HAYDEN
The rink was already humming by the time I laced up my skates.
Coach didn’t even need to give the usual pre-game speech. We all knew what was at stake. Game night against Westport State wasn’t just about points or rankings, it was personal.
They played dirty. They trash-talked in DMs. They hacked at your ankles and smiled when the ref wasn’t looking.
I thrived on that kind of pressure.
But tonight, it wasn’t just about winning.
It was about her.
Coleen.
I’d seen her in the stands during warm-ups. Third row, wrapped in a dark hoodie, hair up, arms crossed like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be here or disappear. But she was here. and that mattered more than I could admit to anyone, including myself.
I was going to play the best game of my life. Not for Coach, not even for
