Brave on Ice

Tessa tightened her helmet and stepped onto Bright Rink. The ice shone like clean glass. The air felt crisp, like cold bubbles on her nose. Sticks went tap-tap. Skates sang a soft shhh-shhh.

Tessa played for the Blue Blades. She was the smallest player on her team. Jamal was tall and fast. Bao, the goalie, wore big pads and giggled a lot. Captain Lina led the line with a ribbon tied on her stick.

Tessa loved to skate, but not so fast. Last week she took a tumble and bonked her knee. Now, when Coach Mia said, "Race to the boards!" Tessa’s tummy wiggled.

Coach Mia skated beside her. "We practice being brave," Coach said. "Brave can be small."

"Small brave?" Tessa asked.

"One glide, two glides, stop," said Coach. "Then again."

Tessa nodded. One glide. Two glides. Snowplow stop. She wobbled, then found her balance. She tried again. The ice hummed under her feet. Her tummy felt less wiggly.

On game day the bleachers were full. Bells clanged. Someone shook a blue pom-pom. The scoreboard blinked. Tessa saw Mom wave a mitten. Grandpa held cocoa and a big smile.

"Blades on three!" shouted Lina.

"One, two, three—BLADES!" the team shouted back.

The puck dropped. Jamal zoomed. Lina passed with a crisp tap. Bao blocked a shot and popped back up like a spring.

Tessa skated along the wing. "Tap-tap!" called Lina, asking for the puck. Tessa reached her stick out. Her hands felt tingly inside her gloves. She hesitated, just a blink, and the puck slid by. A player from the Thunder Bears swept it away.

Tessa’s cheeks went hot. "Small brave," she whispered. One glide. Two glides. Stop. She turned and chased the play.

A moment later she slipped and toppled onto her knee. Thump. The ceiling lights wiggled in her eyes for a second. She took a breath and looked at the ice right in front of her skates. It was smooth and bright.

"Up we go," Tessa told herself. She pressed her hands to the ice and stood. Her legs shook like noodles, but they held.

The game was tight. One to one. The Thunder Bears were big and quick. The Blue Blades were zippy and smart. The crowd clapped in waves.

Then it happened. A Thunder Bear broke away with the puck, fast as a swooshy train. Jamal slipped. Lina spun. Bao crouched alone in the net.

Tessa was the closest.

Her heart went boom, boom, boom. She could hide behind someone. She could think about last week’s fall. Or she could try a small brave that felt big.

Tessa pushed off. Push. Push. Glide. She gathered her breath in her chest like a warm balloon. Her skates whispered. Her stick reached. Tap.

She touched the puck with the tip of her stick. It bumped sideways. Bao slid like a seal and covered it with his glove.

Tweeeet! The whistle blew.

"You saved me!" Bao laughed, thumping his glove on Tessa’s shoulder.

Tessa’s knees still felt noodly, but her smile grew wide. "I just did one glide, two glides," she said.

Coach Mia clapped. "That was brave on purpose."

In the last minutes, Coach sent Tessa out again. "You have brave legs today," Coach said.

The ref dropped the puck. It skittered free. Tessa chased it. Slide, slide, swoosh. A Thunder Bear blocked her path. She looked left. She looked right. Lina was open by the net.

"Tessa!" Lina called.

Tessa made a small fake, then tapped the puck to Lina. Lina flicked her wrist. The puck zipped past the goalie. Ding! The light flashed. The crowd cheered so loud the boards trembled.

The Blue Blades hugged in a happy pile. Jamal whooped. Bao flopped like a big pillow. Coach Mia put a tiny blue star sticker on Tessa’s helmet.

"For brave skating," Coach said.

Tessa touched the star. She still might fall sometimes. That was okay. She knew how to get up. She knew how to try again.

She looked at the bright, friendly ice and whispered, "See you next time."

The ice whispered back, shhh-shhh, as if it was smiling too.