Amber leaned toward Jade, who hadn't moved in several minutes. Her phone sat idle in her lap, and her blue eyes were locked on the rink, almost glowing under the stadium lights. She bit her lower lip, her gaze intense.
Amber smirked. "What's with the bitchy look? Your boyfriend send something spicy?"
Jade blinked, like she'd just remembered she wasn't alone. She quickly looked down at her phone. "Something like that," she muttered.
That smug smile. That predatory grin when he stood up after getting hit? And the blood? Not gonna lie… kinda hot, she thought to herself.
The final buzzer rang.
Southridge had done it — they'd won the match, and with it, the season title. The crowd erupted in cheers, students and parents standing and clapping as the players spilled onto the ice.
From the stands, they watched Chris skate forward — hair messy, posture tired but proud. He accepted the plaque with a nod and that confident half-smile he always wore on the ice.
Then came the medals. Each team member was called up, gold ribbons slipping over their heads one by one. As captain — though the announcer didn't say it outright — Chris was handed the trophy.
When he turned and raised it above his head, his face split into a wide, almost goofy grin.
Later, with the stadium mostly cleared and post-game cleanup underway, Chris emerged from the locker room. His gear was off, hair damp with sweat, medal clinking faintly as he moved.
He scanned the area, looking for Tom — and spotted Claire waving from a nearby corridor where she stood with her dad and her friends.
Claire: "Hey! Over here."
Chris walked over, a satisfied, lazy grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He nodded at Tom.
Chris: "Thanks for coming. Brought the lucky charm, I guess."
Tom laughed and clapped him on the back.
Tom: "Hell of a game. You boys earned it."
Chris looked past Claire, finally noticing the two girls standing nearby.
Claire motioned toward them.
Claire: "Right — these are my friends—"
Chris (cutting in): "I know her."
The girls blinked in surprise — they had assumed he'd recognize Jade first.
Chris: "Amber, right? Mason's girlfriend."
Amber's eyebrows rose.
Amber: "Eh? You know me?"
Chris (shrugging): "Yeah. Mason talks about you sometimes. Usually when he's late because he's texting you."
Amber grinned, clearly pleased.
Amber: "Aww. He does? That's cute."
Beside her, Jade wore a smug smile, one hand on her hip, ready for her turn to be acknowledged.
Claire glanced between them.
Claire: "You must know her too, right?" (motioning to Jade)
Chris looked at Jade for a moment. Blank.
Chris: "Never seen her before."
Jade's smile faltered.
Chris: "She one of the guys' girlfriends too? Sorry if your boyfriend doesn't talk about you."
A tiny twitch pulled at the corner of Jade's eye.
Claire and Amber exchanged looks — then burst into laughter.
Amber (wheezing): "Oh my god, that's a first. Someone not knowing Jade Hart."
Claire (teasing): "The Queen Bee loses her sting!"
Jade, lips tight, turned her head slightly — just enough to hide the twitch in her jaw.
Jade (flatly): "Delightful."
Chris, clearly unaware he'd committed a social offense, nodded politely.
Chris: "Nice to meet you, then. Uh… what was your name?"
Jade (dry): "Jade."
Chris: "Right. Jade." (turning back to Claire and Tom) "I gotta change. The bus leaves in 30. Will you wait for me at school?"
Tom: "Uh-huh."
Chris walked off, oblivious.
The moment he was gone, Claire elbowed Jade lightly.
Claire: "You okay there, superstar?"
Some time later, the team bus returned to school. The players quickly dropped off their gear and headed home.
Chris got into the car that had been waiting for a while. For a while, the ride was silent.
Eventually, Tom broke it.
Tom: "So… what's with the sudden maturity, huh?"
Chris glanced over. "Huh?"
Tom: "You know. Taking hits like a pro. Not snapping. You even walked away from a guy who punched you in the face. Two months ago, you'd have decked him."
Chris scratched the back of his neck, then looked out the window. "You remember that game? The one where I got sent off?"
Tom: "Hard to forget."
Chris: "You asked me afterward if it was worth it. I knew it wasn't. But I didn't know what else to do, y'know?"
Tom stayed quiet, focused on the road.
Chris: "So I thought about it. A lot. I realized… yeah, I can hit someone back. Take them down. For myself, or for the team. But then what? Two minutes off the ice, if I'm lucky. Or thrown out entirely."
He leaned back, arms folded.
Chris: "But if I take the hits and just keep playing? If I bait them into chasing me, draw their attention — my team has more space to move. They get frustrated. It throws them off. Honestly… it felt amazing."
(He smirked.) "Still like it better when we play clean, though."
Claire glanced sideways at him. He looked serious. Proud, even.
Tom let out a low whistle, then grinned smugly.
Tom: "Damn. I'm a good adviser."
Claire (rolling her eyes): "You didn't tell him that. You just asked if it was worth it."
Tom (shrugging): "Genius isn't always loud."
Chris: "You're just taking credit after the fact."
Tom: "Damn right I am."
Rachel would've told them to stop bickering. But she wasn't there — she was flying back from a conference. For now, it was just the three of them.
And despite the teasing, the grins, and the sarcasm — it felt like a win all around.