𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗬 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗬𝗢𝗨 • 𝗔. 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗦

𝑆𝐼𝑋𝑇𝐸𝐸𝑁

[n a r r a t o r]

The team huddled into a circle, their heads hung low, and their shoulders folded down as their coach had only yet to be found within the crowd of audience.

Their shouts being cowered over one another as they all bicker about themselves. Alexis on the other hand stood still. Her skin felt as cold as the ice on the rink, her hands wouldn't stop shaking until the point she could not even hold her stick. The tears that kissed her cheeks stuck themselves against her palpable skin, her breaths pressed against her chest as her heartbeat faltered.

"I'll sit out this game." She says softly to Fulton and Dean who nod slowly. "Hey, team! Hey, team. We're gonna be great today right?" Don Tibbles claps his hands slowly. "Where's Gordon?" His eyes automatically search for the slicked haired man.

"You tell us." Luis shakes his head slowly, obviously disappointed his coach didn't even have the decency to watch them play anymore. "I don't believe this."

"Team U.S.A I'm sorry. But without a coach behind the bench, you'll forfeit the game." The ref taps his watch slowly. The team groans softly. Connie presses her cheek against her boyfriends shoulder. Her eyes hidden within the nape of his neck as Guy rubs her back slowly. Trying his best to comfort the girl in anyway.

"But you can't do that." Adam snaps back. His voice monotone. His head wasn't mentally in the game. As the only thing that occupied him was the thoughts of the girl that sat behind him. Every now and then he'd feel a wave crash against his stomach. Guilt slowly rose within him, overflowing him with the memory of her face. The way her smile flipped into a small frown. How her waterline grew dreary and her shoulder hung lower from her usually straightened posture.

Everything in his body ached, to see her in that state made him feel worse than the pain that had his wrist in a broken state. He hated himself, and he would continuously tell himself that he was undeserving of Alexis, that she would never want a boy like him. His words would beam against the walls of his mind. Mocking and taunting him as they whisper their profound feelings that ate him inside as they chew against his misery, letting it spread throughout him until he choked.

—"we have one." Charlie nudged passed a very dazed Adam. "Miss Mackay!" The women turned on the sole of her foot as she looked at the team with a smile. "Hey Charlie, what up?"

"You have to be pretend you're a coach or we forfeit the game." Charlie explains, his tone hanging on to the list but of hope. "Where's coach Bombay?"

—"pretend or we're out of the tournament." Charlie says once more. "But I don't know anything about coaching." She defends. She says it as if it wasn't already obvious to the hopeless boy in front of her, begging that Gordon would come waltzing through the door in any moment.

"Here she is, our coach. Coach Mackay." He points the woman who stood behind the boards. "What are you watin' for, ice to freeze? Let's play!" Her voice groggy as she stood on the platform.

"Face-off at centre ice Germany wins the draw. Comes across the USA blue line. Germany the right wing side." Germany tries many attempts, but only to be blocked by Goldberg who couldn't help but smirk at his new grown talent.

Alexis sat their picking at the dead skin on her lip, her teeth sink into the bottom flesh as her nails scratch as the material of her jersey. "You okay?" Adam leans in forward. His shoulder lightly brushing against her own. "I'm fine." The Stansson girl replies curtly as she shoves her body further away from him. Adam knew what was to be expected, but he couldn't help but think there was some type of hope that could some how salvage his lost caused situations-ship.

"Oh! We look tired. We need to, uh... trade places." The players on the bench looked at her like she had said something in an entirely different language. It was almost uncomfortable to be ordered by a non hockey fan. "What?" Charlie replies, his eyebrows scrunched together. "New players." Ms Mackay gushes.

"Oh say, 'change it up.'"

"Change it up." The woman says simply. "Scream it!" Charlie urges at the teacher. "Change it up!" She uses the sound from the back of her throat as she pushes it out with much needed force.

And in an instant everyone did as they were told moving faster than how they skated on the rink. "Cool." Ms Mackay chuckles at her students.

Gordon swiftly walks from behind the stands. His whistle echoing far beyond just the crowd as the obnoxious quacking sound rings in their ears. They didn't want to listen but the sound was so familiar it was almost like a reflex to look at the substance it was coming from.

"Look who finally shows up." Fulton rolls his eyes to the right of his head, refusing to look at Gordon. "Just ignore him. Come on Averman take the face-off." Jesse gently hits his friend as they start to spread out. "All right." Averman says, his tone just below a whisper. Alexis stands between Dean and Julie as they all watch their Coach embarrass himself in front of the audience.

Everyone didn't want him here but that didn't mean they didn't need him here. Even though his presence is the last thing they want it's the thing that they need to win, and oh boy do they want to win. "What do we got to loose?" Guy looks out to the man as he continues to blow through the whistle.

"Respect. He'll dump us the minute it's all over." Fulton cuts in. "Come on in! Let's go, come one." He waves his hands towards him. The whistle placed back inside his pocket as he tucks the string into the fabric.

"Thanks." Gordon mutters as he pressed a kiss on Ms Mackay' cheek. Her face tinted in red as she shrugs her shoulders in an innocent fashion.

Adam and Alexis immediately find one another's eyes, watching as the other would carve and trace the others figure. Alexis' gaze would fall onto his stern features and the slight pout of his bottom lip as he took off his helmet. Adam watched how her hair loosened when she skated beside him. Her brunette strands flew from her scalp as the fly aways tickled the side of her face.

"Team. Guys. I was wrong. And I'm sorry, I forgot about the team. And the team is all I have. all I want is another chance. Just one more shot I'm back. Okay? Believe me."

"I really want to say piss of but I also don't." Alexis admits to Connie, her arms folded against her chest as she ponders on whether to let the man off the hook or not.

"Your weird." Connie shakes her head playfully as she looks beside her. "I'm not weird."

"I'm just smart."

A/N:
Another short chapter, I just don't have the energy at the moment. But imma say it again. I'll probably just come back and finish this off properly... maybe. But for now this is okay.

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