speed of sound // Charlie Conway

| TEN |

[ If you dont know, I made a soundtrack for this fanfic, and I think the music for this chapter really fits and helps u kinda get the vibe of it, so if you need something to listen to while reading this, please go look at the soundtrack in the introduction!]

FIRST PERSON: Natalie

We had been in LA for about a week and a half, and it had been almost a week since the sleepover I had with Charlie, and I began thinking even more about him and Luis.

We did a few other games, but nothing like the one we were about to do. Iceland versus USA. The game i had dreaded all week.

"Im so scared." My leg shook up and down as I picked at my nails. "Its okay, Natty." Charlie and Connie both comforting me. They had known I was scared and nervous and every other bad feeling about this game, because it was all I could talk about yesterday.

"All right, are we ready for warm-ups?" Coach walked into the room, and I quickly stopped bouncing my leg, trying to show him i "wasnt scared" or "nervous".

It looked like coach had gotten another makeover. He walked into the room wearing a suit and his hair slicked back. "Woah!" "He's stylin'!" "Mr. Coach!" our team called out as he walked past us.

I grabbed my hockey stick, a little ready for the game. A little meant not at all.

"All right, all right." He scoffed. "Nice jacket, did you get two pairs of pants with that?" Averman called out, causing almost everybody in the room to laugh.

Me and Charlie picked up our helmets, and headed out onto the rink.

—

We all skated around our side of the rink, waiting for the game to start.

"Let's play hockey, gentlemen." The ref said to Goldberg and Averman, blowing his whistle as he skated by them.

"Hi, everybody. Welcome to today's game. This is a very important matchup, team USA against Iceland, in what could be a preview of the championship game." The sports announcer spoke as our team rounded up in a circle.

I skated up to the front center, face to face with a Iceland player. He spoke some words in Icelandic, which I obviously didnt understand.

"What does that even mean?" I furrowed my brows at him. "You'll find out." He told me as the game started, he already tried pushing me over, but Portman intervened, getting himself taken out the game.

"You ran at him unprovoked." The referee blew his whistle at Dean.

"Huh?" He threw his hand up, "accidentally" hitting the ref over.

"Calm down, son. You're out of the game." I opened my mouth as wide as it went. "Give me a break!" Dean yelled as he got taken out of the game.

"What! Thats not even fair!" I said to the referee, who ignored me.

"You're throwin' him out? You can't do that! It's three seconds into the game!" Coach yelled. The game went on after Dean left the rink, and I instantly knew this game was going to suck.

Iceland scored right as the game started, the siren wailing right in my ear. "Wake up, defense. Can't do this all myself." Goldberg laughed.

How could he even want to be joking around?

After their first score, team Iceland went absolutely ballistic. The were tripping every player from my team over, going after me too. It had started with Connie, but soon it was Charlie, Adam, then me.

I quickly got up, Dwayne now had the puck that I once passed. "Pass the puck, Dwayne! Come on!" Coach ordered him. "Dwayne! Give me the puck!" Fulton yelled. "Look out, Dwayne!" I yelled before two Iceland players knocked into him.