deep end, cm [ 1 ]

005. hockey

Jessica is waiting in her car outside of Spencer's apartment building. She looks over, straightening up when she sees him speed walking out of the building. Smiling, she unlocks the door, Spencer soon getting in the passenger seat.

"Hey." She greets.

"Hi. H-hi." Spencer clears his throat, trying to be normal.

"You got the tickets?" Jessica asks.

"Yeah. Yes. They-- they are in here." Spencer holds his satchel up. "I have them."

"Okay." Jessica smiles at his nervousness.

"People really wear jerseys to this?" Spencer asks, looking at the jersey she has on.

"Yes, it's an actual thing." Jessica nods, letting a soft laugh out.

+++

They get to the game, getting inside.

"You hungry? You wanna get some snacks now?" Jessica asks.

"Uh... yeah. Yeah, sure." Spencer nods.

"Ooh, we should get you a jersey." Jessica says.

"Um..." Spencer hesitates.

"Okay, we can at least get you a hoodie. Your nice little sweater isn't enough to keep you warm." Jessica says. "I mean, the body heat from the crowd will help a little, but it's still a hockey arena which is cold because... you know, ice. So, definitely get a sweater." She states.

"Okay." Spencer nods.

"Okay." She nods, smiling. She grabs his wrist, dragging him with her through the crowds.

+++

After getting Spencer a sweater, only able to get one size too big, they got some popcorn, drinks, and Jessica got nachos.

"So, did-- have you always liked hockey?" Spencer asks.

"Um... yeah. Yeah, pretty much." Jessica nods. "Sports was a pretty big thing growing up. My family and I always watched the games, made a whole night out of it. Which, due to certain circumstances, made sports pretty hard to watch for a few years as a teenager. But I could finally get back into them near the end of college."

"And you just... how do you decide what teams to like?" Spencer frowns.

"Well, I'm from Massachusetts so I kinda just grew up with those teams. Bruins, Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots." She lists. She looks over, seeing the him trying to piece the puzzle together. "You didn't understand a word of that."

"No." Spencer shakes his head, sheepishly smiling.

"It's okay." Jessica laughs. "If you want, I'll explain more of it later." Spencer nods. "I also grew up in Michigan while I was a teenager and then spent the first two years in college there before I transferred so I'm familiar with those teams, too. But I won't give you more random names to swim around in your brain."

"Right. Yeah, you-- you went to Michigan State for two years before you transferred to Virginia. Then joined the academy." Spencer says. "You graduated high school two years earlier, though."

"Ye-yeah." Jessica nods.

"So-sorry. Just the eidetic memory." Spencer says.

"Right. Yeah, I get it." Jessica gives him a small smile.

"What, uh... what circumstances with your family?" Spencer frowns in thought.

"Um... it, uh--"

"I-I'm sorry." Spencer quickly apologizes after noticing the anxious look in her eyes. "You-- I don't need to know. That's personal business."

"Some other time." Jessica says.

"Yeah. Yeah, what-- whatever you're comfortable with. Sorry." Spencer says, his voice growing quiet in embarrassment. "So, uh... wha-what exactly are the rules to any of this?" He quietly asks, glancing around in hopes no one heard him.

"Okay, so..." Jessica immediately goes into explaining the rules, ranting while Spencer attentively listens, easily able to keep up with her fast pace.

+++

Spencer cradles the mostly empty bucket of popcorn in his lap, curled in his seat as everybody yells and cheers around him. He glances at Jessica, the woman sat up straight, on the edge of her seat, her eyes following the hockey game.

Spencer jumps as the crowd starts cheering and a loud buzzer goes off. Everybody around him shoots to their feet, yelling and clapping. Spencer stands up, not wanting to seem that out of place.

"We won! We won!" Jessica grins, shaking his arm excitedly.

"Great." Spencer smiles, trying to appear excited, still not being all for sports.

Jessica looks over at him, noticing how he leans away whenever somebody gets too close. He's practically suffocating the popcorn bucket, finding comfort in it. She winces, knowing he isn't a fan of crowds and this is surely the worst place to be for him right now.

"Hey!" She yells over the cheering, grabbing onto his sweater to get his attention. "We can go now. They won, there's not much else."

"No. No, it-- you're having fun. We can st--"

"No, really, it's okay. Besides if we go now, we might beat the traffic." Jessica says, grabbing her bag and drink. "It's okay, really." She gives him a comforting smile. "Come on." She rests her hand on his back, gently pushing him to leave.

"Okay." Spencer nods.

After getting outside, they go to Jessica's car.

"Thank you for tonight." Jessica tells him.

"It-- no problem. I-I had fun." Spencer says.

"Really?" Jessica asks, giving him a look of disbelief.

"Yeah." Spencer nods. "Yeah, I-- I mean some parts were a little less or a little more enjoyable than others. But overall, it was fun." He smiles.

"Good." Jessica grins. "You're still not a sports person, though?"

"Not really." Spencer admits with a small laugh.

"Okay, uh, how about this? You can take me somewhere you really like that I don't know anything about. That way you can spend the whole night ranting and dumping information onto me." Jessica offers. "And I'll pay for it. It-- it can be another birthday present. Late birthday present."

"You-- you don't have to. Really, I had fun. I don't--"

"I want to." Jessica says. "Really, I do." She tells him.

"Okay." Spencer nods. "Okay, I-- I'll think of something."

"Okay." Jessica grins.