Flawed | William Nylander (completed)

Chapter 36

Happy new year everyone! Hope 2020 treats you all well!!

The scores 1-0 for the other team and this is now my third shift on. I skate around a few of the other players and pass the puck to my team. All the shots they seem to be taking miss and we have to start all over again. I try and go up for a pass, but as expected nobody passes to me. No matter how hard I bang my stick or yell 'I'm opened'. It seems like I'm invisible. 

I sigh, frustrated and skate up with the puck once again. I get trapped with Tory between the boards, coincidentally in front of Will. She tries to check me again, not a surprise. "You can't do anything Mckenna, might as well just quit." She yells. I grunt, "I can say the same to you!" I shout. She cross checks me and my helmet hits the glass. I go down and she steals the puck. "Worthless bitch." She says as she skates away. "Ughh!" I yell and use the boards to help me get up. I see Will on the other side of the glass. "You got this baby! I know you can do it! Don't let them get to you!" He shouts. I smile to him and shake off my dizziness. 

I head to the bench and the other team scores again. I sigh and shake off the dizziness that keeps coming back. "You ok?" I hear Melly say beside me. I look at her confused, "Yea why would you care?" She seems a little shocked and I'm even more confused. I shrug her off and hop on for the final shift. 

I steal the puck and carry it up past the blue line. I think about passing it to the other forward but there's no point. I have a clear shot and...It goes in. I pump my fist and laugh really hard as I skate by Tory.  I see her out of the corner of my eye trying to push her stick through my skate blades. "Hey." I yell, "You can't trip people for no reason!" She rolls her eyes, "Isn't that how you got a concussion the first time?" I give her a weird look, "What? How could I trip someone and get a concussion?" She shrugs, "That's what Thea said." "That makes no sense!" I yell. Tory rolls her eyes and nudges me as she goes by, "Attention seeker." I stumble and lean into the boards. I huff. At least I learned something new. 

The game ends 1-1 and we head back to the dressing room. I change out of my gear and rush out of there, missing Benny's talk and all the awkward stares. I bump into William who's coming around the corner. "Hey babe." "Let's get outta here." I say and we book it to the car. I throw my bag in the back seat and we're off.

"So...I heard what that bitch was saying to you." I roll my eyes, "I can take it." He side glances me, "You must be the strongest human on earth then because not many people I know can." I sigh, "Is it really that bad?" I say. He huffs, "For you to be used to that shit it's more than just bad." I feel a few tears escape my eyes and my throat tightens. "Willy...I don't know what to do." I choke through sobs. He pulls over into a side street and comes around to the passenger side. "Come here baby..it'll be ok." He tugs me into his lap and he sits on the passenger seat. I cry out terrible things they've said to me and what they did the night I was practically trampled. 

I sigh, fed up with feeling like this but to ashamed to look William. "We're gonna fix this...I don't want you to feel like this ever again." "I love you baby..." I sniffle. "I love you more, always." He says and kisses my forehead, cheeks, and neck. "Are we ready to go home?" He asks. I nod in his shoulder. He gets up and walks around the car to the drivers seat. "We're gonna fix this." He says, yet again. I sigh and close my eyes the rest of the way.