INVISIBLE STRING, jack hughes ⋆ ★

twenty-six

✧˖*°࿐ SOMETIMES YOU JUST DONT KNOW THE ANSWER
taylor swift

Aven groaned, holding her fingers to her temple as she walked the campus, bringing a hand to fiddle with her turtleneck.

"Well, if it isn't my new best friend." A voice called from a few feet behind her, jogging up to meet her pace.

"Hello there, Duker." Aven flashed him a bright smile, the two walking in sync.

Dylan chuckled, swinging his backpack to his side as he dug into his front pocket, working quickly to unscrew the Advil cap. "Here."

Aven glanced down to his palm, two tablets calling her name as she took them, her water bottle making her hands freeze. "Thank you. I didn't know how I was gonna get through this."

"Practice?" Dylan cocked a brow, staring at her appearance. "You're going to practice in a turtleneck?"

Aven parted her lips with offense as she held the ends of her thick shirt. "I'm freezing. And, I don't start till after break. I'm just going to meet everyone and get my jersey."

"Oh." Dylan hummed, chucking softly. "I was just looking out for you."

"Thanks." Aven rolled her eyes with a sarcastic tone. She stepped up to the door, holding it open as she gestured towards Dylan. "Ladies first."

Dylan snorted, shaking his head. "Get inside."

Aven put her hands up with a shrug, her head on swivel as she looked around. "This place is beautiful."

"Right." Duker smiled. "This way. I'll show you the ice."

Aven brushed her hair from her shoulder, following behind him as he lead her to the giant rink. "Holy shit."

"Does it compare to the Prudential Center?" Dylan asked, glancing at her from his shoulder as he walked down the steep steps.

"Barely." Aven scrunched her nose up, fighting a smile as she couldn't tare her eyes from the rink.

The familiar face of Jenna appeared as the woman lifted her head, turning to face the doors as Dylan waved.

"Hi." Jenna beamed, skating over to the tunnel as the two walked. "Aven, so happy you're here. And Dylan, what a nice surprise."

Dylan nodded, holding his gear. "Always a pleasure. Aven, I'll see you soon."

"Thanks, Duker." Aven tilted her head towards him, watching him disappear from his peripheral vision. "I, uh, I hope I'm not late."

"Not at all." Jenna waved her hand, standing beside her as she untied her skates, slipping into her boots as she gestured towards the exit. "Let me show you around."

Aven walked beside her coach, her arms crossed over her stomach. The bold letters in blue and yellow made her body shiver with anticipation.

"So, are you excited?" Jenna asked, peering over at her with a smile.

"Yes." Aven bit her bottom lip. "I'm always just really nervous."

Jenna placed her hand on the doorknob of the locker room. "You're gonna make a great additions to our team, Aven. Trust me. You'll shine."

Aven swallowed, nodding as the door opened, the chatter of the girls stopping as the two walked in. She shifted, feeling all eyes on her.

"Girls, this is Aven Taylor. She's a freshman and is our newest addition. We'll work on skills and more when we return from break." Jenna introduced, smiling proudly at the younger girl.

"Hi. It's really nice to meet you all." Aven could feel her stomach twist with nerves.

"Hi. I'm Sam." A brunette approached her. "You're kinda like a celebrity here."

Aven furrowed her brows at her low tone, chucking in confusion. "What?"

"Yeah, didn't you, like, date Jack Hughes?" Another girl behind her asked, earning a quick glance from Sam.

"Erica!" Sam scolded, covering her face with annoyance. "We're not nosy seriously. We just heard a bunch of people talking about it."

Aven parted her lips with a quick shake of her head. "Yeah, it's just rumors." She shrugged. "He's a, um, a close friend."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Girls, can we not bombard her with things like that. Let's let her have a moment to take it all in, okay?"

"Yeah, sorry." Sam apologized, a sincere look on her features.

"It's cool." Aven nodded, turning to Jenna. "Is there anything else I need?"

Jenn's hummed. "Oh, yes. You're jersey. Come this way." Aven followed her into the office, the jersey wrapped in yellow paper with a big sticker on the front. "Here you are."

"Thank you." Aven smiled, holding the jersey, as she ran her thumb over the thin paper. "Thanks for all of this. I'll see you after break."

"Perfect. Happy Holidays!" Jenna waved.

Aven had never rushed out of a place faster, her head spinning as she groaned. She glanced up, catching glimpse of her friends dark hair.

"Bella!" Aven shouted, the girl turning over her shoulder, her face lighting up as her eyes landed on the blonde.

"Aves, hey." Bella smiled, letting the girl catch up as the two began to walk. "So, how was it?"

Aven rolled her bottom lip into her mouth. "I don't know. I mean, it's beautiful and I can see myself there. The girls are nice, too. But...I..."

"Spit it out." Bella laughed, cocking a brow.

"They know about Jack. Apparently a lot of people do." Aven blurted, watching Bella's face twist as she shook her head. "How is that possible? No one knew except...oh, fuck."

"Bella? What?" Aven stopped in tracks as Bella's face paled.

cliffhanger...
thank u for 16k mwah mwah
also shoutout umich for winning the
rose bowl 😍