Sunny kept his head down and to himself in the locker room. He didn't care about what his teammates were doing or the noises they were making. All he cared about was processing what happened and the consequences that would come with it. Which was a lot.

First were his friends. He broke the violin that they worked so hard to get for him. He had fantasized about breaking it so many times, but he would never go through with it. He would never intentionally do something to upset his friends.

But sadly, he did. He was sure they were going to be furious with him, and he couldn't blame them. He would be upset if one of them did what he did. He knows how each of them will react.

Kel and Basil would be disappointed. Sunny knew they would eventually forgive him, but disappointing those two was like accidentally stepping on a dog's tail. Hero would lecture him about how he overreacted and urge him to work off the money he threw down the drain. Which would be something Sunny would gladly do.

The worst would be Aubrey.

She would first try to mask her anger, but it would eventually overtake her, and he would face her wrath. He would deserve it, too. She worked hard to scrounge up some money for a gift for him when she could've used it for herself. He wouldn't blame her if she wanted to break up.

The second thing he was worried about was how his dad would react. He was so excited about the recital and all the prospects that would come from it for Mari. She was his favorite, after all. Once he learns about what he did, then Sunny could only assume what happened last night was a precursor for things to come.

Last night was the first time he had ever gotten physical with him. All the times he had angered his dad, he could see the fury in his eyes, but he never thought he would get consumed by it. It scared him.

But he could handle that. He could also handle his friends being upset with him. What he couldn't handle was Mari being angry at him. That made him wish he was dead.

Sunny subconsciously rubbed his cheek, right where Mari slapped him. It didn't hurt anymore, and he was sure the mark had faded long ago, but he could still feel the sting. He could still hear the smack and see the furious look on Mari's face. Those memories were seared into his brain.

He always thought he would be safe with her. He could always turn to her and confide in her whenever he had a problem. She was his biggest supporter. And all of that was gone in an instant.

It made him feel like he was nothing. She made him feel like he was worthless. He would never see her the same way again. He doesn't even know what she is to him anymore.

Sunny couldn't breathe. The walls were crumbling around him, and it was dark. He would rely on Aubrey when this happened, but she was nowhere to be seen. He was alone.

He wanted to leave, go somewhere bright and open, but he couldn't. He was trapped by some invisible force that wanted to hold him there and make him suffer. It didn't matter how hard he fought. It wouldn't let him go. Instead, it started pushing down on him and squeezed the air out of his lungs.

It was torture. It was so bad, that Sunny thought he was going to die. It wasn't until he felt something on his shoulder that he felt the air returning to his lungs. It was still dark, but at least he could breathe.

"Are you doing alright, Sunny?"

A voice broke through the darkness. It was a voice he had heard countless times. It was soothing and calm. It made him feel safe.

"Can you breathe for me?" The voice asked.

It was a request he could do. There were some issues, but he was able to breathe. As he breathed, the light returned, and Sunny found himself back in the locker room. He saw his teammates giving him worried looks.

"Are you feeling OK, Sunny?" Elliott asked.

"You started acting like you were suffocating," Tobias added.

Sunny nodded and gave them all a thumbs up. He turned and saw Alec giving him a comforting smile while his hand was still on his shoulder.

"Is everything alright?"

"Y-Yeah," Sunny stuttered, and he heard some gasps from his teammates, but he ignored them. "J-Just got caught u-up in m-my th-thoughts."

After he finished talking, his teammates swarmed him. They were all looking at his mouth. He wondered why at first but remembered he wasn't wearing his denture.

"Are you going toothless?" Keith asked.

"That's amazing," Tracy said.

"Can we see it again?" Ranger asked.

Sunny felt overwhelmed by all their questions. Some got too close to his mouth for his liking. Thankfully, Rudy and Alec pulled them away before he started suffocating again.

"Come on, guys, give him some space," Alec told them.

"Yeah, we need to get ready. I don't want to start the season 0 and 3," Rudy added, and everyone slowly went back to their locker and finished getting ready.

Once they were all back at their lockers, Alec turned to Sunny with a worried look.

"Are you sure you're feeling fine? I can ask Coach B to keep you out of the lineup so you can clear your head," Alec said, and Sunny shook his head.

After everything he went through, playing, and only having the game on his mind would do him some good. With that cleared up, Alec smiled and gave Sunny a fist bump before sitting down.

"I would like to let you know that if we win, you're not going to be able to wear your denture again until we lose again. We're superstitious. Jaden didn't wash either of his jerseys for five games," Alec told him, and Sunny cringed with disgust before worrying about his teammates crowding him before every game to make sure he wasn't wearing his denture.

Coach B and I walked into the room shortly after. Coach B took to the center, and as always, they surrounded him.

"Today is the day we turn our season around. We haven't been playing our best hockey these past two games, but that changes today," Coach B said to motivate them. "We're the away team today. They're expecting their families to be loud after every play. Let's shut them down and make the crowd quieter than a church mouse."

After Coach B finished speaking, Coach I took the lead to tell them the lineup.

"Today's starters: In net, Liam Hill. Defencemen, Rory Tobin and Keith Gray. Forwards, Reuben Brooks, Claude Rhett, and Jake Hayes."

After the starters were announced, Alec took the lead to give his motivational speech.

"Let's go out and put our best foot forward, boys. Let's play one shift at a time and minimize our mistakes, and we'll leave here with a win," Alec told them. It wasn't like his others, but it was straight to the point. "Hart on three. One, two, three…!"

"Hart!"


"Why did we come here?" Mari asked.

She had been on edge for the whole ride to Somwhere and Mrs. Suzuki didn't do anything to help. In fact, she made it worse by wearing the shirt Mrs. Blanchet made for her. That made her ask more questions.

Hero tried lending her a hand by answering some questions, but Basil would always stop him. He wanted to torment her for as long as he could, and Aubrey couldn't blame him. She deserved it after everything she did to Sunny. But he was enjoying it a little too much.

Mrs. Suzuki didn't answer her daughter. Instead, she waved at Mrs. Blanchet, who was sitting with her daughters in a white shirt with her son's number on it. She waved back and quickly raced up to meet them.

"Hey, I didn't think you were coming. You weren't there to see the team off," she said, and Mrs. Suzuki awkwardly laughed.

"Sorry, I was busy running some errands with my, er, husband," Mrs. Suzuki said with a hint of disdain in her voice.

Aubrey wondered why, but she wasn't going to ask because it wasn't her business. How the others were acting, she wouldn't regret her choice. Mrs. Blanchet didn't notice the tension in the group or ignored it. She just smiled.

"Well, you made it just in time. They just took to the ice for warm-ups," Mrs. Blanchet said before turning to Aubrey. "And I didn't forget about you. I have your shirts in my bag."

Mrs. Blanchet led the group down to where she was sitting. They were able to see both teams skating around on their side of the rink. The Hart were wearing their white uniform, while the other team was wearing a dark blue jersey with white stripes on the elbows and bottom of the jersey, and a light blue stripe below the white one. On the center of their jersey was a picture of an angry light blue wave.

It was then Mari learned the truth.

"He's been playing hockey!?" Mari exclaimed loudly.

Mrs. Suzuki quickly pulled her daughter down into her seat before too many people started staring.

"Quiet down, Mari. You're being rude," Mrs. Suzuki reprimanded her daughter.

"How can you be calm about this?" Mari asked in a slightly quieter tone. "He could get hurt out there."

"He was getting hurt practicing with you," Basil mumbled.

Aubrey heard him as Mrs. Blanchet was handing her the shirts. One was white while the other was cherry red. Both had the Hart's logo on the center, the number 15 on the back, and Sunny's last name above the number. She decided to wear the white shirt to match the team.

"Mari, you need to calm down. He enjoys playing, and he does his best not to get hurt," Mrs. Suzuki said. She then fished around in her purse before pulling out a small sandwich bag that held Sunny's denture. "Watch my stuff while I go and give Sunny his denture."

Mari was about to volunteer before Aubrey quickly got up and grabbed it. She appeared a little betrayed, but Aubrey paid her no mind.

"I'll do it," Aubrey offered. "I think he'll remain calm if I give it to him."

Mrs. Suzuki thought about it before releasing the bag into Aubrey's hand. She thanked her before racing down the steps. She stood by the glass and looked around for Sunny. It didn't take her long to find him.

He was skating around the blue line, moving the puck from his forehand to his backhand and vice-versa. He then skated down into the zone and shot the puck into the empty net. He skated behind the net and met up with Alec. It appeared as if the captain was giving him a few tips.

It wasn't until Sunny skated back to the blue line that Aubrey made her presence known. She waved her hands and jumped in place to get his attention. He saw her and looked scared. She wondered why he was acting like that.

Sunny slowly skated over to her, and she gave him the most comforting smile she could muster.

"Hey, Sunny, I have your denture," she showed him the bag before tossing it over the protective glass.

He caught it and looked at it for a second before grasping it.

"Th-Thanks, b-but I-I don't kn-know if I-I'll be a-able t-to w-wear i-it. Th-The g-guys a-are very s-s-superstitious," Sunny stuttered, more than usual.

Aubrey wanted to reach her hand out to him, but she couldn't. So, she did the next best thing by placing her hand on the glass. She thought Sunny would do the same, but he looked away from her. She could feel the shame radiating off from him.

"Is everything alright?"

She watched him have an inner battle with himself. He cried but tried to hide it behind his mask. It was sad to watch, but she stayed and let him know she was there for him.

"It's OK, Sunny. Just breathe," she told him.

He did what she told him, and he stopped crying. He wouldn't look at her, though, and that made her concerned.

"Can you look at me?" Aubrey asked.

He slowly turned his head, and Aubrey sighed with relief when she saw no bruises on his face. She still had some concerns, but she was glad he wasn't physically hurt.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Aubrey asked.

Sunny started shaking his head before giving her a half-shrug. At least that gave her a start.

"Does it involve Mari?"

He nodded his head, but she knew there was more to the story.

"Does it also involve Kel, Basil, and hero?"

He nodded again, but Aubrey knew there was more.

"And me?" Aubrey asked sincerely.

Sunny first shook his head vigorously before slowly nodding. He looked ashamed, and it broke her heart.

"Don't worry, Sunny. Basil told me what happened and we're not mad."

Sunny brightened up a little, but she could still see some doubt in his eyes.

"B-But I-I b-broke m-my v-v-v-violin. Y-You a-all worked hard t-to b-buy it f-for m-me."

Aubrey sighed and shook her head.

"We did that because we thought it would make you happy. We don't care that it's broken, we care that you're happy."

Sunny sniffled, and Aubrey wanted to do nothing more than hop over the glass and hug. Thankfully, Sunny smiled softly before she did something that would get her thrown out. Sunny lifted his mask to wipe away his tears and took a deep breath.

"Th-Thank y-you," Sunny said, and Aubrey lightly knocked on the glass as if she were giving him a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"Don't mention it. We're all here for you. Don't ever forget it."

The two heard a whistle, and Aubrey saw the skaters heading to their team benches. Sunny saw it too, and the two shared a nod before heading off to where they needed to be. As she was heading back to her seat, Aubrey stole a glance and saw Sunny stumble a little. She wondered what caused him to do that.


'Mari is here. Mari is here. Mari is here.'

Those three words repeated in Sunny's mind ever since he saw his sister sitting in the bleachers. He didn't know why she was here or who told her. All he knew was that she was here, and it clouded his mind.

The scene in the piano room kept playing in his mind. All the yelling, the insults, him breaking his violin, and the slap; he remembered it all. He tried to think about anything else, but it was all he could think about. He couldn't pay attention to the game.

His teammates tried their best to get him to pay attention, but he couldn't. All he could do was hear the fight and see the furious look on Mari's face. He wanted to leave and run away. He'd feel safer and happier if he did.

"...ny," a voice said. It was faint, but Sunny heard it.

".unny," there it was again, and it sounded more clearer, but different from earlier.

"SUNNY!"

Sunny jumped, and he was brought back to reality. He saw his teammates' frustrated glares as some pointed at the ice.

"Your line's out there!" Elliott said urgently.

Sunny saw the Wave was transitioning on offense, and he quickly climbed over the wall. He fell but recovered as fast as he could before the Wave could do any damage. But because he was late getting on the ice, the Wave had a man advantage.

Number 46 passed the puck to number 39, the guy he was supposed to be defending. Since he was open, number 39 took the shot. Thankfully, Liam used his blocker to knock it down, but number 85 recovered it. Sunny quickly got in position before they could do any more damage.

Number 85 swung the puck behind, under Sunny's stick, and to number 45. Number 45 skated along the blue line, so Sunny passed him off to Beau. As number 45 skated away, number 7 took his place. Sunny made sure to be aware of him.

Number 45 passed the puck between himself while Beau remained vigilant by keeping his distance in case number 45 tried to make a move for the net, but also used his stick to try and poke the puck away. Number 45 scanned the rink before passing to number 12 in the slot. He tried poking it to the goal, but Milton was there to block it with his stick. The puck trickled into Sunny's zone, so he went to get it.

"You wouldn't be making too many mistakes if you actually cared to practice."

Sunny faltered, and number 7 took advantage. He mowed past Sunny, possessed the puck, and shot it. The puck flew through the air, and number 12 knocked it down with his stick. The puck bounced off the ice and into the goal.

VVVVVVVVRRRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAMMMMMM*

An old beach song Sunny remembered his dad singing a lot played as the Wave's goal horn faded.

1-0, Wave

Sunny hung his head and skated to the bench. He didn't know what happened, but he froze, and it cost his team. The home crowd made it worse. Coach B was right about wanting to silence them because they were loud.

"Don't worry about it, Sunny. We'll get it back," Alec told him after he sat down.

He, the rest of the first line, and the first D-pair took to the ice. As they got ready for their shift, Beau and Wyatt pulled Sunny aside to talk about their shift.

"Alright, I know it was our first shift, but I think I saw something that could help us," Beau said before signaling to Sunny to sign it to Wyatt.

Sunny did that, even though it wasn't entirely necessary. Wyatt could read lips, and his sign language wasn't that great, but it helped get things to Wyatt clearly.

"Number 12 is the slowest skater on their line. If we can create one breakaway, we could get a man advantage."

Sunny finished signing to Wyatt. He wasn't able to sign every word, but Wyatt got the gist of it from the way he nodded. Sunny also understood the assignment and got ready for his next shift.

After four and a half minutes, his shift started. Sunny got on the ice as his team was transitioning onto defense. The top lines tried their best to muster up some offense, but the score remained 1-0.

He scanned the ice and saw number 12 wasn't on yet. That meant they couldn't take advantage of their line's weakness yet, but that didn't mean they couldn't do anything on offense. They just needed to get the puck first.

Sunny skated into his defensive zone and kept a close eye on number 45, but also remained aware of the other skaters. Number 85 skated with the puck past Beau but was slowed down by Rudy. He ended up passing the puck behind the net to number 39, who was close to Sunny.

Finneas prepared for the shot by getting low while Sunny skated from behind to poke the puck away. Number 39 was aware of this, so he tried skating around Finneas. Sunny backed off into his zone while Finneas skated after number 39. He had a step on him but was stopped by Wyatt.

With nowhere to go, number 39 passed the puck off the wall to number 45. Sunny almost intercepted the pass, but the puck squeaked under his stick. Number 45 played with the puck, and Sunny did his best to disrupt him by swinging his stick back and forth. Sunny did a good job because number 45 passed the puck over to number 7.

Number 7 did what number 45 did, but he saw an open player, number 66. He passed it to him, and he shot it for the one-timer. Wyatt was able to block it with his leg. The puck trickled over to Sunny, and he quickly possessed it.

Now, with the puck in their possession, the Hart started subbing in players. Beau was swapped out with Ranger, while Wyatt was heading to the bench. Ranger was calling for the puck, so Sunny readied a pass.

"I can't believe my stupid brother is going to ruin my recital."

Sunny faltered once again and messed up the pass. He didn't put enough strength behind it, and a fresh number 51 intercepted it. The errant pass gave the Wave a three-man advantage as only Sunny and Finneas were behind to defend.

Sunny joined Finneas in front of the net. They watched number 51 pass to number 34 before he passed it to number 39. He was the most tired of the three Wave players, so if they stopped him, they'd get out of the situation. Sunny skated at him and tried to poke the puck away.

"This whole thing was for my college transcript. You were just an add-on."

Sunny tripped a little, and number 39 took advantage. He passed the puck to number 51, and he shot it where Sunny was previously. Liam wasn't able to get his glove up in time to catch it.

VVVVVVVVRRRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAMMMMMM*

2-0, Wave.


"Sunny's not looking too good," Kel commented.

Aubrey agreed with her friend. After the Wave's first goal, Sunny hadn't looked right. Whenever he made a play for the puck, he appeared lost, as if he were somewhere else in his mind. He never acted like this in practice or during his first two games.

He must still be caught up by what happened with Mari.

"Is your friend alright? That was a bad turnover," Aurora said.

Aubrey slightly nodded while smiling awkwardly.

"I-I think it's the crowd. This is his first road game," Aubrey answered.

The Wave's side of the bleachers have been loud during the game. She had never heard a crowd be so loud during a kids' sporting event. They were off their feet after the first goal, and Aubrey believed they had gotten louder after the second goal. It was crazy.

Aubrey saw Ivy nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, they're always loud. They even brought horns when my team faced their girl's team in the playoffs," Ivy said.

Aubrey not only felt bad for Sunny, but also his teammates. If they don't turn things around then it's only going to get worse.