Icing by Ashley Stanton Page A

She was done with her first round of chemo and given a couple of weeks to recuperate.  She had lost a lot of good cells with the bad and they needed time to regenerate.  It cannot be said that things were going well but she powered on like Kyle would on his skates.
    Christmas dinner was a riotous experience for all.  Brian was into chemistry and physical science stuff at school so he followed recipes.  Juliet was quite adept due to years observing her Mother.  Kyle was like a child in his sandbox with little care for neatness.  It all tasted perfectly homemade.  They were all together and that mattered.
     
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    Taryn had a pleasant visit in Concord.  There was nothing out of the ordinary.  There rarely was in the Wright home.  Would this family have the strength to face adversity if it did come their way?  Who knew?  They were untested.
    She decided to take a class during winter break – fantasy in literature.  The choices were thin for the six week classes which the University offered during that time.  She had already read most of the books and it only required attendance Tuesdays and Thursdays for about two hours.  She would bunk with some friends in a house off campus and study with Devon.  If nothing else it would keep her out of Concord and add a few credits to the tally
    She and the older man were an item of sorts.  They spent most of their time together.  She discovered that his library doubled as his bedroom and the plush couch was a pull-out.  He was in his 30’s and she was his young beautiful muse.  It sounded like a story book romance but it was just a side road on the map she was following.
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    Tru came back in middle January.  He gained a few pounds more.  Kyle would have the spring semester to whip his buddy into shape.  The entire student population seemed pasty and fat when they returned from break.  Soon they would shed what winter had brought upon them and bounce into spring.
    Hockey was grinding towards March when the season would end.  In sport the next season is always looming and Kyle would not lose sight of his goal.  Part of hockey is stopping quickly and changing direction.  He had come to realize life was a lot like that.
    It was a Saturday and they had a home game at Mullins against BC.  The Mass Attack had lost hopes of a winning season standing at 8-10-3.  They would not make it to the Frozen Four that year or win the Lamoriello in Hockey East.  But, they didn’t suck.  Injuries were wide spread that year.  Danny, one of the twins, broke his leg and left the ice for good.  Dom was always bruised up but played anyways.  Deker broke his nose – twice.  Con received stitches between his thumb and forefinger during a fight and paid for it with five minutes in the box.  They were a sorry bunch of guys at that stage but they were still fast and managed a few more “W”’s.
    They lost the game to BC 2-1 but Kyle scored a short-handed goal.  Rumors were swirling that scouts from Connecticut had their eye on him.  He had a presence and quickness on the ice that made him stand out.  Coach knew this and also thought of him as a good guy, always an asset to the team.  Word got around.  Notice was taken.
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    Kyle was up and out early on Sunday. It was a free day and classes were set to begin on Monday.  He was taking micro economics, advanced calculus, history through film (one of those athletic department rumors), psychology 101 and a marketing graphics class.  It was a mixed bag as often was the case with freshman schedules.  He was not looking forward to calculus again but he managed a “B” the previous semester and he thought continuing while he was hot was a good idea.  His GPA was a 3.2 and both he and his Parents were satisfied.
    He headed to the Newman Center.  He was raised Catholic and he thought he would give it a visit.  They had a good cafeteria adjacent to the hall where services were held so he would check that out