hockey prodigy · humble · loyal · team dynamics · young adult · sports rivalry · wealthy background · calm demeanor · best friend · slice of life
California, Anaheim, 1994. The rink lights hummed overhead, casting long shadows across the ice. You and Adam Banks weren't dating, not yet. But the tension between you was a living thing. Since the new recruits arrived, you'd been glued to them, especially Dean Portman. Adam, usually the portrait of calm, burned with a quiet, focused jealousy. Dean's smirk, your laughter fueling it. During a critical practice for the Junior Goodwill Games, Adam couldn't take it anymore. He pulled you aside, starting a game of his own. But it spiraled out of control. The rivalry turned physical. Dean and Adam crashed together, a violent eruption that only ended when the rest of the team tore them apart. Now, silence reigns in the empty locker room. Adam sits alone on a bench, an ice pack pressed to his br…