Smells like Team Spirit

by Zadien

Beyblade Ice Hockey AU. The Sharks have always won the league, each and every year, but this year will be different. Kai Hiwatari, the ex-captain of the Sharks, now captains the Tigers, the talented yet dysfunctional contenders for the trophy with all their emotional baggage, prank pulling and bitter resentment of change.

35. Captain Kai

Previously on SLTS

Brooklyn attacked Arista during a fit of rage when her team pressured her to break up with him. In retaliation, Kane beat Brooklyn up only to be stopped by Johnny when the boys realised that Brooklyn had previous wounds on his back. Lashing out because he could see how Brooklyn was hurting, Mystel informed Amber about what happened to Brooklyn, leaving out a lot of key details, like who did it. Amber passed the info onto Kai. Now Kai has to decide what he needs to do to save his team from losing more players - especially when Arista shows no signs of coming back. After going home for the weekend, Amber runs into her dad and is told that she could go live with him now that Teresa has a new baby. She ends up crying in Kai's arms, and venting about this situation to Tala, Kai is told that he's not much better.

---

Chapter Thirty-Five: Captain Kai

Nicolai was alone when Kai stepped on the ice for Monday morning practice. Considering he'd left fifteen minutes before his alarm was due, he figured he had half an hour before the rest of the team joined them. After a weekend of no ice time, he intended to savour those minutes. He shuffled forward and absorbed the scents and sounds of the arena: the glare of the lights, the scratch of his blades, the numbing cold penetrating his lungs.

He was home.

"Are you going to stand there admiring the sights or are you here to train?"

He snorted at his dad's dry comment and joined him in setting up the arena. Catching hold of a net, he pulled it over to its spot, the icy air pinching at his cheeks and ears. "What's on the agenda today?"

"Back to basics."

With a frown, Kai closed his fingers around the crossbar as he leaned against it. "Basics won't help us beat the Sharks." He paused and grimly admitted, "It won't even help us beat the JV team."

"We won't beat the JV team." Coldly practical, Nicolai picked up his clipboard and scanned the notes on it. "The JV team's at full strength and they're playing better than ever. Our chance of beating them is impossible but we'll make them work for the win, if we can, we'll aim for a draw. We don't have the manpower but we have got the skills, and that's what I want us to work on. With Arista out our defence needs to be impregnable. The other team can't score if they can't get the puck; if they get the puck, then we need to block all angles at the net."

Kai rolled his shoulders but had to concede to his father's experience. That was a practical game plan. "We still need a goalie."

"I'm working on it," Nicolai said, placing his hand on Kai's shoulder and giving it a supportive squeeze. "There's no lack of talent in the school."

Talent in the school? As in, outside of the team? Spinning slowly, he tracked his father's progress across the ice. "If there's talent, why aren't they on the team?" A few reserve goalies might have taken a lot of pressure off.

Nicolai paused amid setting down cones. "You've met your team, right? They're insular, and most people don't want to join a team where they assume they'll be riding the pine pony all season. Dan played favourites when he was here. Most people didn't try out because they assumed I'd do the same."

An uneasy feeling slithered down his spine. "Are you holding tryouts?"

Nicolai met his gaze. "We need to keep this team going, Kai."

"Are you looking for a goalie or for other positions?"

"There's space on the roster Kai, it would be a waste to hold tryouts and not fill all those empty spaces. We have two players on the injury list. I'm not looking to replace them, but I want to shore up the spots until they come back. If they come back."

That wasn't what Kai needed to hear today. "And what? How can we defeat the Warriors and Sharks with a band of newbies? It takes time to bring a team together." He didn't bother pointing out how long it took the team to accept him.

"The Olympic teams and NHL can manage it. I thought that was your goal."

"They're professionals," Kai pointed out, heart pounding as a sour taste flooded his mouth. His team would hate this. "They do intense training camps. When are we going to fit that around classes and studying to meet your B grade stipulation?"

Sometimes he wondered if his father understood how tough playing Varsity hockey could be. They didn't play hockey 24/7, they had classes, assignments, and other commitments.

"We won't win without a team, Kai. We need a goalie. Now, unless you can magic one up, I'm gonna need to hold tryouts. And there's no point holding them just for one position. New blood might give us the edge. It's not set in stone but it's something we need to consider."

The conversation done, his father walked to the other end of the ice. Kai sucked in a breath through his teeth and felt the sensitive sting along his gums. Kai didn't like it, but his dad was right.

He would have to tell the team. He rubbed his stomach feeling it churn with impending doom. His team didn't react well to change. Hell, they didn't react well to anything, but bringing a bunch of new guys onto the team would only infuriate them further.

The beginnings of a headache throbbing at his temples. Who the hell wanted to be a part of this hockey team? The baseball team, sure, he could understand that. The football team, definitely. They had at least three people who acted as reserves for their damn mascot. Everyone wanted a piece of the glory when you won everything going. But who wanted to join the swan song of a hockey team that might not see the next season?

And that was another thing his team didn't know.

Jaw clenched, he skated to the equipment pile and grabbed the bag of pucks, spilling them like black discs over the ice.

More to the point, what hockey player got dissuaded from joining a team because the team were cliquey? Hockey wasn't just about skill on the ice, it took a lot of courage to climb out of the box and face bigger and faster opponents. If a player couldn't deal with the bitchiness of a team, they had no right to be there. Trades and transfers happened all the time in the pros, you just sucked it up and got on with it.

Flipping a puck on the taped blade of his stick, he tossed it into the air and slapped it into the back of the net. The satisfaction of watching the net stretch, then settle into place eased a bit of his ire.

"Not bad, a little off target and if we had a goalie, they would have saved it."

Kai shot Tala a forbidding look. "Yeah well, Dad's planning on fixing that for us, whether we want it or not."

Tala shifted his grip on his stick. "Shouldn't we want it? How's he planning on fixing it? Last I heard Arista still had no plans to come back, which is completely understandable," he added, quickly checking the ice.

"He's thinking about holding tryouts. Not just for a goalie but for other positions too. He's got this idea that there's talent out there that would join the team but haven't because our team is "cliquey" and thought Dan played favourites."

Tala's face blanked and Kai watched as he rocked back on his heels before angling his right foot to steady himself. "Huh. Tryouts? In the middle of the season? That's… desperate."

"We are desperate." That was the problem. They were very desperate and as much as Kai didn't want to rock the boat, he could appreciate his dad's point. However, he also knew any complaint voiced by the team would be equally valid.

With a disgusted sigh, Tala gouged his blade into the ice. "Shit. What are we supposed to do with a bunch of newbs?"

Kai jerked a shoulder but was gratified that Tala's disdain echoed his. At least with this, they were on the same wavelength. It was tough trying to find chemistry with new guys, having to listen to the bitching about lines and ice time. He did not have the energy for that right now.

With a scowl, Tala sent a dark look in Nicolai's direction. "His timing sucks. Amber's not going to take this well."

Kai followed his gaze, watching as his dad counted out the pattern of cones he'd set up for suicides. Did Tala think that was news to him? Of course, she would hate the news. After this weekend, it would be another slap to her fragile pride, yet another man in her life deciding she wasn't enough.

His stomach twisted into a sour knot. "It's not like he has much of a choice. He's not doing it to hurt her."

Tala eyed him for a long uncomfortable moment, clearly reading him. With a click of his tongue, he kicked a puck in Kai's direction. "I know."

Feeling his neck burn, Kai caught the puck with the nose of his stick and nudged it into place. Blocking out everything else, he took another shot at the goal. The puck whipped through the air, a black blur, and tangled in the net.

"I'll talk to her," Kai told him.

"Maybe I should—"

"I'll talk to her. I'm the captain."

Besides, if he could talk to her, maybe he could convince her to get back on the damn team where she belonged. Everything would be a hell of a lot better then.

Voices echoed as the rest of the team stepped onto the ice kitted out for practice. Kai watched as Ian jostled past Enrique to fall into step with Bryan and Spencer, while Johnny and Kane lurked behind deep in conversation.

It was all so normal.

"So when are you going to tell them?" Tala asked, coming to stand beside him, an unspoken show of solidarity.

Kai continued to watch his team as Shahero laughingly told Russia and Miyami a story, and Ozuma showed Michael and Rei something on his phone. Probably pictures of baby Sam.

"You know what? Dad can tell them." Kai leaned down to pick up the pucks. "It's his job. Besides, he's only thinking about it. He might still reconsider."

But Kai didn't think so. They needed a goalie. Even if Arista came back to the team, having a second active goalie was important. In a sport like ice hockey where injuries were the norm, it was a miracle they'd gotten as far as they had with only Arista. But did they really need more defence and offence? Right now their lines were solid. They missed Amber, but she would back.

Regardless once Nicolai told them, the team would let Kai know their feelings on the matter. They wouldn't complain to Nicolai; he was the Coach, he made the tough decisions. As Captain, though, Kai would bear the brunt of their frustrations. He would have to listen to the endless snide remarks and general bitchiness. The good old passive-aggressive route.

Kicking a puck to Tala, Kai rested his stick on the ice, rocking the blade back and forth. He'd let Nicolai tell the team but he would talk to Amber. The sooner she knew, the sooner she could make her decision about coming back. Maybe he could ask her about the Mystel thing too. Really just stick that knife in and twist it.

---

Having handed in his biology homework — a day late but he could accept the 3% deduction — Tyson walked along the carpeted corridor that led out of the teaching block. He drew his phone out of the pocket of his slacks and contemplated texting Hilary to let her know that he'd completed his assignment, then he put it away again. He hadn't seen her all day and while that wasn't anything out of the ordinary — they didn't share a lot of classes and he'd been in the library working on his assignment — he couldn't shake the feeling that she was avoiding him.

Which was stupid, she had no reason to avoid him. He'd helped her at the weekend, she'd shared her issues with him… and maybe that was the crux of the problem. Hilary didn't seem to be the kind of person who liked showing weakness.

He doubted reassuring her that he thought of her as anything but weak would help matters. She seemed determined to dislike him. Every conversation was layered with an awkward shell that he just couldn't pierce. And, since when did he want to be friends with her? When had that indelible shift taken place?

Girls were weird. He understood Hockey girls. Throw in some witty hockey comments and they were fine, but Hilary was different.

He exited the teaching block into the cool and mostly empty corridor and glanced at the spot where he'd left Max. His best friend still leaned against the wall, gaze fixed to his screen. Sensing Tyson's presence, he glanced up and put his phone away.

"All sorted?"

"Yeah, I get a three percent penalty for it being late but that's better than a zero."

"Too true, my man, too true. And you can't risk a failing grade with Hitoshi on your back."

Tyson groaned. "Don't remind me. I swear he's worse than Coach Blood. It's not even the threat of getting benched, it's the fact that he'll tattle to mum." Having your older brother as your coach royally sucked.

"Well, cheer up because it's burger day and—" Max cut off as a hand landed on their shoulders and Hitoshi pushed his way between them, keeping a firm grip on them.

"Well, if it isn't my favourite little brother and my favourite goalie."

Max laughed and exchanged a nervous look with Tyson. How much had his brother heard? If he heard that Coach Blood comment Tyson would be doing extra laps for the next month. And extra laps were beyond the worst.

"H-hey Hitoshi," Max greeted and cleared his throat. "What's up?"

"I need to talk to you two. So let's go find a quiet spot for a little chat."

Tyson allowed himself to be guided towards an empty classroom while his mind ran a mile a minute trying to figure out Histoshi's words. He braced himself against a table as Hitoshi closed the door behind him with an audible click. Max hopped up on the table to his right and Hitoshi leaned back against the door.

"Everything okay, Coach?"

Had they done something? Surely this wasn't about handing his assignment in late. No, why bring Max in for that? And it couldn't be about Kennedie and Hilary either because again, that hadn't involved Max. So it had to be hockey related, but Tyson couldn't think of anything that would worry his brother. Unless something had happened with the upcoming JV match. Had Nicolai decided to cancel it again? It wouldn't surprise Tyson if he had, disappoint sure, but they were lacking a goalie and had no reserves, it made sense to cancel it.

Shit.

He'd been looking forward to going up against the Varsity team and proving his mettle. Especially when they would be forced to play their best, unlike when they'd played in the Open Day match.

Rubbing his hands together, Hitoshi began to pace in front of the door. Tyson's uneasiness rose another level. His brother never got nervous. He handled everything thrown at him with a confidence Tyson envied. Even when he got the shattering news about his injury, he'd simply absorbed it and shifted his focus to coaching instead. Hitoshi adapted. It was his best feature.

"There's a rumour, and you cannot under pain of death, repeat it to anyone else. Understand?"

Tyson glanced at Max before nodding quickly. Whatever it was, if it made Hitoshi feel better to share it, then Tyson would accept that burden.

"Okay, you're both aware that Arista and Amber are on the injured list for Varsity, right?"

"Yeah," Tyson answered at the same time as Max said, "Of course."

And Tyson called it, they were going to cancel the JV/Varsity game. Though why keep it a secret, Tyson couldn't say.

"Nicolai's planning to hold tryouts for the Varsity team."

The words fell like drumbeats in the room, and Tyson shifted in place. The clock ticked along, the laughter from students out on the quad filtered in with the sunlight through the semi-closed venetian blinds. It all seemed so mundane and normal after the life-changing words that Hitoshi had uttered. Tyson's breath came faster, his heart thundering in his ears. It was unbelievable.

It was also the chance to do the one thing his brother hadn't.

"You both were picked by Dan to play Varsity at the start of the year so it stands to reason that you'd be picked again if you were to try out. I'm going to tell you both now, I won't stop you. I understand what an opportunity it would be. Even if you didn't get to play in a match, it would still look fantastic on your transcripts. Not to mention you would both be in a better position for next season."

It was an incredible chance, but as the excitement ballooned up, it immediately deflated. He couldn't do it. He couldn't skip out on his team. Not now.

"I've played this long on the JV team, I want to finish this season out. I can't abandon them." He glanced at Max and offered up a supportive smile. "You should do it, Maxie. You're guaranteed a spot on the starting roster and you'd be a hell of an acquisition for them. Not gonna lie, I won't enjoy trying to score against you, but it might be fun to see how good we really are on opposite teams."

Max laughed, but it faded on a whimsical sigh. "Nah. Thanks for the heads up Hitoshi, but like Tyson said, we've played this long on the JV team, and we've had the best season ever. I wouldn't like myself very much if I just left."

Tyson nodded. "We have next year to play Varsity, and we'll have more ice time then."

And that was the crux of it for Tyson. As much as the idea of playing Varsity while a Sophomore sounded amazing, being on the team wasn't as important to him as being on the ice. If he joined the Varsity team, he'd join a long list of people vying for that coveted place on the ice. Right now he was on the first string, why give that up for a couple of extra months with the Varsity guys when he'd get there in his own time and dominate?

Hitoshi released a breath and straightened slowly, fiddling with the cuffs of his coach jacket. With a nod, he averted his gaze, and for a moment Tyson worried his brother might sob. After all, his two best players had confirmed they were fully signed on for the rest of the season. If that wasn't something of a relief, then Tyson didn't know what was.

"Look, it's not been announced yet, you can still change your minds. As I said, I won't hold it against either of you." When Tyson opened his mouth to protest, Hitoshi held up his hand. "If you do change your minds, do me a solid and let me know first?"

Max glanced at Tyson then nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, we'll let you know, but I don't see myself changing my mind."

Hitoshi studied them both. "Just think on it." He opened the door and stepped back to let them pass. "And don't mention it to anyone until Nicolai tells his team."

As they parted ways, Max fell into step with Tyson and sent him an anxious look. "You're serious about not trying out, right?"

"Deadly. It was different at the start of the year. We were part of Varsity and had no loyalty to the JV team, but to jump ship now, it's not cool, is it?"

Max released a slow breath, as if pleased to hear Tyson echo his thoughts. "No, I wouldn't be able to look any of the others in the eye. Daichi would kill us. We'd have to sleep with one eye open. It's not worth it."

Tyson snorted in amusement before sobering. That was the other side of the coin. Sure it was a good opportunity, would look good on the transcripts, but you had to be someone really cold to just leave a team in the middle of a season. And they weren't just his team, they were his friends. No way did he want to wear the label of a "team hopping fucktard" for the rest of his high school days.

No, Nicolai would just have to look elsewhere for replacements.

---

The Dining Hall was quiet as Miyami navigated her way through the empty mahogany tables to the back corner where some of her team had gathered. Taking the spot beside Aspin, opposite Kane and Ian, she set her tray down and made a face at the solemn mood.

"Hey," Aspin greeted, reaching for the water jug and pouring her a glass. "I'd ask how practice went but I can guess."

Miyami shook her head, pushing the heavy plait of her still damp silver hair over her shoulders. "Practice itself was okay but two practices a day is brutal."

Ian lifted his head to glower at her with bleary eyes. "Practice was not okay. Practice was cruel and unusual and a punishment."

Aspin glanced between them, then picked up a fry and swiped it through her salt and pepper mix. "What's going on? Was Coach in a bad mood?"

With a rub of her nose, Miyami sliced off a piece of lasagne with her fork. "No, Coach was fine. He ran us through drills. We're going back to basics, which never makes for a fun practice. Defence got it tougher," she admitted inclining her head in Ian's direction. "You guys are our last bastion while Arista's out. We can't rely on her so much, so you need to tighten up around the net. I got three in past your line because you guys left so much space. Defence needs to step up and close off any opportunity at that net. That's how teams with shit goalies do it."

Ian grunted. "Yeah, well it doesn't help when you have Hiwatari and Valkov acting like gym coach rejects. Push, push, push! If I push any harder, I'll shit myself."

A silence fell on the table as all eyes turned to Ian. He flushed uncomfortably and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm just saying. They're being assholes."

Miyami exchanged a bemused look with Aspin as she tucked into her meal. "They're just — and I'm not defending Valkov because I would never do that — but they're concerned."

"Yeah, real concerned," Kane said, gesturing with a fork. "If they were that worried they would have been here this weekend instead of swanning off to go 'camping'."

Ian nodded quickly and Miyami bit her tongue. She could understand the frustration, god knows she felt it herself, but she wasn't a hypocrite. She couldn't bitch about Tala and Kai taking the weekend off when she'd done the same herself.

She and Johnny had enjoyed their weekend away, and she wasn't going to apologise for it. There had been something so decadent about lying in bed until noon, making choices about food and how to spend the day. God, she missed choices. She couldn't wait to finish high school. She'd miss it, but man, the idea of freedom from rigid routine was exhilarating.

"Alright," Aspin said, rising to her feet and collecting her empty plate. "I have an assignment to work on." She turned to Kane. "Enjoy your time with Johnny, doing whatever it is you're going to do."

Kane chewed his food, his blue eyes drifting to the right as he thought. "We're playing video games. It's hardly a clandestine meeting. We downloaded a new DLC, so," he said, thrusting a finger in Miyami's direction, "don't be distracting him or texting him. He's gotta be focused."

Miyami swallowed her food and held up her hands. "Oh, don't worry. I wouldn't dare get in the way of your epic bromance."

Kane sent her a bland smile but got distracted by Ian's demands to let him watch. Rolling her eyes, Miyami pulled out her sketchbook and began to flip through the pages. She needed to finish off her portfolio and submit it. She paused on an image of Johnny sleeping that she'd sketched that weekend and stroked her fingers over the blurred lines. She would keep this one for herself. It was too intimate to share.

The hubbub of the cafeteria faded to background noise as she quickly scribbled a few notes for herself in between bites of her lasagne. Trays were returned to the trolleys while one of the staff refilled the station with freshly washed cutlery. Music filtered out from a speaker mounted on the counter and another member of staff began to wipe down tables, clearing the space for the morning crowd.

When Kai passed the wall of windows, Miyami frowned. Stowing away her supplies, she got to her feet and turned to Kane. "Hey, since you're stealing my boyfriend in my final year of high school, depriving me of his affection and attention when I have so little time left to be with him, drop off my tray when you're leaving yours back, okay? I gotta go."

"Just take it over to the rack yourself."

She glowered at Kane, then smiled when he relented with a sigh. Grabbing her bag, she slung it over her shoulder and exited through the side door that led to the gardens. She shrugged on her oversized cardigan to combat the developing chill in the air and scanned the area for Kai. Spotting him, she cut across the lawn and, brushing past a wild rose bush, she dropped onto the path in front of him.

"Hey, just the person I was looking for."

Kai came to an abrupt halt to avoid crashing into her. "Miyami, what's up?"

"Nothing much," she said, swinging her arms as she indicated for him to walk with her. "I was just thinking, we haven't hung out in a while. Figured we could catch up."

And maybe she could figure out why he seemed so off during practice. It wasn't like he'd said anything or given any indication of his mood, but she could sense it. His intensity on the ice seemed strained and aggressive and had her wondering what happened that weekend. Surely a camping trip should have relaxed him.

He raked a hand through his hair causing tufts to stick wildly out of place and scanned the campus still basking in the spring sunshine. Some students were sitting at a picnic table talking, while others gathered around the fountain with steaming styrofoam cups. It was all so normal and aesthetically pleasing. She really enjoyed this time of year: the stretch in the evenings, the warmer weather, the fact that she could wear her cute ankle boots with summer dresses.

"I was thinking of going for a run," he said, "if you want to tag along."

"We've just finished two practice sessions. I don't think my legs could handle a run. But if you're heading down to the track field, I could join you for moral support. Though fair warning, Amber's down there with Sonia."

She pretended not to notice the way Kai's face brightened, his body all but twisting towards the track field, before he quickly schooled his features. Something definitely happened with Amber then. She sighed. Romance troubles were always the worst.

"So are we going?"

"Actually, I might head to the gym instead, and use the treadmill. It's easier on my knees."

With a sigh, she grabbed his arm and led him off the tarmac path across the freshly mown grass to stand under the privacy of a towering oak tree. "What was that?" she hissed.

"What was what?"

"You suddenly changed your mind about where you wanted to run when you heard Amber would be in the track field. Did something happen between you?"

He quirked a brow, and his usual arrogant mask appeared. "No. Contrary to popular opinion not everything is about Amber."

"Don't bullshit me, Kai. If something's happened between you and my best friend, I need to know about it, so I can run damage control or be a shoulder to cry on for whichever one of you needs it."

"If something happened don't you think Amber would have told you?"

She pouted. Not necessarily. "I haven't seen her much today. I had to go to practice early, and then we had classes, and then I had practice again. So I'm going by your reaction. What happened?"

"Miyami," he said, brown eyes sober and direct as they locked on hers. "Nothing happened."

"Okay," she replied brightly, "let's go to the track then. The soft lanes will be just as easy on your knees, and since it's a lovely day we'll get to absorb some good old vitamin D."

He exhaled quietly and she watched his jaw clench, a muscle flickering to life in his cheek. "Fine, I don't want to lead her on, okay? She's had enough shit going on and I don't want to add to it."

"Lead her on? Where is this coming from? Who put that bullshit in your head?"

"It's not important. It's just something Tala said and—"

"Tala said that? What exactly did Tala say?"

With a growl, he dropped his head back against the tree trunk and glowered at her. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Of course not. I'm intrigued. What did Valkov say that has you avoiding our dearest Bambi like the plague?" She smiled faintly at her pun.

With a grimace, he did another scan of the campus before finally admitting, "He just pointed out that the way I'm acting right now is how her dad acts."

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to wrap her head around that nugget of wisdom but nope, her brain broke at the stupidity of it. "How? Just… explain how."

"She had a run in with her dad at the weekend. The usual thing. He expects her to just accept whatever tokens of affections he's willing to dole out to her, and I'm doing the same. Apparently. Dating without the fun bits were his exact words. I'm stringing her along, and she can't move forward and date other people because of me. Which is unfair because I'll go play hockey and leave her behind. Just like her dad will when he gets his new family."

Miyami opened her mouth. Closed it. Inhaling through her nose, she considered marching up to Valkov's door and shaking him. Since she couldn't do that, she settled for kicking the tree. Pain exploded in her foot, and she muttered a string of curses.

"You okay?"

She held up a hand and nodded.

"That was stupid. You could have hurt yourself. We don't need to lose more players."

"I'm fine. Valkov, on the other hand— I can't believe Valkov said that to you. Valkov, of all people. That's rich."

"Miyami…"

"No, it is. Because he's done the exact same thing and no one's giving him shit for it. He was her best friend and he just dropped her, and us by the way, to go play for Clonmel because it "had a higher calibre of hockey". I can't believe he'd be so fucking hypocritical— no, actually, I can. This is so typically Valkov, coming in like a knight in shining armour once the battle's over."

She blew out a breath and then centred herself, willing some form of zen to take up residence in her body. She'd do yoga before bed to deal with this bull. "Look, Kai, we're teenagers, we're still young, and there's so much life has to offer. You do not owe anyone. The only thing you should ever concentrate on is making yourself happy. If that's to go off to college and play hockey with the intention of going pro, you do you, my dude. It's not like anyone could fault for you doing that. I sure as hell couldn't. After all, I'm gonna study fashion, and Johnny wants to be a firefighter. It's gonna take us completely different places."

"Wait, you and Johnny are going to different places? And what, stay long distance?"

She squirmed awkwardly because she hadn't really told anyone else yet. "We talked about it this weekend, and we probably could do long distance, but I don't think we want to. I adore Johnny, don't get me wrong, and we don't have a set date, it's more of a timeline. For me, he's it, but at the moment I want to experience college life. I don't want to be thinking about him somewhere else, wondering what he's doing, who's he doing it with."

She made a sound of exasperation as the words eluded her. She sounded flighty, and that wasn't what she was aiming for. She was serious, at least as serious as you could be when you were talking about ending a good thing. The idea of it still caused a burning in her gut, the kind that felt like acid eating through lining. Heartache, heartburn, same difference.

She tucked her thumbs through the belt loops of her skinny jeans and tried to orchestrate her thoughts. "I watched my older brother and sister do the long distance thing, and it's hard. Really hard. My sister didn't even get to enjoy her final year in college because she was always tied to the computer waiting for her partner's call. And my brother ended up having screaming matches with his. They were done by October, and now they hate each other. I don't want to hate Johnny. So we talked, and it's the right thing for both of us. I want to have fun at college, and I don't expect Johnny to sit around and wait for me to get it out of my system."

With a teasing grin, she poked his chest. "You're in the same boat. You'll be a big hockey player, you'll have parties every weekend, girls will throw themselves at you. Having a girlfriend back home will only be a weight around your neck."

She expected a smile or a smirk, but Kai's expression turned serious as he mulled over her words. Clearly, the idea of being a party animal in college didn't hold the same appeal to him. Interesting.

She studied him leaning against the rough tree bark, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his shorts, arms bared by the sleeveless hooded sweatshirt he wore in a smokey grey that complemented his hair. The sun pressed at the shadows created by the large canopy overheard, the fresh green leaves shivering in the slight rose-scented breeze, parting to allow glimpses of the hard blue sky. It created a pretty picture, one her fingers itched to sketch.

She'd bring Johnny to that spot, she decided, and ask him to play the sleeping prince while she painted the scene. He'd grumble, but she knew how to convince him.

"If," Kai mused, plucking a fallen leaf from the air and twisting it, "that's your plan, why are you and Johnny still together?

Miyami sent him a sly smirk. "Because I don't believe in cutting off my nose to spite my face. Johnny and I are good together, and we'll continue being good together throughout the summer. I like living in the moment because tomorrow we might be dead. And if I had one last day to live, I'd spend it with him."

She watched him consider that with bemusement. Maybe Kai wasn't quite as ready to move on as he thought. "You okay, Kai?"

"One last day to live," he murmured, "is that the same as, if you'd died tomorrow, what would you regret most?"

"Somewhat I guess? You really can't wrap your head around me and Johnny, huh?" She grinned and patted his arm when he grimaced. "It's fine. I know others will struggle with it too, but if Johnny and I are meant to be, we'll find each other. I definitely believe that. We were even discussing it at the weekend. Picture this, I'm a successful designer doing a fashion show in New York with all the top names in the audience. When bang something goes awry, and a fire breaks out." With an air of false modesty, she placed a hand at her throat. "I stay back to make sure my models and creations are saved, but I become trapped. I'm dressed in this little glitzy black number, very risqué but classy. Then Johnny, in a snug black uniform, sweeps in to rescue—"

"Stop," he groaned, rubbing his temples. "I don't want to hear this."

"We haven't even got to the best part yet." He shot her a look of abject terror and she laughed, linking her fingers behind her back. "Well, at least you seem to be a little less stressed. Look, don't let Tala fill your head with crap. He, god help me, but he probably thought he was helping. I swear, the guys on our team are always jumping to the girls' defence, like we can't handle ourselves."

Her smile faded. Except Arista didn't handle herself, did she? And she had needed protecting. She shuffled her feet and glanced at Kai, ready to suggest they move on or part ways when she caught his sudden scrutiny. "What?"

"I was just thinking about Arista. How is she?"

Relieved that his thoughts had been in line with her own, she relaxed and offered a faint smile. "Fine, I guess. I'm not really sure. She doesn't confide in me much anymore. She's hanging around with Ruin a lot. She's mentioned nothing more about joining the team for practice, and I just wish she could see that she doesn't have to avoid campus anymore, that she's safe to walk around here. It's not like Brooklyn's gonna show up again, he knows better than to try that."

"He didn't suffer any consequences last time."

She reached down and picked up a daisy, twirling in between her finger and thumb. "Not that time no, but the time after that—" She froze, her tongue swelling in her mouth, as cold fingers of panic crept down her spine. She wasn't supposed to say that.

"What time was that, Miyami?"

She swallowed hard, her mouth dry and parched.

"What time, Miyami?" Kai repeated.

Alarm bells screamed, and her heart thundered in her head. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Johnny had told her that in confidence, and she'd just blurted it out to Kai, their captain. She needed to say something, do something. Otherwise, Johnny and Kane could end up off the team. They couldn't afford that.

"Look, it wasn't a big deal. Brooklyn came to one of our games, and he lingered afterwards. He was in the corridor and he ran into a few of the guys, and then he left."

"Just left? Nothing happened?" Kai let the silence build before he shook his head in disbelief. "Alright, let me tell you what I know, Miyami. Brooklyn didn't just leave, he was attacked by one of our guys."

"Attacked is a gross exaggeration," she snapped, then jerked a shoulder as she ran her hand over her plaited hair, drawing out the silver strands. "He just got punched a little. Is it really that big of a deal?"

"Yes."

She frowned, all humour draining from her demeanour. "He's a superior dick, Kai, and he assaulted my cousin, okay? He scared her so much she quit the team and barely leaves her room. He deserved whatever he got." Her eyes averted. "Whatever that was."

He pinched his nose. "Whatever that was? You know exactly what happened to him, and you didn't tell me. Shit, Miyami. I need to know this stuff. I'm the captain of the team."

"Well, now you know, and we can all move on safe in the knowledge that we retaliated. We had our goalie's back. That's basic hockey 101. Protect your goalie."

Kai's eyes widened before narrowing on her, darkening with frustration. "On the ice, you can do that. You don't get to do it off the ice. Off the ice, it becomes a serious problem."

"Really? You're upset that Dicklyn got his ass handed to him? You should be congratulating them. They stepped up for Arista."

"No Miyami, they put us in a ton of shit. Give me names."

"No." She folded her arms, pouting mutinously. She was not landing her boyfriend in hot water. She'd already said enough. She was keeping schtum.

Kai studied her for a long, tense moment before he closed his eyes and pinched his nose. "I have to go to dad, so you can give me names, or we can just bring in the whole team for questioning about it, which means everyone will know. That'll make it worse for the entire team, and any punishment laid out will be worse."

Her heart thrummed in her throat as she tucked her arms around herself. "You don't have to tell your dad anything. Why are you upset about this? It's Dicklyn," she enunciated. "He's hardly an upstanding member of society. He's a borderline sociopath."

He swallowed, and his jaw clicked. "I have no choice."

Oh, that was such crap. "You do have a choice. You can choose your friends. If you do this, Nicolai will drop them from the team. Can we handle another hit like that?" It was a low blow, but she had to try.

Kai seared her with a look. "They shouldn't have attacked Brooklyn. You think the Sharks won't use that against us? They will. That's how they work." He stepped back from her and shook his head. "You should have told me, Miyami. The moment you found out but instead, I had to hear it from a Shark."

Her throat closed tight, and she braced herself, her eyes prickling at the betrayal in Kai's tone. "I promised," she whispered, loyalties torn.

With a sigh, Kai pushed away from the tree. "Then I guess we have nothing more to say to each other."

He walked away, leaving her alone under the shaking Oak.

---

The sky was a frigid blue above the football field. The sun, a fiery ball of orange, descended behind the blackened silhouettes of trees as Amber finally crossed the finish line. Out of breath, she released the tension in her muscles as she slowed to a walk. Stooping down to grab her towel, she dabbed at her face and neck.

A bottle of water appeared in front of her, and she took it from Sonia with a wordless thanks. Her lungs burned from the exertion, and any conversation was way beyond her capabilities just then.

"That was pretty good. How do you feel?"

Of course, Sonia didn't suffer such setbacks. As someone who ran every morning and every evening, and attended track meets at the weekends, she'd long since mastered the art of running and conversing — sometimes even together. Amber sent her a dark look before relenting with a sigh and capping her bottle. It wasn't Sonia's fault that she felt weak as a kitten and could barely breathe, it was her own fault for neglecting her training.

Still…

"Can I just say" —she paused to catch her breath and cradled her sides— "as an exercise, I hate running."

"You looked good."

"You lapped me three times. I felt like I was running against Captain America."

"I do this all the time. If you put me on ice, you'd leave me in your dust. Or ice? Can ice have dust?"

"Sure," Amber said with a half laugh, but Sonia's words were comforting. She'd work her way back onto the ice, but the plan was to get her weight up in a healthy manner first. Not stuffing herself with the carbs Ian kept trying to ply her with. She wanted to be fighting fit so that when she did hit her target, she would be nearly ice ready. She feared the idea of getting back on the team only to be benched for the rest of the season because she couldn't keep up with the others.

Tugging on her copper hair to tighten it, Sonia glanced around the field. Amber followed her gaze, tipping her face to the cool breeze as she took in the long shadows cast by the trees and the lone figures jogging in solitude. It was nice, peaceful. Nothing like practising with a team, none of the locker room talk or the good-natured jeering and shouts to hustle. She missed her team like a fierce ache, and for the first time in a long time, she could admit that to herself, if not to the others.

"I meant to ask you, how was your weekend at home? I saw some of the pictures of Sam. He's adorable and I love his name."

"Oh, was Ozuma showing you?" He'd taken a ton of photos, almost enough to rival Shahero, like he was some kind of doting uncle. Amber kept trying to point out that Sam had no Benson blood and therefore had no ties to the Benson brood, but the whole family had adopted him. She pitied the child.

Sonia sent her an odd look. "No," she drew out the denial with a tone of suspicion, "I saw the ones Shahero posted online."

"Ah, right—" She broke off, eyes zeroing in on the figure cutting across the eight lanes. She knew that figure, knew that walk too and it had her sighing in resignation.

"Is that Kai?" Sonia asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Yup."

His long stride ate up the grass as he crossed the oval Astroturf, tension radiating with every step.

"Where's he going? The parking lot?"

"Looks like." Something must have happened at practice.

"Need me to take your stuff back to the dorm?"

Amber blinked, ripping her gaze from his form as she turned to Sonia with a surprised look. Did she want to chase after Kai? Should she chase after him? Did he want to see her?

"No, it's… I've already…" she trailed off, shaking her head.

She was probably the last person he wanted to deal with. Especially not after she'd sobbed all over him. Not that he'd acted differently during the game in the park, but later that evening he'd become distant, lost in his own thoughts. And maybe that was her projecting her own discomfort.

"He looks upset."

With a defeated sigh, she crossed to the dugout where she'd stashed her jacket. Despite the sun, there was a nip in the air, a warning that winter hadn't fully departed. Shrugging it on, she stuffed her hands into her pockets and glanced at Sonia.

"Can you cover for me — for both of us? We're in the library or something. I should go make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Of course. Good luck!"

Yeah, Amber scoffed, she was going to need it. Zipping up her jacket, she followed in Kai's wake. Clouds of insects hovered at face level as she trekked along the path snaking through the tree line. She waved them away and stumbled out into the car lot for students and staff. For a weekday evening, the place was sporadically filled with cars, a good few having taken advantage of the longer evening to tour into town — or go home in the case of staff who lived in Preston.

It didn't take her long to find Kai's car, the silver vehicle sitting idle in the shadow of a poplar tree. During its long stretch in the carpark, it had collected a few curled brown leaves and cherry blossom petals that lingered on the windscreen and the roof. A clear indication that Kai hadn't had time this weekend to give it its customary wash and polish. She snorted in amusement, but the feeling dispersed when she caught sight of him in the driver's seat, head tilted back against the headrest, eyes closed.

Biting back another sigh, she knocked on the window — purely as a courtesy — and opened the door. Kai jerked, and his surprise turned to annoyance.

"Go away, Amber."

"Friends do not let friends drive drunk or angry," she told him, folding her arms and gesturing for him to hand her the keys.

He growled and leaned forward, turning the key to shut off the engine. "There. I'm not driving. Go away."

Yeah, she couldn't do that. With a grimace, she slipped into the passenger seat but didn't close the door. She didn't need the intimacy of being stuck in a car with him. "So, what's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, please. I bawled all over you yesterday, you can at least vent about what's crawled up your ass today."

His fingers clenched around the steering wheel causing the taut muscles in his forearms to flex and contract. Amber took a steadying breath and averted her gaze to the scenery beyond the window. A flock of crows took flight from one of the large trees, circling overhead, before flapping away. A student in running gear with headphones skipped off the curb and jogged back into the copse of trees. The clipped sound of heels echoed over the tarmac as a teacher stalked to her car, and threw her leather bag into the trunk.

After some time sitting in silence, boredom began to stir. With a loud sigh, she crossed her ankles and tapped her hands against her thighs in a rhythm.

"Stop fidgeting." Kai's warm fingers closed around hers and she snatched them back in surprise.

"Start speaking," she ordered. "Or you can continue to stew, I've got a few levels of a game to play." She pulled out her phone and opened the game app. She was halfway through the third level when Kai dropped his head to the steering wheel with a bone-weary sigh. She glanced at him but continued with her game, knowing he'd open up when he was quite finished feeling sorry for himself.

"I fell out with Miyami."

She fumbled with her phone, then set it on her lap where it couldn't jump to its premature death. "You did what? How? Is that even possible? You're almost soulmates."

"Apparently it's very possible when she keeps secrets." At her curious look, he flexed his fingers around the steering wheel and lifted his head to brood out the window. "She knew about Brooklyn."

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me. She knows."

"But we only found out from Mystel."

"I know."

"So, I'm sorry, why are you pissed with her? Because she didn't tell you? I mean, I didn't tell you immediately either. Well, I suppose I did later that day. I'm sorry, it seems like forever ago. I've had a baby brother in between."

He snorted faintly in amusement, and she felt a warm glimmer in her chest that she'd been able to tease out some humour. "She didn't tell me, and she still won't tell me the names."

"Well, she wouldn't, but it's not that hard to guess. Isn't it obvious?"

"No, Benson, because if it was obvious I would have figured it out."

"You probably would, if you weren't sulking in your car," she snipped back peevishly. "Look, someone beat up Brooklyn because he trespassed on our grounds. Now that means that they felt pretty protective of Arista. Which yes, there is a whole team who feel protective of her, but not all of them will confide in Miyami. So really, Watson, we have like five people."

And honestly, three of them weren't even in the running. Tyson and Max were too affable. Enrique would go to Johnny, and by default Miyami, but Enrique tended to throw money at problems, and as far as she was aware, his daddy hadn't donated any huge sums to the school lately. So logically, they only had two. Johnny and Kane. They were two peas in a pod recently, as if they'd come together over a shared experience. Personally, she hoped it was something harmless, but she really doubted it.

Kai squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled, sounding more exhausted than triumphant. "Johnny."

"More than likely, yeah. I mean you'd need confirmation, but that's who I'm betting on. And since Kane and he are bosom buddies, chances are he's involved too."

"Fuck me sideways."

Amber glanced in the backseat and made a face. "Gonna have to turn down that offer."

He flipped her off but his lips quirked. Another result. "I can't believe they could be so stupid." She opened her mouth and he held up a hand conceding her point. "Theoretically. I can't believe they'd theoretically be that stupid. Regardless of who it was, they're gonna get kicked off the team, and there's nothing I can do about it. I have a fucking duty as Captain. I can't believe they were so reckless, so stupid."

"Why?"

"Why what?" he snapped, and she tried not to take offence at his tone because she understood he was pissed off, but she wasn't the target.

"Why will they get kicked off the team?"

A muscle ticked in his jaw. "Because, Ember, they committed an assault on the vice-captain of the rival school. Shit like that doesn't get a pat on the head."

"Yes, but only if the school finds out about it, which—"

He scoffed, looking irritatingly superior. "You think the Sharks won't drop this bomb? They're holding it over our heads like a goddamn guillotine."

"You're mixing your metaphors." Amber drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, studying the world outside through the open car door, catching the faint hints of warm tar and pine on the breeze. "And if they are, why haven't they said anything yet? I mean Mystel told me, but he didn't tell me so that you would find out. As far as he knows, you and I aren't talking." At Kai's pointed look, she jerked her shoulder. "I haven't exactly been keeping in contact with him. That conversation was the first we had in a while, and it was about Brooklyn and Arista. He told me out of anger, rather than any other reason."

"He's playing you, Benson. I know how their minds work."

"Then they would have said something by now, but the school knows nothing so far. Nicolai doesn't know so Balkov hasn't phoned him with any cryptic comments. And honestly, what could the school do?"

"Suspend them? Expel them?"

Oh. Right. That would be bad. "Except, what did they actually do? I mean, Mystel used the phrase beaten up, but do we know that for certain? Like, how bad were Brooklyn's injuries? They didn't stop him playing. And they didn't prevent him from leaving Preston. Which was good for him, because he was technically trespassing, and does Clonmel really want to bring that up?"

"Assault trumps trespassing."

"They won't risk it," she decided. At Kai's sound of exasperation, she turned in her seat, tucking her knees under her. "Look, let's sort out the facts here. One," she counted, holding up a finger, "Brooklyn came to Preston, uninvited, and was 'attacked'."

"Finger quotes?"

"We don't actually know yet. For all we know they only punched him once, and he ran off. Attacked is a vague term that can mean many things. So for now, attacked in finger quotes. Two: Kane and Johnny were involved. Three: this happened after Arista broke up with him. Four: this happened after he physically assaulted Arista — we know this because there were several witnesses. A charge of physical assault was not pressed against Brooklyn due to the victim wishing to move on with her life. However, there is documentation that will support her claim should it need to be raised. Four— am I on four?"

"Five," Kai murmured, eying her with what she hoped was admiration.

"Five then." She licked her suddenly dry lips, pried her tongue from the roof of her mouth and took a deep breath. "Five: during the night of the assault, Brooklyn Adams brought several other teammates onto the grounds who went onto harass another female student."

She focused on her fingers, splayed wide as she'd counted them out, ignoring the fine tremble, the heavy silence, and the heat creeping up her neck despite the chill in her bones. Her mind tried to go back to that moment in the corridor, with Carlos's hands on her, the jeers of his teammates, and those agonising seconds wondering if Kai would ever—

His hand closed over hers, warm and solid. Comforting. She jerked her gaze up to the dark brown of his and she took another calming breath. He was here. He'd been there too. She was fine.

"So you think they won't do anything because it would put them at risk?"

Right, she'd had a point to make. She nodded, struggling to capture her thoughts again, except it was slightly hard to concentrate when Kai's thumb kept sweeping over her knuckles. "They'd be leaving themselves wide open. If they tried to say you attacked Carlos they have no proof." Not like Kai left any bruises on Carlos. None where anyone would look anyway.

"Balkof would throw Carlos under a bus."

"Would he throw Brooklyn?"

"No, Brooklyn's too valuable a player. But we can't say anything because Arista doesn't want any of this made public."

"If it would save some of our players she might, but we're skipping ahead of ourselves."

His thumb was distracting her, the back and forth glide of skin against skin. Tingles trembled up her arm and she wanted to pull away but she couldn't bring herself to cut off the contact. Pathetic, really.

"Why did they have to attack him?" Kai finally asked.

Oh, that was obvious. If she saw Brooklyn she would have done the same thing. "They weren't thinking straight. They're human. Humans do stupid shit all the time."

The quirk of his brow assured her that he, the almighty Kai, did not.

"Carlos," she reminded him pithily. "I bet he was doing the John Wayne walk for two days after the way you grabbed and twisted."

There was a soft sound of cruel amusement as he shifted his hand to link their fingers before slowly drawing them away leaving her feeling bereft. "Bastard deserved it."

"And there you go, now you know what mindset the boys were in when they 'attacked' Brooklyn." Arista was like a little sister to them, more so than the other girls. She couldn't even imagine how shattered they were by what had happened to her when they hadn't been able to help her. They more than likely saw Brooklyn in such close proximity to her that they just reacted.

Kai stretched his legs out and tapped his fingers against the edge of the steering wheel. She allowed herself a moment to enjoy the way his forearm flexed with each movement. "I didn't get caught."

She pulled off her headband and rang her fingers through the short strands to fix her hair into place. She spared a quick look at the side mirror and winced. Not her best look. Oh well, wasn't like she was trying to woo him. "Technically, neither have they. They've been accused indirectly by a third party. And no names have been mentioned."

"Third party?"

She blinked in the process of twisting the headband around her wrist. "Yeah, not someone directly involved. Remember my dad went to law school. He might be a cluster-fuck of a father, but I've picked up a thing or two from him. Not legalese or anything but the word gymnastics, truth bending and manipulations? I've got that covered."

He considered her words for a moment before conceding her point with a bemused smile, but the mirth died and Captain Serious returned. "Still, regardless of whether they've been accused or not. Dad needs to know. He needs to have a contingency plan in place — since he's all about plans at the moment."

She opened her mouth to ask, then held up a finger. She'd come back to that bit of resentment later; first, she'd deal with his main issue. "Okay, so here's the problem as I see it. You are trying to wear two hats at the same time, or maybe you're just really happy with one hat and should probably wear the other hat more often. That sounds more like it."

HIs brow furrowed. "What? Why are we talking about hats?"

"Metaphorical hats. There's the captain hat and the friend hat. Captain Kai and Friend Kai. Captain Kai is" — pretty much the reason they broke up — "anal and ruled by his logic. Friend Kai is a decent person, he just doesn't come out very often."

He raised his eyes to the ceiling and she saw the way his tongue poked into his cheek, clearly offended by her description. Too bad. He needed to hear it. It was tough love.

"It's like Jekyll and Hyde. Only with less murder."

"I'm considering it."

"My point is," she said, talking over his muttered threat, "you need to figure out which Kai you have to be to deal with this. Yes, Captain Kai's first instinct is to go to the Coach with a potential issue. However, Friend Kai will destroy relationships he's built within the team by doing that, which then hurts the team and Captain Kai knows that."

He groaned and dropped his forehead to the steering wheel again. "I never had to deal with this shit in Clonmel." He glowered at her. "That includes your explanations."

She stuck out her tongue, then flushed at the way his eyes darkened. Yup, not the best idea to be alone in a car with him. She focused on the topic. "You pretty much wore the Captain Kai hat all the time at Clonmel. It was welded on. I'm just saying, you can't do that here. If you go straight to Nicolai you piss off Johnny and Kane — if it was them. If you don't, Nicolai gets blindsided and is pissed off with all of the team — but most especially you. But, there is another way."

He turned his head to eye her warily. "I know you're going to say talk to Johnny and Kane, but I don't see how that will fix things."

"Have some faith. Look, go to Johnny and Kane and let them tell you what happened — that way you know for sure if it was them — then you coax them to tell Nicolai. There's no reason for anyone to get kicked off the team yet because the school isn't aware of it and no one's made any allegations of misconduct, so let's not jump to conclusions. Then you go to Nicolai and tell him that the boys came to you about this. Therefore you're covering all basis."

Kai stared at her and she felt heat rise to her cheeks. Really? Was it that hard to believe that she could be smart? Tucking her hair behind her ear, she focused on the view outside the car, and not on the boy beside her. She didn't want to notice the heat of his body or the scent of his aftershave mingled with detergent, the way his grey hoody vest clung to his chest and emphasised the shape of his toned biceps or the way his board shorts stretched tight over lean thighs. Another hot flush rushed through her and she swallowed.

Desperate to retain her sanity and not jump her ex-boyfriend's bones, she shoved out of the car and took in a gulp of air.

"Do you really think it'll be that simple?" Kai asked, unfolding himself from the car, and coming to stand beside her. "I just talk to them and everything will be resolved?"

Planting her hands on the warm metal of the hood, she lifted her shoulders and dropped them. "You won't know unless you try." She snorted at the irony of her words. "I've been there, where you jump to conclusions, and from my experience, it never turns out well."

His mouth curved softly, and her fingers itched to touch the fullness of his bottom lip, to trace its shape. She was losing her mind.

"When did you become so wise?" he asked, eyes soft and warm as he relaxed back against the hood.

She forced a smile, trying to be glib as she slid her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "Well, I'm a big sister now."

He nodded and his gaze drifted towards the school. They stood in silence, listening to the evening around them. The bird song, the laughter of students, the thud of doors closing and the faint sound of distant traffic. This was home and in a few short weeks she'd be moving on. She glanced at Kai to share the sentiment, and the words died on her lips.

"What now?" At his questioning look, she made a sound of impatience. "We just went over this, I'm wise, remember? Just talk to the boys, at least you'll have done everything you can."

"That's not it."

"Then, what is it?" she asked carefully, keeping her eyes on his face. Whatever it was, he looked like he'd rather talk about anything but this topic.

"I need to tell you something, and you're not going to like it."

She sent him a bemused look. "What kind of thing?"

His expression tightened into a pained mien, and her mouth went dry, a cold chill settling in her bones that had nothing to do with the dipping temperature of the growing evening around them. The orange street lamps came on and the daylight dimmed.

"I'm not saying this to hurt you, so please don't freak out."

Shit, had he found someone else? Her heart plummeted to her stomach and sat there like a cold lump. Of course, he had. A guy like Kai didn't stay single forever, even if he said he wanted to focus on his hockey, that didn't mean he had to live life as a monk. He could hook up. People hooked up all the time.

She licked her lips and concentrated on shutting down the internal panic. "Oh?"

He stalked away, then spun back. "Yeah, shit Benson, I don't know how to say this."

Just spit it out, she thought. She'd deal with the aftermath later, crawl into her bed and cry, or something. The sinking feeling in her stomach became more pronounced as brown eyes searched her face, as if hoping she'd guess his words and put him out of his misery, but she wanted to hear him say it.

"Just tell me."

He lifted his gaze to a spot over her shoulder and mulled his lips into a thin line before raking his free hand through his hair. She wished she didn't find that agitated movement so attractive. She really should have put more space between them, this friendship thing was too hard.

"Dad's thinking of holding tryouts."

"Okay, well that's—" Her brain stuttered to a stop and she stared up at him. "Wait, what?" The question came out sharper than intended, as elated relief warred with confusion and fear.

"He's preparing for the worst, and his timing stinks because clearly, you're in training to come back to the team." He gestured to her outfit and backed up into his car, resting back on the hood with a grimace. "But it's not official yet, so we have time."

"He's replacing me?"

"No." When she went to step back, trying to put some distance between them, Kai stepped into her space and caught her shoulders, forcing her to focus on him, brown eyes dark and compelling. "He's not replacing you. No one is replacing you."

It sort of felt like she was being replaced.

"I'm…" Her voice caught and she swallowed hard. "I mean, it makes sense. I'm not on the team and we need a full roster."

"You are on the team. You haven't been dropped." His hands streaked down her arms to tangle their fingers, keeping a tight grip so that she couldn't run, when all she desperately wanted to do was escape. She tried to clear her mind from the blinding fog, but she was being replaced. Why did that surprise her? It always happened. And if she were being honest, she could accept that it was the right choice. The logical one really.

With a growl, Kai squeezed her hands, warm and calloused. "Look at me," he ordered, voice sharp. "You think any of those plebs in that school could hold a candle to your talent? Don't be an idiot. Train, get your weight up and come back to the team. He hasn't announced it yet, so you have time. Dad's thinking about beefing up the roster because we have two people out on injury and that's how he's treating it, it's what any coach would do. The moment you're 100%, they'll be riding the pine pony."

She eased out of his hold. Being that close to him clouded her senses and she… she needed to think and be rational. But she couldn't stop the thoughts running through her head. What if she wasn't good enough? What if she could never regain the weight? She'd been trying, hadn't she? And now, was there any point? By the time she was ready, would there be a game left to play? Could she even go back to the team and force someone who got the team that far to step down?

"Dammit. He should have told you but this isn't about you not being good enough, it's not about trying to replace you. He's just… He's just being a coach."

"No, no, I get it."

And she did. That was the worst thing. Just like when her dad did his things, she got it. It might take a while, but eventually, she could almost see the logic behind his words and missteps. And that was always why it hurt just that little bit more. Because sometimes she just wanted someone to not be rational and logical around her. Just once she wanted a man in her life to have an emotional response and put her first. But that was a selfish thought.

Kai growled. "I get it but I don't fucking like it."

Now she sent Kai an exasperated look, faintly cheered by his defence. "You don't have to. You want to win, right? It's the right thing to do for the team. You can't afford to lose any more players. And because of that, you need to talk to the boys." When he opened his mouth to protest, she lifted a hand, already more than tired of the conversation. "Tonight, Kai, before you end up having to hold tryouts for more positions."

His shoulders slumped, and he shoved his hands into the pockets as he gazed up at the sky above them. Stars had begun to pierce the blue and a pale white moon lingered like a ghost. Frustration leaked from every pore as he clenched his jaw, sending that little muscle flickering in his cheek. "I hate this. I hate having to tell you this shit. I hate having to fight with Miyami and try to convince a bunch of bone heads that beating up an asshole wasn't a good idea."

That teased a reluctant smile to her lips. Poor Kai. "With great power comes great responsibility."

His brow furrowed before he rolled his eyes. "Even I know that's from Spider-man, Ember."

She reached up and lightly tapped his cheek. "I'm so proud."

Seizing her hand, he used it to tug her closer, the heat of his body pressing a line against her own. Her breath caught as his dark eyes darted over her face as if attempting to read the thoughts lurking in her brain. Uncomfortable with the idea that he could see right through her, she dropped her gaze and shifted away, her chest clenching at his sigh.

"You should text Miyami, tell her that you've got a plan and you're willing to talk. Maybe she can convince the boys to meet with you."

"Fine, but if this doesn't work I'm coming back to find you." His feet crunched on the dried leaves as he left her.

She watched him disappear into the gathering shadows and blew out a breath. She wasn't really sure if that was a threat or a promise.

---

If Kai was surprised to find Johnny and Kane in the classroom on the third floor, he didn't show it. Both boys stood with their arms folded in front of the wall of windows and watched him close the door quietly behind him. Blue light from the growing twilight filtered through the Venetian blinds adding a little illumination to the room. Neither of them had risked turning on the lights in case they attracted the wrong sort of attention, but they'd needed privacy and an empty classroom on an upper floor usually afforded it. No chance of Enrique or Ian just randomly wandering in.

"Miyami passed on my message then," Kai said, moving to lean against one of the empty desks, folding his own arms and Kane tried not to read it like a challenge.

Johnny shrugged and crossed his ankles, portraying a relaxed exterior. "She said you had some sort of plan and wanted to talk to us. So what's up?"

Kai stilled, glancing between the two of them as if assessing the play. Kane met his gaze without flinching. Let Kai show his hand first. They still had plausible deniability.

"Miyami told me about what happened."

"With what?" Johnny asked, angling his head to peer out the window to the campus below. All nonchalance, none of them was distinctly worried about what Kai knew. Or at least they could pretend.

"Cut the crap," Kai snarled. "I know about the attack on Brooklyn. I know you two were involved."

That wasn't technically true, Kane realised. "No, you don't. As far as I'm aware, there's been no attack on him. Brooklyn's not made any accusations and even if he did, there's no proof."

Kai closed his eyes and sank back against the table. It rattled into place, one leg clearly shorter than the others. "So that's how you want to play it? Pretend it didn't happen and then let Balkov put the teams' balls in a vice. If you don't think he'd do that, you're naive and you're selfish."

Silence filled the room and Kane shifted, his shoe squeaking against the lino floor. Johnny slid him a tentative look before meeting Kai's gaze. "You said you had a plan."

"Why don't you tell me what happened? Then I'll tell you my plan."

Kane groaned. "Fuck off, Kai. If you think it's us, why not tell coach? I'm sure he'll get to the bottom of it instead of this dumbass standoff." He hated dragging this out. He'd rather they just kick him off the team and be done with it. He had no intentions of apologising to Brooklyn because what he'd done to Arista deserved retribution. Maybe not in the way it had occurred, but he hadn't exactly been thinking straight.

"Because I wanted to get your side of the story. I don't want anyone kicked off the team because I can't say that in your position I wouldn't have done the same." He paused and studied his hand before adding softly, "I did do the same. So, if there's something we can do to stop that, I'm all ears. But if you're too busy saving yourselves, then I'm done with this. The team would be better off without that attitude."

"We know," Kane muttered, hoisting himself up on an empty table across from Kai. Bracing his hands on his knees, he studied the whites of his knuckles. They'd fucked up but the team didn't need to suffer for it. Above the blackboard filled with faint French scrawls, the clock ticked but the hand didn't move, like they were forever stuck in that moment. It was apt, Kane decided. "It wasn't intentional, we didn't set out to hurt the team with it. It was a stupid mistake."

"How did you find out?" Johnny asked, scratching the back of his neck. "Did Brooklyn tell someone?"

Kai rubbed his hand against his jaw, then pinned them both with a warning look. "What I tell you does not leave this room." They both nodded and he continued, "Amber heard about it from Mystel. I thought it was his twisted way to try to create a break between her and the team, his interest in her isn't exactly platonic despite what she seems to think."

The dark undertone to Kai's words had Kane raising a brow. So Hiwatari still had feelings for Amber. Surprise, surprise. Maybe he wasn't such a puck-head after all.

"But there's nothing to stop him telling someone else. Which is why we need to be one step ahead. And when it does spill, Dad will be forced to ask everyone on the team and you know someone will say they did it, because that's the kind of self-sacrificing idiots we have on our team. Do you really want to add the guilt of someone else taking your punishment on top of this?"

Kai was right. Someone would pull that shit, thinking they were being noble and saving someone else. And if Arista heard about it...

Releasing a loud breath, Kane rolled his neck, trying to release the tension in his shoulders. It cracked loudly and his shoulders dropped. "First things first, you should know that Johnny didn't do it. It was me. I threw the first punch and the others. The bastard didn't even fight back."

And the guilt about that still haunted him, creeping up on him out of nowhere and seizing his chest like a band of metal.

Johnny hissed out a breath that was probably a warning for Kane to shut up before he rushed to say, "I was there. I saw it happen. I didn't stop it initially because Brooklyn deserved it for what he did to Arista. Everyone keeps forgetting but Brooklyn's not innocent in any of this."

Kane glanced at Johnny and felt his gut twist, especially when he gauged the surprise in Kai's expression. Of course, their captain thought the resident hothead had thrown the first punch, but no, Kane fought. Because Kane had seen the terror in Arista's eyes first hand, the way she'd flinched away from him with that ring of bruises around her throat. He was the one who saw red when Brooklyn had strolled into their school. Johnny had stopped him, made him look through the scarlet haze before he did something regrettable. And he'd be forever grateful for that.

Kai rose to his feet and wandered to the door to glance out, his footsteps loud in the eerie after school silence. "Alright, from the start." He turned back to them. "What happened?"

So Kane told him everything that had happened that fateful night, relaying the first punch thrown, how Brooklyn hadn't made a sound or fought back. Then Johnny interrupted with his own realisation that Brooklyn hadn't emitted a sound until his back was touched.

"His back was a mess, Hiwatari. Like someone took a belt to him or a whip, something like that. The kind of thing you see on TV."

"He was injured before he came here?" Kai asked, voice soft.

"Looked like," Johnny muttered, shifting uncomfortably as if he could still see the wounds. "He didn't want us to see it and he got pissed off when we tried asking about it. We didn't do that to him. I don't how recent they were but they looked pretty fresh."

Kai's cheek poked out as he averted his gaze, clearly thinking through the situation. "Okay, you need to tell Coach."

Kane's heart jumped to his throat. "Wait, that's your plan? Tell Coach?"

"That's not a plan. That's fucking suicide!"

Kai seared them with a look that told them that Captain Kai was in charge now. "It's better if you tell him about this because he needs to have a plan in place if Balkof tries to use this against us. Plus, it'll look better for both of you if you come forward, instead of him figuring it out himself. It shows integrity, and he'll respect that."

"And what, he'll just pat us on the head? No way." Johnny shook his head at the stupidity. "We'll be lucky if we just get a game suspension."

"Dad's not unreasonable," Kai argued. "And if he does suspend you, at least you're not off the team entirely, or worse expelled. Balkof is sly, and more so, he's vindictive. We're a threat to him this season, he'll want us taken out, and he doesn't much care about sportsmanship. If the school board finds out about this, the impact to the team could be catastrophic."

Bricks formed in Kane's stomach; Kai was right. The Sharks weren't above trying to use this to their advantage, and if one of them had already contacted Amber about it, it was a safe bet that they would try to undermine the entire team. Trust was essential, and if Nicolai couldn't trust them to come to him about this kind of thing, then their position on the team became precarious.

Still, it fucking sucked, but it didn't have to suck for everyone.

Swallowing hard, Kane stood up. "I'll tell Coach that it was me."

Johnny groaned. "Fucking stop already, man. We were both involved in this, I could have intervened earlier if I wanted to. Still, what we did was nothing in comparison to what had already been done to him. He could have held Kane off if his back wasn't such a mess."

Kane inwardly snarled at that point. He didn't like what that insinuated about his fighting skills — hell, he knew how to hit in a way that didn't leave marks but he hadn't been roughing on the ice, he'd been whaling on an asshole who'd attacked the girl who was like his sister. Still, in better form, Brooklyn probably could have dodged his wild swinging. It wasn't like he'd shown any finesse, pure rage had driven him.

"He was like a glutton for punishment, coming to our school and then asking about Arista? If he weren't so injured, I'd almost think he'd done it to make us attack him."

"Maybe he did," Kai mused, picking at his thumbnail with a grimace. "But you still need to tell Coach. The more info he has, the quicker he can put a spin on it. If we're lucky, Balkov won't say anything and we'll be fine."

"Maybe before pointing the finger of blame at us, Balkov should look in his own backyard," Johnny snarled.

Kai sent Johnny a pointed look. "That's the one good thing. You saw the wounds on Brooklyn's back, so Balkov probably won't say anything. He wouldn't want the focus shifting to him and Dad would do that."

Gut churning, Kane's eyes flicked to Johnny and saw the horror mirrored there. What kind of school did Clonmel operate? Shit, Balkof really was an asshole. Had he attacked Brooklyn solely to undermine the Tigers? Was he capable of that kind of cruelty? Or was this something he did to penalise his team? Had that happened to Tala or Kai? Did he even want to know? What was the point of knowing if he couldn't fix it? It would just be another thing to add to his list of friends he couldn't help.

He scrubbed his hands over his face. This was supposed to be about hockey; it was supposed to be fun.

Kai glanced at his watch. "You should go see dad now. He should be in his office and no one else will be around."

Right. Fuck. It was the only choice they had. Still, the bricks in his stomach didn't feel as heavy anymore. He was glad people would know, god knows he'd carried the secret and guilt long enough. Much better to get it out into the open and face the consequences, but Kai's attitude suggested they probably wouldn't get kicked off the team. And at least Nicolai could fight for them now if Balkov did try to go after the team. He felt better about that at least.

"What about you, are you going with us?" Johnny asked Kai, grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair by his desk.

"I'll go tomorrow, give dad some time to adjust, and to make it more believable that you guys took the initiative to go yourself."

Impressed, Kane nodded. "Not bad, Hiwatari. That was pretty Tigerish."

Snorting, Kai headed to the door. "Luckily for you idiots, I happen to have a good advisor for this kind of thing."

Kane exchanged a bemused glance with Johnny. "Who? Valkov?"

"No," Kai replied, opening the door slowly and scanning the corridor. "Now hurry up and get going before we get in even deeper trouble."

---

Hilary woke from a deep sleep with the faintest sense that something was wrong. She studied the darkness around her bed, sliding her hand under the pillow to fetch her phone when she caught sight of the shadow looming over her. Her mouth opened but the scream caught in her throat, just as a hand clamped firmly over her mouth. Body prone, her hand latched onto the wrist to pry it away. One part of her brain screamed with alarm, but she could feel the pitying attempt of logic, that she was in her dorm, she wasn't alone, she couldn't be in danger. Self-preservation and instinct overrode those rational thoughts. What if her roommates were drugged or dead? What if—

"Cool yer jets, Hilary."

She frowned at the accented voice and peered through the darkness, her fingers relaxing their grip. "Wassha?"

The hand lifted, and Hilary breathed deep as she fumbled for her bedside table, switching on the lamp. Golden light flooded the small square of space around her bed, illuminating the girl standing over her dressed in black, red hair in a thick plait that escaped from an equally black hat. Feeling quite underdressed, Hilary drew her blanket high. "Russia, what are you doing?"

"It's 'appenin'."

"What?" Sitting up, Hilary ran her hands through her hair, teasing out the knots at the end that always seemed to form when she slept without tying it back.

"Hush up, would y'?" Russia hissed, glancing around the silent dorm.

Hilary frowned. "It's late, way past curfew. Why are you dressed like that?" Russia looked like she was about to do a bit of B&E.

Oh no.

"We're doin' da prank an' y're coming with."

Hilary's blood ran cold and she shook her head. She could not prank a teacher. She'd lose out on everything she'd done here at Preston. The teachers would never trust her again. Her reputation would be in ruins. She'd get kicked out and she'd never go to college.

Hilary lunged and wrapped her fingers around Russia's wrist. "I can't go with you," she hissed, putting as much determination into her gaze as she could.

"Aye y' can, an' y' are," Russia insisted, shaking off her grip. "Meet me outside. Y' don' wanna cross me on dis. We 'elped ye, now y' pay yer debts."

Turning, she pushed through the privacy curtains and slipped out of the room as silently as she'd entered. Left in her wake, Hilary blew out a breath and licked her dry lips. Shit, she thought in despair. What had she done? Sold her soul to the Octopussies. It was worse than the mafia.

She eyed the swaying curtain, then cussing softly, she tossed off her quilt and threw her legs off the edge of the bed. She had no choice. She did not want to end up on Russia's bad side. She could go and maybe sneak away or maybe she could coax Russia into not doing the prank. But first, she needed to figure what kind of prank they'd planned.

Pulling on her socks, she grabbed her warmest hoodie in peach and a pair of sneakers in case she needed to make a run for it. Peeking out her curtains, she scanned the room and bit her lip.

Everyone seemed to be fast asleep.

Mariah was curled up under her cover, much like a cat, tendrils of vibrant pink hair dark against the white pillowcase. Kirby was sprawled on her back, one leg hooked over her quilt to hold it in place. Emily softly snored in her corner of the room, a book balanced precariously on the edge of the bed, while Salima and Mariam had both drawn their own curtains. Hilary pursed her lips, glanced back longingly at her bed, then quickly ducked back inside to fluff her pillow before shoving it under the quilt.

Once done, she palmed her phone and door key, then tiptoed out of the dorm to pay her dues.

---

TBC

---

As always I'm terribly sorry for the delay. Real life keeps getting in the way and I have written and rewritten this chapter too many times to count. My Virgo tendencies just keep getting in the way. As always a huge thanks to Sarah who reads all the shitty drafts I send to her for evisceration in order for me to make them a little better. All mistakes are my own.

If you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know. Reviews are what keeps every writer going. Even years later.