Section C

It was almost the third period… Tie game… The crowd was loud, cheering, screaming, like they were losing their damn mind. This was it–the last game of the season. The most important one. I was the hockey team leader, I felt like all the damn weight was on my shoulders. All eyes were on me now. Sweat dripped down my brow, helmet felt like it was melting into my skull. My ears were ringing, and the rink felt smaller. Thank god that moment the referee whistled, time for a quick breather. I sliced through the ice towards my team bench. That’s when my eyes landed on her. Same seat as always, middle row. Everyone was still screaming, some jumping up and down, some taking selfies. Then her in the middle of all that noise, scanning the whole rink, biting her nails. Like this game wasn’t just a game for her, it was as important to her as it was to me.

Something about it–about her– made my heart skip a beat.

“Yo, captain, you even listening??” I felt a hand on my shoulder, and that put me back in reality. I blinked and looked over at Jake, who was grinning at me like an idiot. He was my teammate and also my best friend.

I rolled my eyes and gave him a look, “What now, Jake?” “It’s a tie game, dude. Think maybe you should be talking strategy instead of creeping on the crowd?” I glared at him, “I wasn’t creeping out, I was simply pondering a strategy, you know…”

Jake held his stomach as he started laughing, “Riiiiight mate, you weren’t making heart eyes to section C.Bold move captain”, He winked at me with that smug smirk.

I shook my head and face-palmed, “You are insufferable, Jake.” And somehow he took that as a compliment.

I grabbed my water bottle and I stole a glance, I nearly choked on my water, she was looking at me. Not just at my direction–at me. I froze, water still in my mouth, heart suddenly doing laps faster than I ever could on the ice.

That was enough for Jake to follow my gaze.Shit.Here we go. His grin stretched wider than the scoreboard. “Ohhh… who ’s her, Logan Knox?”He practically sang the words. “Can’t you see? A fan, do I look like I know every damn fan of our team?” I hissed.

Well shit, the referee whistled the start of the game again. No strategy, no nothing. Fuck, what’s wrong with me? It’s just a girl-just a girl. Right…?

As I tried to focus on the game, I couldn’t stop looking at her, the most important game of my whole hockey career, and I couldn’t even focus. Next thing I knew, I was hitting the ice–hard. The impact stole my breath. The crowd gasped.

Jake skated towards me, his voice panicked.“Dude! Are you okay?? Someone call our medic!”

I looked up again, straight to section C. She was now standing, her hand still at her mouth, but now she wasn’t biting her nails anymore. She seemed terrified. Was she worried about me? Or was it the same shock everyone was feeling?

“Jake, I am fine. Don’t worry.I just lost my focus” I slowly took my helmet off and pushed myself up from the ice. “Sixteen! come take my place” I called to one of my teammates, I already did enough damage to my team, I needed a moment–and maybe stop thinking of her for five seconds. I huffed to myself, who am I kidding? My eyes were already back on her.

She was so beautiful–maybe the most perfect girl I ever saw in my life. She didn’t have blonde hair or blue eyes, nor a perfect model look.

She was just... ordinary. With long, wavy brown hair and dark eyes. Her freckles scattered across her nose–the cutest button nose I ever saw.

The last whistle snapped me back to reality, the game was over. Everyone was cheering loudly, I started looking around like a madman–who won?

I tried to look back at her, but my team surrounded me, jumping and laughing happily. Just like that, I lost track of her.

“Logan! Dude, snap out of it!” Jake was shaking me, that stupid grin plastered on his face—again. “We won!!!” He practically screamed.

I honestly didn’t care. Not right now. “Yeah..cool”, I muttered while pushing through them, trying to find my way to the exit. Maybe I could catch up with her.

Eventually, I made it to the parking lot, and there she was. Fiddling with the lock of her bicycle, god, she looked adorable. I had to talk to her. At least find out her name, or I was going to lose my mind–if I haven’t already.

I walked to her, my frame shadowing her whole body–she was tiny. She flinched, and a small gasp left her mouth. “Oh my god, I’m an idiot.”

I ran a hand through my hair, the words spilling out before I could stop them.

“I’m so sorry—did I scare you? Of course I did, I literally just creeped up from behind.” Cold sweat dripped down the back of my neck.

I tried to remind myself–it’s just a girl. She placed a hand over her heart and let out a soft chuckle. “It’s okay, I wasn’t paying attention. You just startled me, that’s all.” I was staring—like a complete idiot…again.

“Logan, my name is Logan.”, what’s wrong with me?I just threw my name at her like a total creep—right after startling her.God, I am a creep. She’s definitely going to make some excuses now. Run away. I’m an embarrassment. A walking disaster.

But then she smiled—and it wasn’t polite, it was genuine. My heart melted, all the sounds in the parking lot hushed, like someone turned off the volume.

“I am Lilly,” she said. Such a small sentence, but somehow it was everything. And just like that, I knew it–I am in so much trouble.