~Pucker face~ Charlie Conway

Chapter Twelve: Backasswards

Charlie's POV

As the rink cleared, I was the last one to be on the bench. It just couldn't be. We had won, but I had completely lost the game, and was currently losing my mind over it. Adam noticed that I wasn't coming behind him to go to the locker room, so he turned and came back. Shaking his head, he gave me a disapproving look.

"Seriously man, what's up with you?" He asked, punching me lightly in the shoulder.

"C'mon you know what's up. I literally got my nose broken. And for what? That snotty chick to take my win from me?" I responded seriously.

"You're still hung up on her not being good enough? Look Charlie, I get it. In the beginning I was nervous about the whole 'taking someone completely new' thing. I was on your side, I really was. But now, she has made it clear that she's capable of helping us keep a streak. It's over. You keep pushing the idea that what Sloane's doing is wrong, but as far as I can see, she's not doing anything. Plus you put so much energy into hating her that lately, most of the team can't stand being around you. I hate to break it to ya, but this is just pathetic."

"Really Adam? You're taking her side?" I started in an impulse of anger.

"There are no sides! There's only sides when you have a real opponent. We are on a goddamn team. It's cheesy, but sportsmanship exists. Now, I'm tired of this. She made that final goal with thirty seconds left in a flawless shot. I bet you can too. Today just wasn't your day....obviously. But it was hers. Now quit whining. We're champs, start acting like it."

Adam didn't let me squeeze another word in to protest or argue. He was set on the fact that peace among the team was crucial. I just had to sit and think about it. Every time I went over what he said in my head, I wanted to find anything, everything wrong with it. Although, there was nothing. Adam was right, and I, Charlie Conway, was wrong.

Well, well, well. What happens when you're wrong. You have to apologize. What happens during apologies? Confrontation.

This wasn't going to be easy.

Sloane's POV

That night we had partied to the extent that we could. Tons of soda, snacks, good music. It was all good, but tiring. I had forgotten what games were like. You can try to be up for everything after, but it really takes everything out of you.

It all gets weird when you start to feel yourself slipping. I kept zoning out, the music would circulate in my head, in one ear and out the other. I sort of felt like shit because I'd eaten a lot of junk. When I'd heard that they were planning to play seven minutes in heaven, I got out of there.

I still couldn't shake the thought of the bribe I'd witnessed earlier. It was off. But it hurt my head to try and figure out. There was a big piece of this that I was missing. Wasn't sure where I was going to find it, but I figured at some point it would be right in front of me.

That night, I finished things off with heading to the balcony to stargaze. The sky was clear and the moon was full. Very ideal.

Before long, someone else joined me. But it was him. I really didn't want to hear anything about today. Or something I did wrong yesterday. Or ever. It was on and off with him but nothing was ever just good. It was always okay and normal, or bad.

There was a sudden irritation that came along. It was odd, but even though I felt bad that he had been sabotaged, he still was somehow angry that I had won his game. We hated each other with the fire of a thousand suns, yet in the end I found myself bowing down for him. I hated myself for it.

"Hey." He said, sitting down beside me. I turned to get up before he grabbed my wrist, "C'mon. I'm sorry."

I couldn't believe my ears.