FEMALE HOCKEY

GINGER:  The locker room is buzzing with high energy as we prepare for the match against the Blue Shadow Pack. Everyone is talking over one another, debating who should go on the field first. I sit on the edge of the bench, tying my skates, trying to block out the noise. Then I see a pair of familiar shoes walking toward me, stopping inches away. Ruby speaks before I can look up. "She shouldn't play." Her tone is laced with disgust. "She's too fat, and she'll slow us down and make us lose." My fingers freeze over my laces as I lift my head to see her standing with her hands on her waist. Silence falls for a brief second before a few girls start giggling, while others shift uncomfortably. My chest tightens as heat rises to my face, and I will myself to look unaffected, but my nails dig into my palm. "Ruby might be right," someone says, and my heart flutters. "I mean, when you were skinnier, you couldn't even play. You were the worst player, and you used that opportunity to steal my boyf