Stone Cold

Oh dammit, the halfwit has taken the house keys again. I sigh in resignation before placing my Stetson back on and climbing into the truck. His game starts in thirty minutes so I will have to let myself into the locker room. My brother is an i***t. We never lock houses around here, we live on a massive ranch. I hate to watch my brother play hockey so he sometimes locks the door. And takes the key with him. Just so I have to fetch it. You would not believe he is twenty four years old, he still behaves like a child. After pulling up outside I stash the keys in the visor and head inside the rink. The air is so cool that I instantly regret not bringing my coat. I have no idea why my brother loves hockey so much. We were born and raised on the ranch, surrounded by horses and cattle. Most men in our community go on to be ranchers too. But not my big brother Richy. He defied all the odds and was drafted for the major hockey league. Or whatever you call it. I can hear the roar of the crowd so know the game has begun. Following the path to the left I easily find the changing rooms, having been here before to retrieve the keys. I type in my brothers locker combination. He would never admit this but it is the release date of the final Harry Potter film. I swing the locker open and find a note from him. Sorry Baby J, I have the keys on me. Looks like you will have to come watch the game. Big J I slam the locker shut and roll my eyes. I cannot believe he still calls me Baby J. Our surname is Jones so everyone started calling him Big J when on the ice. He started calling me Baby J not long after. I head out of the locker room and down the players tunnel. I know I am not supposed to be heading this way, but I also do not care. I want the keys so I can go home. As I approach the ice I hear a door click behind me and turn to look. There is no one there but when I turn back around I collide with something rock solid. A huge hockey player grins down at me as I rub my nose. “Sorry there miss, I did not expect…” he looks me up and down. “Well, you. I did not expect you to be there.” “I need to speak with Richy,” I tell him through chattering teeth. I rub my hands up and down my arms to warm up. His smile falters, “sorry but any lady friends will need to wait until after the game.” My face morphs into disgust. “Eww, he is my brother.” I say like it is obvious. Come to think of it, I don’t recognise this guy at all. He must be new to the team if he doesn’t know who I am either. His grin returns, “oh good.” My brows scrunch together at that response. “Look, he took my keys and I need them back.” He glances behind him, “he is on ice, I don’t think you’ll have any luck until the games over.” Awesome. My lips must be turning blue by now. The guy before me notices and leans into the teams stalls before pulling out a padded jacket. “Here, you can borrow this.” He leaves it in my hand before I have chance to object. “Stone! You’re on.” Coach yells and the guy bounds away. I stare at the jacket in my hand for a moment before sighing and sliding it on. I open the emergency gate and hoist myself into the stands before taking a seat. I hate the cold and I hate hockey. But my eyes immediately find Stone gliding across the ice. He and my brother make a play and Stone finishes off with a goal. As he skates around the glass his eyes meet mine and he winks. I cannot help but smirk and shake my head. Arrogant fool.