Overtime by David Skuy

clock.
    “Let’s get one back, Brandon,” Charlie yelled out, but his heart wasn’t in it. He watched in silence with his teammates as the clock wound down.
    “I’ve never loved the sound of a buzzer more than right now,” Charlie said to Pudge.
    Charlie skated to their end to console their goaltender. He could not get off the ice soon enough. He needed to put this entire game behind him, and he promised himself this would be the last time he would let what was going on at school affect his hockey. He was captain, and his teammates deserved more.
    “We let you down,” he said to Martin.
    They had a tradition of head butting after every game. “It was bound to happen,” Martin said, and he bonked Charlie gently on the head with his facemask. “We didn’t have any jump today.”
    “No biggie, Rebels,” Charlie said. “Next game we’re going to actually play hockey. We just learned we can’t just show up and expect to win. We gotta earn it.”
    His serious words were met with solemn nods. Histeammates followed him to centre to shake hands with the victorious Tigers.

9
ALL IN
    The sun had just come out, and there was still a chill in the air. Charlie and Pudge shivered as they waited for Dalton in the parking lot near the back of the school. They had arranged for the driver to drop the supplies there, so people wouldn’t notice as easily from the street; and there was a side door where they could get everything inside quickly. Charlie’s mind was racing for a way to convince Dalton to just open the side door and leave. There was a bigger problem, however. Dalton hadn’t shown up yet.
    “Dalton doesn’t strike me as the late type,” Charlie said. “I bet something’s wrong. The supplies will be here soon, and we’ll be messed.”
    “We still have ten minutes,” Pudge said.
    That didn’t help, and ten minutes later his nerves were totally on edge.
    “This is a disaster,” Charlie moaned. “We’re going to have plastic and sandbags in the parking lot for everyone to see, and no way to get in the school.”
    Pudge looked concerned too. “If Dalton doesn’t come, we’re going to have to tell the driver to take the stuff back.”
    “But we paid for it already,” Charlie said. “Will they give us a refund? Everyone chipped in.” He looked up to the sky. The only good thing he could think of was that it wasn’t raining.
    The sound of footsteps set his heart pounding. He turned, expecting to see his friends, or worse yet, the driver.
    It was Dalton, red-faced and out of breath. “I must apologize for my tardiness,” he said, gasping. “My sister has an early hockey game and we had a mini-crisis trying to find her sweater.”
    “No worries,” Charlie said, feeling more worried every second. The truck would be here any minute, and his friends would be coming soon too. Dalton would know he was lying. “Why don’t you give us the key? We’ll lock up when we’re done.”
    Dalton ducked his head slightly and squinted. “I kind of promised that I wouldn’t lend the keys. Principal Holmes was quite insistent on that point. Besides, I’m always up early to read the newspaper or my magazines. Did either of you get the new Economist?”
    Charlie and Pudge shook their heads meekly.
    “Anyway, I’m happy to help carry the supplies in. He paused and added, “And where are the supplies?”
    Charlie and Pudge stared at him.
    Charlie wanted to yell, “They’re coming,” but instead he said calmly, “The truck’s late. He just called to say they’ll be coming in half an hour or so … under the circumstances I’m sure Holmes wouldn’t mind if you opened the door. We won’t even go in. Right, Pudge?”
    “Yeah. Right.”
    Dalton looked at his watch. “I’d feel guilty makingyou do all the hard work.”
    Charlie was the one feeling guilty, and from the look on Pudge’s face, his friend was feeling the same way. But it was too late now.
    “Why don’t we open the door and clear out some