Chapter 007

ELIANA

The time that we have been all waiting for was finally here!The silence at the rink arena is so loud, the tension thick in the air that I can breathe it.

Both captains of each team are at the centre of the rink, staring intently at each other for the face off, their hockey sticks ready in their hands as they wait for the referee to drop the puck.

Ethan is wearing a red jersey which is the colour jersey of his team with his name boldly written at the back. On the other hand, Jackson is wearing a blue jersey with all the hockey gears, holding the hockey stick tightly in his hands as if his life depends on it.

Taking a deep breath, I try to calm my racing heart. Zoe sitting beside me realises my nervousness and she reaches for my sweaty hand which is resting on my lap, giving it a gentle squeeze.

I turn my head to look at Zoe and she smiles at me. She's wearing a red jersey which matches mine and both have Ethan's name at the back to show support to my boyfriend.

My lips tips up into a smile, squeezing Zoe’s hand back as I silently acknowledge her support. The whistle goes off and we both turn our heads to the rink. The crowd starts to cheer and the game countdown officially begins.

My breath catches in my throat when I realize that Jackson has the upper hand. He's in charge of the puck, skating towards the python's goalie, his movements are smooth on the ice as he tries to make his way to the net, ducking Ethan who tries to take the puck from him.

“Damn it! Jackson is so smooth with his moves on the ice. I wish I was the puck that he’s tossing around the rink.” I hear a girl behind us giggle and I roll my eyes at her words.

“Don't listen to them.” Zoe tells me and we turn our attention back to the rink as we continue to cheer but…my heart stops beating for a second as I watch the puck slide on the ice and hits the Python’s goalie net.

The crowd chants Jackson’s name as if it's some type of sweet melody, the girls screaming on top of their lungs as they wave the blue pompoms in the air, showing off the blue jersey they're wearing with his name on it written in white thick ink. Hard to miss.

Jackson skates backwards from the python net after scoring then turns around and faces the girls shouting his name. He drops on his knees, sliding across the rink with his hands spread wide and head tilted up, cockily celebrating his team's victory with his teammates.

It feels like time is moving in slow motion, the cheers becoming a distant noise as I try to wrap my head around what was going on because it happened so fast. I raise my head to look at the score board and blink just to make sure that my eyes aren't playing some dumb game.

HAWKERS has a score of one while PYTHON is still zero in one minute and fifteen seconds.

“No…” I whisper under my breath, hard for me to grasp reality. I turn my gaze at the rink and I don't miss the smirk behind Jackson's helmet.

Ethan has his grip tight on the hockey stick and I can tell that the score of the Hawkers team stung him more than it did to me. I can see the disappointment and nervousness on his face as he comes off his shift and Jasper, his substitutions jumps on ice.

“It's just the start of the game, Eli. I’m certain Ethan will fire back.” Zoe whispers in my ear in encouragement. I nod hesitantly, managing a small smile and try my best to be optimistic.

The whistle goes off and the referee drops the Puck at the center. This time pythons are quick to take the puck and the crowd starts to cheer again.

The game continues and the atmosphere at the rink becomes heated with each passing second. Both teams are determined to emerge the winners, not giving each other time to breathe.

It has already been thirteen minutes into the game but…pythons haven't scored yet.

Ethan and Jackson are back on the ice for the third time after coming off the shifts. Hawker's defenders are quick on their feets, blocking each time Ethan and his team try to score.

When I’m about to give up on the fourteenth minute of the game because it's about to take a break for the first round, Ethan takes the puck that Jackson blind pass to his right winger and pulls one of those drills from my uncle's tips, slap shooting the puck past Hawker’s defence into the goalie.

I scream Ethan's name, jump from the bench and hug Zoe tightly. All the supporters of PYTHONS are screaming and cheering. Zoe hugs me back and I feel tears burning in my eyes.

“We did it!” I say in happiness when we pull back from the suffocating hug.

I watch with a big smile as Ethan glides across the rink, obviously mocking Jackson who has an unimpressed look on his face. I want to jump over the boards and join Ethan with his team in the rink to celebrate together but hold back the urge to because it's dangerous.

_______

A FEW MINUTES LATER

After a fifteen minute intermission from the second period, the players walked back to the rink, looking energetic and fired up for the third period.

The second period was so competitive, both teams defended strongly and there was no goal scored. The Hawkers almost scored against the Pythons but…the puck hit the metal goal posts.

Zoe shouts Ethan's name at the front bench and he turns to look at us. I flash him a big smile and he smiles back at me. I can see the nervousness behind the red helmet no matter how hard he tries to mask.

I mouth ‘I love you. You have got this!’ at him and he smiles back at me, and walks to the centre of the rink for the face off before the third period begins.

The air inside the arena feels hot as Ethan and Jackson face each other, fire burning in their eyes, both of them so ready.

I suck in a deep breath, crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. Zoe whispers words of comfort which I don't quite catch since my full focus is on the rink.

The whistle goes off and the games start officially. Jackson is fast to take the puck but Ethan snatches it before he could shoot to the python's goalie with the help of his left winger.

The game gets intense with each passing second and the tension increases in the air.

I hold my breath as Jackson skates his way to the python's goalie but the referee blows the whistle because it's an offside…

The game continues, each team player taking breaks when necessary and coming back energetic. It feels like the game is taking forever, my heart skipping a beat each time a Hawk’s player tries to score. Nervously, I raise my head to check the clock and realise there's three minutes remaining for the game to end and I’m not sure if Pythons will be able to score before the final whistle blows to call off the game.

Zoe screams beside me, shouting Ethan's name and when I turn my attention to the rink, he's celebrating with his teammates.

“Python! Python!” The crowd is cheering and a big smile spreads across my face, the score feeling surreal. I check the score board and that's when reality sinks in.

He did it!

My boyfriend did it!

The game continues after the short celebration and I hold my breath for a moment. Hawkers try to score a second goal but…the whistle goes off after fifteen minutes are over.

Zoe jumps in my arms, celebrating the win of pythons as though she's one of the players.

“He won against Jackson.” I whisper under my breath.

“I told you!” Zoe says in happiness, blinking tears and has a big smile on her face.

“I need to go and congratulate him for winning. I want him to know how happy and proud I am of him!” I say, wiping a single tear that had trailed down my cheek using the back of my hand.

“You have to! Don't forget to pass my congratulations to him too. He deserves a big kiss.” Zoe jokes and I roll my eyes at her words, laughing.

I turn around, pushing through the crowds as students exit the Arena.

“Sorry,” I apologise to a blondie when I step on her white sneakers but she gives me a dirty look and looks pissed off. She's wearing a Hawker blue jersey and there's no doubt she's one of the many disappointed fans.

Well, it's not my fault her team lost. They should blame it on Jackson and his teammates.

I release a breath when I finally step out of the school's arena and head over to that one direction, happiness and excitement bubbling inside me, half walking and half running.

A big smile spreads on my face when I enter the python's locker hallway. I can't help it but envision how tightly I’m going to wrap my hands around Ethan and kiss him passionately for winning against Jackson.

I don't care if he hasn't taken a shower and he's still sweaty. I like it even more when he's still in his hockey outfit. The hallway is full but I manage to push my way through the crowd.

When I’m a few steps away, I dip my hand inside my skirt pocket and pull out a red velvet box which I have been hiding from him the whole day because I didn't want him to know about it as it would ruin the little surprise.

I’m not sure about how Ethan will react once he sees what is inside the box but, I hope he’ll like it.

I hold the little box tightly in my hand, my heart racing fast in my chest, searching for that one person that I’m so excited to see.

My eyes find him-and the red head childhood friend but…the smile on my face fades away as soon as I realise what's going on.