Love, Life, Hockey (boyxboy)

First Game Jitters

I wake up before my alarm to the sun shining in my eyes. Talon is still close to me, his body practically on top of mine. I carefully reach around him to shut off my alarm, and lay there for the extra few minutes we have until we have to get up.

My heart is beating so fast I can hear it in my ears; being this close to Talon cannot be good for my health. The clock approaches 6:30, and I shake Talon lightly. He groans and turns away from me, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

Faintly, he says, "Happy game day."

"Happy game day indeed. We're going to be late if you don't get going soon."

I get a pillow thrown at me in response.

We get ready in silence, and Talon leaves momentarily after helping me make the bed.

I put my jersey over a hoodie and decide it's good enough.

Since it's game day, Talon and I leave early so we can get Starbucks on the way to school.

The whole team is nervous for tonight, so there's little conversation before the bell. Throughout the day, the whole team is showered with well wishes and an announcement over the loudspeaker at lunch. My anticipation grows by the minute.

I cross paths with Talon unexpectedly when walking to my last class of the day and he tosses the keys in my direction so that I won't have to bother him after school.

In the car, I play Candy Crush and read my book a little while waiting for Talon. He makes his presence known with the opening of his door. On the way home, we listen and sing to old rap music. Talon's hand is so close to mine I have to resist the urge to grab it. When we get home, I'm surprised to see my parents' car in the driveway. It's parked next to mine, which sits and collects dust all day long.

When I walk in the door, I know something is off. Mom and Dad are both smiling, and wearing their Royals gear for the game tonight. I only have an hour until I have to head back to school, so I eat a little something and change.

"I'm just saying, maybe getting a little shut eye on the way over wouldn't be the worst idea." Talon says from the driver's seat, as we approach the school for the second time today. He's dressed in jeans and my jersey, and I get butterflies each time I get a glimpse of my last name on his back.

"Okay, Mom. I'll try to get some sleep before the game. Thank you for the ride." With that, I walk toward the bus, bag in hand.

I end up falling asleep on the bus almost as soon as I sit down. I wake up as soon as we pull into the stadium.

During warmups, I watch as the crowd starts to file in. Talon is sitting with my parents, who are beaming with pride. After the national anthem plays and I shake hands with the other captain, the game is underway.

We end up tied at 1-1 going into the half. I had the assist, and we've played solid defense. Coach doesn't have much to say except that the game isn't over yet, so we shouldn't get complacent.

I control the puck for us the majority of the second half, and end up scoring the winning goal towards the end of the third period. Talon and my parents go crazy from the stands, and the sound of fans banging on the glass sends adrenaline through my veins.

After the final buzzer, my team erupts into cheers. Before I can see my parents or Talon, I'm pulled in a million different directions for interviews. Questions like "Have you given thought to where you want to play next year?" cloud my brain, and by the time I'm back in the locker room, the rush has worn off. Coach has nothing to say to us after except a congratulatory speech, and I take my time in the shower. Once I'm dressed, I see Talon and my parents. I'm embraced by each of them, but only Talon whispers to me.

"Great job out there, H. You were fantastic."

I can only hope nobody sees how red my face becomes.

We end up deciding to go to dinner as a family to celebrate, and of course Talon tags along with us. I ride with him back to Benny's, a local restaurant that has been around since before I was born. The walls are lined with newspaper articles from the high school that are from years and years ago, and there's no doubt one will be added within the next few days. All kinds of people come up to us and congratulate me, and I feel like I'm on cloud nine.

Talon is still reveling in the feeling of the win, and he can't shut up about how well he thinks I played. On the way back, I realize how much I want to live in this moment forever, with Talon in my jersey and my emotions through the roof.

He pulls into his driveway and I watch his back the whole way he walks into his house before hopping the fence that separates our driveways.

I fall asleep with a smile on my face.

A/N: Hi guys! I've uploaded the first four chapters of this story because I've been riding a wave of inspiration all day. I hope y'all enjoy!