The rink was basically empty, apart from the sound of Jay’s skates slicing through the ice.He pushed himself, way harder than necessary. Legs burning, lungs tight.Practice wasn’t for another twenty minutes, but he’d already been grinding alone for half an hour. Drills. Just relentless repetition, until his muscles screamed because honestly, this was the only thing that worked anymore. The only time his mind stopped buzzing and let him breathe.He lined up six pucks by the blue line, started launching them one after another. Top corner, bottom corner, five hole. He nailed them all. The net stayed empty, but he pretended someone was in goal. Pretended it was a high pressure game, scouts in the stands with their notebooks. Every shot landed exactly where he wanted.Jay stopped, breathing hard, staring at the net.Six perfect shots.He felt nothing.“You’re here early.”Jay turned to see Coach, standing at the entrance, holding his clipboard, whistle dangling around his neck.“Wanted to
Last Updated : 2026-05-10 Read more