A Little Cranky

"Ohhhhh…." I groaned in my sleep. I didn’t know if it was the fatigue dragging down my body or the pulsating dizziness in my head that felt worse at the moment. A few hours ago, I’d lost the energy to pull myself from a curled position on Anne’s bathroom rug to throw up into the toilet again. I was just glad I had the strength to hold it in, but my full stomach had gurgled loudly and painfully the entire night.

"What time is it now?" I muttered to myself, cracking open my eyes and blinking quickly under the bright sunlight that streamed between the flowered curtains that hung partially covering the window.

"Ten thirty," Anne announced cheerfully, entering the bathroom. "Thank God you’re finally awake. I didn’t want to leave you here while I was at work."

"Work?" I looked up at her, taking in her gray suit and matching shoes before dropping my mouth open.

"Did you say ten thirty?" I asked her in a horrified voice.

"Yes." She answered me, dropping a pile of clothes onto the floor. It took a second of staring at them before I realized they were mine.

"I’m so dead," I moaned, raising myself up to a sitting position. I must’ve moved too quickly, for my stomach lurched and I felt myself choking on a horrible taste in my mouth.

"Over the toilet," Anne gently shoved me forward, her hands collecting my hair at the nape of my neck. She sighed and rubbed my shoulders gently with her other hand as I vomited.

"Thanks," I mumbled into the Kleenex she handed me, wiped my mouth with it, and flushed the toilet. It was a sound I’d become very familiar with recently.

"I have to go to school now. Not to mention work.." Clutching the seat of the toilet with my hands, I slowly raised myself to a shaky standing position, before my knees weakened and I fell back onto the cool linoleum tiles I’d slept on the entire night.

"You’re not in any condition to go anywhere." Anne instructed me. "Especially not school. I called in sick for you."

"You what?" I stared up at her.

"I called you in sick." She repeated calmly, reaching into the medicine cabinet above the sink and pulling out a bottle of Asprin. "Here, take some of these. It’ll make your headache feel better."

"Thanks," I took the pills in one hand and the glass of water she’d also handed me in the other. The cool, fresh taste of water on my tongue made me ravenously thirsty, so I gulped it down quickly.

"Careful," Anne took the glass from me as I emptied it. "Your stomach’s probably still upset from last night."

"What happened last night, Anne?" I asked her, tucking my feet underneath me in a sitting position. "I can’t remember anything."

"I guess it’s better that way." She smiled sympathetically at me, taking a seat on the edge of the bathtub. "To put it mildly, we played a drinking game and you lost."

"I-I’ve never drank before." I stuttered after the words ‘drinking game.’

"That was pretty obvious." She shook her head. "It’s a stupid tradition anyway. It was fine when the league started and most people were already eighteen, but you’re younger than that, aren’t you?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "I’m only fifteen."

"Fifteen?" She squeaked. As I nodded again, she closed her eyes briefly.

"Lord, what were we thinking?" She seemed to ask herself more than me. "Anyway, you’ll feel much better after a hot shower. Try to take it easy today. There’s leftover food in the fridge but your best bet is to lay down and watch TV on the couch until you feel better."

"I appreciate you.. taking care of me, Anne." I said quietly, sending her a smile of thanks.

"No problem." She frowned, slightly shaking her head again. "But if this in any way hurts your game tonight, I’m revoking that tradition."

"Because of me?" I felt terrible at the thought. I’d been hoping to join the team quietly, not make everything change or everyone bend around me.

Nice going, I thought to myself, that idea really worked.

"Among other reasons." Anne replied distractedly. "It’s dangerous. Coach doesn’t even know about it."

"He doesn’t?" My voice squeaked slightly at hearing the word ‘dangerous.’

"No." She shook her head and narrowed her eyes. "And you’d better keep it that way. Drinking during the season, especially under-aged, will get you immediately kicked off the team."

"Don’t worry." I assured her. "I won’t say anything. But if it’s so dangerous, why do you guys do it?"

"You know.." I squirmed uncomfortably as she stared at me thoughtfully for a few seconds.

"I don’t know." She finally replied.

"Wow, you’re here early." Phil greeted me with surprise as I walked past him in the kitchen. "And you look like shit."

"I don’t have the patience for it, Phil." I replied over my shoulder crossly, throwing my backpack into the crew room loudly and stomping past him again. After an extremely sluggish afternoon on Anne’s couch as recommended, the only thing I’d been able to hold in my stomach was water. And I'd certainly had my fill - seven trips to the bathroom were proof of that.

At least I don’t have to worry about being dehydrated tonight. That was about the only thing I wasn’t worried about: already little butterflies were fluttering around my system nervously. Practice was one thing, I could always make improvements. This was a game – no room for mistakes and second chances.

"Sounds like someone’s a little cranky." I stopped at his retort and smiled.

"Aren’t I always a little cranky?"

"I’m beginning to sense that, yes." He returned the smile. "But your game’s tonight, isn’t it?"

"Unfortunately, yes." My smile disappeared and I felt my forehead crease with tension.

"Nervous?"

"That’s an understatement." I glanced at him again, wishing it was me that could hide the in kitchen behind a bulky, sauce-smeared apron. But no, Jamie had found a new uniform for me to wear. I couldn’t say I was the biggest fan of the shorts. The shirt was nice and bulky, but the shorts rose up to mid-thigh level, which felt awkward and uncomfortable. Glancing down, I tugged at the legs, hoping to cover up more of my ‘thunder thighs,’ as I’d aptly named them.

"I’m sure you’ll do great." Phil interrupted my thoughts with enthusiasm. "Kelly and I will be there to cheer you on."

"You’re coming?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at that idea.

"And bringing my girl. So you’d better make it an exciting game. I want to see good, solid hits from you, young lady!"

"You don’t know the first thing about hockey." I reminded him with a smile. "Besides, we’re not supposed to hit people in our league, let alone the goalie."

"Damn," he pretended to sound disappointed. "That’s the part I know."

"I’ve got work to do," I headed back to the front, a smile tugging the corners of my mouth. That quickly faded when I saw at least a dozen people waiting in line at the waitress station and no signs of Karla anywhere.

Part of me wanted to turn and run (ok, walk briskly on my stomach) to hide in the kitchen, but remembering the paycheck sitting in the safe near Jamie’s desk with my name on it got the best of me. While this wasn’t my job but it didn’t look like Karla was making her appearance any time soon, I bit my lip and approached the first set of people. Three angry sets of eyes narrowed at me as I did, making it that much harder to smile and attempt sincerity.

"Three today?" I asked, clearing my throat.

"Yes." One of the women said quickly, glancing at the clock on the wall behind me. "The same three who’ve been standing here for.. thirteen minutes now."

"I’m terribly sorry for the wait, Ma’am." I replied, grabbing three menus and gesturing for them to follow me. "I’m not sure where the hostess is, otherwise you’d have been seated sooner."

"We have three specials today, found on an insert in your menus." I made a point to stick these three cranks at one of Karla’s tables. "I would highly recommend our locally-famous pizza though. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"We're ready to order now." The brunette on my left said crisply, adding "We did have enough time to think about it."

"Ok.." I reached into my apron and pulled out a menu tablet. "What can I get for you today?"

"Strawberry soda with lite ice; that's lite not filing half the glass with ice; a house salad with no cheese or croutons and fat-free dressing on the side, and a sliced chicken sandwich with only lettuce. That's no tomato, onion, pickle, mayonaise, or mustard. Just lettuce."

Good Lord, I thought, scribbling furiously. After reading her requests back for verification, I looked to her two friends and smiled after they'd ordered a meat lovers' pizza with Cokes on the side.

Women are funny.

"I'll be right back with your drinks." I promised, sighing with relief as I passed Karla on my way to the drink stand. As I meticulously placed a couple pieces of ice into the strawberry soda, I glanced at my coworkers' disheveled appearance.

"You ok, Karla?" I noticed her cheeks puffy and eyes red, as if she'd been crying. She's certainly had better hair days, I thought of the messy bun at the nape of her neck.

"Yes," she lied in a thin voice, tapping orders into the computer system. "Couldn't be better."

"All right. If you say so."

"I'm fine!" She snapped quickly.

"Hey, none of my business." I replied flatly, wripping the order off the tablet and handing it to her. "Table six is waiting. Don't expect a tip either."

"Thanks," she mumbled. I turned on my heels and trudged back into the dining room for my next order. For some reason, my legs felt like dead weight. I could only hope that the sluggishness would pass in a few hours. Biting down on my lower lip, I tried to push the nervousness I felt out of my system. Wouldn't do any good to get upset about it now.

"Jamie, I have to leave now." I whined loudly over the crowds of conversations in the dining room. "If I stay any longer, I'll be late for my game tonight."

"All right Lindsey," he sighed quietly. Poor guy - in addition to the normal dinner rush, we'd gotten two buses of elementary school kids, all wanting pizza. I'd stuck around so not to screw him and the rest of the crew over, but I was way past the time I should've been out.

"Thanks for staying the extra two hours." He added.

"No problem. I'll expect the dozen roses in my mailbox tomorrow morning." I smiled, adding, "Or I'll settle for my paycheck."

"Sure thing," he disappeared into his office and returned with a slip of paper in his hands. I smiled widely in anticipation. All this work, all this stress was finally paying off. The nasty customers, the sore feet, even the thunder-thigh revealing shorts were all out of my mind as I took the envelope from Jamie.

My first paycheck, I thought, saying good night to Jamie and headed back to the crew room to get my backpack. Once there, I immediately wripped it open. Instantly, my good spirits were crushed.

One hundred and thirty dollars? I thought frantically. That's it!? Three weeks of work for a hundred thirty bucks? While it was a nice chunk of change, it was much smaller than I'd hoped.

I can't even buy half my new equipment.. maybe by the time next season rolls around.

"Figures." I sighed, tucking the envelope into my backpack and tossing it over my shoulders. Not that I had time to worry about money; I groaned as I caught the time on the clock in the crew room.

"Coach is going to kill me."

"God, Lindsey!!" Anne nearly screeched at me as I burst into the locker room, panting from not only the two mile bike ride over here, but the nervous jog from the bike rack outside the rec center. Feeling like a pack mule, I dropped my equipment bags and took a seat on the bench near my locker.

"You don't know how freaked out everyone is." She continued, pacing in front of me.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, peeling off my socks and work uniform. "I got stuck at work, then there was an accident on Fourth Street, so I had to find an alternative way of getting here."

"I thought you were only fifteen." She frowned. "And you drive?"

"Don't I wish," I scoffed. "Hopefully soon though."

"You work downtown, don't you?" I nodded. "Then how do you get here?"

"Ride my bike. I ride it home too."

"Your bike?" She sounded horrified. "No wonder you've dropped so much weight. Listen, get on the ice as soon as possible and start stretching. I'm assuming your legs are warmed up from the bike ride, so just stretch, run through the basic goalie warm-ups, and we'll get started. How are you feeling?"

"Great," I smiled weakly. Truth of the matter was, I felt horrible. I wasn't sure if it was the stress or hurried bike ride, but I felt incredibly weak and nauseous at the moment.

"Good. I was worried about you when I left." Anne smiled tightly. "You have no idea how important this game is to Coach."

"It is?" I asked tentatively, slipping my old pads onto my shoulders. She nodded, then frowned at me.

"You aren't using your new equipment?" I shook my head at the thought. "Why not?"

"Principle." I replied through gritted teeth. I hadn't the time to think about throttling any now-again former best friends for his recent, and unappreciated, act of kindness.

"Whatever." Anne replied. "Just wear the new ones for tonight."

"They aren't mine."

"But they were in your locker, weren't they? With a note that they were a present to you?"

"Yeah," I admitted. "But it was totally unneccessary. Don't get me wrong, the equipment's gorgeous and I'd kill to be able to use it, but I just can't. It wouldn't be right."

"Right, smight." She scoffed. "As your captain, I'm ordeing you to use the damn new stuff and get your ass on the ice."

"Yes sir." I glanced over at her in surprise, wondering if this was one of those hormonal days.

"Christ, Williams!" I heard a familiar tone bark at me the instant my skate (yes, they were the new ones) hit the ice. Gripping my stick tightly, I hung my head and headed in his Coach's direction to receive my expected lecture.

"I'm really sorry, Co-" I started to say when he cut me off.

"Do you know what today is?" I was surprised in his cool tone, not at all blowing his stack like I'd thought he'd do.

"Umm.. yes."

"And what is today?" He folded his arms across his chest.

"A game day?" It sounded more like a question.

"That's right. Very good, Williams. Now, care to tell me what's so special about this game day?"

"The.. first of the season?"

"Exactly. So you'd understand why we should get ourselves here on time, wouldn't you!?" There was the yelling. I lowered my eyes and sighed quietly. For once, I didn't feel under pressure from the man. I just wanted him to stop talking.

"I'm not sure you're listening to me, Williams." He barked, lifting my head to look me in the eyes. "I have half a mind to bench you for the entire game today." Well, that got my intention.

"Please don't!" I suddenly cried, feeling panicked. That was the last thing I wanted and he knew it.

"I won't. But be late again and I will. Now warm-up. And get Heather to help you stretch."

"Yes sir," I murmured, heading off in the direction of my goal. Good thing I glanced up, I nearly ran into two members of the opposite team in the process.

"Watch it shorty," one of them remarked in a haughty voice.

God, they're huge, I stared up at the girls in amazement. While nearly everyone's taller than me, these girls had to be at least six feet tall. It was like standing against a wall of fire, the bright red and orange flame emblem across her chest. I also made a mental note of the 'A' in the upper left corner of her jersey, near her shoulder. This would probably be a girl I'd see quite frequently during this game, if she'd been made assistant captain based on skill.

"Careful," her teammate warned in a sarcastic tone. "You're Williams, aren't you?"

"Yes," I replied meekly. "Why?"

"We heard about you, that's all. You don't look so tough."

I never said I was tough. I wanted to say. Instead, I just shrugged my shoulders apologetically.

"Excuse me, I need to warm up before the game." I clutched my helmet to my stomach and smiled tightly. "Good luck."

"Luck, right." The first girl sneered. "You're the team that needs luck. We're going to roast you guys, no pun intended."

"None taken," I narrowed my eyes and brushed past them, noticing how the girl 'coincidentally' slammed into my shoulder, nearly knocking me down onto the ice.

"Lindsey!" A voice called out to me as I regained myself.

"Hey Heather." I was happy to see a smiling face out here. First one I'd seen all day.

"Hey yourself. How are you feeling?" She asked with concern, adding, "Talk while you stretch."

"To tell you the truth," I bent down in a split stretch, wincing as I felt my muscles quickly tighten under my weight. Glancing up at Heather, her hopeful, smiling face, I paused. She was earnestly happy for me to be starting today, I realized. Which is why I felt I couldn't be honest.

"Just great."

Let's just hope I actually live through this.