Tempered Ice

Dorian had spent the afternoon on the iced pond playing hockey with his friends. Spring was rapidly approaching. With that in mind, he cherished these last few weeks of the frozen winter.

Sure they all practiced at the high school rink most days after school. But it wasn't the same as on the pond, in the dense chill air, without the boundaries of a traditional hockey rink. There was no coach to drill them on line changes and tactics. If they wanted to stay warm, they had to make these outings rigorous and fast-paced. The best part was that there was no one to stop any squabbles that broke out.

How many times had they worked out issues on this pond? Like last year when Ashen took an opportunity to close-line Herb for hitting on his girlfriend. Or when Luke and Jason had a full-blown fistfight after Jason got the jersey number Luke wanted. All it took was one foul bump on the ice for them to throw off their gloves and start swinging.

This pond is where problems could be worked out or sometimes even resolved. It's where the hockey crew could assert aggressive tactics they couldn't use in a sanctioned game. When Jenna G made the team, it was here she stood her ground and proved her metal. The pond was their happy place, even when they fought and pushed and busted on each other. This frozen body of water was where they found stress relief, anger management, and a place for team building. No adults allowed.

Well, almost none, anyway. Elan's Dad would often come out and play a few pickup games with the teens. At first, the other kids resented Elan for bringing him. But when Patrick pulled out a bagful of snacks, he won over the hungry team with ease.

Elan had had an accident a couple of years before, leaving him hobbling on a broken leg, watching his team from the sidelines. That was the same year Joe's older brother had told them about the pond. His class was graduating, and he thought the younger generation of hockey players should enjoy the secret outdoor arena.

They had tried to keep it quiet from Elan, but that only worked for a few days. They knew he would want to watch his teammates play but couldn't make it out through the wilderness to the impromptu rink on one leg.

Patrick had taken Elan to the diner where Joe's brother ran into them. He had no idea that the younger student had broken his leg. It was tucked under the table, inconspicuously. So, Tom had spilled the beans without ever knowing it. He seemed genuinely shocked when Elan said he couldn't play.

With a sad sigh, Tom had sat down to listen to how it happened. Patrick explained how Elan had been skateboarding at a local park and completely muffed his landing on a high railing. They had even gotten it on video. Elan cringed as his father showed Tom the evidence. "Wow, that got a lot of hits," Tom exclaimed. "Yeah," Elan said sadly.

Tom got up, punching the younger fellow in the arm. "Well, maybe you'll get a call from the Ellen Show or maybe one of those Fail Video shows. That was a badass break, dude." At that time, it was still too fresh for Elan to laugh about it. He spent that winter healing and hoping it wouldn't ruin his potential career in hockey.

Patrick had asked Dorian about the rink that night. He waited until Elan was preoccupied with his game system. He sent Dorian a text asking about the games on the pond. The next afternoon, Patrick surprised his son with an ATV ride through the local woods.

There, waiting for them, was the team. Everyone whooped and hollered greetings to the pair. On the edge of the pond, Elan settled in to watch his friends and teammates play. Patrick offered to leave and come back later, but the kids reluctantly agreed he should stay. He never pulled the Dad card and let them play, fight, and compete without any interference. It took a bit for the kids to realize he wasn't there to harsh their vibe.

Eventually, it was as if Patrick had become one of them. He learned all their names and brought their favorite junk foods and soft drinks. One day Herb couldn't make it, so the team asked Pat to take his place. He asked his son if he wouldn't mind. Elan just shrugged, figuring these teens would bust on his father like anyone else. It was an intense game, and they all came away feeling like Patrick was an honorary Panther.

For the rest of that winter, the team played and scrimmaged while Elan watched from the banks. On the last safe day of play, they all took turns pulling Elan around the pond on a toboggan. With the help of his father and his best friend, Elan never felt like he had missed out on anything. A broken leg or not, they made him feel wanted and valued.

It had been four years since Joe's brother bequeathed them the pond. They were all seniors now. The team knew it was almost time to reveal their secret space to a new generation of hockey enthusiasts.

Dorian was going over the plays of that afternoon in his mind. He'd finished dinner, helped with the dishes then went to his room to study. But he kept getting distracted by the thought of a new play they'd developed that day. His cell went off, startling him.

He answered. "Hey E, how's it going? Are you ready to try out those new moves at the regionals next weekend?" He heard a faint sobbing on the other end of the line. "Elan?"

After a series of gasping breathes, Elan finally composed himself enough to speak. "Can you come over? Please?" Dorian's heart fell. He knew something was wrong. "Yeah, sure, man. I'll be over in less than five. I'm on my way." Click. Elan hung up without another word.

Dorian flew out of the house, hopped on his bike, and peddled two blocks over to his best friend's house. There weren't any cars in the driveway, and the front door was wide open. He leaped from his bike and ran to the screen door. "Elan," he called out. "In here," he heard his friend in one of the upstairs bedrooms.

"Dude, you shouldn't leave your door open like that. Any weirdo like me could just walk right in," Dorian said, hoping to diffuse some of the angst as he pushed open the door to Elan's parent's room. There, on the edge of the bed, sat his closest friend, tears streaming down his face. "E, what happened," Dorian asked as he sat on the bed.

"My... My dad," he choked out. "There was an accident at his work. Mom's at the hospital now. I'm supposed to wait to hear from her. But just sitting here, not knowing what's going on. D, it's killing me." The tears flowed harder.

Without even thinking about it, Dorian pulled Elan into a tight hug. "It's going to be okay, E. I know it doesn't feel like it. But it will be fine. Okay?" Elan cried for a while. Dorian spent the next hour or so letting his friend vent and sob. He imagined how he would feel if the situation were reversed. Knowing there wasn't anything he could do at this point, Dorian joined his friend in sorrow.

Elan's phone rang, startling them in their grief. Elan just looked at the phone before pushing it to Dorian. "Please? If it's bad, I'm not sure I can deal." D nodded and answered.

"Hi Missus H, how's Mister H?" Pause. "No, he's here, he just. Well, he's worried as hell." Pause. "He's ok E," Dorian yelled, tossing the phone to his friend. Elan got on the line and listened to his mother as she assured him his dad would be all right. She planned to spend the night at the hospital and asked Elan to go to Dorian's. She didn't want him to be alone. She promised he would see his father tomorrow.

They packed up some overnight things and locked up the house. Instead of heading back to D's place, the pair made their way out to the hockey pond. They sat upon the bank, looking at a full moon. It wasn't safe to be on the pond tonight. The warmth of the evening started a cascade of thaw. They could hear the steady dripping of the melting water falling from the trees around them. The bank was moist and cold.

In the quiet moonlight, they sat and talked. Suddenly, something glinted, trapped in the ice at the edge of the water. It was one of Patrick's buttons. D handed it to E and they sat in silence, contemplating all the memories they had made here.

D did his best to distract his friend from worrisome thoughts. Tomorrow they would both check in on Patrick. But they never thought of where they may be a year from now when a new generation was enjoying their secret rink.