Clarke's head dipped backwards, over-exerted lungs straining to draw enough oxygen as she stared up at the scoreboard. Throughout the season, she really hadn't had much reason to do so, her internal clock and Coach Kane the only timekeepers she needed so that she'd know when to start and end her shifts, when a powerplay or penalty kill would end. So it was a little unfamiliar, and frustrating, to look up at the scoreboard to see less than four minutes left in the third period, Boston College trailing Northeastern by a score of three to two.
Her team had played so hard, played the best they had all season, and still they were behind. Despite quality play, their offense had been largely inept, scoring on a powerplay, and then on a lucky bounce from Raven's slapshot from the point late in the second period. NU, in contrast, had been largely coasting, waiting for opportunities to tear into them; the grounders' three goals had been modest, given all the scoring attempts. Had Maya not stood on her head, Clarke knew the game could have been put away a long time ago.
So to say it had been a demoralizing game would be putting it lightly, and the later they were into the game, the clearer that disappointment and frustration was in her teammates. A fellow freshman, Monroe, had succumbed to her emotions the previous shift, accidentally icing the puck after being trapped in their own end for a little over a minute by the grounders' second line. Sienne, NU's second line center, was a crafty senior whose low center of gravity and elite stickhandling made it difficult for Clarke to gain possession from or accomplish much of anything except nullifying offensive opportunities. Which she'd succeeded in, but it had still left her stuck in her own zone, in the end.
It was far from ideal, all her fellow Eagles exhausted and desperately needing a line-change, but a single mistake meant that they'd likely be spending another twenty to thirty seconds on the ice at least. They couldn't afford to waste time in their own end with time ticking away, and when Clarke saw the Northeastern players come over the boards and onto the ice, her heart dropped.
Fucking goddamnit all to hell... Clarke griped internally, doing her very best to catch her breath and prepare herself for a potentially disastrous shift, because NU's top line had finally come onto the ice against her for the first time all game, with the exception of the shifts she'd played on the penalty kill. Going from dealing with her opponent's second and third lines, to dealing with Lexa Pocosin, Anya Pine, and Tris Woodson was a huge step up; Clarke could only pray that she was up for the challenge.
Lexa alone had been something of a white whale for Clarke over the past four years in playing in the Northern Virginia/DC/Maryland women's hockey circuit. Hell, the entire first game Clarke had played against the ruthless brunette was burned into her memory, carrying a slew of lessons never to be forgotten. Up until then, she'd been content playing somewhat competitively, but the absolute single-handed drubbing Lexa gave her and her team that first game, where Clarke had been on the ice for seven goals, six of them Lexa's, had been a wake-up call.
Perhaps it was strange that she'd gained a sense of purpose from a single opposing player rather than the sport she had long since fallen in love with, but it was what it was. Lexa was a phenom, breaking regional records, displaying Amanda Kessel-esque skills in dominating her opponents; Clarke hadn't been used to such embarrassment, to getting beaten numerous times a shift by a single player, over and over.
That game had spawned a new approach, a new workout regimen, a new set of practice drills to run through, and time set aside to watch tape. Clarke was under no delusions that she had the natural ability that someone like Lexa had, but she was damn smart, she was athletic, and she knew the game like the back of her hand. Where Lexa was the offensive dynamo along the lines of an Amanda Kessel or Sidney Crosby, she was more in the mold of Marie-Philip Poulin, or a Patrice Bergeron, both defensive forwards with an offensive touch.
Four years she'd spent rigorously studying Lexa's play; her habits, her strengths and weaknesses, her favourite plays, her most effective areas on ice to shoot from, everything. And perhaps that was a little obsessive, but her father had always said that to be the best, you had to beat the best. Sure, he'd often be discussing boxing or soccer, but the point stood that Lexa was the golden standard, and if Clarke wanted to actually live her childhood dream of playing for the USA women's Olympic team, she'd have to be competitive. Lexa was a shoe-in for the next olympics' roster, so if she could be close to as capable, then she'd have a chance.
To her credit, she'd never been on the ice for more than two of Lexa's goals in any game since, but those games meant little compared to facing off against each other in division one. Back then, her teammates were mostly sieves, but she had Octavia now. She had Raven. She had Monroe and Harper, even if they were still remarkably raw. There was no excuse to allow even one, but goddamn if it didn't feel a little unfair right now.
Clarke glided towards the face-off circle and planted her feet at the hashmarks, waiting as Lexa drifted closer, those cold, intense eyes staring hard at her as if the girl could explode her skull through sheer will alone. In the past, the girl had played against her with some fire and intensity, but she'd never glared at Clarke with such fury since their run-in earlier before the game. That was new, and that had Clarke feeling a little off balance as the referee approached the circle and Lexa got in place.
Still, she knew what to do, each motion built into her muscle memory, her eyes ready to capture any detail she needed to recognize to adjust. If there was one area she was comfortable against Lexa, it was in the face-off circle. It was having to deal with bottling Lexa up in her own zone instead of the neutral zone that worried her.
Clarke lowered her stick and stared hard into those intense green eyes across from her, just waiting, waiting, waiting...
A flash of black had Clarke shifting in place, angling to box Lexa off as her stick made contact with the puck, batting it backward just as her rival's stick made contact with her own. Clarke turned her head and saw Octavia rush away behind the net out of her periphery, and made the decision to tangle Lexa up a little, delaying the brunette from joining the attack momentarily.
A little shove from her rival got Clarke moving in the wrong direction for a moment, but her powerful stride helped make up for some of that as she moved into position up ice, even with her legs practically screaming at her as she watched Octavia round along the boards and dish the puck up to Monroe.
Immediately, Clarke pivoted back towards the front of the net as Anya intercepted her teammate, stripping the puck and sending a laser of a pass to Lexa. Working off instinct, Clarke dropped to the ice just in time to get a puck to the hip, Lexa's shot impacting hard against her and sliding off towards Raven, who'd read the play as well. The defender took control of the puck, and ventured back behind the goal line with Lexa in hot pursuit, no targets available to pass to from what the blonde could tell.
Clarke got to her feet in time to recover their man to man system, covering Anya momentarily as Harper lost coverage, Tris pressing in to add pressure on Raven. Any forward progression was largely being bottled up, Raven managing to flip the puck through the air over to Octavia, who immediately was pressured by Fox. Fucking hell, they're fast!
It was enough, however, to let Clarke recover her job as Lexa's shadow, because even if the brunette didn't have the puck, she was still the most dangerous player. Octavia and Raven were good, hopefully enough to get the puck out of the zone soon enough. Tris lacked a strong first step even if she was agile as hell, Anya couldn't cover two people at once, and the defense could be caught on their heels if they committed a little too far into the zone, which they were. Clarke knew they just had to be patient...and hold on long enough to get out of their jam.
Thankfully, O was on the same wavelength as her, feinting a little with some of the girl's fancy stickhandling, separating herself and the puck from Fox as Octavia slipped past the opposing player and tapped a pass up ice to Harper.
As if in slow motion, Clarke saw Lexa separate from her and shift closer to the top of the right-side circle, as if waiting for a pass. Clarke immediately realized Tris had shaken Monroe and was coming in hard on Harper, her speed and pressure allowing Anya to sneak in at the winger's blind side.
Clarke knew the play, she'd seen them pull it off against BU a few weeks ago, and it was damn good; Clarke would bet anything that Fox was in position behind her to screen Maya, and all Lexa needed was a slight bit of help to get a serious scoring opportunity. Fuck!
Fearful of falling back out of reach of a win, Clarke dashed up ice, Anya stripping the puck from Harper and sending another laser of a pass to Lexa in one smooth movement. She extended her arm, giving her a few more inches as she charged at top speed, hoping, praying...
She was on her third stride as the puck impacted against the lip of her stick, Clarke's gaze shooting forward as she skated hard into the neutral zone, shifting closer to the left side where Caris was weaker and had to adjust to keep up. Clarke waited for the pinch before slipping the puck between the girl's legs, just barely pivoting past the defender cleanly enough to keep ahead of Lexa, her rival's stick making hard contact against her shin.
It didn't matter, really. Her linemates were surely on route to the bench, Lexa was a stride and a half behind her, and all Clarke had ahead of her was NU's goalie, Echo. It was all up to her and Echo now; at least, that's what Clarke thought until Lexa's stick tangled itself between her legs mid-stride.
It was enough to send Clarke stumbling forward, her body searching for stability as she fumbled forward, using her forward momentum and what control she had left of her body to send a hard wrister short side.
As she fell to the ice, she watched the puck rise, higher than she'd aimed for, but apparently it'd caught Echo by surprise, the girl's reaction delayed just enough for the puck to roll over the lip of her glove and into the net.
The buzzer, mixed with the newly quiet home crowd, brought a smile to her face as she drifted on her stomach. Clarke got back to her feet in time to get tackled by Octavia, her roommate hugging her hard and spinning her around enough for Clarke to get a glimpse of the scoreboard. A little more than two minutes left, score tied at three. It was hard to believe she'd managed it, but she allowed herself to feel some relief that they'd made the best of a bad situation, and gotten tremendously lucky.
Clarke was exhausted as all hell, but it was all worth it. Leisurely making her way back to the bench, having earned a few moments to catch her breath again, Clarke shot Lexa and Anya a glance; the captain was standing by Lexa, mouth moving slowly, but the brunette's focus was entirely on her, those intense green eyes piercing her even now.
She had a feeling that this inner-city rivalry might just be the death of her, as exhilarating and intense as it was. For now, though, she'd plant herself on the bench and rest; the game wasn't over just yet.
Lexa sat in front of her locker, helmet in her hands, the white noise of the last of her teammates showering barely registering as she mentally reviewed the game she'd just played. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew there were better ways to spend her time; she had a philosophy paper due Monday that she could fine-tune, she could use an early evening meal, and she could take a calming walk in a park as the sun finished setting. Hell, she could go home and nap, to give her mind a break after a chaotic day, but she knew she wouldn't deserve it.
She'd been arrogant. Hell, she and her linemates had toyed with the Eagles for most of the game, waiting for sure-fire scoring chances instead of taking whatever moderately decent chances came around to them. They probably could have walked away with a six to three victory, no matter how excellent Boston College's goalie had been all game.
Instead, that tying goal just kept repeating in her mind. Usually players who had already endured minute long shifts had little left in the tank, and certainly wouldn't have much in the way of speed. And given her line was arguably the fastest in Div 1, and her D pairing was mobile and fast as well, it shouldn't have happened at all. Potentially frustrating match-up or not, Lexa had figured they could handle a tired third line stuck in their own zone. Indra certainly had thought so.
Yet, from the face-off on, it had been just as frustrating to play against the blonde as she remembered; it certainly didn't help that the Eagles' top defender and that Blake freshman were crafty as well, enough to minimize mistakes despite their exhaustion. But Griffin, apparently number nineteen these days, had been her shadow, frustrating her by nullifying Anya's first takeaway with a blocked shot.
But it was that Griffin had victimized both her and Anya on the second takeaway, on a pass that ninety-nine percent of the time would have made it to Lexa's stick without issue, had Lexa seething mad at both the blonde and herself. She wracked her mind over how the blonde had possibly reacted to a play that hadn't even happened yet, one that Lexa only reacted to after the blonde was in motion. And even then, Anya, if nothing else, could thread a pass to a target through heavy traffic without issue; her cousin was a natural passer if there ever was one, and yet the blonde had just...made to intercept a pass that hadn't been made yet. And succeeded.
Lexa firmly planted her helmet onto the floor and ran a hand angrily through her hair, recalling the blonde striding hard down the ice with the puck with speed that shouldn't have been possible given Griffin had been on the ice for over two minutes. Caris then getting undressed by Griffin with slick stick-work, and Lexa not being able to catch up to her, was immensely frustrating; that her attempt at stripping the puck away led to what would have been a penalty shot had Griffin not inexplicably managed to score, was infuriating.
Lexa had never suffered a tie game before. She'd never been embarrassed on the ice like that before. So while her three point night could be considered a statistical success, contributing to each goal from her team, it wasn't even remotely satisfying. They should have won. Griffin shouldn't have scored. And yet, they didn't, and she did. Costing her Huskies a win.
The play would haunt her for weeks, she was certain of that. At least until their next game against BC. It had been bad enough dealing with the blonde on three of her team's four powerplays, only managing the score on one of those where the blonde was iced in opposition. Having Griffin bite her in the ass in the one good even-strength match-up they had? That was a whole other level of unforgivable.
"Don't beat yourself up over this Lexa." She heard Anya call out as her cousin exited the showers, reluctantly drawing her attention to the older girl. "We faced a strong team tonight, and we'll have an opportunity to sweep the weekend series the next time we play. This afternoon is over, it's in the past. All that matters is the future."
Lexa let herself nod at that, because it was true; she couldn't control the past, but she could learn from it so she could control the future. And they had a few more games against Boston College left that season to make it right. Those truths still didn't ease the burning ache she felt over how the game had went, though. Not as much as she would have liked them to.
"I know, Anya. I just..." Lexa started before letting out a defeated sigh, unsure exactly what it was she wanted to express, with all that was bouncing around in her skull.
Anya crossed the locker room floor and took a seat beside her, Lexa's older cousin nudging her shoulder slightly in a clear sign of her wanting Lexa to open up. "What are you caught up on?"
Lexa couldn't help but narrow her eyes and grit her teeth as the word spilled from her mouth. "Griffin."
"Hmmmn, yes." Anya noted thoughtfully, gaze shifting to the doorway leading out towards the rink. "I didn't expect that from her. I knew she was on the Eagles, but since she was a freshman seeing bottom six minutes, I wasn't expecting much. She played well."
Lexa shook her head as her mind returned to the blonde's frustrating performances. "She's been a thorn in my side for years." Lexa noted with a frustrated grunt, just barely keeping from crossing her arms across her chest. She was more composed than that; no need to express just how pissed off she was.
Anya's gaze returned to Lexa, complete with a cocked eyebrow questioning her. "You know her? I don't recall seeing her."
"She played for the Reston Raiders...a low quality team in the northern Virginia circuit. They were always outclassed and slaughtered, but she was...annoyingly good. One good player on a terrible team was easy to work around, but she would still beat me in face-offs, and would largely shut down my ability to score when we were on the ice. Of course, I could still pass, so I'd finish with a goal and three or four assists instead of a hat-trick or two, but it was frustrating. Even more so now that she's on a good team, and I can't avoid her so easily." Lexa explained at length, happy to at least be able to vent and get some of that frustration out of her system. Anya would understand, her cousin had been tormented for two seasons by another player on BU in her freshman and sophomore years.
Anya let out a low chuckle. "Is THAT why Indra refused to line us up against the Clarke's line for most of the game?"
"It's a legitimate tactic, playing to more favourable matchups whenever possi...wait. You used her name. Why?" Lexa realized midway through her reasoning that her cousin hadn't called the girl by her last name as was usual, but instead used the girl's name. Anya rarely did as much unless she was acquainted with a person in some way. It all definitely had Lexa's suspicions firing.
"Do you recall the dark haired winger on Clarke's line?" Anya asked, drawing an easy nod from Lexa; the girl was fast on her feet, smart, but played a little too aggressive at times. "That's Lincoln's new girlfriend, Octavia. Clarke's current roommate."
Lexa paled at her cousin's words, recalling that day when Anya had been frothing at the mouth in desire to dig her claws into Lincoln's new date, and how Anya had wanted Lexa to come along and join her at the party as backup. She recalled that after the night of the party, Anya had seemed a little subdued, but somewhat satisfied; Lexa had assumed the interrogation had occurred, and the girl had passed the test. That Griffin was on a first name basis had her thinking that the blonde may have played a part in it. Which likely limited how much she could openly hate her rival. "Fuck." She muttered at that realization, and the understanding that had she joined Anya, she wouldn't have been so surprised about Griffin that day, and perhaps would have played better against her that day.
"She and I worked out a truce on the condition that Lincoln and his girlfriend remained happy together, which...I can begrudgingly admit they are. Next weekend is Octavia's birthday...I could always introduce you at the party. It would give you a chance to get to know her somewhat, or at least laugh at her. Apparently Lincoln's girlfriend plans on embarrassing her." Anya noted with a comfortable indifference that let Lexa know that her cousin hadn't quite warmed to the newcomers, but didn't particularly hate them either. A good thing, for Lincoln's sake. A bad thing for her, given Anya seemed to have some level of respect for Griffin.
Although, on that end, Anya's respect was a little difficult to earn, so it did have Lexa a little curious in turn. Plus, Lexa couldn't help but think that maybe if she was able to encounter Griffin outside of hockey, that the girl might be less...well, not intimidating, but easier to approach, mentally. That maybe Griffin wouldn't be so quick to get into her head.
If enduring a stranger's party could get her that much, perhaps it could be worth it.
"If it'll get her out of my head, and let me see her in a less competitive light...maybe." Lexa answered, feeling a little sheepish admitting that much, but she knew Anya wouldn't skewer over it.
"You're a freshman...as good as you are, it happens. Everyone makes mistakes and loses their head sometimes. Hell, I'm a senior, and I let a no-name freshman kill me on that game-tying play. We move onto the next game and leave the past behind. We control what we can...our home ice advantage in one of the back to back games in January, and in the Beanpot so long as we stay ahead in the standings. And then in the conference championship, if BC qualifies. So just try to put this past you, and focus on the wins you're hungry for." Anya's words provided a little comfort, but it didn't entirely mesh with the reality that she often had Griffin's number only a little more than Griffin had hers. The fact that Griffin matched up so well against her was exciting and intriguing, but it lost a lot of its luster when such match-ups turned into Lexa allowing a game-tying goal. One win she very much wanted was to nab a game winner with Griffin on the ice, giving her some personal satisfaction as well as helping earn her team a victory worthy of their potential.
And while she didn't particularly care to see anyone humiliated, she could see some value in removing some intensity from their rivalry through being amused, potentially at Griffin's expense. Maybe such a night wouldn't be a win, but it could be a window to figuring the blonde out and demystifying her.
"I'll try, Anya. In the meantime, why don't you tell me all about Lincoln's girlfriend?" She asked, drawing a tight, exasperated smile from her cousin, who was sure to go off on a rant or two about whether or not the girl was a match for Lincoln. Lexa didn't get to see her other cousin all too often over the years, and so she wasn't as close to him as she was with Anya, but she still loved him, and wanted the best for him. Surely she'd get at least a glimpse as to how the next weekend's festivities would go.
Which, of course, was important, seeing that she would be there. Not just to support Lincoln and Anya, and to meet the new people in her family's lives, but to scope out Griffin.
There was just something about her, and Lexa was determined to figure that out soon, so she'd have plenty of time to prepare for their next game.
A/N: A short chapter, I know, but no matter how I shifted scenes around, things would either seem a bit disjointed, or it'd just be a short chapter this time followed by a long chapter covering the whole birthday party. I chose to stagger chapter lengths instead of starting the party and waiting a while to finish it. Anyway, thanks everyone for reading and taking interest in this story of mine!
