Chapter 1
It was hard for Nancy to stay focussed on writing her notes with the crowd screaming and cheering around her, her handwriting became wobbly and rushed due to the sheer excitement she was feeling, but she didn’t mind, what a match.
The Boston Terriers’ rematch against Maine university had been a match guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat, well that’s what Nancy was planning to write anyway. But it had been quite amazing, Nancy had been to a whopping nine games for the Women’s Ice hockey team this year, having taken up the challenge of writing for the sports column for the Universities newspaper and blog, and had only felt now she was starting to understand what all the mania was about.
She spent a moment soaking in the energy, almost forgotting she was here for journalistic purposes, and not to simply enjoy the match. This was saying a lot since she had never been able to sit through an entire match of any sport before and not feel immense boredom and the sense she was wasting hours of her day.
So, when she had approached her Journalism in literature professor Mr Brown, who also happened to be the head of the News department at the University, after his final last summer, she had asked him what she could do to broaden her scope of writing and he had told her she should learn to write sport.
Nancy hadn’t exactly been on board with that idea at all, she didn’t like sport, other than running track the odd time at her old high school, she never had any run ins with it. She didn’t enjoy watching it or playing it or even hearing people talk about it, so the thought of having to spend her summer learning all about sport journalism didn’t give her the kick learning usually did, and so when she went home to her small hometown in Indiana that summer, she procrastinated the task so hard, that she had completely forgotten about it until she returned to university that fall.
In her defence that summer, Nancy’s ex-boyfriend Jonathan Byers who had decided to be an absolute prick to her for the last year seemed to have had enough, once and for all putting an end to their four-year relationship.
He had even gone as far as letting Nancy know he was dropping out of his Photography course in BU, to study in a community college in Indianapolis. He had said it was because he wanted to stay closer to his family, but Nancy couldn’t help feeling that part of the reason was, so they didn’t inevitably run into each other after their split.
That had been in late May, a week after finals when they had arrived home, Nancy excited to spend all summer with her boyfriend, without worrying about assignments and grades and such.
So, Nancy had spent almost the entire summer break feeling quite sorry for herself, occasionally allowing herself to be dragged out on a few road trips and staycations with her family, and in August, for her birthday, Nancy’s brother and all his nerdy friends had put their money together to gift Nancy a camera for her birthday.
“Don’t start crying”, her brother Mike had said sternly when she had opened her gift on that hot summer day, they had been all been outside in the backyard celebrating Nancy’s nineteenth, the kids, though they were well into their teens now, had spent the day having a pool party, while the dads grilled meats and the Mum’s talked happily and animatedly over glasses of endless prosecco.
“But since Jonathan and you are not together anymore, we had this idea to get you a camera so you can take your own pictures for the paper, it was Will’s idea really, he’s still mad at Jonathan for dumping you.”.
Nancy had started crying and decided against informing Mike that Jonathan hadn’t dumped her, it was a mutual breakup, instead she attempted to hug her brother, who ran from her screaming, causing Nancy to make a game of chasing him and his little friends around the yard which turned into nasty water fight.
It had possibly been the best day of Nancy’s summer, despite the fact that she was spending it with children and their parents, a consequence of Nancy never making any new friends her own age in school after her best friend Barbara had moved to California in their junior year. But after that she threw herself into learning as much as she could about photography for her last few weeks of summer.
It had been a very thoughtful gift. When Nancy and Jonathan had embarked on their journey to study hundreds of miles away together after both making into Boston University, Jonthan having received a scholarship, Nancy applied to write for the University paper and her and Jonathan had become a package deal. Nancy writing about the school orchestra, the art department at the school and various clubs, Jonathan always by her side, snapping away happily. But now that Jonathan had left, Nancy would have been forced to drag one of the other reluctant photographers from the school paper department with her to events, one that probably wouldn’t be too happy to listen to her external thoughts.
So, she had returned to Boston that September, with a new independent attitude and amateur photography skills only to be shocked to remember she was supposed to be researching sport journalism that summer. Mr Brown had been so excited about Nancy taking on this new venture that she didn’t have the guts to inform him that she probably knew less about any of the sport at BU then she had last May, and when he gave her first pick of any of the sports to write for that academic year, she had chosen Women’s ice hockey, much to the disappointment of the other writers for the paper (ice hockey was apparently a very popular sport in the school), hoping it would be less intense as basketball or football.
She had been very wrong indeed, and sat through the first game in mid-September, very confused, wishing she had chosen pickleball or something. But by the time she had reached her ninth game, where she found herself now, she had developed a newfound affection for not only the sport, but the players, analysing their plays and really getting to know the ins and outs of the team, something she would have would have never believed she could do this time last year.
She had so far managed to speak to the teams hottest players, and the two mangers, giving insightful interviews in a way that hadn’t been done for the Terrier’s Women’s ice hockey team before, which was earning her a lot of respect and kudos in the writer’s room and even from various sports fanatics from around BU.
But recently, she had her sights on number eleven, Buckley, who had been taken off the bench in their fourth game that season and had led the team in their current winning streak. Robin had scored a whopping twelve goals in the last five matches, three of them being from today, and was rumoured to be a favourite for captain.
Nancy, despite her true journalism determination had not been able to get a post-match interview from the girl and she wouldn’t have dared to approach her whenever she saw out of her uniform, because the odd time Nancy did see her around the large campus, she was always surrounded by other people, specifically other jocks, and Nancy had a thing about approaching jock’s during their day to day.
Her own personal hell would be to behave like paparazzi.
But today, she was absolutely hell bent on getting words from her, and snapping her camera lens back on, gathering her notes, she attempted to move through the raucous match goers, making her way down to where the changing rooms were.
Being a sports writer granted her certain privileges, for example, now she could just pass by the commentators table and to the back areas, and with her lanyard, pen behind her ear and a camera around her neck, no one would bat an eye. In fact, she got a few Hiya Nancy’s and comments like; What a match to write about!’s from people who recognised her as she made her way through the bottom stands.
It was a bit weird, she thought, walking through the large double doors, towards the changing room’s, the noise of the crowd growing dimmer, to stand outside and wait for the team so she could stop them in their tracks, but she was so giddy with post-match excitement, she hardly cared. Shakily, she produced a smaller notebook from her back pocket, the one she used for writing direct quotes, and waited nervously, chewing on the end of her pen.
The sudden noise of the crowd that came from the sound of the double doors being opened again, told her the team were on their way down. Nancy heard them before she saw them, they were singing some funny tune and it was clear spirits were high, they rounded the corner and she saw them, laughing and smiling, with their arms around eachother, some with their helmets already off and they cheered again when they saw her, which made her go pink. Nobody had appreciated her journalism on the ice hockey team more than the Terrier's themselves.
“Nancy!”, cried, Vivian Sanchez, number seven, running forward in her socks to give Nancy and uncomfortable hug with her full gear still on, but Nancy accepted it flattered. They all made their way to her and Nancy felt ever so slightly intimidated as she always did talking to them. Most of them were very tall and Nancy wasn’t that short, but with their gear on it was still quite a lot.
“You weren’t where you usually are after the match, we were starting to think you’d lost interest in us”, said, Ellis the goalie number one, grinning down at her, after removing her helmet. Her perfect blonde hair was tousled and sweaty, like they all were. “Oh, you know”, she started bashfully, “-wanted to make sure I got everyone this time”, she looked pointedly at her prize, Buckley, which for some reason made them all laugh.
“Yeah, come on Buckley, you can’t avoid the press forever”, Sanchez quipped. So, it had been purposeful, Nancy noted. Robin Buckley took her helmet off, showing her face which was flushed from heat, her hair in a mad ponytail.
Her eyes were a soft blue, almost greyish, but they were shining with humbled pride, she was grinning at her, and the effect was rather blinding, the heat from the sweaty athletes hit Nancy like a truck suddenly and she had to draw her eyes away for a moment, opening her notebook.
“So, what did you think about the match?”, asked Robin, her voice had this slight rasp to it. “Well, that’s what I came here to ask all of you!”, she said, ever so slightly aware that she was avoiding looking into her eyes for more than a second.
However, there was no time to question it, she made sure got at least three sentences from every player, including the subs and Nancy was absolutely buzzing from it by the time she reached the captain, Hirota, number thirty three, the teams current captain, who, as the captain usually had the most to say.
She had made them all line up and told them they weren’t going anywhere unless they all gave her something to write. “We should nominate her as the team’s new manager”. Ellis had said grinning, after her, what she described as an 'interrogation', before disappearing into the changing rooms.
She had noticed that Buckley had dwindled at the back, and she made sure she kept her in her peripheral, so she didn’t sneak past her.
Finally, after Sanchez’s extensive play by play, she reached the current star of the season.
“Best til’ last, eh?”, Robin joked in that same raspy tone, grinning as she stepped closer towards Nancy. Nancy willed herself to act normal. Flipping to a fresh page and flexing her aching fingers, she looked up at Robin. “Well, that would be right, wouldn’t it?”, she said finally looking her in the eye, not the best idea, Nancy felt too hot again.
“S’pose”, Robin said, looking around embarrassed.
“So, you’ve been avoiding me, have you?”, Nancy said, smiling still and Robin looked back at her quickly looking ever so slightly alarmed. “I haven’t!”, and when Nancy raised her eyebrow’s conspiratorially, she doubled down.
“I’m being serious!”, she said again laughing, taking another step towards Nancy, much to Nancy’s regret.
“Honestly? I find talking about myself a little corny, don’t you?”, Robin tilted her head slightly when she said this, Nancy wished she wasn’t standing so close. “Of course I do, that’s why I do this”, she said waving her hand, gesturing to herself. "Easier to be on this end of an interview.".
Robin only hummed in response, looking into Nancy’s eyes very intensely. Nancy cleared her throat.
“Anyway”, she started again after a few seconds of an odd silence, “-corny or not, I can’t not get words from the star of team, can I? Give me all you’ve got.”.
It was easier, Nancy found, being in Robin’s presence when she was talking, and Nancy was scribbling, occasionally adding in leading questions, nodding and smiling. Robin was a very eloquent speaker, despite her tendency to ramble slightly and tumble over her words.
They were just finishing up, when Ellis stuck her head around the door, “Oi Nancy, stop hogging our best player, we’re going out to celebrate! Actually, you should come, you’re basically part of the team now.”, she added kindly, giving Nancy the name of a popular bar near the sports campus Nancy knew most athletes would go to after matches.
“Yeah, you should”, Robin said, backing away from her towards the changing room’s” and then, and if Nancy blinked she would have missed it, she winked at her, her back turned to Katie Ellis.
“Urgh- “, she started, trying to act normal again.
“Can’t guys- sorry! Have a good one though!”, and waving she quickly left round the corner, through the double doors and outside into the gracefully cool night, where there still people making their way home.
Breathing in deeply the cold air of a Boston nearing winter, Nancy analysed the last hour and found she had mingled emotions, for one, she still felt buzzed from the outcome of the match and what she had managed to write was amazing, and for another Robin Buckley.
Their brief interaction had been kind of strange, hadn't it?
Before she could fall into a pit of her own thoughts though, Nancy shook herself out of her stupor when she realised, she was standing in the middle of the parking lot.
She had three midterms next week and a winning column to write, she did not have time to decipher more than that.
Pushing Robin Buckley to the back of her mind, she got into her car and made her way back to her dorm.