𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗬 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗬𝗢𝗨 • 𝗔. 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗦

𝑇𝑊𝐸𝑁𝑇𝑌

[ n a r r a t o r]

"I like you too," it felt so natural for Alexis. The way it would slip between her teeth as it slides along her tongue like honey, smooth and swift. Adam felt his heart clench, his bones weakening as her smile beams in the most perfect of ways.

He had said it. And she said it back.

It almost felt like a dream, a dream that seemed to stir the two in those restless nights as their thoughts wouldn't go to rest yet the only thing that soothes them was the thoughts of only each other.

"Come on lovebirds keep on moving." Jesse grunted as he passed the two. He would admit he had liked Alexis at one point, I mean who couldn't. It was almost physically impossible with a smile like that and that obnoxiously attractive laugh. But when he saw the way Adam looked at her, with such desire and need. It was like he wouldn't be able to breath without her here. She was like oxygen to Adam. To Jesse Alexis was a crush. So he eased his way out of her grip. Watching as Adam eased his around her, and she had hers around him.

"Hey Jess." Alexis nudges him playfully. The brunette completely clueless to her harmless actions. "Hey, hypno." Jesse shakes his head slowly with a small laugh escaping his lips as the three start racing across the rink. Their knees crying for mercy yet their ears blocking them.

"Hey, Banks."

"Hey, Stansson."

———

The team started to scamper out of their jerseys and into the comfort of the oddly soothing fabrics of their own clothes.

Alexis sat against her locker. Her feet tapping a quite beat against the carpet as she hums along to it. Her jeans loose along her thighs until it tightens along her waist. Her red sweater complementing the light features along her glowing face.

"Come on Banks," Dean shouts from the showers as his voice echos throughout the concrete walls of the locker rooms.

"Comin' I'll be right there." Adam would never admit it. But the pain that grew along the veins of his finger tips spread into a never ending pain along his wrist and up his forearm. Every inch that covered his skin felt numb in the worst of ways. It was as if someone was taking the tip of an iron knife and slowly dragging it along his arm, then going right back down to press itself further into the skin until the tissue stifled out of his flesh.

"You alright Adam?" Alexis kneels down to face the blonde boy. His hand struggling to open as he stretches his fingers out. The brunette leans in further to touch his wrist lightly, her fingers lightly skimming the bruised.

Her hand held his delicately as she investigated it further. Her eyes trained on his wrist as she had asked him to try opening and closing it, only to see that his wrist was weakened, and was weakening as he forces himself to use it. Pushing through the pain. Putting it last as always.

"I told you to rest it." Her voice wasn't cold, nor welcoming. It was concern. She had known that he had been hiding it. Wanting to deny the lie as she erased it from her blank mind.

She takes the tape into her hands, wrapping it along his wrist slowly. Careful not to touch the certain spots as he asked. He touch soft along his as it collided along. The warmth radiating off one another as both near. Their faces just as the tip—

—"Now just think how good you'd play with two good wrists." The two Juno back. The space widening as Alexis takes a seat onto one of the open stools. Her feet shift underneath the wooden bar.

"Coach. It's just a little sore. I'm okay." He was hopeful, even when in the least likely. Trying to tell himself he can be better and Coach would understand that. But he couldn't overlook anything. "I should've spotted this sooner. Sorry, man I wasn't doing my job." Gordon says sincerely.

"Coach, I'm fine. I can play, I swear." Adam stand hesitant on his feet. His hand twisting as he rubs it against the linen of his polo. "Okay... here let's find out." Coach hands Adam the stick. The rubber end meet with his elbow as he urges it in front of him, interested in his dignity to keep moving.

"Okay."

—"your other hand." Gordon replies with a slight chuckle between his words. "Now rotate." He didn't dare move, or he couldn't move. It was like his hand was glued to the stick, unable to waver or make any sudden movements before it explodes.

"I have to bench you." Alexis stand beside Coach. "You go on Alexis, I need to have a talk with Banks here."

Alexis pressed a light kiss on Adams cheeks as she departs. Her heart caged in her longs as both slowly encage.

"No! You can't do that." Adam replies with a click of his tongue. "Adam, you could injure yourself permanently."

—"you can't bench me." He argues. His voice turning hopeless and his eyes turning into somewhat of plead. "I gotta play. All the scouts are here watching me. This is my shot."

"You're young and you're gonna have plenty of shots, believe me." Adam twisted his expression. His immediate reflex was turning to Alexis only to find that this wasn't in its rifle place.

"But my dad counting on me."

"I'm sorry." Adam takes a moment, breathing in the facts like salt water that freshly runs down his mouth.

— — —

Adam sat beside Alexis. This feeling he felt was slowly devouring each and every ounce of energy and draining it from his body. Every pigment of colour that shone on his face fades from his cheekbones as it washes from his skin.

It felt like every spark that flew through his vessels started to crumble from his being. Everything started to drop and every emotion that climaxed was lowered, every thing was still. Everything was all the same. He hated it. He hated looking at the people in front of him and only seeing grey and only seeing a varies of things and each one of them the exact same.

He didn't like it, he wanted some thing indifferent. Everything was happening all at once it felt like he was in a void. Falling and falling trying to grab onto the last bit of humanity and dignity that used to overflow throughout him.

But he just kept falling and falling.

The thing that scared him more was that,

He enjoyed it.