Page 24 of Pucking Only
“She did,” I reply. “I’m waiting for Zander.”
Carson’s eyes flash and his jaw tightens for a moment before he visibly relaxes and says in a cool, even voice, “Ah, I see. Well, I won’t bug you while you wait for your date.”
I frown. “Oh my God, are you really doing this again?”
“Doing what?” he replies with a scowl.
Seriously? Does he not realize the old bullshit he’s pulling? This is just like when Chris Murphy wanted to askme out in the tenth grade and Carson threatened to beat him with his hockey stick if Chris didn’t stay away from me.
“Chasing off any boy interested in me?” I snap. “Seriously, is this still high school? You let Grace and Jensen date, so why can’t you just leave me alone?”
“I just said I wouldn’t bug you,” he growls. “And I didn’t let Grace and Jensen do shit! They snuck around behind my back like a couple of horny teenagers!”
That makes me roll my eyes. “Please, this is classic Carson. Pretend not to be bothered while making snide remarks and then going full Hulk and rampaging.”
He looks horrified and sputters, “You’re being ridiculous! I’m not going to argue with you about something so stupid. I’m heading home.”
His cheeks turn bright red and he hurries past me, grumbling something under his breath. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he looked…embarrassed. That can’t be right, though. Carson doesn’t embarrass easily. It’s actually super annoying. Still, why would he be embarrassed by me?
What is his problem? Why does he have to be such an asshole all the time?
And if he has to be such an asshole, why does he have to be such an attractive one? God, stop looking at his ass as he walks away!
“Hey, Sky! Sorry for keeping you waiting.”
Startled, I turn and spot Zander hurrying toward me with a big grin on his face. He’s got on a long sleeve shirt and basketball shorts. His powerful legs are on display. His hair is also damp and his shirt hugs every defined muscle in his arms and torso. I feel a flutter in my stomach at the sight of him, but nothing more. Ignoring the fact that my reaction to see him isn’t as strong as my reaction to seeing Carson, I quickly put a smile on my face to greet him.
“No worries,” I say. “You ready?”
He nods. “How many notes did you take today?”
I let out a small chuckle as I hold up my laptop. “Oh, just a page or two…or ten. I also have a bunch of new scripts worked out for gaming mechanics that I can show you on my laptop if you’re interested?”
He laughs. “Absolutely! Well then, let’s get going. Don’t want to be at this all night.”
Slipping his massive arm around my shoulders, he leads me out of the stadium and into the parking lot. Soaking in his heat and the strength of his big body, I force all thoughts of Carson and his bad attitude out of my head.
Billy’s Diner is quiet, save for a handful of other patrons and the jukebox playing softly on the far wall. Tucked away in our corner booth together, Zander and I are basically alone. It is perfect for us to go over all the questions I have for him.
“Can we go over the power play strategy again?” I ask between bites of the french fries we’re sharing. “I am not sure how to translate the right movement physics with the game mechanics”
“Sure thing,” Zander replies. “What’s tripping you up?”
I turn my laptop toward him and show him a diagram of the play I’ve drawn. “Well, I get that it’s all about positioning and puck movement, but when I try to map it out, it just doesn’t feel right. Like, how do you balance the need for quick passes with maintaining control of the puck?”
Zander leans forward and taps his finger on the laptop’s screen. “Think of it like this: when you’re on the power play,you have an extra player, so it’s about exploiting that advantage. You want to keep the defense on their toes by moving the puck quickly, but you also need to create openings. Think about how hockey is a game of keep away until the player strikes. That model should work. Maybe even incorporate some AI that adjusts based on the player’s decisions.”
I quickly type his suggestions into my laptop. “Got it. And what about when the puck gets into the corners? How do players typically position themselves to retrieve it?”
“Corners are a whole different beast. You’ve got to have a forward battling for the puck while the other players set up for a quick transition. It’s a lot about anticipating where the puck is going and positioning yourself to support your teammates.”
I sit back and think about that a moment before slowly saying, “So, it’s almost like a dance — everyone needs to know their role and timing, or it falls apart?”
“That’s a good way of thinking about it,” Zander replies, snatching a fry from the plate. “And the same goes for how you code it. You want the AI to mimic that awareness and reaction. Players should make split-second decisions based on their position, the puck’s location, and the opposing team’s movements.”
As he speaks, my fingers fly across the keyboard and I start to lose myself in my work as I type out code based on everything Zander is telling me.
“Okay, so if I adjust the player speed here… and then tweak the AI’s defense algorithm…” I murmur. “That should make the gameplay more realistic.”