Jimmy
When the bus pulled up to the camp, Kelly was up and out of there in no time. I knew exactly how she felt; I hated being cooped up for too long. I figured our talk on the bus had gone pretty well and maybe my social skills were already improving and I could check that off my list.
Burt Iverson and his wife, Trudy, were there to greet us. They handed out schedules and room assignments. I already knew the three guys I was bunking with; most of us had known each other for years from hockey. I overheard Kelly asking about running trails.
As the last one in my room, I got the bed by the door. I unpacked, and then I headed out to have a look around. Things looked pretty much as they always did. The main lodge and cabins were a camp used by the Boy Scouts in August, and then by different groups the rest of the year. Burt used the lodge for his hockey camp; the arena for the camp was only a 15-minute walk away, through some wooded trails.
I remembered the first time I went to the camp as a kid. I was so impressed by the instructors and totally pumped at the idea of doing nothing but hockey and hockey-training all week. I heard that lately enrolment was not as good at the camp. People preferred to put their kids in camps with fancy equipment. Burt emphasized hard work and polishing basic skills, which was the most important thing for young players.
I walked over to the lodge and followed the voices to find the guys on the big deck that overlooked the lake.
“Holy jeez, check out that ass.”
“Finally, Ivy is stocking this place with some scenery.”
“Merde, she’s taking off her clothes. Well, her shoes anyway, Keep going, bébé.”
“Seriously, I’m in love. She’s as hot as fuck.”
“Riley, you’re always in love. You were in love with the waitress at lunch.”
“You wouldn’t have a chance with her anyways. Outta your league, boy.”
“Who is she?”
“It’s Kelly Tanaka,” I answered, as I joined them. “She’s from Vancouver.” Kelly was stretching at the edge of the dock, completely unaware she was being watched by half the staff of the hockey camp. I leaned over the deck rail and joined the group. I could see she was sweaty after her run and she wearing only a tank top and running shorts, which was pretty hot. She was really flexible, which was also hot.
“Look who it is, boys.” Xavier LeBlanc came over and slapped my back. “Freshy! Whaddaya sayin’? You just get home?”
I nodded. “Straight from the airport. How’s she going, X-man?” Xavier was a good guy; we’d played minor hockey together.
“So, Kelly, right? How d’you know her?” Riley asked. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“We were on the same flight from Montreal. And then on the bus together.”
Dusty grinned. “Lucky dog. The only girl in camp and you’ve already got the inside track.”
“We’ll see how long that lasts,” Steve Owen laughed. “Freshy’s not getting a sniff.” Steve-O was slick and he’d had girlfriends since grade six.
“You never know,” X-man said. “Girls’ll be throwing themselves at him now that he’s going to the show.”
I suddenly realized that might have been Kelly’s agenda. Talking to her had been easy. What if it wasn’t me getting better, but her making it easy? I guess the proof was that she lived in Vancouver and was really into hockey, so she knew me from the draft. It didn’t really matter—she was cute, but she didn’t look anything like my dream girlfriend.
Steve-O snorted. “He’s not in the show yet.”
Well, I could have been if I signed that contract in Chicago, but there was no point bragging on this stuff. I was used to this hassle when I saw guys I used to play with. Everyone measured themselves against me, and some figured the only reason I made it farther was due to luck or chance.
Suddenly, some of the guys hooted. Kelly had run down the dock and done a cannonball into the water, with water exploding everywhere. She was so free.
Everyone broke into spontaneous applause.
“10 out of 10!”
“All right!”
Kelly finally noticed us and waved from the lake. “The water’s great,” she called out. I considered going in too, but with only fifteen minutes until dinner it wasn’t really practical.
Dusty nodded. “She’s some hot out today. Maybe we should join her.”
“No way, I’m staying here for the show,” Riley said. “She’s gotta come out of the water, with her clothes all wet and no towel.”
My feelings about Kelly did another seesaw. I watched as she did some lazy backstrokes and then swam back to the dock. She hauled herself out of the lake, and the water poured off her. Her running top was purple and stuck to her tits now. Her wet shorts clung to her legs and she was perfectly proportioned with a tiny waist and flaring hips. She shook off the water.
“It’s like fucking porn,” Riley sighed. “Should be in slo-mo though.”
“Holy fuck, she’s mint,” Eric said.
Suddenly, Steve-O appeared at the end of the dock. The guy had conjured up a beach towel and offered it to Kelly. He smirked up at us as he wrapped it around her. I could see them talking.
“He’s so fucking greasy.” X-man laughed.
It was weird. On the bus, I liked Kelly and felt comfortable with her. But now all the guys were going nuts over her, it made me look at her differently. I hadn’t thought she was my type, but now I didn’t want anyone else getting near her.