Last Shot Read online

“Just keep her off me,” Connor said. He faked another left jab and let loose a wild roundhouse. Rocket ducked under it and caught Connor in the ribcage with a wicked right hook. Connor grunted and stepped back, but only for a second. He came at Rocket with a series of jabs and a few right hooks. Rocket had no choice but to spin onto the street to keep his distance. Connor was much bigger, so Rocket had to make sure Connor didn’t get him down. He also had to keep an eye on Maddy. So far she was holding her own. Raja was trying to grab her wrists again and she wasn’t letting him. She also wasn’t running away.

  “Stand still, Peewee. Stop running around like a chicken,” Connor said.

  Maddy darted over and kicked him in the shin. “Leave us alone!”

  Connor grabbed her arm and pulled his hand back.

  “Let her go!” Rocket threw a right hook, connecting hard with the side of Connor’s head.

  Connor staggered back, his eyes darting wildly about.

  Rocket shook with rage. “You’re so tough? Let’s do this already!”

  “You’ve just made the biggest mistake in your life, loser!” Connor said. Then he nodded at some people on the other side of the street. “We got company. This must be your lucky day. But this isn’t over, believe me.”

  Rocket’s right hand was throbbing. He could only pray it was over for now.

  “C’mon,” Connor said to Raja. “I think I saw a cop.” He turned and disappeared down an alley.

  Raja glared at Maddy and Rocket, his eyes bugging out, and then he followed Connor.

  Rocket raised his gaze to the sky. This was bad. What if he got caught on the streets by himself when Connor was with the Brigade crew? Or worse, what if Maddy ran into them? He turned to her. Her eyes were red and puffy.

  “I hate this place so much,” she said. Her voice shook. “That Connor needs to go to jail. It’s … it’s …”

  “Ridiculous,” Rocket said.

  She took a breath and opened her fists. “That’ll do for now.”

  Rocket tried to make her feel better. “Connor thinks he’s a big man,” he said. “But he was too scared to fight André, and he just backed down from me. He won’t bug us now.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” she said.

  “Anyway, we’ll probably be out of here soon. Mom’s looking for a place closer to school.”

  They continued up the sidewalk.

  “She won’t be able to walk to work, then, and I’d feel bad if she moved just for me. And places by the school are a fortune.”

  Rocket had no answer. His mom had been looking for a while, but everything was so expensive. He flexed the fingers of his right hand and winced.

  “You okay?” Maddy said. “Is that the hand you hit him with?”

  “Small price to pay for smacking that guy,” Rocket said. “It hurts a bit.”

  “Hold on.” She stopped and took his hand in hers. She pressed his knuckles. “Does this hurt?”

  “Ow!” Rocket pulled his hand away.

  Maddy’s face clouded. “A little ice is probably all you need.”

  Rocket rubbed the inside of his palm with his left thumb. “It’ll be fine.”

  They crossed over to their building and went in.

  “I guess it’ll be quality-time with Momsy tonight,” Rocket said as they got in the elevator.

  “Good.”

  “You can come out of your bedroom and hang with us for five minutes, as long as you don’t talk, naturally.”

  “I have to be there the whole time,” Maddy said. “You’ll drive your mom insane with your boring hockey talk.”

  “Sorry. You said boring and hockey in the same sentence. That’s not possible.”

  The elevator doors opened. There was a thick, stale smell of stewed beef in the hall that almost made him gag. The television was in 1207 was blaring. He really wished his mom could find another place. They went in.

  “Hey, guys,” Risa said. She was in the living room. “Did you enjoy your celebratory submarines?”

  He would have enjoyed finishing his.

  “They were great,” he said. “Hey, Mom, do you feel like watching a movie or something tonight?”

  “Are you packed for tomorrow morning?”

  “Yeah, I think.”

  “Do you want to go over the checklist again?”

  “I’m good.”

  “You have your toiletry bag, right? And toothpaste and a toothbrush and some dental floss? A book to read on the bus? What about all your hockey gear?”

  “We went over it, Maddy and me. I’m good.”

  “You have to get up early enough to be at the bus station by nine o’clock,” Risa said. “You won’t have time to pack in the morning, so make sure—”

  “What kind of movie do you want to watch?” he interrupted.

  She sighed. “Okay, I admit it. I’m very sad about you leaving and I feel like crying. Sorry about bugging you so much.”

  “You’re not,” Rocket said. “Well, you are, but … I’m going to be sad a bit, too. It’ll be weird, living with another family, going to a new school where I don’t know anyone.” He stopped suddenly. “I can’t believe I said that. Totally jinxing it. I meant I won’t make the team, so there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be lucky to even survive the three-day training camp before getting cut.”

  “Jinxing it? I thought you were going to limit your superstitions to knocking on the front door three times before a game and wrapping the blade of your stick with ten strips of tape,” Maddy said.

  “You forgot about putting my elbow pads on before my shoulder pads, being the last one to leave the dressing room and crossing the centre dot with one skate during the warm-up,” Rocket said. “Other than that, I’m letting the superstitions go.”

  That is, unless he said something about making the Axmen. Then he needed to take it back to cancel out the jinx.

  “I’ll make some popcorn,” his mom said as she got up. “You guys choose the movie. Nothing too scary, please.”

  “Let’s make it a girl night,” Maddy said. “How does that sound?”

  “I’m all for that,” Risa said from the kitchen.

  “It is sort of my last night here — for a few days anyway,” he said. “Isn’t that a bit cruel and unfair? You can’t be that insensitive.”

  “Okay, but only because you’re scared about Axton and you’re probably going cry yourself to sleep tonight,” Maddy said.

  Rocket grinned. “You rock, sis.”

  “Obviously,” she said.

  Maddy turned on the laptop. “I have a good idea,” she said. “I’ll have it downloaded in a sec.”

  Rocket sat on the couch and leaned back. He wasn’t going to cry himself to sleep, but he was scared. He wanted to make that team so bad it hurt. He’d been training himself to death the entire summer, when he wasn’t working with Maddy at the juice bar. He couldn’t be in better shape — or could he? His nerves were kicking up. It was hard to sit still.

  “It’ll be two minutes,” Maddy announced.

  “What are we watching?”

  “It’s a surprise,” she said.

  He threw a pillow at her.

  “Such a boy,” she said.

  He’d miss his mom — and Maddy. If he made the team, he’d be billeted with a family in Axton until the season ended next spring. He was a bit scared about all the changes, but he was more scared that he’d be sent home. He had so much riding on this that it felt like there was a huge weight on his back.

  Rocket rubbed his right hand. “I’m going to get some ice,” he said.

  “Is it bad?” Maddy asked.

  He got up. “It’ll be fine. I just have to ice it.” He took a step and stopped. “Thanks, by the way. For back there. Those were some awesome fighting moves.”

  “No one messes with my bro.” Maddy grinned.

  Rocket held up his fists — and then groaned. His right hand was really hurting. He went to the kitchen and opened the freezer.

  “Perfect
,” he said, pulling out a bag of frozen peas.

  “What did you hurt now?” his mom asked.

  “I banged my hand — running. I slipped on the sidewalk.”

  His mom came over. “Can I see it?

  “It’s fine,” he said hurriedly.

  She patted him on the arm. “I’m going to miss my little boy,” she murmured.

  “I’ll miss you, too,” he said.

  She put her arms around him. He had a feeling she was crying a bit, and he had to blink a few times, too. They’d been through a lot together, the two of them. Like Maddy said, they were a team, and now it felt like the team might split up. He’d always be her son, of course, but things were different now. He wasn’t a little boy anymore. She obviously knew that. He figured she needed him to be her little boy for one more night.

  The popcorn began popping.

  “I’m going to burn it,” she said, rushing to the stove. “You can start the movie.”

  “We can wait,” he said.

  He went back to the couch and put the frozen peas on his hand. The cold stung his knuckles. A tight ball formed in his stomach. What if his hand was really hurt? Could he still grip his stick? This could be a disaster.

  He pushed it from his mind. It was one punch. He could still wiggle his fingers. He’d be fine.

  “You going to finish downloading that?” he said.

  Maddy stuck her tongue out at him. “Already done.”

  Looking at her, the weight on his back felt even heavier. Maddy had to deal with Connor and the Brigade when he was gone. It almost made him feel sick to his stomach. He couldn’t stay here and protect her, though. He had to go.

  That gave him an idea.

  “Hey, Mom,” he called out.

  She walked in with three bowls of popcorn.

  “Maybe Maddy can come up to Axton for a day or two, for a little break before school starts? I could ask my billet once I get there.” If Maddy disappeared from the neighbourhood for a few days, Connor might forget about things. And since Connor never went to school and Maddy got up early to go, she might be able to avoid him for months. There was after school to worry about, but Rocket couldn’t think of a better plan right now.

  “If she wants to, that’s fine with me,” Risa said.

  “That might be fun. I’d be up for that,” Maddy said.

  “Consider it done,” Rocket said. “Now roll the film.”

  Maddy attached the cord from the television to the computer and pressed the enter key.

  Rocket felt grateful to Maddy for convincing him to hang out with his mom tonight. This could be the last time they were together like this — like a family — for a long time.

  CHAPTER 4

  Rocket’s hockey sticks tumbled to the sidewalk. He kicked one and it spun around and whacked Maddy in the foot.

  “Slashing penalty, goofball,” Maddy said. “You’ve dropped them twice already. Did you dip your hands in butter?”

  “Connor’s rock-hard head. My hand is messed.”

  “Give them to me,” she said, collecting the sticks. “Let’s hurry. Your bus leaves in twenty minutes.”

  “Not my fault,” he said. He gave his hockey bag a pull and they continued down the street. “Mom lost her mind. She was convinced I’d forgotten my nail clippers. I swear I had to actually show her they were in my kit bag.”

  Maddy adjusted the duffel bag strap across her shoulder. “You could have been a little nicer, Bryan. She was obviously upset, especially since she had to go to work this morning.”

  “I was nice to her. I watched that movie last night and talked to her and … I need to do this. I have no choice. She has to understand that. I’ll make it up to her.”

  “Maybe a call tonight from Axton?”

  “Don’t you think she made me promise to Skype her about ten times already? It’s not a big deal.”

  “I didn’t say it was a big deal.”

  She’d been sniping at him all morning. He wondered if this didn’t have something to do with Connor and Raja. “So, change of topic, but I was thinking a lot last night about the Brigade … I feel bad about leaving you.”

  She stopped and put the hockey sticks together in one hand. “Thanks, Bryan. But I’ll be okay.”

  “I hate not being here to help out. That’s why I thought it would be a good idea for you to come to Axton. Once school starts, you can avoid Connor easier.”

  “I figured as much.”

  “And I know I’ve been a bit of a jerk to my mom. She’s worried about me going to a new place. But at least she won’t need to spend any money on me. That should help a bit.”

  Maddy bounced the sticks lightly on the pavement. “This is important for you. This is what you’ve killed yourself for, all those games, the training. I get it. So I don’t want you worrying about us. Think about hockey. We’ll be fine.”

  “You want me to think about myself? I don’t need help with that.”

  They both laughed.

  “First things first. You’ve got to get that bus,” she said.

  They hurried into the terminal.

  “Do you have the bus ticket?” Rocket said.

  She stomped her foot. “Bryan! Your mom asked you before she left and you said …”

  He couldn’t hold the laughter in.

  Maddy pressed her lips together. “You think you’re so funny. Now I’m glad you’re going.”

  “Don’t throw a fit because I got you. Just be ashamed of yourself.”

  “Trust me. I am. Let’s find that stupid bus so I can get rid of you.”

  They looked at the departures screen — bus to Axton, platform eighteen.

  Suddenly Rocket heard a loud cheer and three kids came running over. The girl held a piece of Bristol board that read Good Luck, Bryan in big, blue bubble letters.

  Rocket smiled at them in surprise. “Hey, guys,” he said. He hadn’t expected to see his old trivia teammates here. “Where are Des and Daniel? Did you kick them off the team?”

  In grade seven, when things weren’t going so well with hockey, Rocket had joined the trivia team as their sports expert. He’d been friends with them ever since.

  “They aren’t back in town until next week,” Megan said. “This is all I could find on short notice. Hi, Maddy!” The two girls hugged.

  Megan looked different. He hadn’t seen her all summer. She’d been at her cottage and then working at a camp. Her lips were really red and her cheeks had a bit of colour to them. Her blue eyes seemed to be sparkling.

  Megan was wearing makeup!

  “Um … earth to Bryan,” Megan said.

  He’d been caught staring.

  “Right. I’m good. Just a little spaced. It’s been a crazy morning,” Rocket said. He lowered his hockey bag to the floor. “Guys, this is nice. Thanks.”

  A tall, thin boy with very messy hair walked past Megan. “What’s the capital of Madagascar?” he said.

  “Bird, I’m the sports guy,” Rocket paused. “But, it’s Antananarivo. You want to take a shot, Nigel?” he said to the other boy.

  “Largest city in Burundi?”

  “Bujumbura.”

  “I can’t believe you’re leaving us,” Bird said. “You’re hitting your trivia prime.”

  “I’ve been focusing on geography. Tired of Nigel making me look bad.”

  “That’s always been fun,” Nigel said.

  “You can still make me feel dumb in math, if that helps,” Rocket said.

  Nigel nodded. “Thanks. It does.”

  “I still can’t believe you’re ditching the school trivia team to play in the OHL. This is going to destroy your nerd cred,” Bird said. “Just don’t forget us when you’re in the NHL making millions — free tickets and such.”

  “He gets free hockey gear in the OHL,” Megan said. “That’s a start.”

  “So, not so much with the millions right off the bat …” Bird said.

  “The average NHL salary is a little over $2.5 million a year,”
Nigel put in.

  “That would buy a sweet motherboard, a wicked processor and a totally awesome graphics card,” Bird said.

  “I guess we don’t have to worry about our trivia team losing its nerd cred,” Megan laughed.

  Bird grinned and flashed two thumbs-up.

  “The minimum salary in the NHL is $550,000,” Nigel said, “so even if you kind of suck, all you have to do is make it.”

  “Bryan will make it,” Megan said.

  Easier said than done, Rocket thought.

  A crack of thunder sounded.

  “Who’s in charge of this weather?” Bird asked. “The rain is going to totally mess my hair.”

  “I am, and I decided we needed some,” Megan said.

  “Why now, Evil Rain Princess?” Bird asked.

  “To show you I’m all-powerful — and to clean your hair for once,” Megan said. They all laughed.

  “You should get to the platform now,” Maddy said to Rocket. “You want to get a good seat. It’s first come, first served.”

  “Okay,” Rocket said. “Bye, guys. I don’t know when I’ll be back. It might be sooner rather than later. This is a tryout training camp for me, so I’ll text when I know what’s going on.” He reached for his bag.

  “I’ll help you to the platform,” Maddy said.

  “We’ll wait for you here,” Megan said to Maddy. Then she turned to Rocket. “Take care, Bryan. I know you’re going to do great. You’ll make that team, totally dominate, and smoke guys and dangle defencemen and roof one for a top-shelf goal …”

  Rocket hugged her and she held him tightly.

  “Later, Bird, Nigel,” Rocket said, letting go of Megan. “This is your year. In March, I’d better hear that you’ve won the trivia tourney.” He pointed at them. “What city in Europe is known as the Pink City?”

  “Toulouse, France,” they answered.

  “Unbeatable,” Rocket declared, and he headed to the doors leading to the platforms.

  “Go Rockwood Go! Go Rockwood Go!” his friends chanted.

  He fist-pumped in rhythm and pushed the door open.

  “Do you have anything to read for the bus ride?” Maddy said to him as he lined up.

  This was an old joke of theirs.

  “I forgot.” He slapped his forehead. “So stupid. Now I’ll have to listen to music and play games on my phone the whole way.”