Armani's biggest fight

[WildfireMicro 425]

 Armani Calamari is not much of a fighter. Indeed, he only really fights on the ice when he is forced to by an opponent. But in the end there are certain lines you do not cross in both life and hockey and one of them was definitely crossed during Armani's sophomore year in high school. He was a relatively well known player on his school team and was mostly known for playing rather clean, having only gotten a few penalty minutes all year.

 

 This upcoming game however was against a big rival school across town who had a junior year player named Mark Johnson. Mark was known for being quite the bad boy and had gotten into plenty of fights over his high school career. He was also known for trying to provoke his opponents in any way they can by getting extremely personal in his insults. He would go deep into their history and it was a miracle that he had not gotten kicked off his team yet. However with Armani he would go way too far.

 

 During the game, Mark would repeatedly check Armani trying to hurt him or provoke him into a fight. Armani would stick to his guns however and not fight at all. It was not until they got a bit tangled up in the corner that Mark would say the thing that finally set Armani off:

 

 "Your mother was a-"

 

 I won't be writing what he said as it is extremely inappropriate. I will just provide context: Armani's mother was an extremely sweet woman who his father loved dearly. However she unfortunately passed away two years after Armani was born and it affected his father deeply. If that was not bad enough, they were right next to Armani's dad and Mark had said it loud enough for him to hear. Armani finally snapped and began laying down heavy blows onto Mark.

 It would take a while for them to be broken up, and Armani was still roaring with rage. Both would get sent to the locker rooms where Armani cried to himself in both anger and despair. The team finally came back with the game being a draw and Armani was able to provide context onto what happened on the ice. The coach said that he would have a chat with the opposing coach and left. Armani's father was eventually allowed to talk to his devastated son when he got back to the car

 

 "You know what he called mom huh?" Armani managed to say

 

 "Yeah but you did what you had to do in the moment son." His father said as he put his hand on his shoulder "Just remember there will be times that you must fight to be a man. I was sorely tempted to get on the ice myself"

 

 "I am glad you didn't." Armani says then sighs "I guess the world is full of goons"

 

 "Indeed son but just try not to be one" A few days later they would get the surprising news that Mark was finally kicked off his team due to his unprofessional behavior. I guess the moral of the story is that sometimes in hockey and in life fighting is necessary as long as you are doing it for the right reasons.

[MetalToday 266]

I liked the throw back to high school and Armani's past and how much discipline he had. I think its interesting how you depicted what would make Armani snap, and his fathers agreeance with what Armani did in response. I think telling more stories on the relationship between the father and mother would make things more emotional, even the loving mother she was. 8/10

[The Domino Archives 334]

I really enjoyed when the plot of this short story made me say "damn" when we found out about Armani's mom. I absolutely love this type of story. Hockey with fights, emotion, and everything you put in this. I would ahsolutely LOVE if you made more stories like this one. Armani's career (not in VHL) is amazing. 10/10!

Edited September 29, 2021 by Domino

[Phil 5,129]

Review:

Great spot that highlights a unique part about a player's past. It was well written and a gripping story. I would say that the presentation could be a little better - just add a title, and a picture or splash of colour and then you'd be good to go. Well done @WildfireMicro!