Frozen Hearts (MxM)

Chapter Two

Axel

Something's up with Cole.

That much has been obvious for the last twenty four hours. He's been acting weird ever since I got back from practice yesterday morning. Distant and grumpier than usual. I tried to ask him about it last night before my poor excuse for a date, but he shut me down, just like he did this morning. Cole's a closed book when it comes to most people, but he's rarely like that with me. It's driving me crazy.

Sighing, I adjust my grip on my bag as I make my way through the sliding doors of Somerset University's ice arena. I'm hit with a whoosh of crisp air, and I breathe it in, trying to clear my head of anything that's not hockey. I turn to my right and head to the locker room, a smile finding my lips as the sound of raucous hockey players fills my ears. This is part of what I love about the game—the camaraderie and sense of belonging that comes with being part of a team. Being able to goof off with the guys.

I push the door open and am met with a sea of gold. Shit. It looks like half the team's already suited up. I'm rarely this late. I hurry to my stall, throwing my bag in my cubby as I begin to strip off.

"Damn, Halliday. Not setting a very good example." A voice tsks beside me.

I look over to see Kim, one of the starting forwards, grinning back at me.

"Seriously, dude. You're like–" He checks an invisible watch on his wrist. "–almost late. We should revoke your captaincy."

"Fuck off, man." I give him a shove, trying to hide my own grin as I begin putting on my pads.

I guess I can be a bit uptight about hockey sometimes—it's one of the only things I really take seriously in my life—but it means everything to me. I'm hoping to go all the way, so I know I need to put in the effort.

And Kim might joke around, but he's right; I do like to set a good example for our younger teammates, especially now that I'm captain. This is my third year as starting center, but I'm still getting used to being captain. I want to prove that I was the right choice.

I pull my gold and black practice jersey over my head; it's basically the same as the one I wear on game days—with a blazing sun on the front—just without my name or number. I sit down to pull on my skates and take a deep breath. This is the year the Somerset Suns are going to take home the championship. We always make it to the playoffs, we even made it to the Frozen Four last year but got kicked out in the semifinals. It fucking sucked, being closer to the win than Somerset has been in over a decade, only for it to slip from our grasp. But not this year. This year is my last chance to get that trophy, and I'm gonna give it everything I've got.

Once I've finished lacing up my skates, I jump up and give Kim a slap on the shoulder. "Come on, man. Let's go."

We won our first game of the season on Thursday, but Coach doesn't go easy on us. He works us hard, going through passing drills and having us take shots at the net until we're all about ready to pass out, and Miller, our goalie, looks like he's about to puke.

"Alright boys," Coach calls us all in. "Go home and rest up. You've earned a day off, but I expect to see you all here bright and early Monday morning before the game."

Despite being ready to get back to the dorm and have a nap, I have a smile on my face when we get back to the locker room. It feels good to push myself, and I can see the team really starting to come together. We've got a few really promising new guys this year.

Johnson, one of our starting D-men, claps me on the back on his way past. "How's the girlfriend, dude. Didn't you have a date or some shit last night?"

And just like that, my good mood slips away again. Curse me and my big mouth for mentioning that to him the other day. I frown, trying to avoid eye contact.