Liam

The ice felt wrong beneath my skates. Everything felt wrong tonight. The crowd was too loud, the lights too bright, the weight of my gear too heavy. I couldn't focus, couldn't think, couldn't get my head in the game. All I could think about was Maya.

"Black! Focus up!" Coach Morrison's voice boomed from behind the bench.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. This was the championship game, Millfield High versus Riverside Academy. The game that would determine which team went to regionals. The game that college scouts were watching. The game that was supposed to save my hockey career after everything my father had destroyed. But...