MasukTonight was Titans vs. Starlights.The whole arena erupted.The defeaning sound of skates carving through the ice echoed beneath the roaring crowd."Riccio!"The rink shit across the rink.Jade caught it cleanly on his stick.A starlight defender lunged at him ,but Jade shifted left.He slipped past him as though he wasn't even there.The crowd roared.Another defender came charging.Jade flicked the puck backwards without looking."Lombardi!" Elliot appeared out of nowhere.He dragged the puck across the crease then buried it Into the top corner.GOAL!The horn blasted through the arena.The crowd exploded to its feet.The scoreboard lit up.Second period- 11:24 RemainingElliot skates last the goal with a grin.His friends slammed Into him from every direction."That's my captain!" Phil yelled, , wrapping an arm around Elliot's shoulders.A few feet away, Jade laughed as Tyler skated straight into him.Their chests bumped with a loud thud."Beautiful pass" Tyler said, holding a g
Jade stood outside the front door for a second before unlocking it.The familiar smell of home drifted out immediately.His mother was humming somewhere in the kitchen."Jade, is that you?" She called."Yeah" Jade replied.He slipped off his shoes and walked in.His mother appeared a moment later, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.The sound of his father's footsteps, descending the staircase made him raise his head up.He swallowed."It's late" Justin said."Doo evening to you too, Dad" Jade sighed."I want to believe you were at the rink practising for two days, that's why you didn't return home because if not, I'd really like to know""Can he at least take off his jacket before the interrogation starts?" His mother interrupted.She helped him out of his jacket before tossing it on the coat rackJustin waited until she stepped aside."I was at a friend's""For two nights?""Yeah"Justin's brow furrowed."And you didn't text?""Sorry""Your mother barely slept" Justin said.J
The party was still ongoing.Soft murmurs of conversations filled the mansion.Then...clink...clink...clink.A spoon tapped gently against a cup.The conversations gradually died down.Heads turned towards the front of the room.The Mayor smiled warmly, lifting his glass."If I could have everyone's attention for just a moment"The room fell quiet.He looked around the room before his eyes settled on Lorenzo."Every year, we gather here to remember someone who left this world far too soon"His smiled softened."Miranda Lombardi"A quiet murmur swept through the guests."I had the privilege of knowing Miranda for many years. Long before I became Mayor. She had this... remarkable way of making everyone around her feel important. Doesn't matter whether you are a senator or a gardener. She treats everyone with kindness"He lifted his glass slightly higher."To Miranda""To Miranda" the guests echoed.Lorenzo stepped ahead.He lifted his glass."Miranda believed success meant very
Elliot stood in front of the full-length mirror, fastening the cuff of his black shirt.He glanced at his reflection.The tailored pants, the polished shoes, the perfectly combed blond hair.The exact way, his father had always wanted him.Perfect, especially in front of the guests.He let out a quiet breath, before reaching for the last cuff button.It slipped from his fingers."Seriously?"He bent down to pick it up, before trying to fix it again.There was a knock on the door.He ignored it.The door opened anyway.Fiona stepped inside, a glass of red wine resting lightly in her hand.Her black dress was immaculate."You look dashing" she said with a warm smile.Elliot didn't even look at her."I wasn't aware this was a fashion show"Fiona smiled as though she hadn't heard the sarcasm."You look more like your mother every year"His hands paused for a second.Then he continued trying to fasten his cuff."I'll pretend that was a compliment""It was"Fiona wondered a little fart
After breakfast.Elliot had planned to spend the rest of the afternoon training.As usual.But Jade was still here.So naturally, Elliot had dragged him along.One thing Jade had learned about him over the years was that Elliot was an absolute training freak.Bad day?He trained.Good day?He trained.Angry?He trained even harder.... Now the two stood in the locker room, changing into their training gear."Do you ever take a day off?" Jade asked as they both skated into the ice."No""That's actually concerning" Jade yelled, his voice echoing across the rink.Elliot pushed off, gliding backwards with effortless balance."Concern yourself with keeping up"Jade scoffed and accelerated after him.Elliot dropped a puck on the ice with his stick."Try taking this from me"Jade didn't need a second invitation.He charged forward, his stick reaching for the puck.Elliot shifted away at the last second."Too slow"Jade charger at him again.This time he was able to get the puck fr
The next morning was good.Which was the weirdest and funniest part.Jade sat at the kitchen island, one elbow resting against the marble countertop as he watched Elliot move around the kitchen.Apparently, the man can cook.Annoyingly well.A frying pan flipped in Elliot's hand before landing perfectly back on the stove.Jade blinked."Show off""I've been cooking since I was fifteen"Jade said, rolling his eye"You're gonna set the kitchen on fire by flipping pans"Mojo sat at the corner, eating from his dog food and occasionally glaring at Jade.The smell of breakfast filled the Villa.It smelled expensive."So...are you sure about this?" Elliot asked, glancing over his shoulders."I wanna do this. I can't keep living like this I'm a grown man for fuck sake" Jade said.Elliot finally placed the pan on the cooker, allowing the egg to fry deeply well."At least try to talk to them. You can't just choose to move out without saying anything"Jade leans back against the stool."Why n
Jade pulled open his wardrobe, grabbing a random hoodie and sweatpants. Without turning, he tossed them at Elliot. "Wear that" Elliot caught them easily. "Just one damn night and this will never happen again" Jade muttered, grabbing a towel and running it through his hair. "Bathroom's ther
"Don't touch him" Elliot said, his voice low and dangerous. The crowd roared chaosly, across the rink.The ref blows the whistle sharply."Hey! Break it up!" He skated in fast, squeezing himself between them as other players started crowding in.Santamario held his jaw, eyes burning.Jade's chest
Jade stood at the entrance to the rink, hands on his hips, body leaning on the wall. The glass door in front of him reflected the bright lights inside, the cheers of the fans. Behind him, laughter erupted from his new teammates. Loud, careless and mocking. Coach Declan appeared at the end
The next day, Jade met his new teammates. After Mendez dropped him off at the training facility, Jade made his way inside. He was directed to the Coach's office, where he met the coach and after a brief meeting, he led Jade down to the locker room. Jade's heart hammered as they approached the lock







