Chapter 67: Jonathan II

Her Soft Hand

Chapter 67: Jonathen II

Mom was the coolest. Jonathen decided as she gave him a big kiss on the cheek and dropped him off at the ice arena. She said she would pick him up at ten, but otherwise she trusted him to run as wild as he pleased, all by himself until that time. She had wanted to be with him tonight, maybe bring Jana along to see if she had any interest in figure skating. But when Jonathen protested, pointing out that he needed to seem more mature in front of Elena, mom had rolled her eyes and smiled. "Alright, silly puppy!" she had laughed. "I’ll stay home and watch the game and pick you up later, if she is that important to you! But you have to promise to invite her for dinner soon."

So Jonathen was free, unsupervised! He bolted from the car and past the throngs of skinny figure skating pixies and their haggard, sniping mothers. His breath was skipping as he clattered into the back of the arena where the locker rooms were. He was met with a pastel colored war zone of a sight; it was as if Jana’s Skipper and Barbie dolls had suddenly sprung to life and they were all milling in one room with hands on hips, and faces upturned to equally aggravated looking mothers. Jonathen stopped dead in his tracks and lifted an eyebrow.

"Listen to me Arianna!" a mother snapped to her small daughter in a bubblegum pink, frothy skirted outfit. "I’ve invested too much money in this to have you fall all over the ice the way you did! How could you pull a stunt like that? I came all this way just to see you...."

Jonathen’s heart stopped. There was already programs being skated and judged? Elena had told him that it would start at eight! It wasn’t even eight yet and they were skating? He could hear the music of the programs drifting into the room, they were skating! Had Elena told him wrong? Had she already skated? Dammit! Did he miss it?

"Boo!" a voice rang behind Jonathen.

Jonathen cried out and jumped his heart near exploding. He turned around and saw to his relief, the lovely Elena. She was more beautiful than he had ever seen her before at school! She was wearing a deep crimson, Spanish styled skating dress, one that he could imagine on some exotic tango dancer, and it hugged her tiny, curvy little form in a way that made his throat close. Even her hair was perfect, all pulled into a tight bun with just a few curls loose, and a red rose clipped into it. She had tons of make-up on too, striking, dark eyed make up and her lips were as red as the dress. Jonathen was sure he was going to pass out.

"You made it!" Elena said with a huge, pearly smile. "Is your family here too?"

"Nah," Jonathen said, shoving his hands into his pockets and puffing up a bit. "I don’t need my mom with me all the time."

Elena raised one dark eyebrow and tilted her head to one side. "Cool," she said.

"I haven’t missed you, have I? I mean, I wasn’t late?" Jonathen asked, fearing the worst.

"Oh, no," Elena said. "The little kids are skating now, I don’t skate for another hour."

"Cool," Jonathen said, not knowing what else to say.

He cleared his throat and looked up at her, noticing how soft her brown eyes were under her heavily made up lashes. "You’re so pretty," he blurted and then he felt the hot flush of his ears turning red.

Elena turned red too, blossoms of scarlet deepening the crimson of the blush on her cheeks. She looked at her polished fingernails and whispered. "Thanks."

"Elena! Where the hell are you!" a female voice rang across the room. "I need to fix your make up!"

"Ugh!" Elena groaned and she grabbed Jonathen’s hand in her own, "Come on!"

Jonathen glanced briefly over his shoulder and hopped alongside Elena’s quick steps. She was still in her tennis shoes. "I need a juice."

Jonathen didn’t say anything as he followed her, his hand limp inside hers. All of his friends and all the guys on the team made a big deal about not liking girls and how anyone who did was a big sissy. Jonathen decided that all of them were stupid shitheads that didn’t know what they were missing. At this moment, just the warmth of her soft hand, it was pure joy.

"I don’t need anymore make-up!" Elena grumbled. "The judges will think I’m a whore!"

Jonathen laughed. "Really?"

"Yup," Elena said. "They’re picky old hags!"

"So, Jonathen," Elena asked him with a worried glint in her eyes as they stood in line at the snack bar. "Are you OK?"

Jonathen frowned, and then realized that every woman in the line was dumpy, with lotsa lines around the eyes and had papery blond hair. "Yeah, why?" he answered.

"Well," she said, frowning with a corner of her mouth. "Tommy Hunsucker saw that psycho Anderson dad yelling at you and your mom... he said that you were hiding behind..."

"Awwww Cuh-rissssst!" Jonathen moaned, throwing his head back and getting more than a few looks from mothers around him. "And now Tommy’s like telling the whole school that I’m a wussy who has to hide behind my mom!"

Elena cringed and looked around. "Well," she said, "Kinda."

White-hot rage was shooting through every pore of Jonathen’s being. Was he cursed? He was never gonna win was he? If it wasn’t one thing at school it was another.

"You know what I have to do now?" he asked, shaking his head.

Elena frowned. "What?" she asked.

"I’m gonna haveta beat the crap outta someone just to show them I’m not a wuss!" Jonathen growled. "And then get suspended all over again."

This time, Elena looked plain disgusted. "Guys!" she said rolling her eyes. "You’d prol’ly just get expelled fighting over a shtooo-pid thing. Know what my mom says whenever dad tries picking a stupid fight?"

Jonathen shook his head.

"Fuck ‘em," Elena said, drawing horrified gasps from the eavesdropping mothers. "They’re all gonna die someday anyway."

At that moment, Jonathen really wanted to kiss her.

The game in Los Angeles was close to starting about now. Jonathen looked at his watch as he sat in the high bleachers overhanging the practice ice. The lobby in the top floor had a big screen TV where straying fathers were clustered, trying to catch a glimpse of the game before being dragged back by angry mothers. For an instant, Jonathen thought about getting up in a bit and having a peek at the game, leaving the two sheets of ice and the blaring, badly edited skating music.

He was feeling guilty for missing two games in two nights. Of course he had his own game last night and that was excusable. But Jonathen couldn’t bring himself to tell his dad that afternoon on the phone that he would be missing the game tonight for above all things, a figure skating competition! Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he saw just a little of the game so he wouldn’t have to feel like he was abandoning dad completely.

Then the skaters floated onto the ice to practice their routines. They were a bouquet of gauzy, gaudy, pastel pink and blue, anorexic little sprites. And Elena. Jonathen couldn’t believe how strikingly different she was than the other girls. It wasn’t just her dusky skin and eyes, it was the crimson of her dress and the polished look of her. She was already looking like a young woman, amongst all these girls. It actually hurt a bit to look at her. Completely forgetting to breathe and completely forgetting all about the game, Jonathen leaned forward, put his chin in his hand and sighed.

"Hey Roy!" a familiar voice barked, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Jonathen groaned and the looked up the bleachers to see Adam Anderson and a couple other kids off the Lakewood Heights hockey team standing, arms crossed over chests. "I’m thinking of taking up figure skating," Jonathen snapped. "Go away."

The boys laughed, "That figures, Wah-Wah."

"They’re all gonna die someday anyway," Jonathen muttered to himself. "What the hell are you guys doing here?" He added loudly.

Adam rolled his eyes, "Weall have skating sisters," he said as he and the group of three other boys hopped down the stairs and plopped on the bleachers next to him, "What’s your excuse?"

Jonathen leaned forward and pointed to the ice, "Red dress."

"Ooooh," one of the kids said. "Great rack!"

The rest of the boys giggled. "Shut-up," Adam snapped. "Hey, I know her, that’s Elena, she baby-sits my sister sometimes."

"Really?" Jonathen asked feeling a twinge of jealousy and anger that Elena was ever even in Adam’s house.

Adam nodded. "She’s cool," he said. "She knows how to cuss."

Jonathen laughed with the other boys. "Yeah," Jonathen said. "I’m finding that out."

"So how do ya know her?" Adam asked.

"School," Jonathen said. "Sits across from me in English, helps me with some of the assignments."

Adam laughed. "Yeah right," he said. "With those blouses she wears? Yeah you have her lean across that table to help you."

"Aw come on!" Jonathen said unable to contain his smile. Adam was actually kinda cool when he wasn’t being a whining asshole on the ice.

"Hey Roy," Adam said, "I wanna apologize about my dad, I mean you know, last night... I hate when he does that... He shouldn’t have yelled at your mom like that. It’s just that he takes this shit real serious you know? I mean your dad takes it serious right?"

Jonathen frowned. "Yeah but he doesn’t get... whatever. I mean it wasn’t your fault parents suck."

"Hey Roy," Adam said, he was still pronouncing Jonathen’s name that American way, "You’re pretty cool when you’re not being a crybaby asshole on the ice."

The boys disappeared when all the families began piling into the bleachers and the ice was cleared for the competition. Jonathen glanced at his watch. Period one was underway.

It was hell for over an hour he sat next to some loudmouth group of hags sniping about each and every awkward, coltish, talentless skater on the ice. He didn’t know what he wanted to do first, bop those women senseless or end the misery of the klutzy girls on the ice.

And then finally, Elena was on.

"Oooh there’s my baby! There she is!"

Jonathen glanced at the woman sitting behind him, a round, amber eyed, Greek woman. Was that Elena’s mother? Jonathen briefly made eye contact with her and then looked back at the ice. Elena took her starting position and Jonathen remained transfixed as she twizzled, and spun, and stretched and glided over the ice in time to some playful, violin studded Spanish tune. She didn’t fall once! And he could hear the hags muttering about her being too slutty in that dress and with that music, and how she was just asking for trouble. Jonathen was sure he was gonna hit one of them, they sounded just like the hags that always sniped about his mother.

When her program was done, the applause was automatic, and her family and that bony group of friends she had were cheering and tossing little stuffed animals onto the ice. Jonathen had seen those things being sold for real cheap and now he was angry that he’d only bought one. He didn’t know he was supposed to throw it, he had just gotten one he thought Jana would like. He tucked it under his arm and stood up, cupping his hands over his mouth and cheering loudly.

"You were awesome!" Jonathen cried when he was finally able to see Elena downstairs. She was still in her costume but she was in her tennis shoes and surrounded by her family and her squealing friends.

Elena looked up and pushed through them, "You think?" she asked. "Man I thought I was way off the music."

Jonathen shrugged. "Looked good to me."

"And who is this?" Elena’s mother asked, looking at Jonathen with curious amber eyes.

"He’s Patrick Roy’s son," one of Elena’s friends said before Elena could say anything.

"Really?" Elena’s mom said, "And what brings you here?"

Jonathen grinned.

Mrs. Ruiz shook her head. "You tell me nothing, girl, you know that?"

"Whatever mother," Elena sighed.

"I gotta go tend to your sister," Mrs. Ruiz said, "You were gorgeous, hon."

With that Mrs. Ruiz disappeared.

"Motherly love," Elena said, rolling her eyes.

"Roy! Roooooooooooooooooy!" A voice screamed through the crowd.

Jonathen looked around, he recognized Adam’s voice and then the boy appeared at his side, panting and flushed.

"What?" Jonathen asked.

"Hey Adam!" Elena chirped and Jonathen wanted to smash Adam to a pulp.

"It’s the game!" Adam gasped. "Hurry up! Your father was tossed and Aebischer got hurt and now Rob Blake is in goal! You gotta see this!"

Jonathen and Elena looked at each other, "Did he just say that?" he asked.

Elena nodded and wasting no time, the three kids dashed up the stairs and into the lobby where a small crowd was already collecting.

"Move aside!" Adam snarled pushing through the throngs of men gathered at the TV with Jonathen and Elena hand in hand close behind. "We got Patrick Roy’s son here! Let him through!"

Jonathen finally saw the TV screen and there he was. It was Robbie alright and he was blinking and looking around the ice, a mask in his trembling hands and the crowds boos practically drowning out the tinny voices of the announcers John Kelly and Peter McNabb.

"It’s in the rule book, John," McNabb, the color analyst said as the camera focused on Blake’s terrified eyes. "This is real!"

"Well folks," Kelly said. "This is really turning out to be perhaps an historic night. Let’s just hope everyone comes out OK."

"How the hell did this happen?" Jonathen asked again in disbelief still as Blake put on the mask and skated to the front of the net.

"Your father got tossed," a man said. "Cause Adam Deadmarsh kicked the puck in the net and he freaked."

"Aaaaand?" Jonathen snapped. Dammit why did dad always have to freak out? he thought.

He felt Elena slide her arm around his and squeeze. That jolted Jonathen more than he wanted to admit he knew that was what his mom did to dad to calm him down when he was getting too noisy.

"And then Aebischer got injured in a collision so now this!" the man answered.

Jonathen shook his head. How was Blake feeling right about now? He really felt bad for him. This had to be far more than his feeble mind could take! Poor Blakie.

Sure enough, right away after the face off, a Kings defenseman scored from the point. The whole group of men groaned and cursed.

"Poor guy," Elena whispered. "It’s not his fault."

"It’s just tied," Jonathen muttered. "Come on Robbie hold for ten minutes."

The next two minutes of the game were completely frantic and even Jonathen wanted to cover his eyes like Elena was whenever that puck got into the Avalanche zone. Robbie looked terrible! He had no form, no style and he was just crawling around mostly on his hands and knees in the goal crease. He barely even held onto his stick, which Jonathen recognized instantly was his dad’s stick. A few times as Robbie flopped around like an electrocuted fish on the ice, the puck hit him, and Jonathen guessed those would count as saves. It seemed to be working though.

And then there was the breakaway. Adam Deadmarsh came tearing through the zone and Jonathen wanted to go beat the Avs defenseman for that. Elena squeaked and hid her face on his shoulder. Robbie, losing his mind just came tearing at Deader and then threw his stick at him.

"Dammit!" Jonathen snarled, "That’s a penalty shot!"

"No shit!" one of the men yelled.

"Yes shit!" Jonathen said.

"Omigod, omigod, omigod..." everyone chanted together as Deadmarsh streaked down the ice for his shot, and then he began to deke and then Robbie seemed to trip on his own skates and fell right on the weak shot that Deader had no doubt thought was gonna go in like cake. Blake lay on the ice, arms tucked to his sides looking like he was Dommie Hasek. As soon as that was obvious, the whole group exploded in cheers as if an overtime goal in game seven of the playoffs had just been scored.

Jonathen couldn’t stop screaming and Elena was hugging him tightly. "Wooooo!" they yelled together.

By the time everyone had calmed down, more action started, the Kings were trying to hem the Avs in the zone and fire away at Blakie but it wasn’t working. Every man in Burgundy was falling and blocking shots as if they were no consequences to it. Finally when a shot made it through there was a PING loud enough for the TV stations to pick up. The rebound flew to center ice and then out of the zone.

That was the last shot on goal that the Kings had for a few minutes in that period because it seemed that the ping of the goalpost had zipped some life into the D. The ice tilted in Potvin’s direction for a few precious minutes and in that time shots rained down. The Cat was game though, and a huge amount of honor was at stake here. Jonathen knew that Felix was not about to let himself be beat by Rob Blake in net. And it didn’t look like they were gonna score.

The flow moved down ice again and Jonathen held his breath as the Kings began to set up a passing game and tried to thread the needle to the net. Blake was at his comical formless flopping again, and he crawled around in the crease, the puck bouncing off him and when the Kings tried to shoot high he bounded in the air flailing his arm in a windmill style Jonathen knew was essential in street hockey. It was working!

Jonathen began to laugh, "Elena," he said. "He could get a win here! There’s only a minute in this game and..."

There was an unbelievable roar from the crowd and a horrified one from the TV crowd as Chris Drury slithered in between the D and roofed a wicked shot into Potvin’s net.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" John Kelly howled in the TV.

"Omigod!" Jonathen screamed. "I don’t friggin believe this!"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Elena squealed! "That was too cool!"

Jonathen looked at her and smiled and he was shocked when she stood on her toes and planted a soft, quick kiss on the corner of his mouth. As the remaining seconds of the game ticked away, and the guys got noisier and noisier and had to be yelled at by the arena staff, all Jonathen could do was stare at Elena and think.... wow.

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