I skated down the floor fast and hard, knees bent, stick pushing the puck along. It ws like the world was in slow motion. No one could stop me and I wouldn’t be stopped. I hit the puck hard.
The slap echoed throughout the rink.The buzzer went off loudly just after the puck hit the back of the net. I had made the winning shot. My teammates congratulated me, and I made an effort to smile.
But all I could see was his absence.
He died in a car accident last month. We were the best on the team. Everyone said so. Nobody could touch us. Then his smiling voice and his bouncing, curly hair were gone. All because of a stupid 18 wheeler.
I skated away from the crowd brushing tears away furiously. My friends fell silent and watched me go. They knew what was wrong.
No one would ever replace him. I missed him so bad. The only things I have left of him are these skates. This one pair of roller skates. These were his lucky skates, he said someday he would give them to the person he loved most.
He left them to me.