In which Y/n finally slows down, taking a night with Jack O'Callahan after her gold medal victory.
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A Little Past Bedtime
A gold medal. A real gold medal. She'd just won a completely real gold medal. What felt like thousands of people saw it and were cheering her on. Most important out of all of them was her father and a certain player on his hockey team. The team may have been watching from their dorm, but her father was in the crowd. And that meant a lot to her.
Jack O'Callahan was a pain the second she met him. His constant teasing was a bother. He always seemed to have an opinion and he was always ready to share it, even if he didn't need to. It drove her crazy. Plus, he seemed to have an affinity for knowing just what to say to get on her nerves. To touch on the thing she was insecure about that day.
Until one day, she experienced the worst pain of her life - thinking she had been cut from the team. Jack was the first one there to make sure she was okay. He was the one to stay the longest. He held her tight and let her soak his shirt in tears, her head buried in his broad shoulder. And he stayed all night long. He wrapped her in his arms and she found him still asleep when she woke up the next morning. It was then she realized, staring at his peaceful sleeping face, that Jack O'Callahan wasn't all that bad. He was just a boy in love who had no idea how to show it.
She found as she went on that she clung to him for support. And he was happy to provide it. He was her main source of encouragement as she fought for her spot on the team. No matter how difficult things got, he was there to encourage her to continue on. She wouldn't be here - standing proud, grinning wide, gold medal glistening - if it wasn't for him. And he boasted the same about her.
Thus, after taking millions of pictures and talking to millions of people, she was home free. On top of the world with the weight of the world off her shoulders and gold around her neck. Her leg bounced all through dinner. They went out to the best restaurant in New York. It already had great service, but something about the bling around her neck got people to their table faster. She accepted the compliments and thanks she was given with the upmost grace. Despite that she was in a big rush, excited to share her win with her biggest supporter, she gave off a calm demeanor. She wanted to tell Jack she was going to be there soon, knowing he was just as antsy as she was, but she had no way. So she could only hope he didn't drive the other boys insane as he impatiently awaited her arrival.
Her leg continued to bounce on the way to the boys dorms. Her father knew the boys were her second family - and guessed there was someone special she wanted to see - and he was happy to let them celebrate with her. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity after all. She was jumping out of the car before her father brought it to a complete stop, running up the sidewalk into the boys dorm. She yelled her thanks to him over her shoulder, half expecting him to drive away, but she didn't dwell on that. She threw the door open, her grin widening as the hustle and bustle of the room went silent.
