after the death of her mother, leighton's father sends her to a boarding school halfway across the world to be taught a lesson. she knows no one and no one knows her.
but the cherry on top is who her roommate is.
#2 in ptsdawareness
#2 in anxiety
#...
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Fuck I'm screwed.
My muscles ache from the relentless hockey drills, but it's a good kind of pain.
A pain that reminds me I'm alive, pushing myself to the limit.
I deserve the pain.
Coach's voice is a constant in the background, barking orders and corrections.
I know I should be focused on his words, on the puck, on the game, but my mind keeps wandering back to her.
It's been three days since I kissed her in the alleyway, three days since the softness of her lips made me feel something I hadn't felt in a long time.
I can still taste her, still feel the warmth of her breath against my skin. Every time I close my eyes, I see her face, those wide, searching eyes, and it messes with my head.
I line up for a drill, my stick steady in my hands, but my mind is a thousand miles away.
Coach blows the whistle, and I burst forward, my skates cutting through the ice with anxiety bubbling in my stomach.
I weave between the cones, my body moving on autopilot.
My focus should be on my form, my speed, but all I can think about is her.
Fuck I'm screwed.
The way she looked at me after the kiss, like she was trying to figure out what it meant.
Fuck me, I'm still trying to figure it out myself.
"Emerson, you're fucking distracted. The fuck is going on?!" Coach's voice snaps me back to reality.
"Sorry," I mutter.
I finish the drill, panting slightly, and skate over to the bench.
My teammates are a blur around me, their voices blending into the background noise. I sit down, leaning my head against the cool metal of the bench, trying to clear my thoughts.
"You okay, man?" Luca sits down beside me.
"Yeah, just... distracted," I admit, rubbing the back of my neck.
"Distracted by what?" Eli joins in, raises an eyebrow.
They've both known me long enough to know when something's off.
"Leighton," I say, the name tasting foreign on my tongue. "I can't stop thinking about her."
Eli's eyes widen in surprise. "Leighton Winters? Like my best friend? The girl we went camping with. Leighton Winters."
I nod, feeling a flush creep up my neck. "Yeah. We- we kissed."
Eli lets out a low whistle. "Aint no fucking way you kissed her.
