LOGINLukas still hadn't moved.He stood there staring at the ice while his chest rose and fell too quickly. His gloves suddenly felt too tight and his stick felt heavy and around him, practice continued.Somebody scored, somebody laughed and somebody shouted instructions but all of it sounded far away.Because truly, If this was now his best, he was disappointed.The words replayed once in his head, then again, then again.BANG.A puck hit the boards beside him and Lukas blinked. Then another sound came—a whistle.Long, sharp and everything stopped. Everyone looked up and Coach stood near the bench with both hands in his pockets."Enough." Nobody moved, so the Coach looked directly at Lukas."Get over here." Lukas obeyed immediately and the others followed. Nobody looked particularly alive. Nikola looked confused, Joshua looked stressed and Sam looked tired but Viktor looked worried.Coach looked at all of them one by one, then he spat."What the hell am I watching?" Nobody answered and Co
The next morning somehow felt worse because nobody looked rested. Well, maybe the rest just wasn't enough.Nikola looked like he had cried in his sleep, Joshua's eyes were red and Sam looked like he had simply accepted death and for the first time, even Coach looked tired.The bus remained quiet.No music, no screaming and somehow even Nikola wasn't talking much. He simply sat against Elias with his hood over his head.Lukas looked outside the window while Viktor slept beside him, his head resting on Lukas' shoulder. Then every few seconds, the bus hit a bump and Viktor frowned in his sleep.Lukas smiled a little then frowned again because today was another day.Another practice and another elimination. Another opportunity to get sent home. Even though nobody talked about it, nobody liked that. Eventually, after a long ride, the bus stopped.The International Training Center somehow looked bigger today. There were more people, more players and more coaches.The building suddenly looke
Nobody talked much after that. The rink slowly emptied and players disappeared one by one. Bags were lifted, skates were carried away and voices gradually faded until only a few teams remained.Coach was speaking to another trainer about something regarding Lukas while Nikola sat on the bench looking emotionally damaged and Joshua still seemed haunted by the scoreboard but Lukas wasn't listening to any of it.Because when he thought he forgot, he saw him again. The boy.The one who had knocked into Viktor, then smiled brightly and apologized like it was nothing. To his boyfriend.He was across the rink now, taking off his gloves. Someone beside him said something and he laughed… that same stupid laugh and Lukas frowned.He remembered Viktor falling, remembered the sharp sound he made and remembered how his entire body had stiffened before he raised him up.Then, the boy looked up and their eyes met. Neither looked away and the noise around them suddenly felt very far. The boy blinked
The third quarter somehow felt longer than the other two combined and the moment they stepped back onto the ice, everybody played harder. Not better. Just harder.Joshua chased every puck like his life depended on it, Sam checked somebody so hard he almost fell with him and Nikola somehow became defensive despite not understanding half of what was happening anymore.And Lukas?Lukas played like he was trying to fight the scoreboard. The problem was that the other team didn't care.Every time they gained momentum, the other side destroyed it immediately. Every shot met a stick, every opening disappeared and their goalie remained glued to the net. It felt impossible.They scored once, the crowd cheered, then the other team scored immediately afterward and there was silence.Then they scored again, there was hope. Then another mistake and another point. Then silence again.The scoreboard barely changed but somehow looked worse every time they glanced at it.13—4.14—4.14—5.The numbers
The next morning started slow. Coach dropped an announcement on the group chat and all the players made their way to the bus.Nikola and Elias sat close to the window while Lukas and Viktor sat slightly far apart. Coach noticed but didn't care even one bit. He stretched out his hands and everyone seemed to pay rapt attention.“We're playing with maniacs today…” his eyes hopped from face to face before he continued, “it's just training… but people will be eliminated.”Nikola wanted to speak but Coach cut him short.“Not teams. Players.” And they all looked concerned. “No one's going to be on the bench. You're all playing.”Each player looked themselves in the eye. They hadn't gotten to the training center but they were already scared.Coach's voice tore through the silence, smashing through their negative thoughts immediately.“Don't panic. They're human”And as soon as they got there, Coach was forced to eat back his words. These players weren't human, they were animals. Fast, agile a
Nikola stayed wrapped in Elias’ arms until evening. They both had nowhere to be… or so they thought. A loud knock destroyed their peace and Nikola's soul nearly jumped out of his body. Nikola knew who it was, so he screamed so loud his throat hurt.“LYDIAAA!!!” Silence, and then more knocking followed. Nikola sighed, it kept getting louder and louder.“Didn't she hear me?” Elias stood and smiled at him,“She probably did… but just ignored”“That's so mean”“Hmm.” And he moved to the door. The knocking manged to get even louder but when he opened it, it wasn't Lydia.“Klaire?” And Nikola jumped out of his bed immediately. He stumbled a few times but made it to the door alive. He spoke, but he still struggled to catch his breath while Elias fought so hard to hide a smile.“What are you doing here, Klaire?” But she stayed quiet. Nikola looked like a mess. His hair stood individually and tear marks still stained his face. The shirt he was wearing wast too big so it fell of his shoulder
The apartment stayed quiet after that. The email was still open on Nikola's phone, its bright screen illuminating the kitchen table while his cereal sat abandoned beside it. The milk had completely ruined it now and one piece had somehow attached itself to the side of the bowl.Nikola stared at the
The problem started at exactly ten thirty-seven in the morning. Nikola knew the exact time because his entire life changed at ten thirty-seven in the morning.He was eating cereal and it was not even good cereal, the cheap kind for poor people, then his phone buzzed.He looked down lazily, expectin
The first thing Nikola did after entering campus was declare himself a hero. Not a hockey hero…not even a sports hero.Just—"A hero." And unfortunately hundreds of students heard him and supported the behavior. Lukas was shocked by the display but even more shocked by people supporting him."I sav
The next morning started with betrayal specifically from the hotel. They informed them their time was due and they had to leave soon. Coach accepted because either way, the games were over but Nikola on the other hand, didn't like it one bit."We literally just got here." The attendant Nikola had s







