LOGAN
"Richards! You need to stop letting number twenty-six toss you around like a floor mop!" Coach points at the junior goalie, "And you need to actually move from your position to stop the pucks, do you understand?!"
I don't know if coach is going to have a heart attack or have his vocal cords burst apart, first. Either way, there's no chance that he is getting out of this room alive.
"Logan!" I straighten my spine, "You have given them two breakaways, you're the team captain for fuck's sake! You delivered a wonderful hit at the start of the period and I expect that kind of moves all throughout the game not just when you decide not to be a pansy at the start!"
The first period is over and a guy from Harvard slammed into me so hard, my jaw is still sore from the impact of the push on my helmet and then on my face. When the buzzer blinked an angry red 3-0, even the boos and groans of the Harvard crowd couldn't diminish the fucking ecstasy of staying ahead. Playing away from home just means the victory is sweeter.
But Coach won't let us remember that.
"You gotta hit it like you mean it kid," Coach dishes out at a D-men at the other corner of the room.
Aaron shuffles over to me, grinning; his grin would look spicier with blood on his teeth but I am the one with a bloody mouth, not him.
"That's some hit," He says, moving my jaw gingerly to the right so he can he the bruised area.
The guy absolutely almost broke my jaw and for now, I can only see a maroon-ish bruise but I am pretty sure it's going to leave a terrible mark.
"I am not dead am I?" I shrug.
"Yeah, I mean who would be the team captain if you died?" Aaron flashes me another one of his sunshine grin that works charmingly with the ladies and the gays.
"That's all the use you have of me?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
"Alright," I snort.
"Alright, boys!" Coach thunders, "Out there and do well for fuck's sake you know you can!"
Coach is a hard man to please and absolutely drives us to the ground every time we are out on the rink, whether it's practicing or playing a match but it's worth it. He gives praise when praise is due and in indirect comments and he's the reason we win so there's that.
As I go over to the rink, I feel a shift in the air, the bated breaths of the Harvard fans. It sets a thrill along my skin, like a blaze of fire. I don't feel the throbbing of the bruise on my jaw or the bone-deep tiredness. There's just me, my hockey stick, and the ice under me.
The third period is intense. Harvard is playing for their lives, desperate to get an edge over us. Nate is on attack mode from the second the buzzer sounded. Sweat drips down my neck and tickles my spine as me, Aaron and Hunter go on the offense.
Which isn't much of an effort considering their defense sucks. The D-men yell at their forwards to score, and at their goalie to stop the score, to make up for all the shots they miss. A senior tangles behind us with one of Harvard's forwards and barely misses breaking his nose, but he passes the puck to Aaron.
Here's the thing; Aaron is lightning fast on the ice, a blur of motion, a fiction of your eyes before he's gone, cruising through the ice like a swan on water. That man was made for the ice. Aaron gives me the signal and I cruise over to him, catching up with him is a herculean task, dear God; and the two of us, backed by Nate go over to the Harvard territory, in a spike of adrenaline rush. The clueless defense won't know what hit them.
Aaron flies the puck in my direction and I am hyper-aware of the cheers of the Meyer crowd and the tickling heartbeats of the Harvard crowd. For a second, there's just me, the puck and deafening crowd in my ears, until I spot Jaden – Harvard's physical hockey bully – sliding towards me, his teeth bared.
I am not stupid, I know keeping the puck will have my ribs crushed so I pass it on to Nate behind me, and Jaden's concentration shifts on him. I take the chance and butt-check him, the unexpected attack sending Jaden on the ground. Nate passes the puck back to me in time and the shot burns through the ice to the net. The clock buzzes the end of the period two seconds later. We beat Harvard.
Even Coach was smiling when we got to the locker room and if you know coach you know that's as rare as spotting a witch on a broomstick. We defeated Harvard, making it our second win of the season, and I know it's too early to say anything, but we're all already floating on a championship bubble.
"Is your jaw manageable?" Aaron asks, coming out of the steaming shower with just a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Eh, I'll live."
"Can't ruin that pretty face if you want to get the winner captain laid," Nate says, filling into the stall Aaron just emptied. This is why you gotta run and take the showers if you want to be clean without hurrying.
"I don't think my pretty face is the criteria for getting laid."
"Definitely is a big one, buddy," Aaron pats my shoulder, going over to his locker.
The moment of victory doesn't last long because as soon as I step out of the locker room, Alexis corners me, her nails digging in my biceps.
"I don't know who the fuck do you think you are, but you need to apologize to Ellie," She says, almost spitting on my face.
"Whoa whoa, someone's mouth is running a bit extra hard today."
"What's this mess about?" Aaron asks, scrolling through his phone, already bored.
"You're the mess, Richards!"
Aaron doesn't even bother replying to Alexis in words, he just rolls his eyes.
"What happened Lex?" I sigh.
"What did you say to Ellie?"
"I? Noth-"
"Don't even bother lying! I can't believe you would make fun of her because her style is girly? Fuck you!"
I wasn't trying to think about it while I was on the ice, but now it all comes rushing back, a deep shade of shame coating my face.
"Listen, I did not mean whatever she thought I did, okay? I made a mistake, and I apologized," I raise my hands in surrender.
"If you didn't mean it, why did you say it, you dumb fuck?" Lex looks baffled by this conversation, "Anyway, she's right there. Go apologize again. Sincerely this time."
She points to the far right where I spot Ellie, surprisingly in a pair of skinny jeans and a red flowy top, the neckline dipping in a heart shape. Her lips colored a shade of red darker than her top and strands of hair cover her face.
Why isn't she wearing one of her pastel skirts or short summery dresses? Is it because of something I said? God, I hope not. A voice in my head says that I am probably not that important to her and I mentally shut up.
But now that she isn't in one of her flowy dresses, I can see her.
I can see her.
Thick thighs that meet at an even thicker pair of hips, and I almost salivate. I look up and it's another pair of clips at the back of her head, this time, a red bow with satin strands flowing down to half the length of her hair.
She looks like a soft dream.
"Isn't that Parker Duncan?" Aaron asks.
I notice the guy is Ellie is talking to and yup, it's Parker Duncan alright. He keeps sheepishly smiling at her and finding excuses to touch her arm and I can't tell from here if that's an actual blush creeping up Ellie's neck or if it's makeup. I don't even realize I am clutching my fists until the nails dig in hard enough to make me wince.
"Is he a friend?" I ask Lex.
He better not be.
As far as I know, Parker Duncan is a sleaze, his only personality trait is his daddy's money. I don't even think he's on a scholarship here, he pays the full thing. For a guy whose only talent is bragging, he definitely likes to think he's better than all of us combined. Considering he fails his classes and is not even a part of any clubs, the guy sure likes to look down on us.
"I don't think so, I have never seen them talking," She replies.
"Thank God, Parker Duncan would bore her to death."
"Oh, and you wouldn't?" Lex asks.
No, I wouldn't.
"Isn't Parker Duncan like the guy, who refuses to sleep in the top of the bunk bed because he thinks he deserves the bottom bed?" Aaron asks, looking up from his phone. Guess this is an interesting conversation for him.
"Parker Duncan told you that?"
"No," Aaron raises his eyebrows, "Parker Duncan told a guy who told a guy who told a guy who told Hunter."
"First of all," Lex interjects, "That's a lot of guys talking about a bunk bed position. Secondly, what is this full name formality with Parker Duncan?"
"You just said his full name-"
"Yes because I want an in too, Golden boy, why are you so dumb?"
"Anyway," I look over at Ellie and Parker Duncan's hand on her arm, "I am going to go apologize as you dear Alexis asked me to."
"Not now, she looks like she is having fun-"
"Too bad, too late," I walk over to her, feeling like I am going to get my balls handed to me.
★-★
Anyway, hope you liked it! What do we think of Parker? wink wink
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okay so yk that day I was busy scrolling though twitter (my user is angstyherondale) and I come across this tweet that says "wattpad writers are so funny when they say 'sorry guys I cant update today I've exams coming up' like idc about your gpa where is my chapter" and this is hilarious because I have exams starting this week and combined with the lab and finals, it'll take two weeks and so updates then is a bit...unsure.