Ruined By The Hockey Captain

BELLA “Yes! Yes, you’re doing great, Blake! You’re doing so good!” I kept my eyes on the ice, though Sasha’s voice sliced through the rink. And of course she was screaming. I rolled my eyes and sank lower against the hard bleacher seat. It was always like this with her. Always loud. Always circling Blake like he hung the moon, making sure he noticed her. He rarely did. Still, that never stopped her. My chest pulled tight the way it always did here. That dull ache behind my ribs that had no business existing. Don’t watch him. Don’t. I watched him. Blake moved the way he always moved, eating up the ice like he owned every inch of it. He was the guy I’d spent years carefully not thinking about. My brother’s fiercest rival. The one person in the world with a permanent, non negotiable place on my off limits list. Blake caught my eye across the room, and my stomach dipped. Great. Just great. Like I needed another reminder that wanting my brother’s enemy was a terrible idea. To be fair, I hated hockey. I hated the bone deep cold and the screech of blades and the smell of sweat trapped inside frozen air. The only reason I was sitting on this miserable bleacher tonight was Zach. On the ice, my twin cut through the opposition like he’d been born knowing exactly where the puck would be. I leaned forward without meaning to, tracking his jersey. “Girl, your brother is a total star.” Amy knocked her shoulder into mine already cheering. Something genuinely warm moved through me. “Yeah,” I said quietly. “He really is.” Then Amy shifted, her attention sliding across the rink. “Blake is a beast out there tonight, though. Seriously brutal. Hopefully Zach’s team can actually hold onto the lead.” His name landed in my stomach. I kept my voice even. “You can support whoever you want, Amy. You’re not obligated to root for the home team.” She gave me a look like I’d said something stupid. “Uh, yeah I am. Your brother is my massive crush, so technically I have to be his biggest fan.” I laughed and promptly made myself stare at the scoreboard. The coach or anywhere that wasn’t him. It didn’t work. Blake was devastatingly, unfairly good looking in a way that felt almost like a personal offense. The kind of face that made sensible girls reconsider all their sensible decisions. You are not a sensible girl right now, Bella. Look away. Then the game shifted. My breath locked in my throat as Blake broke from the pack and drove straight toward Zach, and every muscle in my body seized at once. “Oh no,” Amy breathed beside me. The world narrowed to those two jerseys. Blake lunged and miscalculated, his stick missing the puck by an inch, the play blowing past him entirely. The air rushed out of me all at once. I sank back against the bleacher, boneless with relief I wasn’t entitled to feel. I needed a distraction. I turned, scanning the stands for my mom. She’d promised. Looked me in the eye this morning and said ‘I won’t miss it, Bella, I promise.’ Her seat was empty. Had been empty since the opening puck drop. I already knew and still, i’m so disappointed. I yanked at the hem of Zach’s jersey I was putting on, the fabric swallowing my hands past the knuckles. It was too big and suddenly I couldn’t stand the way it sat on my shoulders. “When does this actually end?” I muttered to Amy. “It feels like it’s been going on for years.” She didn’t even glance at me. “Focus on the game. It’s getting intense.” She wasn't wrong. The energy on the ice had turned toxic, the long standing rivalry between the two teams finally reaching a boiling point. Seconds later, a loud, sickening c***k echoed through the entire arena. A player from Zach’s team took a brutal hit, crashing hard against the boards before collapsing onto the ice, instantly clutching his leg in agony. The arena erupted. Whistles screamed and players surged and I was on my feet before I understood why, gripping the railing because through the chaos of jerseys I found Zach and Blake, standing chest to chest with nothing between them. No no no — “Zach!” The scream tore out of me before I could think. I was already moving, hands on the cold metal rail as I tried to run across toward the bench, desperate to get closer to them. Zach swung first. His fist connected with Blake’s jaw, and for one suspended, horrifying second the world went completely silent. Then Blake ducked, reset and threw a vicious punch right back, hitting Zach square in the face. “Zach, no!” My voice cracked on his name. “Stop!”