𝑯𝒆𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝑫𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒉 | ᴹᴰᴳᶜ

TRACK TWENTY-FOUR: Mr Brightside

Today, we had to take team pictures. I didn't want to since that meant I'd have to face what happened yesterday. All of the posters were cleaned up and thrown away, but they still haunted my brain. Sofi encouraged me to go and Maya backed her up.

I had my back against the wall outside the dorm, afraid to face all of EPIC. I told them to go on without me and I'd catch up. I had my hood up and was looking at the ground. I kept trying to take deep breaths and work up the courage to go, but I couldn't.

I heard Jace's door open and saw him step out of it from the corner of my eye. He walked over to me and pulled me into another hug. "It's gonna be alright, Lilah. They're gone." He told me. The two players left without apologizing since I couldn't bring myself to face them. Alex told Maya to tell me we could file a hate crime charge, but I said no as I also couldn't stand the idea of them being in my life any longer than needed.

I dropped my head in the crook of his neck and cried before clinging onto him once more. "It's gonna be okay." He reassured again as he rubbed my back.

🏒

We went outside to take team photos. Dominate was taking pictures before us and I noticed AJ and Evan giving me looks of sympathy. I crossed my arms and hid behind Jace until it was our turn.

"Where's our captain?" The photographer asked. "Captain needs to go in the center!"

"He's right here!" I said, attempting to put on a smile and cover up my sorrow. Jace grabbed the hockey stick and the photographer began snapping pictures. Jace was pretending the stick was a microphone stand and acted as if he were singing. I let out a soft laugh before I rested my right arm on his shoulder and did the rock and roll symbol with my left hand.

"Alright ducks, I'd ask if you wanted to do a fun one, but I'm afraid of what that might look like!" The photographer said as Jace handed him back the stick. We walked away and Jace grabbed the bottom of my right sleeve, pulling me back.

"Even though we're at a summer camp and we can't really leave campus. I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date Friday when we're supposed to be at movie night?" He asked. "I'd like that." I answered with a small, true smile. "Great, I'll get you at eight." "Sounds like a plan." Jace smiled and threw an arm around me as we walked away.

🏒

We won all of our games which lead us to move up on the bored. It was nice seeing a three instead of a zero for our wins. For our forth game, Koob ended up getting to score.

To help our streak, I wanted to attempt to fix Jace's shot before the finals. I tied cans to a string which I then tied to the goal. That was how Sofi and I practiced in her garage during off-season.

"Sofi showed me this way of practice." I told Jace as I lined up my stick and hit the puck. It soared through the air and hit a can, making it rattle. "Now, you go." I said, moving out of the way.

"Alright, Miss bossy!" He replied, teasingly. "Yeah, yeah, whatever, rookie." I gripped my stick tight in my right hand wanting to snap it across my knee as that stupid nickname slipped from the lips once more.

"I'm just trying to help." I responded only for it to come out slightly harsh. "Does my glitch bother you or something?" He asked. "No, but it's clear it bothers you." I said. Jace fell silent and I noticed a small annoyed glance come across his eyes.

He let out a sigh and looked back at the goal. It seemed like he used his annoyance to power his shot as it flew through the air and hit the wall, loudly, missing the goal. "Again." I said, pushing a puck over to him. "You got this." I added, trying to ease the faint tension.

He took a deep breath and took his second shot, only for it to hit the wall again. He got frustrated and took a small lap before coming back to the line. I pushed over another puck, but he didn't shoot. "I can't." He said. "I just can't." He skated away and left the ice.

I cleaned up the cans and pucks before I went after him. Him and I both needed to cool off and let the tension die down. I found him in the locker room taking off his pads and putting them away.

"It'll come back to you soon." I said. "You'll get the old you back." "No, Delilah! I won't! I can't! I'm messed up for life, and you can't fix it!" He snapped. "Nobody can." He added quietly before taking a deep breath. "We should go get ready for our date." He said. "Yeah," I responded. "We should."

🏒

Jace and I made a plan that when the movie started, we would sneak away and walk the trail to the lake. We met up with the team before bumping into Alex and Evan.

"Hey, sorry to bother you and ruin all the fun you're having with my friends," Evan said to Jace. "I don't know what your problem is with me, man. I'm just hanging out with my team." He replied. "Your team? Not your team anymore. Our parents traded us for each other."

My expression dropped and I looked at Alex. "Is that true?" I questioned as Evan walked away.

"It's... it's... uh-" Alex stammered. "I thought you were different than that! Different than the other coaches!" Jace told her. "I am! See, look, it was a conversation, not a decision!" "Of course, as soon as I start liking hockey again, my dad's only thinking about himself." "No, Jace, it is not that at all." Alex said.

"Yeah, it is. It's always about him!" "It really, really isn't. He loves you very much!" "Cool, well, I know that you don't care if I'm a duck, but I definitely do." I took Jace's arm and pulled away from the situation. I mentally cursed at myself as that what my rookie used to do when I'd get into disagreements at school.

I took Jace to the trail and we walked in silence the whole time until we reached the lake and walked down the dock.

We sat on the edge and I looked down at the water and looked at Jace's saddened expression in the reflection of the water.

"Why would he do this?" He questioned aloud. "Alex is wrong. She doesn't care. He doesn't care. No one cares. All my dad wants is for me to play hockey. If I wanted to stop, he'd still make me do it." "Do you wanna quit hockey?" I couldn't help but ask. "Sometimes." He answered.

"This year, when I came back, I just wanted to lock myself in my room and not play," he paused for a moment. "Then you showed up in that RV with your team and the way you looked, I could tell you didn't wanna be here either, Lilah." I turned my head and stared at him as he continued speaking.

"I wasn't gonna play hockey, but then you came, so I played for you! As the weeks went on, I saw how much you loved the game and it reminded me of how much I did..." He looked back at me. "You're the reason I play, Spider-Man." He admitted. "And you're the reason I play, Captain." I replied with a small smile as I was proud he finally had a nickname of his own.

He looked down at the water with a small chuckle. It went quiet between us again before I spoke. "I'm sorry for sounding annoyed with you earlier on the ice. I didn't mean to sound upset." "It's alright. Don't worry about it." He replied.

"Do you, um, maybe wanna start this all over?" I asked. "What do you mean?" I sat up straight and reached over, extending my right hand to him. "Hi, I'm Delilah Parker-Portman. I was born in New Jersey, but currently reside in Minnesota and I play for the Mighty Ducks." He let out another chuckle and smiled before shaking my hand.

"Hi, I'm Jace Cole. I'm from LA and my dad runs the place." He responded. "And I think you're beautiful." He pulled my arm, making me lean closer, and kissed me. "I like your jeans. They're my favorite color." He muttered against my lips. "Why thank you." I replied.

🏒

The next day, Jace called for a team meeting. "Listen up, guys, we're in charge now!" He said. "The adults want to do their little trades, well screw 'em because we're a team!" He continued.

"We make our own decisions together! We stick together! We fly together! We got one more game to let everybody know who we really are! And who are me?" I smiled at his determination. "Ducks!" We all yelled. "Ducks on three! Come on, guys!" We all put our hands in the middle. "One, Two, Three!" "Ducks!"