Lexa is having a hard time getting over a recent breakup
or Lexa plays college ice hockey.

"Come onnnn Lex." Anya voice comes from outside Lexa's bedroom door.
"we have to make it to practice!"

Lexa's efforts to force her eyes closed and tune Anya out are fruitless, so she moves the pillow from over her face and forces herself to sit up. Her mouth is dry, head feels heavy. She take's a look at the empty bottles of beer on her nightstand, and narrows her eyes at them in a glare, thinking how this is all their fault. Well, the beer, and all the liquor she drank at Indra's pub before the beer. She reaches to undo her, now very messy, braid. She lets her long brown hair frame her tired face like a messy main, only accentuating the hungover look. She half walks, half stumbles to open the door, and is greeted with the sight of her, much more composed than her, roommate.

Anya continues, without a pause at Lexa's rough appearance.
"you've got an hour to get ready and get rid of whatever hangover you're nursing today, practice is at two and, oh look," She says looking at her watch-less wrist, "it's one now."

Lexa notices her roommate's workout clothes and sweaty tank top, meaning she had a much earlier start than hers and was returning from a run.
She notices Anya holding a plastic water bottle in her hand. Mouth dry, so dry.
"is that for me?" she points at the bottle and gives her her best attempt at puppy eyes.

Anya rolls her eyes and hands her the bottle, continuing her one ended conversation. "Coach Gustus wouldn't be happy if you miss another practice, even if you ARE his favorite."

Lexa takes big sips , thinking how holy water is, before answering "If I'm the favorite, why are you captain, huh?" She says raising her eyebrows and failing at hiding a smirk behind the bottle pressed to her lips. She knows Anya is only looking after her, even with her borderline annoyed demeanor.

Anya shakes her head and shoves her lightly. "shut up, you're only a sophomore and you're already alternative captain." she walks away at this, calling back over her shoulder "you're a mess, kid."
"thanks!" Lexa calls after her, with a sarcastic tone.
"don't mention it." Anya answers without turning around.

it takes her a while to get herself composed but after a cups of coffee, several water bottles, and some 'Chelsea dagger' by the Fratellis playing from her bedroom speakers, she is as ready as she'll be. She's wearing her "best"; Adidas sweats and a hoodie over-top a sports bra. The girls make their way through campus towards the ice rink, Carrying their, almost as big as them, bags full of gear, and each with a stick in hand.

"I don't know what you're gonna do next year when you don't have me to pry you out of bed." Anya says, in a lighthearted tone.

Lexa groans in response "let's not talk about you leaving, and then maybe you won't."

"yeah, let me just fail a few of my classes and not graduate." Anaya answers with a sardonic tone, cracking her neck as they walk.

"it's not my fault that I was born two years after you, I didn't choose it!" Lexa says, exaggeratingly waving her stick to the sky.
"oh, nice and dramatic, Shakespeare." Anya says and then drops her playful tone as she continues. "Lex, how much did you drink last night?"
Lexa shrugs, avoiding the concerned look in Anya's eyes. "what? It was Friday." she tries to brush it off, but Anya's is giving her a you're full of shit look.

"what about the other two times you've missed your 9 a.m. this week?" she says putting her finger to her lips, looking up as if trying hard to remember something. "hm, nope, don't think those were Fridays too."
"speaking of Fridays," Lexa retorts, attempting to change the topic. "where were you last night?"

"I met somebody." Anya says with a small shrug, attempting to look casual.
Lexa raises her eyebrows and is about to say something but is cut short as soon as they walk inside the doors of the ice rink. they see a couple guys from the men's hokey team in full gear.
"Why are they here?" Lexa voices, confused.

once inside the girl's locker room, they rush to get ready, putting all their padding on, finishing with their red and black jerseys and exit the locker to meet with the rest of the team.
"Coach," Lexa starts, once they area all gathered at the side of the rink. "are we training with the men's team today?" it wasn't something they had ever done before but it seems to be the only plausible expiation.

Coach Gustus would be an intimidating person to anybody who didn't know him. Tall stature, muscular built, but Lexa would vouch for him being one of the kindest people she knew.

"we're playing them actually," he answers for the whole team to hear. "with both your first games of the season being only a few weeks away, I think a friendly game might be good practice."
The boys team was already doing practice laps around the ice. "Now go get warmed up."

All the girls head for the ice at this. Lexa isn't fond of the idea of playing with the men's team. She can already imagine they wouldn't give the game their all because they were up against women.

"Woods!" Gustus calls out to her before she can get on the ice.
"yes, coach?" Lexa says, walking back towards him in her skates.
"I heard you missed a couple lessons this week." His trademark smile, replaced with a furrowed brow.
"you know that wont float, Lexa," His arms are crossed as he looks down at her, taller than her even in skates." I know you're going through a tough time but you're my alternative on the ice and I would very much like for you to take over once Anya graduates, but you've got to step it up."
Lexa tries at a smile at this. "thank you, coach."

He sighs shaking his head. "no more coming to practice hungover. I can understand it on a Saturday like today but Lexa, I've heardyou've been drinking practically every day for weeks." Lexa is quiet, she's trying not to think, of her, of anything.

Over a month ago, Lexa and the girl she'd dated since high school had broken up, and she was coping by drinking bottles of Indra's whiskey dry, and bottles of beer whenever she could get away with it. Costia had been more family to Lexa than anybody ever had.

Costia's words resonated in Lexa's mind. She came to her dorm one night, crying, borderline hysterically. which was a huge contrast to her usual tranquil demeanor. she said she has lost her head and kissed a random girl at a party. She had come to end it.

She said their relationship had been over for a long time now, and only their stubbornness was keeping them together.

Lexa knew she had been right to end it. she knew they had been holding on just fingertips for so long. Holding on to that last bit of the people they were when they first met. Yet she was still having such a hard time having to reinvent herself as somebody who wasn't a part of Costia.
"Lexa," Coach Gustus brings her back from her thoughts, "you've gotta find a better way to cope". he pats her on the back and bring his eyes back towards the ice. "now go get on the ice and let's give theses boys a run for their money."
-

Sitting on the stands at the side of the rink are Octavia, Clarke and Raven.
"okay o, I'll give you that, he's definitely yummy." Raven says with a smirk then cups her hands around her mouth; "hey number 9, you're a fine piece of-" Octavia shoves her, cutting her off.
"can you not be a child." she says scolding, mouthing the words sorry to Lincoln who is now looking at the stands from the ice, with a smirk.
Raven clutches her heart with mock hurt and laughs. Octavia and Lincoln had recently become a thing, and were all honey moon craze, hence why they now sat, watching the men's and, to Clarke's delighted surprise, the women's, hockey practice.
"Griffin," Raven says waving a hand in front of Clarke's face.
"What?" she responds, snapping back from a daze.
"Well, you were totally staring hard at somebody on the ice." Raven puts her face next to Clarke's, looking at the ice as if trying to figure out who Clarke was looking at.
she laughs, "I was checking out o's new boy, duh." She says with a teasing look at Octavia.
Octavia answers without looking away from the ice but with humor in her tone "you haven't checked out a boy since Finn, so that'shighly unlikely."
"Oh god you're not checking out FINN, are you?" raven says looking towards the ice for the boy's jersey number.
"FINN!" raven calls out to get Finn's attention. He smiles and waves, just as the game starts.

Raven and Finn had grown up together since kindergarten and had a very brother/ sister relationship, so it was understandable that Raven made throw up noises whenever he and Clarke were around each-other freshman year. Clarke's and Finn's fling has been short lived, not to anybody's surprise, although Finn ended up hung up on Clarke longer than she on him. Raven and Clarke met in freshman year of high school and have been inseparable since, even with Raven's analytical perspective on thing and Clarke's unsystematic one. They had both met Octavia freshman year of college, and by sophomore year had decided to get a shared apartment on campus, for the three of them.

Clarke's eyes were back on the ice as soon she the game started. She had certainly not been looking at Finn, she had been watching somebody from the girl's team. She couldn't see her face past her helmet but something about the way she moved on the ice had Clarke in a slight trance. Number 6. Clarke has been to a few of Finn's practices last year and could admit that he was good, but this girl was different. It was like a fish in water, like she was born to swim, or in her case, skate.

Lexa was right, the boys were goofing around more so than taking them seriously, at first anyway. Although after the score was 3-0 in favor of the girls, they started to really get competitive.

Finn's competitive nature was showing in full he started to play more aggressively. Lexa was heading for the net for her second goal of the game, in possession of the puck when she felt somebody body check her hard against the side of the rink, her head hitting the wall.

Clarke was on her feet at this "Finn what the hell was that?!"
which got her some amused looks from both Octavia and raven, and a glance from number 6 before she was blasting after him and, stick checking him, retrieving the puck and taking a blocked attempt at scoring.

A few minutes later, the game was over, with a final score of 3-2 in favor of the girls. Clarke was following number 6 as she stepped off the ice and took her helmet off. Although ,all she got to see was her messy braid as she stepped into the Locker rooms.

"okay well that was bullshit," started Anya as she took off her jersey, followed by her chest and shoulder padding, "friendly game my ass, Good job keeping it together though, we all know you could have crushed him."

Lexa allowed a small smile as she took off her sweaty undershirt, thinking about the flash of blonde and blue eyes.

"there was a girl," she started, half to herself and half to Anya, "she got kind of angry at the play." She chuckled.
"yeah, I saw. She was hanging out with one of the boy's team's girlfriend. Lincoln?"

They were both shoving stuff back into the huge bags.
"speaking of!" Anya continues, "I heard Lincoln is having a party today, perhaps you can ditch Indra's pub for a night and come do your sulk-drinking there instead?"

"eh, maybe." Lexa responds throwing her hoodie back on. "I'm gonna shower at the apartment."
"I'm gonna shower here," Anya attempts at a casual tone but still comes off as suspicious, "I'm meeting with somebody in a while."
Lexa doesn't pry, mostly because she's tired but also because Anya is already walking away towards the showers.
"Not too much day drinking!" Anya throws back over her shoulder "I want you awake for the party."

Lexa shrugs, perhaps it wouldn't be a terrible idea to go.

x