Unrequited

Untitled Part 1

 Cross-posted from AO3 Account.

High School Ice Hockey Ring

Coach Roberts finished filing her leftover paperwork. She walked out of her office and stopped when she saw movement on the ice. Riley and Val were practicing late after school. Everyone else on the team had gone home, but the two of them had decided to put in some extra work into this new shot they had come up with. The two moved in perfect sync up and down the ice like they had worked together for years, instead of the months that it had actually been. Roberts was glad that she had let Val talk her into accepting Riley onto the team, as the team had legitimately done better with her on it. Roberts looked at her watch and noticed the time. "Hey Ortiz! Andersen! I love the hustle, but it's getting late, and your parents have got to be worried about you. Go get changed and meet me by the door so we can all head home."

"Yes coach!" Both Riley and Vale said in unison. The two looked at each other and giggled before heading to the locker room to get changed.

"That was amazing," Riley said as they entered the locker room and headed to their lockers. Riley stole a glance behind her at Val and gawked at her beauty for a bit. Riley by this point had accepted that she was bisexual and had a crush on Val. Though it had been a bit hard to swallow at first, she could now openly admit it to herself and had even revealed her sexuality to her parents. They were shocked but accepting overall. However, even then, she hadn't told them about her crush on the older Val. "I love skating with you and have never been so in sync with someone before," she told Val. She had rehearsed how she would confess to Val before, and this was the perfect time to do so.

"Yeah," Val said, smiling at Riley in a way that made Riley's heart stop beating for a second. "That was a great shot you came up with."

"Oh," Riley said, blushing up a storm. "It's really nothing special. I'm sure that you would have thought of something similar... Probably even better."

"Hey," Val said, walking over to Riley and putting her hand on Riley's shoulder. This caused Riley's blush to deepen to crimson red and her eyes went wide as her emotions were freaking out on her head. "Don't shell yourself short. That is a great move that I don't even think Coach Roberts could have come up with. But don't tell her that I said that."

"I... I won't," Riley stammered, cursing herself for her nervousness. Val giggled and walked back to her locker. Riley took a deep breath and talked herself up. 'Come on. Andersen. You can do this,' Riley thought to herself. "Hey Val. Can I tell you something?"

"Lay it on me, Andersen," Val said as she put her hair into a ponytail.

"I like you," Riley whispered.

"I like you too," Val said. "You're a cool kid."

"T...that's not what I mean," Riley said. "I mean 'I like you, like you.' Like a lot."

"Oh," Val said, finally figuring out what her young friend meant. "Oh, Riley. I am so flattered. Really I am and you are an amazing girl."

"There's a but coming, Isn't there?" Riley said, looking down and feeling embarrassed. 'How could I have thought I had a chance with some like Val?' Riley started to tear up, but quickly wiped them away.

"Hey, look at me," Val said, grabbing Riley's hand and trying to comfort her. "Don't cry. Look, it's not you. It's me. I am graduating this year, and our age difference is just too great. Plus, I am straight and have a boyfriend." Tears slipped down Riley's cheeks and Val pulled her into a comforting hug. "Shush. It's going to be okay. Look, you are going to find someone who likes you as much as you like them someday. Someone much better than me."

"I doubt there is anyone better than you," Riley sobbed into Val's neck.

"Sure, there is," Val said, stroking Riley's back up and down. "Just you wait. He or she is out there somewhere."

Inside Riley's Mind

All of Riley's emotions gather around the screen and look on in silence as the scene unfolded before them. "She rejected Riley!" Anger said in, well, anger. He tried to head to the console, only to be cut off by Joy. "Oh, come on Joy. Let me let her have it. She deserves it for making Riley cry."

"She didn't make her cry," Joy said, soft but firmly. "She was just honest. We can't make her like us back"

"I predicted this would happen," Anxiety said, holding up some files. "Prediction 84: She has a boyfriend and Prediction 13: She doesn't like us back. What should we do Joy?"

"I think we should let Sadness handle this," Joy said, turning to her friend.

"Are you sure, Joy?" Sadness asked, hesitantly. Joy nodded and Sadness went up to the console.

In the Locker Room

Riley cried harder into Val's chest, before pushing away and wiping her eyes, trying to still her sobs. "I'm sorry. I know that I must look so childish right now. It's just I really like you and I guess... I guess I saw this happening differently," Riley said, once she had calmed down a bit.

"You don't look childish at all," Val said, putting a comforting hand on Riley's shoulder. "What you did took a lot of guts."

"Really?" Riley asked, unsure.

"Yeah," Val said, giving Riley a big smile. "Telling me that you liked me. Well, that is impressive. I mean I couldn't even confess to my boyfriend until 2 years of knowing each other."

"Really?" Riley asked. "Why not?"

"Because I was too scared," Val confessed. "He had to ask me out, before I could even tell him that he was cute. But here you are. Telling me straight up that you like me. I must admit Andersen, I am impressed. I just know that you are going to find the right person someday and that they are going to be so lucky. Because you, Riley Andersen, are one of a kind."

"You really think so?"

"I know so," Val said, before getting up and offering Riley her hand. "Now come on. I think you deserve a pizza for being so brave. I'm buying."

Riley smiled back at Val and took her hand, saying, "Thanks. Race you there."