAA team.

When Julie picked Dave up, he was very quiet. She finally asked, "What's wrong, Dave?"

Dave looked at her sadly, "My therapist said I can't do any major physical activity for at least three weeks. I'll probably miss most of the AAA training camp which means I will go into tryouts significantly out of shape and rusty. John has already survived the first two cuts on the major midget team and, from what my other hockey friends in school say, he is playing significantly better than last year and should make the team easily. I know, if I had been healthy back in August when they started tryouts, I could have made it too. Now I may have a hard time even making the AAA team. I wonder if maybe I should just take the year off."

Dave slouched in his seat looking totally dejected. Julie was confident Dave would make the AAA team and his idea of taking off a year was just an expression of depression. He was one of the last cuts from the team the previous year as a first year midget. Now he was a second year midget and was significantly bigger and stronger than a year ago.

To change the subject slightly, Julie finally smiled at Dave and asked, "Is sex considered a physical activity? Mom and Dad have gone out for the evening and Beth is at Cindy's; so, if you're up for it, I would like to use your assets for practice."

Dave returned the smile; he sat up straight as he thought about the fun they would have when they got home.

An hour later, Dave lay in his bed resting from his wonderful spirit-lifting session with Julie. Her technique was definitely improving but Dave had, nevertheless, solemnly informed her she still needed more practice. Dave then returned the oral favor and enjoyed licking and sucking Julie to a wonderful orgasm before they finished their session with some fantastic rubber-free screwing. Dave thought he was getting spoiled not having to use a condom -- but he wasn't about to complain. It was, indeed, a form of therapy.

The first week of the other therapy was hard and tiring as Randy continued to stretch and work Dave's injured muscles.

School was going well and Dave and John became more involved with the "in-crowd." Dave was enjoying making new friends. He had previously always thought that most kids in this group were stuck-up snobs; but, as he got to know them, he learned a lot were just regular teens. It struck Dave that he had been quick to assume everyone in that group was the same. Dave's nemesis, Susie Gamble, the girl who had teased him about stuttering the previous year, stayed clear of him initially but, as Dave became more comfortable in the group, she slowly involved herself in more and more of his conversations. By the end of the second school week, she was positioning herself beside Dave in any group conversations and was even sitting beside him in the cafeteria at lunch. She was very beautiful and well-groomed -- Dave didn't mind the attention but he fundamentally couldn't get her previous mean-spirited teasing of him out of his head.

Susie was definitely the leader of the girls' side of the "in-crowd". Her family was very rich and she wore the fanciest and most expensive clothes. All the other girls seemed to follow her lead on most subjects. Dave tried to distance himself from her because he still didn't trust her.

After his second week of physio, Randy told Dave he needed to start strength training with Elliot MacEachern. Elliot was a former Olympic Gold Medalist in the bobsled who started training athletes after he retired from that competition. Elliot was a hulk of a man with incredible upper body strength and matching leg strength. Dave and Elliot set up a schedule to meet every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday for four weeks. After that, Dave would continue his own training program and would only meet with Elliot once a week. Elliot told Dave he would like to see him gain fifteen additional muscle pounds to fill out his six foot three inch frame. Elliot provided Dave with a high carb, high protein diet.

Elliot started Dave off fairly easy the first week; but, by the sixth session, Dave was leaving the gym at the university field house completely exhausted.

Training camp for the midget AAA team was more than half finished when Randy finally approved Dave to start. Dave was disappointed that there were only two final ice times left but vowed to make the most of them.

School continued to go well -- then Dave started to notice that a lot of his old friends had stopped waving to him and saying hi unless Dave specifically initiated it. Dave was enjoying his new friends but was struggling with his new-found popularity - was it real and how long would that last? He was standing in the hall talking with several of his new friends when one of his old friends walked by. Dave smiled at him and said "Hi." The old friend returned the smile and nodded. Suzie was beside Dave and she said, "Why do you continue to say hi to those geeks."

Dave just looked at her and directly answered her strange question, "Because he is a friend. He may be a geek; but we're all geeks in our own way, aren't we?"

Suzie was totally offended by being referred to as a possible geek, gave Dave a dirty look, and replied, "Please!" She drew out the 'eeeeezzzzzz' then walked away in a huff with her entourage in tow. Dave just decided to forget the whole episode and went to class.

The night before Dave's first hockey practice was his sixteenth birthday. As was customary, the whole extended family was there. Dave told his uncle Alan about not getting any ice time yet and how he was worried about getting into shape. Alan asked Dave if he were interested in practicing with the Junior A team if Alan could arrange it. Dave was very excited when Alan explained the coach, Mike Stevens was an old hockey friend and he would call him immediately.

The Junior A team is for all players twenty-one years old and younger. QAI has two Junior A teams and usually only the best major midget graduates make this team. The reason only a few Island midgets make the team is because the Maritime Junior loop uses players from all over the Maritimes and even some from Ontario. Therefore the Junior A teams on QAI would commonly only have six to ten players native to QAI on their team rosters.

Dave was bouncing off the walls with excitement when Alan returned from his phone call and told Dave he was approved to attend the next six Junior A practices. Alan gave him the dates and times.

The first after-school practice for the AAA team was very tiring and Dave lagged a bit lead-legged behind all the other skaters during the endurance drills. One positive thing Dave did notice was that his shot seemed harder than last year and he seemed to be more focused and able to see the ice better during the short scrimmages they had.

Dave was sitting in the dressing room exhausted after practice. He had his head leaning against the wall as he sucked in air. He thought about the stinky, sweaty dressing room and how there was no way to describe the rank smell. His whole body was throbbing as the blood rushed to every nerve and muscle. Dave was slowly regaining his composure when one of the fifteen year old, first year midgets walked out of the shower bragging about how he had gotten laid the previous weekend. Dave listened as the kid told his story and immediately picked up on some questionable details. Dave thought about how, if it were the year before, when he was as sexually inexperienced as most of his teammates, he would have been hanging off every word this kid was saying. Dave now knew better and just laughed to himself as the other players took in and believed every real and mythical thing the kid said.

Dave ate a good supper, rested for an hour, then went to the gym to train with Elliot.

Dave went for his driver's license practical examination the next day and, happily, he passed. He immediately thought about going to visit Jennifer -- but his father said he needed a little more driving experience before venturing that far.

The day after getting his license, Dave pulled into the school's student parking lot. He was filled with the pride of being a new driver. His new friends quickly surrounded his car and congratulated him. One of his old friends walked over and shook his hand but, noticing he was receiving a very cold reception from Suzie, he made a hasty retreat. As soon as he left, Suzie said, "That geek is such a loser."

Dave turned to Suzie, "No, Suzie, sorry to be blunt, but you're the loser. I'm tired of you shooting down my friends. I happen to like Mark - he's a nice guy. I'm tired of your righteous bullshit. Why don't you leave."

Suzie gave Dave a glaring look and spoke as she turned, "Well I never..."

Dave cut in before she could finish, "And you're such a cold bitch, you probably never will."

Dave noticed several of the girls and guys kind of snicker at his comment but then Suzie said, "Let's leave this stuttering asshole to play with his car."

Dave was only mildly pissed about the stuttering comment and replied, "Thank you, your highness, for gracing the peasants with your presence. You may now return to your tower."

Suzie turned and glared at Dave before she stormed into the school. A lot of his old friends had been around the parking lot and heard the whole incident. Several walked over to him and shook his hand. Mark walked over and said, "I was waiting for you to blow her off. I knew you wouldn't put up with her snobby bullshit for long. Good job, dude."

Dave's life quickly fell into a routine of school, hockey, and working out. The practice time with the junior team improved his conditioning and, when the last practice was over, the coach told Dave he was welcome to come out anytime and practice with them. He further asked whether, if he were sometime to be short a player, could he call on Dave to fill in. Dave was both shocked and extraordinarily pleased by the offer and quickly agreed.

As he fell asleep some nights, Dave would think about Jennifer but he was surprised that he didn't think about her more. He realized that he was so busy that he didn't have time to think about their summer together. He continued regular therapy sessions with Julie but that came to an end in mid October when she found a new boyfriend.

By the third week of October, Dave had made the AAA team and, as his conditioning and strength increased, so did his on-ice production. By the end of October, Dave was by far the most dominant player on his team; he was scoring two or three goals every game and setting up several more. The coach had made him captain and all the players looked up to him for leadership. Dave wondered where this new-found hockey talent came from and asked his father. Roger quickly replied, "Dave, you have always been one of the more talented players on your team; but you were never driven enough to show it. I think your new-found confidence and ability to focus, probably from playing competitive golf, have allowed your hockey talent to flourish." Dave just nodded concurrence.

The major midget team also called Dave up for a game with them; Dave scored two goals and had an assist with that team as well. Dave enjoyed playing with John and the two friends combined to make a very powerful line - John at centre and Dave on either wing worked well. The third forward could be almost anyone as long as they could follow John and Dave's lead.

Dave finally had a weekend off hockey in November and asked his father if he could go to Charlestown to visit Jennifer. Roger, having seen Dave become a good driver, agreed and Carol gave him her cell phone in case he needed to call. Dave called Jennifer and she asked her parents if he could stay at their house. Ron and Heather said he would be very welcome; so, as soon as school finished on Friday, Dave left for New Dominion.

The two hour drive passed quickly and Dave soon pulled into Jennifer's driveway. Jennifer ran out to meet Dave and they kissed tenderly. Dave thought he noticed a difference in Jennifer but didn't say anything; he thought it was mainly due to the time they had spent apart. He ate supper with Jennifer, Heather, and Ron before he and Jennifer went out for the evening.

They drove around Charlestown as Dave brought Jennifer up-to-date on his hockey. It had been almost a month since they talked on the phone so he told her about playing the one game with the major midget team and John and how he had played really well. He explained that the AAA team selected him to be captain and that he enjoyed being the leader on and off the ice. Jennifer told Dave about her friends and what she had been doing all fall. Dave noticed Jennifer didn't mention Ann so he asked, "Don't you hang around with Ann anymore?"

Jennifer looked seriously at Dave, "No, she moved, again. I thought you knew. Her parents decided to try and reconcile one more time so they moved to Calgary, Alberta. Do you miss her?"

Dave smiled back, "No, I don't miss her at all -- but I was curious if you two would remain friends."

Jennifer looked at her hands as she spoke, "We talked a little before she left and she has called me twice since she moved; but it hasn't been the same since the summer."

As Dave was driving along he noticed the Dairy Queen where he had taken Ann and started to pull in when Jennifer looked at him surprised, "Where are you going?"

Dave replied, "This is where your friends hang out, isn't it? Let's go see if anyone is here."

Dave was surprised to see her start to protest then stop and just say, "Okay, if you want." He missed the clue and just proceeded to park the car.

When they walked in, Dave immediately recognized a few of the Jennifer's friends he met the previous summer. He was again surprised when they seemed kind of cold to him. He had never considered that Ann would have also influenced them against him but he quickly realized that he was not very welcome. He was sitting beside Jennifer finishing a sundae when an unfamiliar guy walked in, put his arms around Jennifer, then kissed her cheek. Jennifer turned red with embarrassment then introduced him and Dave, "Alex, this is Dave. Dave, Alex."

Dave stood and put out his hand to shake with Alex; but Alex rudely kept his hands on his hips, looked at Dave, laughed, then said, "So the knight has come to visit his princess. Or is that his mistress -- because his princess is in England, isn't she?"

Jennifer immediately stood, "Stop it, Alex. He is just here to visit me; don't make a scene."

Dave was immediately pissed off by both the kiss and the mocking comments; he spoke sternly to Alex, "What's your problem." Dave had always been fairly calm and cool in this type of mean-spirited situation but seeing a stranger kiss his girlfriend had upset him. Dave quickly understood there were things going on which could turn unpleasant; he said to Jennifer, "Let's go; he seems to have a problem."

Alex walked up very close to Dave; Alex was slightly shorter than Dave but that didn't seem to bother him as he glared up into Dave's eyes. "My problem is you, you arrogant prick. You seem to think you can walk into this city and steal our women's hearts, treat them like shit, and then ride into the sunset."

Dave looked steadily at Alex and spoke in an even tone, "Maybe if you knew how to treat a lady, you wouldn't have to go home and whack off every night to pictures on the internet."

Alex tried to give Dave a shove and seemed surprised when Dave did not budge. Then Dave pushed him away before Jennifer and some of her friends jumped between the two angry teens. Jennifer said, "Let's go, Dave."

Alex glared at Dave and said, "She just saved your ass." Dave just shook his head and walked out of the Dairy Queen backwards, never taking his eyes off Alex.

When Jennifer got in the car she tore a strip off him, "Why did you act like that in front of my friends?"

Dave looked at Jennifer puzzled, "What do you mean, me? He started it; and what was that bit where he kissed your check?"

Jennifer started to scream at Dave, "What do you want me to say? That I'm going out with him? Well, I am. We started dating a week ago. We haven't been intimate yet but I'm sure that will happen soon."

Dave looked at her, stunned by what she said. He started to speak but didn't know what to say; so he just shut his mouth and stared out the windshield. He finally came out of his daze and said, "Did you plan on telling me or was I supposed to just stupidly wait all fucking winter for you?"

Jennifer glared at Dave, "Take me home, NOW!"

Dave started up the car and drove to Jennifer's house. The five minute drive passed quickly and Dave was still pissed when he arrived. He followed Jennifer into the house, got his overnight bag, then headed for the door. Heather and Ron knew something was wrong and tried to convince him to stay the night -- but he was having no part of that. He thanked them for their concern and left.