INVISIBLE STRING, jack hughes ⋆ ★

four

✧˖*°࿐ I DONT WANNA LOOK AT ANYTHING ELSE NOW THAT I SAW YOU
taylor swift

Aven sat with her hands pressed to her temple, hearing the constant sound of the skates on the ice. She groaned, flipping through her binder, tracing over every play.

"First game of the season stress, ay?" Jesper asked, coming to the bench as he squirted water into his mouth.

"You have no idea." Aven rolled her eyes, hearing him laugh before skating away. "Do, like, any of these make sense." She asked herself quietly before standing.

Aven glanced down at her sneakers, picking up the puck from the floor as she stared at it. She sat back down, writing notes to herself.

She closed the binder, sliding it under the shelf as she hurried to the bathroom, glancing in the mirror as she fixed her appearance.

The camera shutter made her turn her head, laughing as Zoey brought the camera back down. "You have the nicest side-profile ever."

"Thank you." Aven blushed, sliding the lipgloss into her back-pocket. "Nervous?"

Zoey shrugged. "This isn't my first rodeo." The two walked out, side by side. "But it's your first, right?"

"Yeah, you could say that." Aven nodded, her heart thumping as she watched everyone begin to line up. "Just a lot of pressure."

"I'm sure." Zoey patted her back softly.

Aven peeked into the locker room, the bold letters of his name turned to her. She swallowed. "Hey, I'll be right back."

She slipped away from Zoey, into the locker room where Jack pepped himself up, breathing heavy.

"Hey, star player." Aven joked as she walked in, his head turning sharply towards her as he held his helmet.

His body stopped jolting, instead his chest rising up and down. "Hey, Aven. You alright?"

"I'm fine. Are you?" She cocked a brow at him.

"Just a little nervous." Jack nodded, scratching his chin.

Aven stepped closer to him, the height difference making her tilt her head up slightly. "You're gonna do great out there. I know you will. Plus, you owe me."

"Do I?" Jack furrowed his brows.

"You told me you'd score a hundred goals for me at practice. I let you off easy. Tonight, I wanna see that." Aven grinned.

Jack chuckled, bringing his finger up to tuck a loose strand from her face. Her lips parted at his cold touch, her stomach whirling. "I'll do it for you."

His eyes scanned her face as he nodded.

"Hey." Chris's voice echoed, making Aven jump back from Jack. "Oh, hey, Aven. What are you doing in here?"

Aven raised her brows. "Just, uh, going over plays."

"Oh, good. Sorry, honey, but we're about to go out." Chris lifted his hand, signaling Jack.

"Yeah, of course." Aven glanced at Jack. "You're gonna do great." She mumbled, watching him smile appreciatively at her as she passed her father, walking with Zoey again.

The red lights flashed their faces, the ground shaking from the instrumental guitar blaring. Aven stepped towards the bench, hearing the screams from fans as the boys skated onto the ice, flags waving from the mascots.

She sat, opening the binder on her lap as she popped an Advil, feeling her head beat. Zoey snapping pictures every second.

The Bruins jerseys littered the ice as fans booed, keeping their side of the rink.

The team skated over to Aven as she stood, the starters eyeing her carefully as she played the binder on the edge of the bench.

"Listen, our first play is gonna be up. Siegenthaler you're moving for the puck while Hamilton you're gonna watch the play. The puck needs to get over to Toffoli on the boards. If at some point, you can't get the puck to Toffoli, pass it Hughes." Aven had her pointer finger on the diagram, tracing her fingers from each marked spot. "Makes sense?"

"Got it." They all said in sync, clipping their helmets.

Aven grabbed Jacks hand, making him halt. "Careful out there. They'll gun for you."

Jack nodded, tapping her knuckles as he joined the rest of the team in the middle of the ice, the lights turning bright.

"That's the play you made them do?" Ruff asked, peering over her shoulder.

Aven nodded nervously, moving over, allowing him to see it clearer. "Uh, yessir. Is there something wrong with it?"

"No." Ruff shook his head, pushing his bottom lip out. "I'm impressed."

Aven felt her cheeks grow red as she stood to the side. "Thank you."

The whistle blew, the puck being dropped as they fought for it. The Devils passed it back and forth, the Bruins right on them.

The stick went under Jacks leg, a clear penalty as he fell forwards on the ice. He scurried back up to his feet, the power play in motion.

Jack skated quickly, hitting the puck gently as he passed it, Hamilton swinging his stick against the small puck. It flew clear into the Bruins net.

"Yes!" Aven yelped, joined by the bench as they all cheered.

The period ended, the Devils in the lead. The team went into the locker room, chugging sports drinks.

"Okay, boys. You're playing really good out there." Aven cleared her throat, standing in the middle of the room. "If they tie it, which is likely, we're gonna need to score. We're gonna do an over play. Bahl you're gonna pick up the puck while Hamilton reads the other teams standings. Hamilton, you need to signal to Bahl so he can give you the puck behind the net."

Bahl nodded quickly. "Yes, ma'am."

"The rest of you going in, you're the helping hand. You know this play, we just need to score." Aven raised her brows at them with a small grin, stepping out to the locker room as the intermission was over.

She adjusted the whistle around her neck, clapping as both teams came back out onto the ice.

The period continued on, the Bruins having the puck. Aven bit her manicure, her eyes tracing his movements as he shot, bouncing into the Devils net.

Vanecek glanced over his shoulder, hearing the buzz as the puck laid, sliding slightly. The Bruins cheered, hugging each other.

Aven blew her whistle, calling a timeout. Ruff standing beside her. The five of them skating over as Venecek stayed in the net.

"Over." Aven nodded. She turned her head, placing a hand on Jacks shoulders. "Hughes in, Nico out."

They switched, Jacks feet planted on the ice as the ref blew the whistle. Ruff chuckled. "Maybe I should just give my coaching job up."

"Oh, no." Aven shook her head. "You do all the hard stuff."

With seconds left on the clock, Hughes skated quickly, dodging other guys as he hit it in with power, the puck falling perfectly into the net.

"Devils win!" The announcer screamed, the arena flashing with red as everyone celebrated, Ruff patted Aven on the back gently as she clapped, earning a kiss on the cheek from her father.

The boys were on a high, winning their first game as they jumped in the locker room.

Aven walked in, watching as they quickly tore off their gear, sweating profusely. "Nice game, boys."

Jack moved his hair back as he slipped on the backwards cap, a large grin on his lips as he picked her up, spinning her around.

Aven slapped her hands on his shoulders, kicking her feet as she laughed. "Jack!"

"We couldn't have done this without you." Jack mumbled in her ear as her feet hit the ground, backing away from her. "Told you i'd score."

Avens cheeks grew hot, her gaze meeting her fathers as he stared at her sternly.