Login

***boom*** · 06-10-2022, 12:42 AM

[1283 words, ready for grading]

note: sorry again for taking so long to come out with a new piece! rl do be complicated, also this one didn't flow as well as I wanted it to

"Again!" the voice rang out through the practice arena. Sophie Bordeleau dug her skates in and pushed hard to get back to the blueline, picking up a pick as she went. Turning back towards the net on this regular drill, she crossed paths with the winger Petra Sabor, leaving the puck for her as she went. Sophie knew this play, she thought as Petra passed the puck back over to her. She was supposed to read the defender, and as she saw Louise St. Martin play the pass she pulled back her stick slightly and fired a quick wrist shot. The puck pulled on her stick and went high, missing the net. Dammit, she scowled to herself as she pulled around. This had been going on for the whole season so far, she just couldn't seem to score. She'd been playing more tentative sometimes, not hitting as much, second-guessing shots. Sophie had been in slumps before in high school, but this one felt different than others. This one was on the biggest stage, in front of thousands of people, and at practice she could feel the coaches' eyes burning into her back. A quarter of the way through the season and she wasn't sure how to get back to the highs that she'd experienced in her rookie year. This hadn't gone unnoticed at home. "Is everything going okay, love?" Jamie had inquired after one particularly difficult practice as Sophie seemed to be in a bit of a funk getting back to the apartment the two shared. "I'm okay, J, I'm just stressed out about things at the rink. You know I'm always trying to play well, and I haven't had a stretch like this for a while so I think I'm just in my own head about it, and I want you to be proud of me," Sophie admitted. Jamie responded in the way she always did, opening up and making sure her partner had a safe place to express emotions. This was one of the best things about living together; the pair's mannerisms and behaviours just worked so well together out of a space of compassion and when they did disagree it always seemed to be resolved. "I'm sure you don't need me to say again that I'm always going to be your biggest fan," replied Jamie with a smile. "I know you better than anyone I think, and I know that you're way too competitive to let something like this keep you down. Every player has stretches like this, and this won't be the last one, but I know that you're going to work hard and get even better. Take it easy on yourself, your chances will come." Sophie, sitting on the couch across from her, smiled. "You're right. I can always count on you for the tough love when I need it. Maybe I should find someone to talk to, maybe unpack some of this stuff, figure out how I can deal with this better next time. Thanks for always being here," Sophie grinned.

The biggest news was yet to come. Midway through the season, she left practice and heard her phone ring. She pulled it out and saw that the call was coming from the GM in Edmonton. This could only mean one thing, she thought. Pressing the button to answer with trepidation, she held it up to her ear. "Hello?" she said, not sure what to expect. "Hey there, Sophie, it's the GM of the Blizzard," the voice echoed out of the tiny speaker. "I know this will probably come as a shock to you. We've really enjoyed having you in the Edmonton Blizzard organization for the past several months, but there's lots of tough decisions in the job. We've traded you to San Francisco. The GM there will get in touch with you with the details. Best of luck with your new team." The call clicked off and Sophie just about dropped her phone along with her jaw. San Francisco. The Pride were a young up-and-coming team with some players who had previously played for Quebec, but the thoughts that went through her mind were of the city itself. A beautiful, historic, and cultured city. A city that was arguably one of the pioneering places in LGBTQ+ culture. She'd be going there.

The next call that came through on her phone was from Ellie. "I know my job is to get the best for you financially and you're focused on the hockey-playing part, but I'm really happy for you. This seems like a great fit," Ellie said excitedly. Sophie couldn't contain her enthusiasm. "I know! I feel bad for being so pumped about it, because Edmonton seemed really excited to have me and I'm sure it's a cool city, but San Francisco was a team that scouted me during the draft and just the idea of living there with Jamie and becoming part of that life seems really amazing," she replied. Once she had managed to calm down enough, she carefully dialed in Jamie's number and lifted the phone back to her ear. "Hi babe, you have a second to talk?" Sophie blurted out quickly, before going on. "I just got some news. I've been traded to San Francisco, I won't be going there for a few more years but I'm part of their system now!" On the other side of the conversation, Jamie was shocked in an equally excited manner. While Quebec City had a decent arts scene, there was a...cosmopolitan glow about the West Coast that had always drawn the artist to it, and being able to live in that San Francisco environment seemed like it was something that could really help her career - not to mention that she'd get to have all of these new experiences with the love of her life. With that, after the conversation had ended, Jamie reached for her sketchbook and began trying to capture all of the rowdy ideas flowing through her mind.

Maybe it was the hard work that Sophie had been putting in translating to luck, maybe it was being traded to San Francisco that refocused her mind, maybe it was Tommy Thompson being moved up onto her left wing, maybe it was just something else entirely or nothing at all. After the trade, it seemed that Sophie's performance picked up and she started picking up points again. This came mostly in the form of assists, but while her slow start was still something that had to be battled back from she was able to get back to be close to on par with where she was in her rookie season. Jamie had been correct; she was playing a lot better now as well even with the improved luck. Sophie had noticed during watching film of her efforts during the first half of the season that she'd been forcing a lot of lower-percentage plays trying to make something happen out of nothing, and it would often translate into a blocked shot or a quick turnover up high. Now with increased confidence and relaxation, she was getting better at reading plays and letting the game come to her, and it was showing with increased points and Quebec leading their division comfortably. The pinnacle of this came in a late-season road game against Anchorage, where Sophie scored three goals and added an assist in an 11-2 blowout win. It was her first career hat trick, and when she got back to the bench after scoring the third goal she was feeling pure elation. She'd managed to get the monkey off her back in impressive fashion at the best possible time. The playoffs would never know what hit them.

C9Van · 06-10-2022, 06:51 AM

GETEM BOOM!

***boom*** · 06-12-2022, 01:41 AM

06-10-2022, 06:51 AMC9Van Wrote: GETEM BOOM!

heck yeah, heating up right before the playoffs is the best time

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us