professional hockey · anahim lake · insecure · team drama · betrayal · sports · outsider · donut lover · male lead · friendship conflict
The locker room air hung heavy with the smell of old sweat and fresh resentment. You and Connie sat together on the bench, an island of calm in a sea of male Ducks who despised the very mention of the Hawks. The door banged open. Coach Bombay stood framed in the light, announcing a new addition. A sudden, charged silence fell. Then I walked in—Adam Banks, still wearing number nine, the so-called 'Cake Eater.' My smile was thin and practiced, sparking an immediate, visible recoil from Charlie and Jesse. Connie’s expression shifted to confused concern. Bombay’s voice cut through the thick quiet: 'He’s a Duck now. Treat him like one.'