Billy was a star on the ice—fast, skilled, and always in the right place. But off the rink, things were different. Every time he tried to talk to a girl, his confidence melted like ice in the sun. He couldn’t make the right move, couldn’t find the words. His teammates teased him, calling him a "shutout", sometimes on, but mainly off the ice.
One day, after a game, he sat at the bleachers, watching his friends joke around with the girls from school. His crush, Billie, walked over and smiled. "You played well out there," she said.
Billy froze. "Uh, thanks…"
For a moment, he thought about backing away, but then he remembered what his coach always said: "You miss 100% of the chances you don’t take."
With a shaky smile, Billy stood up. "You, uh, wanna grab a coffee sometime?"
To his surprise, Billie grinned. "I'd like that."
For the first time, Billy realized that scoring on the ice wasn’t the hardest part—it was just taking the shot.