“What are they doing here?” Lucy wondered out loud.

I cast a sideways glance at her. “Maybe they like hockey.”

“Yeah, but why here??” Heidi asked. “Why New Britain, Connecticut?”

“Maybe they like hockey”, I repeated.

She rolled her eyes at me. “Doesn’t this freak you out just a bit?” she inquired.

I looked at her, raised my eyebrows, and shook my head. “Why should it? I

reckon, why wonder why they’re here, when we could ask them ourselves? Come on!”

I started to blade up to the rink.

“Wait a minute!” Heidi yelled after me. She and Lucy caught up with me quickly.

“What are you going to do?” she asked me.

I smiled innocently. “Steal Tay’s hockey stick and PLAY!!!!!”

And with that said, I sped up the hill. Directly towards Taylor Hanson.

I skated up behind him, reached around, and grabbed his (hockey) stick.

“Hwa-ha!” I cried, as my friend Robbie passed me the puck. I weaved through a crowd of screaming girls, and scored. I gave a couple guys a high-five, then gave Robbie a hug. “Hey, Robbie, babe, it’s been a while!”

“Hey girl! Yeah!” he greeted me enthusiastically. He took a look at the (hockey) stick in my hands and laughed. “Did you have to do that to the new guy?”

I gave him an innocent look. “I do what I have to do.”

Taylor laughed. After I had stolen his (hockey) stick, he had been surrounded by still screaming little girly-girls, all offering him their (hockey) sticks. He laughed it off, telling them they needed all the help they could get if I was playing guys side. I smiled happily.

“She always plays guys side”, Robbie informed him. “She knows no other way.”

Another friend (Robbie’s brother), Sandy, laughed. “She practically is a guy!”

I made a face at him. “Ha ha, you’re so funny... remind me to laugh later.”

Taylor was just glancing between the three of us arguing, smiling in that calm

‘Taylor’ way he has.

Heidi skated up behind me. “Hola Lin!” she greeted me. “Hola chicos!” she said to the guys.

“Hola!” Isaac replied. “¿Como esta?”

“Muy bien. You know Spanish,” Heidi informed him.

“I believe he’s aware of that,” Tay retorted, actually speaking to one of us for the first time.

“I know he knows that!” Heidi said. “I was just commenting!!!”

“My,” Taylor teased, “she’s a fiesty one, isn’t she?”

“No,” she returned, “I think Lin’s the fiesty one.”

He looked between me and Lucy. Finally he pointed to me. “You’re Lin?”

I raised my eyebrows and did my best to look indifferent to the fact that he’d remembered. “Don’t tell me you’re actually planning on remembering, as often as you’re likely to see me.”

He blushed and looked down. “I can try,” he said, sounding a little offended.

I was shocked at his reaction. “Having a bad day?” I asked, a bit concerned about who I had perceived to be the most patient and even-tempered Hanson.

“Why?” he snapped.

“Well... my brothers usually only snap at me when they’re having a bad day,” I managed to squeak out timidly, my green eyes widening.

His face immediately softened. “I’m sorry, I guess maybe I’m a little stressed...” He blushed again.

Chapter 3
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