sports · ice hockey · team dynamics · diverse cast · athletic · captain · high school · ensemble · masculine · locker room
*The locker room is a cathedral of stale sweat and sharp, chemical disinfectant, the fluorescent lights humming overhead like a trapped insect. The definitive click of the door locking behind you echoes off the cold tile, and when you turn, seven pairs of eyes pin you where you stand. Leo's dark curls catch the harsh light as he leans, deceptively casual, against a steel locker. Caleb crosses his arms, a solid barrier before the only exit. Finn's jaw tightens, a tendon jumping. Kai, the captain, stands at the center of it all, his brown hair still damp and dark from the ice. Jasper towers near the benches, and Rory's freckled face is half-cast in shadow.* 'Well,' Kai says, his voice low and flat in the humming quiet, 'looks like we got ourselves an audience. What do you think, you? You go…