Theo dropped his equipment bag into the trunk of Whitney's car with a satisfied sigh. He had, of course, stubbornly refused to allow her to do it, and his leg stung a bit after doing so. Still, he was happy. Tryouts were finally here, and he was ready to show he deserved to be on the Moose Track High team.

"Got everything?" Whitney asked as she stepped out of the house, locking the door and peering at Theo suspiciously.

He knew she was studying him for any signs of weakness. He wouldn't show it. "Yep, I'm all set. Sure you can give me a ride?"

"I'm not letting you walk there lugging a hockey bag," Whitney snapped, the anger in her voice fairly weak. She wasn't used to being angry and could never keep it up long.

"I wasn't going to walk either way," Theo reminded her. "Angela said she could pick me up."

Whitney stared blankly at him a moment. She'd clearly forgotten him mentioning that the previous night when he'd gotten home. "Yeah yeah," she muttered, waving her hand dismissively. "I need to just make sure you get there safe. That's my duty as your aunt or guardian or whatever." She hopped in the car, clearly trying to hide her embarrassment.

Theo got in the car as well, glancing at Whitney as she started it up. "Thank you for driving me. It is nice to head to the rink together."

"I like it," she said. "I missed it last year after you got hurt. Sorry I won't be able to stay and watch." She paused as she backed the car out and began driving. "So is Angela giving you a ride back? You two are hanging out again? Are you dating? I always thought she was a little cutie, hanging on your arm wherever you guys went. I'm happy for you! You guys will make a great-"

"Whitney!" Theo facepalmed in exasperation. "We're friends. Just friends. And I guess we're hanging out again since we're at school together and it's good for the Loonies to stick together there when you're new." He wasn't really sure what he was saying, but he didn't want to get into the awkwardness of not hanging out with Angela back in middle school.

Whitney merely giggled at the response, though, obviously not taking him seriously. "Okay whatever. So is she giving you a lift?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess. Well, her mom is. And another girl, Chloé." Theo winced as he said that, knowing Whitney would leap on that. And he was right.

"Ohhh, and who is Chloé?" Theo glanced at Whitney, seeing her eyes gleaming as she looked at him.

Theo pointed straight ahead. "Keep your eyes on the road."

"Wahhh, you're no fun! Who is she? Who is she?"

Whitney did turn her gaze back to the road, so Theo reluctantly answered. "She's was assigned as Angela's locker buddy and they became friends." He quickly explained about Chloé's interest in journalism and needing to write a trial piece to join the school paper. "She's writing about Angela and me and our tryouts."

"Well that's nice," Whitney murmured, nodding approvingly. "That's the right thing to do, Theo. Help a girl out, show her you're a selfless guy-"

"I'm gonna call Mr. Cliff and get him to call up that old helper of his." Theo smirked as Whitney grimaced.

"That's a low blow!"

"You started it!"

"Did not!"

Theo smiled as he looked ahead, watching as they neared the town. He did enjoy driving to games and practices with Whitney. She always had a way of stopping him from thinking too much. He'd begun to doubt himself somewhat after his interaction with Tanner the day before, but after skating with Angela, and with his familiar routine with Whitney, he was ready to just go out there and do his thing.

It wasn't too long before they reached the arena. When they did, Whitney pulled up right by the entrance. A few students were hanging around, but Theo didn't recognize them, and wasn't sure if they were trying out or not. There was no sign of Angela or Chloé yet, although he expected they might be inside already, both likely wanting to look around a bit.

"Well, thanks for the ride," Theo said, looking back at Whitney as he opened the door, pulling his stick out from the back as he did so. "I'll let you know how it went once I'm done."

"You'd better," Whitney said with a pout. "I'll be looking at my phone all day, waiting. I won't be able to focus on my work."

"Right…" Theo stepped out and went to the trunk, pulling out his bag and shouldering it. As he closed the trunk, he caught his reflection in the window and grinned. The image of a player heading to the rink greeted him. He loved that image.

"All right, stop staring at yourself!" Whitney called out the window. "Good luck!"

Theo nodded, stepping away from the car and waving. "See ya," he called out. He turned away as Whitney drove off.

The entrance to this rink was a little flashier than Cliff's. The glass doors were spotless, and the walls inside were covered in posters of the various school teams. In the lobby, there was even a monitor up that automatically cycled through upcoming schedules for tryouts, practices and games for the various teams. The school teams for hockey, figure skating and a couple other ice sports had priority for the main sheet of ice, but some other Moose Track Falls programs got the ice as well.

As Theo was looking at the monitor, which also showed which dressing rooms were available, he heard his name called. He turned, noticing Angela and Chloé sitting at a small table at the snack bar. They both seemed thrilled to be there, sipping on their drinks with large smiles on their faces. He quickly headed over.

"Hey guys," he greeted. "Looked around already?"

"Mhm. We've been here almost an hour," Angela said. "There was a curling team meet earlier and we checked it out, too. It was on the other sheet of ice, though."

Theo nodded. There were actually two sheets of ice at this rink, but one was largely used for things like curling. Sometimes it was even boarded up for other events, too. It was mostly open on busier days like tryouts or during holiday season.

"So are you ready to get on the ice?" Chloé asked excitedly. "You were…really good last night." She blushed as she made the compliment.

"Definitely," Theo answered with a grin. "Need to give you some good content to write about."

Angela looked a little hesitant, but smiled nonetheless. "Good luck. I know this means a lot to you. And you did look okay last night."

"Me?" Theo said. "Angela, what about you? You've learned some crazy stuff the last few years."

"Just lots of practice…" she murmured in response, hiding her face as she sipped her drink.

Chloé grinned at the exchange. "Hockey is the best! You two are going to be so much fun to write about."

"We'll see," Theo said, picking his bag back up and turning away to head to the ice surface and the dressing room. "See you guys later."

They wished him luck one more time and he was off. As he opened the doors to the main rink, Theo couldn't help but stop and look out at the clean ice surface. There was a charm to the Loon's Lake ice that couldn't be matched, but Theo did love the big rink here in Moose Track Falls.

The moose head logo glistened at centre ice, staring ahead like it was about to charge. It faced in the very same direction where Theo had skated hard up the ice one year before. Where he had scored his hattrick goal. Where he had crashed into the boards. Where is leg had been broken.

"Byers…"

Theo turned at the gruff voice, seeing the face of Frank Dawson looking down at him. "Coach…hi. How's it going?"

"Things have been busy," he answered, narrowing his eyes somewhat. "What exactly are you doing here, son?"

Theo didn't know why, but that question hurt more than all the looks and all the whispers of the previous week. He bit his lip and looked away. "Same as every other student here, coach. I'm trying out."

Frank watched him for what seemed like an hour, but was actually about ten seconds. "All right then. On the ice in about fifteen minutes. I'll see you out there."

He walked away, heading towards the coaches' offices. He didn't look back, but Theo felt as if he was watching all the same. Theo narrowed his eyes. He hated being doubted. He loved proving people wrong, though. He shouldered his bag and headed into the nearest available dressing room.

Theo wasn't sure if the few other people in the room were staring at him like so many others had this week, but he didn't care. He ignored them completely. He wanted to get in the zone. He needed to. And, as he opened up his bag and pulled out each piece of equipment, he felt the eagerness to get out on the ice once more.

It only took him a few minutes to suit up, and he finished off by slipping on his Loon's Lake jersey that he'd worn the previous night. Something in the back of his mind told him to shove his Moose Track High jersey deeper in his bag. He was a proud Loonie today. He was going to show these Mooseheads some real Loon's Lake hockey.

Theo sat in silence as he waited the remaining time, and, without looking at the clock, he stood up and made his way out of the dressing room just as students were permitted to step out on the ice. He made sure he was the first one. He noticed another person stepping out from a door at the other end of the ice a moment later. It was Tanner, and something in the way he looked at Theo didn't feel right.

You and your dad don't want me this year, huh? Theo couldn't help but think. We'll see how you feel in an hour.

One of the assistant coaches was at the bench and sent some pucks out onto the ice for the players to warm up with. Theo headed over and scooped one up. As he did so, he heard a cheer from the stands, and he glanced up, seeing Angela and Chloé waving at him. He gave them a quick thumbs up, and then took off, stickhandling the puck with ease, feeling like he did in that opening game one year ago.

He felt a bump on his shoulder, and he stumbled, wincing suddenly as weight shifted to the leg that had been injured. The puck slid away, and Theo looked up, indignant. "What the hell? What are you-"

"Stay sharp, Byers," Tanner whispered. "You want on this team, you're gonna have to prove you're not a liability."

"Hey, what's gotten into you, man?" Theo said, turning to his old teammate. Sure, they'd been teammates for a game in reality, but Theo had made the team nonetheless. He and Tanner had gotten along well enough. They even played on the same line that game.

Tanner narrowed his eyes. "I've got just these next two years on this team, Byers. I've got no interest in having some hotshot kid thinking he's gonna light it up only to get himself hurt and lose us games."

Theo clenched his fists. "Are you upset because you dropped down the lineup without me there to pick up the slack for you?"

Tanner's eyes twitched at that and he moved forward a little. He'd grown since last year, and he looked down on Theo. "You know you're never going to be the same, Byers. Get it through your head. We…don't…need…you."

"We'll see."

Deciding not to bother with the puck at this point with more players getting on the ice, Theo simply took some laps. He didn't exert himself too much, wanting to ensure his leg was up to the task. He caught sight of a few of his old teammates as he circled the ice. Most of them eyed him uneasily. Frank didn't look at him as Theo passed by at one point, but nonetheless, Theo felt as though he was being studied.

Eventually, the whistle blew, and the players huddled around Frank. It looked as though roughly three dozen players had shown up, four of them goalies. That meant nearly half of the guys here would be going home the next day disappointed. Most of the team from the year before was back, too, meaning it would be that much harder to make the team for anyone new.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"All right, boys," Frank called out once everyone was focused, "we've got a lot of you trying out today, so we might as well get a rough idea of what kind of shape you're in coming out of the offseason. Anyone out of shape isn't serious about this in my books. Red line, blue line! Dark jerseys first!"

Theo was wearing a light jersey, so he joined the half that skated off to the side while the players wearing darker jerseys took their places on one end of the ice and faced the other. The red line, blue line drill was a favourite among coaches to start off a practice. Players would skate hard from the goal line where they started and come to a stop at the red line at centre ice. They would then skate in the opposite direction, stopping at the blue line they had just passed, but stopping facing the same direction they had stopped previously to show they could stop both ways. After that, they would skate to the opposite blue line, stop again, then back to the centre ice red line, before going the rest of the way to the opposite goal line from which they began. It tested raw skating ability, stopping ability, the ability to change directions, and players' endurance.

And it tested the power of their legs.

Tanner was among the first group, wearing a dark black jersey from before his high school hockey days. When Frank blew the whistle, Tanner was the quickest to take off, speeding past the rest of his peers and reaching the red line well before anyone else. He stopped smoothly, turning to the left, his right leg leading the stop. That was the easiest part for most players. It was stopping the other direction that usually tripped up the weaker skaters. Tanner, of course, had little issue, but behind him, a few players stumbled with the second stop, and he left them in his dust as he skated to the next blue line, and then back to the red line. He finished up the drill with plenty of time to spare before the next players joined him.

Theo wasn't particularly impressed with the first batch other than Tanner. Most players were, of course, trying to show off, and it ultimately resulted in them falling on their weaker stops. That didn't mean they should be letting up, of course, but they needed to be smarter about how many strides they were taking. Their idea of skating hard was taking as many strides with their skates as possible. In reality, a player needed to take fewer, digging in harder and longer to pick up speed, while also not tripping themselves up. Tanner had done well, because he had already been preparing his stops after long, strong strides.

With the first group done, Frank called for the next to line up. Theo readied himself on the line and locked eyes with Tanner, and then glanced at Frank. He wasn't stupid. This was certainly a test for everyone, but he was definitely of particular interest in terms of how he would hold up.

He took a deep breath, eyes wandering to where Angela and Chloé watched. Angela was noticeably worried, while Chloé gave him a thumbs up. Theo looked ahead. He could do this.

The whistle blew.

He didn't try to overtake everyone the way Tanner had, but Theo pushed off hard. He let his stronger leg do most of the work. For him, the first stop was the hardest, his right leg not as steady, but he dug his left heel in a little more and came to a passable stop. Kicking off to go the other way was difficult, but he grit his teeth and did it, and the next stop and go was easier. Eventually, he got through the drill, finishing behind four others, all of them players from last year's team. His leg stung, but he was proud of what he'd done.

When Theo looked towards Frank this time, the coach looked back. He didn't react, but Theo could tell right away the testing wasn't over. He needed to be ready for more. This wasn't just a tryout for the team for him.

Theo was trying out for his hockey career.

----------------------------------------

Chloé had watched her fair share of hockey, but she'd never watched practices or tryouts with a variety of drills. The closest would be when she had tried skating on a school trip once, but fell so much she couldn't really enjoy it. Her family had never had the money for her to play hockey, so she'd never experienced it herself either.

Watching these drills, though, she could see why high level players were so good. This was merely high school hockey, and the drills were extremely intense. Some of them were just as exciting as game action, and she was on the edge of her seat. This was especially the case when Theo had his turns.

Theo had done pretty well in her opinion, and Angela seemed to think so, too. He definitely didn't seem quite as flashy as he'd been the previous night, but Angela had guessed he was conserving his energy.

"The coach is testing his leg," Angela said as they finished up a drill involving carrying the puck around the different faceoff circles. "Obviously he's testing all the players, but some of these drills are too obvious. He wants to see if Theo's got the strength in his legs to keep up."

That did make Chloé worry. This was only day one, and they were only about halfway through this session. Theo would need to stay disciplined, but it would be harder the longer it went on. She was impressed with him so far, though. He'd definitely proven he could keep up, even if he still had pain.

The whistle blew on the ice below them, and Chloé and Angela leaned forward, trying to hear as the coach explained the next drill. From what Chloé understood, it was going to be two on one drills, with two players trying to get around a defender to get a chance on goal. As the assistant coaches separated players, though, it didn't seem like there was any specific order to it. It seemed that regardless of whether or not a player was aiming to be a defenceman or forward, they would be put in either position for the drill.

Theo was set up on the defensive side.

This drill appeared to encourage the most physical play of the tryout so far. Chloé gasped as the first players started. The attacking duo skated quickly into the zone, the lead one dropping the puck back as he entered the offensive zone. However, as soon as he did so, and his partner looked down to pick up the puck, the defender rushed forward, lowered his shoulder, and hit the unaware player square in the chest.

"Ohhh!"

The players on the ice were obviously quite appreciative of the hit, and the defensive player finished off the drill by clearing the puck. The player that had been hit, though, stayed on the ice for quite some time, needing help to get to his feet. He sat on the bench for the next couple of reps of the drill, catching his breath.

The following plays were no less intense. The players were more wary of the physicality, thus playing more cautiously to avoid such big hits, however, the rough play continued. For one play around the boards, the defending player relentlessly shoved and pushed the attackers, making their attempts to get the puck away and to one another nearly impossible. On another run through, one of the attacking forwards decided to not bother with a passing play with his partner, instead attacking the defender and working to shove him away from the net while the other shot the puck.

On the attempt before Theo's turn, the two attacking forwards executed their play almost perfectly. The defender was one of the younger and weaker players at the tryouts, and he struggled to keep up as the players passed back and forth. However, he was a fairly large player, and he was intent on showing his own strengths. Unfortunately, that meant being mean and tough, and he cross checked one of the forwards in the back, sending him hard to the ice. The other forward rushed in to retaliate, and the two began to fight, with the coaches barely breaking it up in time.

And then, it was Theo's turn.

As he skated into position, and his opponents set up around the blue line on the other side, Chloé turned to Angela. "Do you think he'll be okay here?"

Angela frowned, eyeing one of the attacking players. It was the boy who had out done everyone in the first drill, and had seemed to excel in most of the drills so far. He didn't seem quite as composed as some of the senior players, but he was definitely one of the more intimidating ones out there. From what Chloé had heard from a couple of people sitting nearby, he was the coach's son, Tanner.

"He's the better player, but that Tanner guy is really aggressive. I'm sure he'll target Theo's weak side." Chloé could see the uneasiness in Angela's eyes. "I really hope Theo's sure about this."

The whistle blew.

Chloé's eyes immediately went to Tanner, who started with the puck. He skated forward somewhat slowly, letting his partner pick up the speed on the opposite side. Theo stayed in the centre of the ice, stick in his left hand and extended outward, anticipating the pass.

Tanner then picked up his own speed, but fired off a pass as he did so. It was a little ahead of his partner, who stumbled, reaching for it, but managed to collect it. He entered the zone quickly, and surprisingly, Theo engaged. Angela gasped in surprise at the action, and Chloé understood why. Tanner was completely open.

Seeming to sense the opportunity, and not wishing to engage Theo one on one, the other forward quickly turned to make his pass across the ice as Tanner entered the zone at his increased pace. With his previous stumble, though, he needed to correct his aim, pulling his stick back slightly.

"No way…" Angela whispered.

Theo had seen it before everyone. That was why he'd engaged. Chloé grinned at the brilliance of it.

The pass fired and Theo's stick was already darting out, snatching it immediately. All he needed to do was clear the puck and he had the drill won.

But he held it, skating backward slightly as the forward that made the pass fell over from his error. It was clear what Theo was doing. He was beckoning Tanner forth with a challenge.

Tanner accepted, darting towards Theo, ignoring his teammate, who slipped again as he tried to stand, startled by what was going on.

"Idiot!" Angela hissed, clutching at the hem of her skirt. "Stupid idiot!"

Chloé bit her lip, watching nervously as Theo pulled the puck back. He was standing still as Tanner attacked with speed. It was a surefire way to lose the puck in hockey. Every player knew that.

But Theo wasn't just any player.

He scooped the puck up onto the blade of his stick, just as Angela had done the night before on her first practice shot. He pivoted, using his strong leg, and then kicked off, spinning effortlessly around Tanner as he flipped the puck over him. Tanner skidded to a halt, falling as he turned around. Theo caught the puck immediately and settled it on the ice. He looked back at Tanner.

"Idiot…" This time, there was a laugh in Angela's insult. Chloé smiled. It had certainly been an impressive little move.

THUMP!

"Oof!"

Chloé snapped her gaze back to the ice, seeing Theo sprawled down, Tanner's partner standing over him. He snatched the puck up quickly, ignoring the groan of pain from Theo, and darted towards the goalie. Tanner was still out of position, so it was just forward against goalie. He aimed his shot carefully, and fired, picking the corner easily. He raised his arms to celebrate.

Tanner punished him for it.

As Theo slowly got to his feet, he looked up in surprise as Tanner hit the other player with a heavy body check. Ignoring the surprised cry of his so called partner, Tanner skated away. Chloé noticed his shoulders shaking with rage. He ignored Theo as he skated by, so she wasn't sure what he was mad about. Was it Theo's move, or his partner taking the puck?

The whistle blew, and Chloé noticed the coach scolding Tanner, before he skated over to Theo. Angela tensed next to her as they watched the exchange. They could just barely hear the coach's words from where they were.

"What was that, Byers? You think showboating is going to get you back on the team?" He seemed pretty heated, and Chloé noticed his face flare up at whatever Theo said in response, which she couldn't hear. "You want to prove you can stick? Fine. We'll see what you can do."

"What…what's going on?" Chloé asked, not enjoying this turn of events.

"Theo's given himself an extra challenge…" Angela muttered.

They watched in silence as the coach, Frank, collected a puck and then faced off against Theo. Apparently this would be a one on one drill. Frank skated forward, focusing on Theo's strong side. That surprised Chloé, especially when Theo quickly darted forward, snatching the puck with ease off of his coach's stick. This time, he cleared the puck right away.

They then squared off again. And, once more, Frank went for Theo's strong side. This time, he kept the puck tighter to his body, forcing Theo to engage physically. Frank was much heavier, and the strain was immediately evident on Theo. However, he was still shiftier, managing to slip away and quickly grab the puck once more.

For the third attempt, Frank finally engaged Theo's weaker side. And, he did it relentlessly, once more forcing a physical matchup, and pivoting regularly to force Theo to continuously change direction. Theo did manage to fight through, though, and even managed to snatch the puck.

Frank was trying to make a point on this matchup, though, and quickly leaned his shoulder hard into Theo. Theo winced at the sudden added weight on his leg, buckling and losing the puck. He struggled forward as Frank moved for the puck as well.

Frank's reach was longer, and he came up with the puck. He turned back to a winded Theo, and once again, skated forward to engage his weak side. Theo kicked off, managing to keep pace for a moment.

But, as Frank changed direction again, forcing Theo to pivot, the shift in weight was too much.

"Agh!"

"No!" Chloé gasped as Theo fell to the ice.

Frank didn't even bother going in on the goalie. He skated back over to Theo and knelt down. Chloé could see that Theo was fuming. Among the other players, none were amused by his predicament. There was a moment of silence as Frank whispered to Theo. Then, Theo stood up.

He threw his stick down the ice, and skated towards the boards nearest his dressing room. The slam of the door was heard around the arena.

"Theo…"

Chloé and Angela looked at one another. They didn't need to speak, both of them immediately getting up. Ignoring whatever reaction was playing out on the ice, they made their way down and across to the dressing room where Theo had disappeared.

When they reached the door, Chloé hesitated, a blush coming to her face. "Um…it would be rude to go in there, wouldn't it?"

Angela moved ahead, slamming on the door a few times with her fist. "Theo! Theo, we're coming in!"

Chloé gaped at Angela as she pushed the door open and walked in. Well, they were old friends. She supposed it was natural for Angela not to worry about what she herself was worrying about.

But perhaps that was because Angela simply knew Theo better than Chloé. When they stepped inside, Theo was still in his equipment, sitting by his hockey bag. Only his helmet was off, lying on the floor a few feet away. His head was down, and Chloé wasn't even sure he knew they were there.

"Theo…" Angela said, much less forcefully than when she was at the door.

"One stupid little thing…one stupid little thing ruined it."

His voice was so quiet. Chloé was surprised to hear his voice so weak. He'd seemed so confident and lively in their conversations so far. He was utterly defeated.

"What did the coach say?" Angela asked, slowly walking over and sitting next to Theo. Chloé followed, taking a seat on the other side. She shuffled a little closer to him when she noticed some discarded underwear just a couple feet away.

Theo sighed. "He doesn't think the leg will hold up. Not with repeated pressure game in and game out. Especially if I…play like I do."

"Seemed like you were conserving energy most of the time," Angela pointed out. "What made you do that move on Tanner?"

Theo finally raised his head, staring ahead at something no one could see but him. "I don't know. Wanted to show him I belonged. They all knew. They all thought I was done. They'd decided it way before this."

"Theo…how does your leg feel right now?" Chloé suddenly asked. She was surprised she'd spoken up, but she felt she needed to. There was something about Theo's words that didn't sit right with her.

"It's fine…it's…" He trailed off, his eyes meeting hers. She looked down, and she noticed it. His hand was clutching his leg. It had been this whole time.

Angela picked up on it, too. "You don't think that maybe…maybe the coach has a point?"

"If you guys are here to make me feel worse, just leave," Theo whispered. "I'm sick of being told what I can't do. I know what I'm capable of…what I need to be capable of."

Angela narrowed her eyes. "Don't be a stubborn jerk, Theo."

"Just go. I'll find a way home myself."

Angela didn't bother arguing further, standing up and marching out of the room. Chloé hesitated, unsure what to do. She slowly started to get to her feet, but she locked eyes with Theo once more as she did so.

"Do you think they're right?" he asked quietly.

"I…" Chloé didn't know how to answer. She hadn't seen his injury. She'd only heard about it. She hadn't seen him play other than his skating with Angela and the drills at this tryout. The most honest answer she could give was the most unsatisfactory one. "I don't know."

Theo nodded, seeming to accept there wasn't much Chloé could say. He didn't say anything else, turning his head back down. That seemed to be his sign that Chloé should leave as well.

Chloé made her way to the door, stopping as she put her hand on the handle. She turned back, watching Theo for a moment. She wasn't sure if he heard what she said, because he gave no reaction. She hoped he did, though, because she meant it with all her heart.

"I still believe in you, Theo. You can still have your career in hockey. I know you can."