October 2014
Over a year later...

Laughter echoes through the Keystone Arena's backstage hallways. Ambling through one of the dim hallways gaily are Kale Clague and Nolan Patrick.

"See?" Kale remarks with raised eyebrows, pointing a playful finger at him. "I can make a good captain!" He is referring to the Under-16 Western Canada Challenge Cup Tournament, where he captained Team Alberta against Nolan and Team Manitoba.

Nolan adjusts the collar of his cream-coloured trench coat with a tug. "You were lucky!"

"Lucky as green as my name!" He holds his proud smile.

Nolan narrows his eyes and wags a teasing finger at him. "Ooo, I'm getting a taste my own medicine now!"

Kale lets out a chortle as he stuffs his hands into his pants' pockets. "You rubbed off of me, Pat. I've been hanging around you too long."

"You learn from the best." He winks with a smirk.

Kale leans his head near his. "Maybe you should've learned from me to win that tournament."

He pulls away from him, shooting him a mocking, offended expression with his mouth agape and eyebrows knitted. "Okay, and how was I supposed to know you had that in you?" He crosses his arms, scanning him from head to toe. "You're just a defenceman."

Kale rolls his eyes. "Wow, okay, defencemen can't do anything, sounds legit." He lands his eyes on him with a flat face.

Nolan holds a hand out at him with a sincere expression. "That came out wrong: I underestimated you."

They breeze through the bright doorway, entering the amiable, welcoming locker room.

"That's better." Kale holds his open smile at him. "Remember—" He lifts his pointer finger at him. "—I set you up to soak up the glory."

"True." Nolan flicks his head to face him. "Couldn't have done it without you." He playfully punches his shoulder before settling on his stall by the edge.

Kale steps past him, approaching the only stall next to Nolan, which is to his left. He reaches up to the shelf above the bench to the skates when something peculiar catches his eye.

He lowers his eyes, having them land on the placard. His eyebrows scrunch up with bewilderment as he reads the name it bears:

"'Reid...Duke.'"

"Excuse me?" Nolan is heard asking.

Kale whirls to his left to look at his friend. He points to the placard. "My stall's taken."

"What?" With a gape, Nolan shoots up to his feet and leans toward it, scrutinizing it. "Who is this 'Reid Duke' and why is he taking your place?!"

He scratches his head, maintaining a perplexed expression on the strange placard. "He sounds awfully familiar... I think he's on the Hurricanes..."

Nolan straightens up and rolls his eyes. "What is he doing here?"

He turns to him, softening his expression. "Most likely got traded." He shrugs. "We did just go through a big trade."

"So where are you gonna sit at now?" Nolan shoots him a look of concern.

Kale spins to his right, quickly spotting an empty stall. He flicks his eyes up to the placard, instantly recognizing his name. "Oh, found my stall!" He slips onto the section of the bench underneath it.

"Good." Nolan seats himself back on his stall's bench. "At least you didn't get kicked to the curb."

Kale twists his body to reach for his skates and shin guards above him. "No, I'm still on this team for sure." He straightens his posture, dropping his equipment on the ground. "Not planning to leave anytime soon."

Nolan gazes sorrowfully at the empty stall between each other, keeping the two friends apart. He lets out a sigh and pleads, "I want you to sit next to me."

Kale perks up at him from untying his shoes. "I can't." He promptly points to the new placard on the stall in between them.

He gives a scowl at it. "Move it so that you can sit next to me."

Kale straightens up, slipping off his shoe. "No, I can't do that!" He drops it onto the ground. "I could get in trouble!"

"Ugh, Kale, you're so innocent." He rolls his eyes with an annoyed expression. "I hate you for that."

Kale gradually reaches down toward his other shoe-clad foot. "Just being a good guy..."

Instantly, a figure steps up in between the two friends, standing in front of the vacant stall.

The two peer up at the figure, spotting who is it: an older teenager with blond hair spiked up, rounded cerulean-coloured eyes, and extremely arched eyebrows.

He is staring hard at the placard with narrowed eyes and scratching his chin. Then he pulls away as an excited expression grows on his face. "Hey, they got my name right...!" He has a fruity tone in his voice.

Kale raises his eyebrows as he makes a mental connection. "Reid?"

The teenager whirls to his right, peering down at him. "Yup, that's me!"

"Oh, hey—!" Kale straightens up. "I'm Kale."

"Kale?" Reid creates an amused expression. "Like as in 'kale salad' or 'kale chips'?"

He purses his lips at the wretched, yet accurate connection. "Um, yes..."

Nolan leans forward with a teasing smile. "He's as green as his name."

Kale glares at his friend. "Oh yeah and—" He coats his words with bitterness. "—that's Pat."

Reid perks at him with an interested expression.

Nolan holds out his hand with a smirk. "Nolan Patrick."

His eyes light up. "Can I call you—" He slaps his hand's palm against the tallest teenager's palm before swinging it over and bumping the back of his hand with his own hand's back. "—Pattycake?"

Nolan drops his hand on his lap with a flat expression. "Pat."

He snaps his fingers and points his two pointer fingers at him with a sly grin. "Doctor Pat."

Nolan drops his solemn expression into a gawk. "What?"

He lowers his index fingers to the trench coat the forward is sporting. "You look like a doctor."

Nolan takes a glance at his coat. "It's a trench coat."

"Doctor's coat." He proudly places his hands on his hips.

With a miffed expression, Nolan crosses his arms. "I'm not a doctor, shmooker."

Reid knits his eyebrows at him in consideration. "'Shmooker'?" His eyes then light up. "Ooo, I like that!"

"Good, because it fits you."

Kale just has a confused look at Nolan at the sound of his chosen nickname for Reid. "Uh, okay--" He turns to Reid, changing the topic. "Are you from the Hurricanes?"

Reid spins around to face him. "Yuper-doos! Lethbridge Hurricanes!" With a sigh, he hunches over with a weary expression. "They got fed up with me."

"I don't blame them..." Nolan comments from behind him, shrugging off his trench coat to reveal his white dress shirt underneath. He continues undressing himself.

Reid straightens up and peers behind his shoulders to stare madly at him.

Kale spots his reaction and lets out a comforting chuckle. "Don't worry about Pat—" He gains his attention, causing him face him once again with a calmer look. "I've come to learn he's pretty blunt."

"Only those who can handle me deserve to be in my presence," Nolan proclaims haughtily from the other side of Reid, standing up to slip on his hockey pants.

Kale then peers up at Reid, mentally scrambling for another topic to discuss. "Sooo..." He rubs his hands together. "...excited for your first practice with the Wheat Kings?"

"Yeah!" Reid pumps his fists into the air. "Gonna play with the Wheaties!"

There's a moment of silence between the three teenagers.

Nolan peeks from behind Reid, now his leg and arms extended as he tightens his skate laces. "Like the cereal?"

Reid whirls around to face him. "Yuper-doos!"

He rolls his eyes. "Oh my goodness..." He drops his leg and slips back out of view.

Kale sits still with his eyes blank and eyebrows furrowed. "I've never thought of that..."

Reid faces the defencemen with raised eyebrows. "Really?" He cracks a grin. "It was the first thing I thought of with your team!"

Nolan peeks his head into view from behind Reid once again with a displeased expression. "Shmooker, when you get a chance, please swap stalls with Kale. I want him back."

Reid turns around to face him, spotting him now in his compression shirt. "But it has my name." He jabs his finger at the placard. "Superglued."

Nolan rolls his eyes while pulling his chest padding out from the shelf. "So how was it swapped in the first place, smart guy?"

Kale leans forward to see Nolan from behind Reid, giving him a comforting smile. "Don't worry, Pat. I'll see you on the ice."