by David Skuy
Charlie furrowed his brows. He must have Jake confused with someone else. Jake was a lot of things, but not intense? Definitely not. “That’s not Jake,” he said. “He’s got black hair — a fairly big guy …”
“I know him,” Corey replied. “If I hadn’t gotten sick, no way he makes Team 1. Savard’s not bad. Got some skill, and he can skate. But he’s soft on the puck. Doesn’t go into the corners and pay the price.” He puffed out his chest. “I’d love to go up against him. Use my conditioning and strength to wear him down and then dominate with the cycling game down low. I got him figured out too. He’s weak going to his left.”
“I’m gonna take a shower,” Charlie said tersely.
“Go for it,” Corey said.
His roommate’s high spirits bugged him. He could be a little more sympathetic.
Corey had other things on his mind, however. “Assuming Jake’s kicked out for stealing, which is a safe bet, I think things are set at centre, with you, me, probably Savard … and maybe that James guy. He’s not bad. Not in our league, but you gotta have four centres. Defence will be interesting. Zane’s a lock ’cause of his size. I got him all figured out too. You make an inside move, and then take it wide. He can’t move to his right. Doesn’t do a quick crossover …”
Charlie tuned him out. The Challenge Game was the last thing he cared about.
“Your bud Nick could make it,” Corey continued. “Nice shot. Good skater. I think you hang out with another guy, what’s his name — Slogger? He’s okay. Do you think he’ll make it? Can’t believe camp’s almost over. I’m only hitting my peak now. Getting sick was like the worst luck, don’t you think?”
Corey would not stop talking. He kept jabbering on about different players, and how he knew their secret weaknesses.
“You did great for your first camp,” Corey said. “I bet you learned a lot, right?”
Charlie opened the bathroom door.
“You learned a lot, right?”
It would be rude not to answer. “Uh, yeah. Right. I learned lots.”
“At least you didn’t lose any more equipment,” Corey said, laughing.
Charlie closed the door behind him and turned the shower on.
As he showered up, something about what Corey had said kept bugging him.
He repeated the words “lose any more equipment” over and over in his mind.
Did he mean when Charlie couldn’t find his hockey bag, or was it something else?
A crazy thought popped into his head.
He had to speak to Trevor right away.
Charlie washed up as fast as he could, got dressed, and headed for the door.
“Charlie! Where’re you going? Coach told us to stay put.”
Charlie closed the door behind him.
Corey did have a point. The coaches would freak if they found out he was disobeying their orders. But he had no choice but to risk it. He could only hope no one saw him. He knew Trevor’s room was on the first floor, and so he headed to the stairs.
“Charlie!”
He whirled around, his heart in his throat.
Nick stuck his head out of his room. “Are you crazy?”
“You scared me to death.”
“I heard your door shut and figured you were just coming across to our room. You must really want to get sent home.”
“I know this sounds nuts, but I gotta talk to Trevor.”
“Did you hurt yourself? Can’t it wait?”
“It’s not that. It’s … I promise to tell you everything after I speak to him.”
Another door opened and Slogger stuck his head out. “What gives?”
“Charlie’s decided now’s the right time to talk to Trevor.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“I might have,” Charlie whispered. “I’ll be back in a sec.”
“I can’t let you go down alone — I’m coming,” Slogger said.
“Me too,” Nick said.
“Don’t leave me here alone,” Scott whimpered. “I get scared in the dark.”
“It’s still light out,” Nick said.
“I get scared when it’s not dark out too.”
“Come on, guys,” Charlie pleaded. “We can’t all go. It’s too risky.”
“You’ve been a walking disaster since camp started.” Slogger folded his arms across his chest. “Besides, you can’t even find Trevor’s room.”
Charlie raised his eyebrows. “That’s where you’re wrong, my friend. He’s on the first floor at this end of the hall.”
Slogger thumbed over his shoulder. “He’s at the other end. You’re going the wrong way. Follow me.”
The four of them tiptoed as quietly as possible to the stairs. Once they were in the stairway, they ran down the stairs two at a time, skidding to a halt at the door to the first floor. Charlie put his finger to his lips, and slowly pushed the door open.
“Coast is clear. Follow me.”
Charlie took off, but before he took two steps a hand grabbed his shoulder out of nowhere. Caught already!
He turned around and let out a deep breath — Nick!
“Don’t do that!” he hissed. “You really are gonna scare me to death.”
“You’re going the wrong way — as usual,” Nick said.
“I knew that.” Charlie turned, ran to the end of the hall and knocked on the door as quietly as he could. No answer. Please let him be here, he prayed, knocking a little louder. He felt like breaking the door down. Couldn’t anything work out?
“I guess he’s with the coaches,” Slogger whispered.
The door swung open.
“Charlie? Boys?” Trevor’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think this is the best time for a visit.” He looked over their shoulders down the hall. “I just came from the cafeteria. I was told to come get Charlie in five minutes. They want to speak to you again. And weren’t you all told to stay in your rooms?”
“I know. Sorry about this,” Charlie said. “I just have to ask you a question. It’s really important. Please. It’ll only take a second.”
Trevor hesitated. “Fine. Get in, all of you,” he said.
The television was on, and a large pile of white towels littered the floor.
“We don’t have TVs in our rooms,” Scott said.
Trevor sighed. “Being an adult has its privileges. But I’m assuming that’s not the reason you’re ignoring Coach Clark’s explicit instructions.”
Charlie snapped to attention. “No. Sorry. I have a question. Do you remember when I lost my elbow pads back at the beginning of camp? I used hockey socks instead, and banged my right elbow on the boards and you gave me ice. You remember?”
“Yes, Charlie. I remember.”
“Anyway, about the elbow pads, did you tell anyone, I mean, anyone at all? Did you tell another player, or even a coach, or maybe Jen?”
“No, Charlie. I did not discuss your elbow pads with anyone. Why would I?”
“No reason. I needed to know, that’s all.”
Trevor peered down at him. “Will you please tell me what’s going on, Charlie?”
Charlie hesitated. He thought he could trust Trevor, but he needed a minute to sort things out first. “Can I ask you a favour? Please?”
Trevor smiled. “You can ask. Sure.”
Charlie laughed awkwardly. That hadn’t come out right. “Um … What I meant was, can you do me a favour and give me a few minutes to sort something out before you come and get me to speak to the coaches. I’d really appreciate it, and it would help a lot.”
“I don’t mind doing that, but why?” Trevor said.
“I just need the time,” Charlie said earnestly.
Trevor held up his hands in mock surrender. “I guess I could use the extra time to fold these towels. I’ll come by your room in ten minutes.”
“How about Scott’s room?” Charlie asked. He knew he was really pushing it here.
Trevor stared at him, and Charlie wondered if he was going to change his mind. “Okay, Charlie. T
en minutes in Scott’s room.”
Slogger led the way back.
“Listen up, guys,” Charlie said the moment Scott closed the door to his room. “I’ve got a question for you to think about.”
“Anchovies or onions?” Scott said.
“And pepperoni, ground beef and pineapple,” Nick added.
“Come on, nobody really likes pineapple on pizza. It’s only for colour,” Scott said.
Normally, Charlie would have laughed. But this wasn’t the time for jokes. He was running out of time.
“I’ll get you a pizza with anything you want on it — I promise. First, I need some help about a killer decision I have to make.”
“About what?” Slogger said.
Charlie took a deep breath. “So. Corey was in my room when I got back from the rink.”
“That’s totally insane,” Scott said, “since he’s your roommate.”
Charlie furled his brow. “I’ll give you that. But he was in a strange mood, like almost giggling, and he couldn’t stop talking about the camp and the teams and other players.”
“I can’t imagine Corey acting strange …” Scott said to Nick, pretending to be perplexed.
“Well, more strange than usual. He said to me that with Jake gone he’ll get promoted to Team 1 and that he’s a shoo-in for the Challenge Game. I’ve never seen a guy more stoked. He was beyond hyper.”
His friends went all quiet.
“So I’m about to take a shower, just to get away from him, when he says, ‘You did good — and you haven’t even lost any more equipment.’”
“What does that mean?” Scott asked.
Nick’s expression grew serious. “I think I’m getting it.”
“Getting what?” Scott said.
“Everyone knows about my hockey bag ending up in the wrong rink. I didn’t tell anyone about my elbow pads, though — mostly because it was stupid,” Charlie explained. “Like I said to Trevor, I ended up wrapping my elbows with hockey socks, and naturally I banged one elbow and got a nasty bruise. Actually, I have Slogger to thank for that, courtesy of a hip check into the boards.”
“Don’t mention it,” Slogger said.
“Anyway, Trevor told me to look in the lost and found, and the elbow pads were sitting right on top.”
Each of his friends nodded.
“Now here’s the thing,” Charlie continued. “I never told Corey about losing my elbow pads, and as you heard, neither did Trevor.”
“So how’d he know?” Scott said.
“’Cause he’s the one who took them!” Nick exclaimed.
Scott looked surprised. “When did you get so smart?”
“I’ve been doing brain exercises; they must be working.”
“There’s more,” Charlie said. “The equipment comment got me thinking. Almost every time someone’s gotten into trouble, or something’s gone wrong, Corey’s been around. At the obstacle course, before the finals, I spoke to Corey. He was all bummed out because his team didn’t win. He told me he was going to watch the race and I saw him walk off down the course before it started. He would’ve known that I was behind Savard.”
“Then he was the guy that tossed your rope,” Slogger said.
“Exactly. He waited for Savard and Nathan to finish. And do you remember my stupid alarm clock not going off when we did our fitness tests? Corey had left the room already. He told me he went for a run. I bet he changed the time or turned the alarm off.”
Charlie had to force himself to speak slowly. It all made sense now. “And what about Duncan? He got sent down to Team 3 because he lost his binder, and Corey knew about it before anyone. I bet he took it. Now that I think of it, at the fitness testing, Corey knocked me into Zane. I can’t prove it, but I’m sure Corey was behind my equipment ending up in the other rink. I remember him running across the field while all the other guys were watching the piggy-backing. Finally, we get to another piece of serious evidence. Today after practice, Slogger and I saw Corey walking down the corridor when we were going on the ice. I don’t know why it didn’t register then, but what was he doing there when he hadn’t made any finals? He should’ve been in the stands with the rest of the guys. Corey probably figured everyone was on the ice already. He wouldn’t know that I was late getting over to the rink.”
“And that’s totally when he planted the ring in Jake’s bag!” Nick practically screamed.
“Shh!” Charlie pleaded. “I don’t want anyone else to hear this, at least not yet. But that’s exactly what I think too.”
“All right, so why’d he do that?” Scott said. “What’s the point?”
“’Cause he wanted to be on Team 1 — and, most of all, in the Challenge Game. He basically has to be, because his dad is crazed about hockey. He wants Corey to play Junior or get a scholarship to a university, and even make it to the NHL. He pays for extra power skating, shooting sessions, personal training. He calls Corey at least three times a day. I swear Corey’s on the phone for an hour every night telling his dad about practices. He’s under unbelievable pressure.”
“So he’s killing off the competition,” Slogger said. “First he went after Charlie. When that didn’t work he took out Duncan, which did work because Duncan got sent to Team 3. But he had to get rid of one more centre to make sure of it — so he planted the ring on Jake.”
“The dude’s not dumb. After Savard and Charlie, he’s the next top forward on Team 2 now that Duncan’s in the doghouse,” Scott said.
“I can’t believe Jake didn’t steal the ring,” Nick said. “He finally gets what’s coming to him, and he turns out to be innocent.”
“What are you thinking, Charlie?” Slogger asked.
He’d sort of made up his mind the second he’d figured out the truth, and after talking it out, he was sure. Charlie wished he’d never met Jake, and he certainly wouldn’t miss the guy if he got sent home. But he couldn’t let Jake be blamed for something he didn’t do, not when it was so serious.
“Well, I think I’m going to have to tell the coaches what I know,” he said.
“Charlie Joyce saves Jake Wilkenson — sounds too bizarre for words,” Scott said.
“Not to mention Jake accused Charlie of stealing the ring,” Nick said.
“He turned on Charlie at the obstacle course,” Slogger said.
“And hit you from behind at the capture-the-flag game,” Nick added.
“Let’s not forget the piggy-backing,” Scott said.
“I’d prefer to forget that,” Charlie said.
“Jake wouldn’t come to your rescue,” Slogger said quietly.
“Maybe that’s the real point. I’m no Jake Wilkenson. Jake didn’t steal the ring. I’d love to see him go — but not like this.”
“I guess that means your roommate’s gonna miss the Challenge Cup,” Nick said.
“That’s another reason I wanted to talk to you guys. I’m cool about telling the coaches that Jake’s innocent. I’m very uncool about telling them about Corey.”
“I understand you, sort of, about Jake,” Scott said, “even though the guy is a total jerk and would never do this for you. But look at what Corey did. He framed someone for theft — and tried to get you booted off Team 1.”
“I know it’s weird. But for some reason I still can’t blame him for what he did. I’m obviously mad about it; I could’ve done without looking like such a doofus with Jen and in front of the other players.” He shrugged. “I can’t explain it. Only, I would feel worse about getting Corey kicked out than if it was me. His father puts him under so much pressure. Can you imagine what would happen if he went home for stealing the ring? As crazy as it sounds, I still think of Corey as a friend. Deep down I know he’s a good guy, even though he drives me nuts half the time.”
“Only half the time?” Scott said.
“You’re right,” Charlie said. “It might get up to the seventy-five percent level. The point is …” He sighed heavily. “Hockey is a full-time job for Corey — even though
he’s our age.”
“I think you might have made your decision,” Slogger said.
Charlie grinned. “I guess you’re right.”
“I understand helping a friend,” Nick said, “but are you sure about this? Think about what the coaches are going to say. They might accept your story about Jake — but what happens when you refuse to tell them about Corey? They’re gonna be seriously unhappy with you. I mean, what if they send you home for not telling?”
“What can I do? Dude’s my roommate.”
They all laughed.
“If you’re cool with it, then I’m with ya,” Slogger said.
“Me too,” Nick said.
Scott stood up. “While I hate to pass up a chance to humiliate Jake, and I wouldn’t mind not having to deal with Corey, I have to admit that Joyce might actually be right here. Why can’t doing the right thing mean you get everything you want and people adore you and you become unbelievably popular?”
“Thanks guys,” Charlie said. “This helped.”
There was a knock at the door, and Charlie’s heart almost skipped a beat.
“I forgot about Trevor,” he said. “And thanks for keeping this Corey thing quiet.”
Nick leaned back. “Keeping what quiet?”
“Already forgotten,” Slogger said.
“Done,” Scott said.
Charlie punched fists with each of his friends. “I owe you one.”
“As I recall, you owe us a pizza,” Scott said.
“Consider it ordered,” he said, as he opened the door.
19
OUT ON A LIMB
Trevor ushered Charlie into the cafeteria. The coaches were sitting on chairs, all in a row, with Jen standing off to the side. Charlie fought the tightening in the pit of his stomach. He needed to keep calm. Everything depended on him convincing the coaches that Jake didn’t steal the ring without giving away so much that they figured out Corey did it, and if that meant him getting sent home …
“We have a few more questions,” Clark said. “Please take a seat.”
He indicated for Charlie to sit next to Jake, who promptly moved to the far edge of the bench.
“Jake, I think we’ve covered everything for the time being,” Clark said. “You can go back to your room.”