Jake woke up to his phone buzzing like an angry bee at 7 AM. He'd been having this awesome dream where he was scoring the game-winning goal in some big championship, and suddenly he was back in his shitty dorm room staring at a text from Coach Peterson.
Coach Peterson: Team meeting 8 AM. Congratulations.
"Holy shit," Jake said out loud.
Danny rolled over in his bed, looking like death warmed over. "What's with the early morning enthusiasm?"
"I made the team."
Danny sat up so fast Jake thought he might give himself whiplash. "Dude, that's fucking awesome! I told you that you were good."
Jake was still staring at his phone, trying to process that this was actually happening. "I can't believe it."
"I can. You were incredible at tryouts. Alex said that you were the best freshmen he'd seen in years."
"When did you talk to Alex?"
"Last night at some party. Kid's a legend on campus apparently. Dating some model or something."
Jake's phone started buzzing again, this time with a call from his dad.
"Jake! Danny texted me the news, I'm so proud of you, kiddo."
"Thanks, Dad. I still can't believe it."
"Your mom would've been over the moon. She always said you had something special."
There it was again, the mom punch. But this time it felt good instead of painful.
"I wish she could've seen it."
"She did see it, Jake. Every game you ever played. And she's seeing this too."
After hanging up, Jake realized he had about twenty minutes to get to the team meeting. He threw on clothes and ran across campus, arriving at the ice rink our of breath and sweating.
The team was gathered in a conference room that smelled like old hockey equipment and broken dreams. Coach Peterson stood at the front looking like he'd rather be literally anywhere else.
"Gentlemen," Peterson began, "welcome to what will either be the best or worst four months of your lives."
Jake found a seat next to Alex, who looked way too awake for 8 AM.
"Rough night?" Alex asked quietly.
"Just trying not to freak out."
"Good strategy."
Peterson continued his speech about commitment, dedication, and how they were going to work harder than they'd ever worked in their lives. Jake tried to pay attention, but his mind kept wandering to the fact that he was actually on a college hockey team.
"Sullivan," Peterson's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Yes, sir?"
"You paying attention?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. because you're starting on the third line this Friday against State."
The room went quiet, Jake felt like someone had just told him he was going to the moon.
"Starting?" he managed to say.
"You got a problem with that?"
"No, sir. No problem at all."
After the meeting, Alex walked with Jake toward the dining hall.
"First game nerves?" Alex asked.
"Is it that obvious?"
"You look like you're about to throw up."
"I might."
Alex laughed. "It's just hockey, man. Same game you've been playing your whole life."
"Expect with a few thousand people watching."
"Details." Alex stopped walking. "Look, you want some advice from someone who's been playing at a high level his whole life?"
"Yeah."
"Stop thinking so much. When you were at tryouts, you weren't thinking. You were just playing. That's when you're best."
Jake nodded, trying to absorb that wisdom.
"Plus," Alex added with a grin, "Finnish saying: 'The puck doesn't care if you're nervous."
They grabbed breakfast and found their usual table, which had somehow become the unofficial meeting spot for Jake's growing circle of friends. Emma was already there with her nursing textbooks spread everywhere, and Tyler was building what appeared to be a sculpture of bacon.
"Holy shit, Jake made the team!" Tyler announced loudly enough for half the dining hall to hear.
"We know," Emma said, rolling her eyes. "Danny texted everyone at like 7 AM."
"And he's starting Friday." Alex added.
"Starting?" Mia appeared from nowhere, sliding into the seat across from Jake. "That's huge. I don't know shit about hockey, but even I know starting as a freshman is impressive."
Jake's phone buzzed with a text from Sophie.
Sophie: CONGRATS!!! so proud of you. dinner tonight to celebrate?
Jake: absolutely. pick the place
Sophie: Mario's at 7 it's nothing fancy but the pasta is amazing
Jake: perfect
"Date night?" Mia asked, reading over his shoulder like a nosy sister.
"Yeah, Sophie wants to celebrate."
"That girl's perfect for you," Emma said. "She actually cares about stuff that matters to you."
"Unlike some people," Mia muttered, looking at her phone.
"Ashley's been asking about you. Again. Wanted to know if you were free this weekend."
Jake felt his stomach do something weird. "What'd you tell her?"
"That you're busy with hockey and dating Sophie."
"I'm not dating Sophie. We've been on like one and half dates."
"Close enough," Tyler said through a mouthful of bacon. "Besides, Ashley's bad news anyway."
"Why do you say that?"
"She's got that whole 'I'm perfect and everyone should worship me' thing going on. Sophie's way more real."
Jake's first practice that afternoon was brutal. Peterson ran them through drills that felt designed to test whether they had the will to live. Jake was sweating through his gear within the first ten minutes.
"Move your ass, Sullivan!" Peterson shouted as Jake struggled through a particularly hellish skating drill. "Skate's not gonna wait for you to catch your breath!"
Alex skated up beside him during a water break. "Welcome to Peterson hockey," he said. "This is actually him being nice."
"This is nice?"
"You should see what he does when he's pissed off."
The scrimmage at the end of practice was where Jake started to feel more comfortable. Playing with actual teammates instead of trying to impress coaches felt natural. He set up two goals and scored one himself, earning nods of approval from the older guys.
"Not bad for a rookie," Brad said as they skated off the ice. "You might actually survive Friday."
In the locker room afterward, Jake felt like he'd been hit by a truck, but it was a good kind of exhaustion. The kind that came from doing something you loved.
His phone was full of messages from people congratulating him on making the team. Word had apparently spread across campus faster than a zombie virus.
Danny: pizza tonight to celebrate?
Kyle: dude heard you made the team! sick
Tyler: party this weekend to celebrate?
Random number: hey its Zoe from coffee shop. heard about hockey. that's awesome
And one that made his stomach flip:
Ashley: heard the news. very impressive. we should celebrate soon.
Jake stared at that message for a long moment. Ashley had been persistent, and he had to admit she was gorgeous and seemed cool. But there was something about Sophie that just felt... right.
He was still thinking about it when he walked into Mario's at 7 PM. The place was small and cozy, with checkered tablecloths and the kind of atmosphere that said "family recipes and reasonable prices."
Sophie was already there, looking beautiful in a simple dress that probably didn't cost a fortune but somehow looked perfect on her. She jumped up when she saw him.
"Congratulations!" she said, hugging him tight enough that he could smell her shampoo.
"Thanks. I still can't believe it happened."
"I can. You're amazing, Jake. I could see it that first night at the party."
"You could see what?"
"That you were different. Special." She sat back down, looking slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, that sounds cheesy."
"It doesn't sound cheesy at all."
They ordered food and talked about everything - hockey, her pre-med classes, their families, their hopes for college. Jake found himself telling her things he hadn't told anyone, like how scared he'd been about fitting in and how much he missed he missed his mom.
"She would've been so proud of you today," Sophie said softly.
"How do you know?"
"Because my mom would be proud to have a son like you."
Something shifted in Jake's chest, something warm and terrifying and perfect all at once.
"Sophie?"
"Yeah?"
"I really like you."
She smiled, the kind of smile that made Jake forget how to breathe properly. "I really like you too."
They were walking back toward campus, hands linked like it was the most natural thing in the world, when Jake's phone buzzed with a text.
He almost ignored it, but Sophie said, "Go ahead, check it. Might be important."
It was Ashley.
Ashley: saw you at Mario's with Sophie. you two look cute together. maybe we can all hang out sometime.
Jake felt something cold settle in his stomach. How had Ashley seen them? Had she been watching them?
"Everything okay?" Sophie asked, noticing his expression.
"Yeah, just... team stuff."
But as they walked back to Sophie's dorm, Jake couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to get a lot more complicated.
His phone buzzed again as he was saying goodnight to Sophie.
Ashley: sweet dreams.
Jake stared at the message, then looked up at Sophie's dorm window where she was probably getting ready for bed, probably thinking about their perfect evening.
Yeah, things were definitely about to get complicated.