╮cake-eater╰
"so," sloane started, reaching behind her to tighten her shoulder pads, "if banks shows up where do you think he'll play?"
"forward probably," guy answered while pulling his jersey over his head.
"so you, me, or jesse will be sitting the bench. nice," she said and reached around charlie with her hand raised for a high-five.
"you and jesse both can fall back into playing defensive positions though," guy said as he pushed her raised hand.
"and you can move between forward and wings," she replied with a small nod.
"true," guy replied and tipped his head to the left.
"sorry, charlie, but it looks like your hockey career is coming to a screeching halt if adam decides to show his face today," she said and sympathetically placed a hand on his shoulder as she attempted to not laugh.
"shut up, no it's not," charlie said, slight panic rising in his voice as he swatted her hand away. he flushed red as guy and sloane snickered at him and sharply crossed his arms across his chest.
sloane glanced over as fulton sat on the short stool beside her to pull on his skates. she crossed her ankles and began to twist her two braids, spinning them into a small bun at the nape of her neck. she let her eyes slowly cross the locker room, smiling softly as she watched her teammates interact while wrapping a hair tie around the small bun.
her smile slowly fell as the locker room door opened and adam banks entered with his hockey stick in his left hand and his bag on his right shoulder. the locker room fell silent as adam stopped in front of the team and everyone turned to look at him. sloane briefly watched fulton rise to his feet and offered adam a small smile when she moved her attention back to him. her eyes flitted to the door as bombay quickly pushed it open and entered the locker room.
"hey, wasn't sure if you'd show up," bombay told adam as he stopped beside him to pat his shoulder.
"yeah, whatever. i just want to play hockey," adam quietly answered, shifting uncomfortably.
"good," bombay said and turned his attention to his team as he placed his hand on adam's shoulder blade. "ducks, you all know adam banks," he introduced, gently pushing him toward the team.
"on behalf of the ducks, i'd like to say welcome," charlie said and walked toward adam. jesse rose from his seat and placed his hand on charlie's chest to stop him.
"cake-eater," jesse sneered, narrowing his eyes into a glare.
"ooh, the jess-man, dissin' the new guy. the jester," averman commentated.
"shut up, averman!" jesse snapped, flexing his hands at his sides.
"it was just a joke," averman commented, glancing at his nearby teammates as jesse slowly stepped toward adam.
"putting on a ducks jersey doesn't mean you're a real duck," jesse said and forced his way between adam and bombay to leave the locker room. sloane crossed her ankles and quickly licked at her lips as the rest of the team followed. she sighed softly and followed charlie, attempting to slip between bombay and the row of lockers behind him. he grabbed her elbow gently and sent her a pleasing look. he tilted his head toward adam with a pleading expression that melted into relief when she subtly nodded.
"they're a good group once you get to know 'em," bombay said as the locker room door swung shut.
"i'll bet," adam said, averting his eyes.
"well, suit up. i'll see you on the ice," bombay said and left the locker room.
"sloane anderson," she introduced, briefly motioning to herself as she pulled his jersey off the hanger to toss at him.
"i'm gonna be your new best friend. if you need anything or you're being bullied or something, come to me. people only mess with me once. plus, i think most of the team's kinda scared of me. i'll see you on the ice," she explained and placed her hands on her hips. she stared at him for a moment, shifting as the awkwardness built, before dropping her hands and leaving the locker room.
✩
"mine!" charlie called as adam carried the puck around the goalpost. sloane crossed her arms and chewed the inside of her bottom lip as the puck slid across the ice toward charlie.
"on your left!" peter yelled, causing charlie to pass him the puck. sloane let her teeth chatter nervously as one of the huskies dove by charlie's stick just after he passed it.
"right here! i'm open!" adam said and tapped his stick against the ice as he watched the puck glide across the ice. "come on, right here! upfront!"
"they need to pass it," sloane quietly commented as she lifted her thumb to her lips.
"um, they are passing it, sloane," averman said, leaning toward her.
"to adam, averman. they need to pass the puck to adam," she deadpanned while staring blankly at the boy.
"upfront!" adam called as he moved away from the husky guarding him.
"pass it to banks!" bombay yelled with his hands cupped over his mouth to amplify his voice.
"come on! do something with it," adam yelled after watching charlie circle the puck around his stick as a husky player came around him. charlie passed the puck forward to adam who spun around the husky guarding him and made his shot.
"yeah, all right!" adam yelled as he skated toward charlie, guy, and connie.
"all right, score another one for the ducks!" connie cheered as they huddled around adam. sloane briefly stopped cheering when she noticed jesse pouting on the outskirts of the huddle before they skated toward the box.
"he's not gonna take your spot, you know," sloane told jesse as she stepped outside of the box to talk to him. "you're not any less good at hockey just because adam's good at it too. besides, we both know you play to good to sit the bench," she said, raising both hands to high-five her teammates as they slowed at the box to step into it. "so get the stick out of your ass and make a friend."
✩
sloane stared at the tied score flashing on the scoreboard as she listened to her teammates chatter around her. she rubbed her lips together as she dropped her gaze to her teammates and slowly became engaged in the conversation. she pitched in the conversations and cut her eyes at bombay as he approached the outside of the box.
"goldberg," bombay started and looked down at the goalie, "you're going to sit this one out."
"what?" karp asked as sloane narrowed her eyes at bombay. "you're pulling the goalie when we're tied?"
"listen! listen! listen! a tie isn't going to help us," bombay loudly stated over the overlapping yelling of the team.
"we pulling the statue of liberty play?" fulton asked.
"yeah," connie agreed quietly.
"no," bombay replied. "take your shot. you may only get one, so it's gotta be good."
"but, coach, one outta one," fulton answered nervously.
"soft hands, fulton," guy said, "concentration, not strength."
"that's right!" bombay said. "okay, let's get the huskies!"
the team cheered in agreement as everyone took their position. sloane slid in line between adam and charlie and readied for the play to start. the referee dropped the puck and adam quickly passed it back to fulton. sloane exclaimed softly as one of the huskies players caught her arm and spun her around as he skated toward fulton. she regained her balance and chased after him, almost catching up to him as he dove at the puck.
she dove at his legs after he stood back up, successfully knocking him back to the ice. she extended her stick hand toward the loose puck and let her body spin as she continued sliding across the ice. she passed it back to fulton before the husky could get to his feet and retrieve the puck a second time. she scrambled to her feet as the huskies player did and watched fulton take his shot as she slid between the two boys. she inhaled sharply as the puck tore through the netting of the goal. the loud score buzzer snapped her out of her daze and she cheered loudly.
"we won!" sloane said and hurriedly skated toward fulton. she tossed her helmet and stick toward the box as she wrapped her arms around his neck. they stumbled as the rest of the players on the ice huddled around him. fulton wrapped an arm around sloane's waist and cheered as he raised the other in the air, flushing red when she pressed a kiss to his cheek.
✩
"we're going to the playoffs!" sloane said, jogging to her father with her arms wide after exiting the locker room. she paused briefly to let her hockey bag slide down her arm and hit the floor with a quiet thud.
"you're going to the playoffs!" clint said as he caught her around the waist to spin her once. "are you excited?" he asked, letting his daughter's feet touch the ground as her excitement slowly became milder.
"mhm," she hummed and relaxed completely as clint held her up by her armpits while drumming his fingers against her back. "can we go get some ice cream?" she whispered as her eyes widened hopefully.
"yeah," he whispered back and fought a smile. "go invite your friends," he said, lifting her to her feet and wiggling his eyebrows as he nudged her toward charlie, connie, guy, and fulton.
✩
"man, this is cool," goldberg said as bombay led the team toward the open doors of the north stars rink.
"you guys, look! it's the north stars!" connie said when the practicing team came into view.
"wait a second, that's mike modano!" jesse said as they stopped at the open rink doors.
"this is too cool," connie said.
"i can't believe this!" jesse said, staring at the team in awe.
"unbelievable!" peter added.
"this place is humongous," connie said in disbelief while she and sloane examined the arena.
"totally cool," sloane said as a small broke across her face.
"what are we doin' here?" charlie asked bombay, lifting himself onto his tiptoes to lean closer.
"it's a little playoffs present," bombay answered as the north stars began to exit the ice. sloane's mouth parted in star-struck amazement as she and her teammates were acknowledged by the professional team.
"hey, gordo. gordon bombay right?" mike madono asked as he and basil mccrae stopped in front of the coach.
"you remember me?" bombay asked as he took mike's outstretched hand to shake.
"sure, from peewees," mike said and smiled as he turned to basil. "this guy used to rule peewees."
"oh, yeah?" basil asked and turned to bombay with his eyebrows furrowed. "i heard you became a farmer."
"actually, i became a lawyer. but i'm coachin' peewee now, and this is my team, the ducks. ducks, this is basil mccrae and mike modano," bombay introduced. "alright, alright," he said after receiving sarcastic replies from his team.
"hey ducks, listen to this guy. he knows what he's talkin' about," mike instructed before turning his attention to bombay. "if you ever want a shot, let me know. i'll get you a tryout in the minor league clubs."
"thanks," bombay said and shook his hand.
"no problem. hey, nice seeing you," mike answered, lifting his chin as he walked away with basil.
"all right, let's have some fun!" bombay said and ushered the team out on the ice. he quickly did a double take when sloane paused beside him and stared with a small smile as the rest of the team rushed onto the ice.
"you're cooler than i thought," she said and stepped on the ice to skate away.
✩
sloane smiled at connie and guy as she slowly drifted toward them, nudging guy's arm as they skated toward lewis. she smiled as they, charlie, and peter grabbed lewis and the rolling chair he sat in and began to push it across the ice. she grabbed at charlie's arm when she stumbled and laughed loudly along with him as the rest of the team joined them.
✩
sloane smoothly moved around charlie as they skated toward the goalpost. she moved onto her edges, gently pressed her brakes, and leaned to her left as she closed in on the boards as she and her teammates rounded the goalpost. she sped up as they emerged from the other side and extended her arms out while diving across the ice. she exclaimed quietly as fulton slid past her, narrowly avoiding colliding with her. she laughed and rolled onto her side as they stopped near the boards.
✩
sloane fought to keep her face straight as she and charlie goofily skated down the ice with their hockey sticks. she straightened and let momentum carry her forward as she and charlie stopped. she jumped, startled as guy emerged from behind her and grabbed her arm. she pushed him gently and spun away as peter skated toward her with a smirk.
sloane grabbed fulton's arm and ducked behind him as peter continued after her. she placed her hands on his waist and spun him in a small circle as peter tried to reach her. she shouted as guy grabbed at her arm again and she yanked her arm away to skate off, laughing softly as guy chased after her.
✩
sloane skated side-by-side with tammy, preparing to pull off a trick. they both skated in a wide arch to the right before lifting their right leg and turning multiple times, lowering their arms as they went. as they stopped, sloane lifted a gloved hand for a high-five. she smiled while her friends cheered and chapped. she pushed the baby hairs that framed her face back while breathing heavily and skated toward fulton. she high-fived him, connie, guy, and charlie as she swayed somewhat dizzily.
"knew i was good at something," she said, placing her elbow on fulton's shoulder as she leaned into him.
✩
"hey, that's us!" sloane said, turning around in her seat to slap at guy's legs as her team and coach's name flashed across the jumbotron. guy cupped his hands over his mouth to cheer loudly as connie excitedly shook her head from side to side. she turned back around and cupped her own hands around her mouth as adam did the same, both cheering loudly.
✩
sloane turned at her waist to talk to guy and connie but paused when guy reached over to lace his fingers with hers. she turned back around with a wide grin settling on her face. she looked over at fulton, her grin widening at his questioning expression. she swiftly grabbed his bandanna from his head with her left hand and smiled as his hair fell in front of his face. she tucked it to her side as he reached around her with both hands to retrieve it.
"c'mon, cat, give it back," he said, laughing softly as she continued to maneuver it away from him. he quickly pressed a short kiss to her lips and grabbed the bandanna while she was distracted.
"no fair," she complained, tapping his arm as he ran his hand through his hair before placing his bandanna on his head.
"all is fair in love and hockey, cat," fulton said, grinning at her as he leaned back in his seat. he dropped his arm across her shoulder and smiled when she leaned into his side
✩
sloane glanced at adam as he stared at the isles for a long moment. she followed his gaze and her expression turned serious when she spotted larson and mcgill in the row across from them, shooting finger guns at adam. she looked at adam and shifted as he placed his fist to his cheek and pulled at his jacket to hide his face.
"don't be embarrassed. you're a duck now," she said, gently pushing his arm away.
"yeah," adam said and he shifted in his seat.
"i can beat 'em up in the parking lot," she said and smiled softly. "if they're mean to you because you were made to follow league rules, they were never really your friends in the first place, adam," she added, her smile fading rapidly.
"who're my friends if they aren't though?" adam quietly asked, briefly making eye contact before dropping his gaze to his lap.
"us," she said and crossed her legs as adam raised his gaze in surprise. "i'll be your friend," she said while lifting her pinky finger. she smiled at adam as he hooked his finger with hers and smiled.
✩
"i got you a t-shirt, dad," sloane said, holding up the bag as she and fulton stepped into her apartment.
"a t-shirt?" clint excitedly gasped as he emerged from the kitchen and stopped just outside the threshold. she tossed the bag to him as she passed him on the way to the kitchen. she opened the fridge, pulled out two canned coke's, and handed one to fulton. "hey, fulton, i've got the vikings game recorded if you want to come watch it with me," he said, turning towards the couple while motioning toward the living room.
"ohh, a football game," fulton said and slowly began walking into the living room with his drink lifted to his mouth.
"we've been here all of five seconds and you're already stealing my boyfriend?" sloane deadpanned, leaning her shoulder against the fridge with her eyebrow raised. fulton paused and pivoted to look at her with his eyebrows raised and his drink still at his lips, briefly making eye contact with clint before turning back to sloane.
"you can watch the game with us," clint slowly said as an apologetic smile spread across his face. "even though you don't like football," he added, regret immediately flashing across his face.
"no, have fun," sloane said and walked toward fulton to gently press her hands to his jaw. "have a grand ole, really fun time," she added, patting her dad's arm as she passed. "i'll just hang out with mom but you owe me. both of you," she said and walked toward her parent's bedroom while pointing at fulton and clint.