Shutout | Complete

Chapter 1

I glanced over towards the double doors that would lead us into the rink. An explosive mural erupted from the navy blue entrance. The head and wings of a falcon flying out in every direction. My fingers landed on the warm metal of my bracelet. The dainty gold chain hadn't left my wrist since I bought it the summer I came home from my freshman year of college. It served as a reminder of my self-worth–that I could buy myself all the luxuries of life without the false adoration of a man. But more often than not, I found myself fidgeting with it when I needed comfort.

It had been a long time since I allowed myself to spectate a college hockey game. Or any hockey game for that matter. Up until freshman year, hockey was a pretty large part of my life. It was the only thing on TV when I went to visit my father on the weekends. We bonded over it and for the first couple of years after he and my mom separated. In many ways it was the single thing that kept us together. My dad wasn't one to openly talk about his emotions or remind me how much he missed me, so when he invited me out to watch a game, I knew that was his way of showing it.

That love I had for the sport followed me into my teenage years. I spent a good amount of my time at the old arena back home. A couple of friends and I would wander over there after school to hang out and exercise our independence for a little while longer before having to go home. Who would have thought that my love for the sport would be the very reason why I could no longer stomach it.

"Are you sure we have enough popcorn?" Olivia asked as she sauntered over from the concession stand. If there was one good thing about hockey arenas, it was their snack selection. Her waist length black hair was tucked beneath her Fenton baseball cap. "Maybe we should have opted for two bags."

The bag in question was almost the length of her torso, the mound of buttery goodness stopping just below her chin. If I didn't know my petite best friend well enough, I would have questioned her ability to eat her way through that amount of popcorn. However, anyone who knew Olivia was well aware that she could eat her weight in tapas and still go searching through the kitchen cabinets.

"If we run out, I'll pop out and buy the next round," I promised, fiddling with the blanket that was draped over my hands.

Olivia peered up at me with dark eyes, long lashes coated in the perfect amount of mascara. "I'll hold you to it. Are we ready to head in?" Without waiting for a reply, she spun on her heel and gestured towards the doors of Rink B.

I shadowed her, my focus on the wall of glass that allowed spectators to watch from the hall without having to withstand the chill of the rink. Being that it was the middle of winter, I thought more people would have opted for the warmth of the outer part of the arena. The stands were already packed, despite there being twenty more minutes until game time. A sea of black, white, and navy blue jerseys lined the perimeter. Only a speckling of lonely white and red jerseys were visible. From what I remembered, that was typically how home games went, especially since many of the visiting teams were from out of state. It takes a lot of commitment to follow along with the team and go on the road. Commitment that is sometimes not reciprocated.

I was admiring the gleam of the ice when a heavy force bumped into my shoulder. The impact caused me to stumble for a moment. The blanket I was holding plummeted to the floor.

"Sorry," I said, checking over my shoulder. The guy who rammed through me as if I was fucking invisible didn't even bother checking back to see if I was alright. Irritation prickled at my skin as I picked the cotton sheet off of the floor.

Jerk.

"Ella!" Olivia called, her body propping open the rink door. "Hurry your perky tits up."

Asshole forgotten, I huffed out a laugh. You would think she was the one playing for how eager she was to get in there. I scampered over. The chill of the rink pinched at my face the moment I reached her.