The Chance

43 || Three's a Family, Five's a Crowd

a/n - here's my reminder to vote and not be quiet this chapter!!! bye ho have fun😗

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To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra
𓆩♡𓆪
Alexander

"Just try to ignore them."

Evie's words from fifteen minutes ago echo in my head. That'd be easy if I hadn't already tried doing that. It'd be easy if I didn't feel like there was a hole expanding in my chest.

"There's thousands of other people here rooting for you, me included. Think of us instead. Or focus on the teammates in that locker room that are depending on their best player to step up right now."

She has a point. There are thousands of fans in this arena teeming with excitement. Though, it'll take everything in me, mentally, to forget about the two people I wish never showed up.

"Go out there and play for us. Forget about them." Her arms wrapped around me so comfortingly, I wished I didn't have to go back out there. "Would you like me to be here when the game's over?"

My answer to that was quick and brutally honest, "Please."

Her pep-talk only lasted a few minutes and it could only do so much. The rest of it was up to me. I had to plaster on this fake face of emotion for the rest of the night.

Which I've done before, but I usually don't have to worry about because in the three years that I've spent here at Cypress not once have my parents shown up.

I just can't believe they did now. Out of all the fucking games, why now?

Why can't they just understand that I don't want them here? Hell, if I wanted to be honest, I'd rather them not try to claw their way back into my life like they have a right to.

And as much as I tell myself that I hate them, I hate myself even more for letting them continue to have this control over how I feel whenever they're around.

It's like my brain turns off and I stop functioning for a few moments whenever I'm hit with the news that they're coming home, or when I hear the doorknob turn to my house back home knowing exactly who'll be behind the door.

I dread it every time.

I still can't believe what happened to me on the ice. I allowed them to make me freeze out there. A place where I could get away from them, a place I never needed to worry if they were going to show up.

When I saw them in the stands, looking at me with faux smiles plastered on their faces, I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me. I spent too many seconds playing with the puck on my stick with an open net in front of me.

I missed, possibly, the only chance to score this game. All because I was too focused on the two of them.

I could hear it in the crowd murmurs, I let them down. I let myself and the team down.

In the span of twenty seconds, I fucked up.

And now I only have twenty minutes to fix it. Though, the chance of doing so seems slim to none.

But when I step back on the ice after the intermission and the first thought in my mind happens to be the one thing I wasn't supposed to think about, I know it's over.

They won.

Both of them. My parents and Ohio State. 0-1.

It was a frustrating loss. Weighing more on my shoulders than anyone else in the bummed out locker room. I should've played better. I know I could've played better than I did.