"Sweat and ice carried tempers."
Silver woke to her mother's text and spent the morning in a fog of dread.
I'm flying to New Haven.
Three hours later, she still hadn't responded. Instead, she'd gone to class, pretended to take notes, and tried not to think about what would happen when Leona actually arrived on campus.
But Eli had his own problems brewing at Ingalls.
The locker room reeked of sweat, tape, and adrenaline.
Eli peeled off his hoodie, grabbed his stick, and tried to ignore the chatter bouncing off the tiled walls. The usual pre-practice noise felt sharper today, every word carrying an edge.
"Dude, scouts are coming next week."
"Yeah, and we're down Matthews. Coach is losing it."
"Better not blow another scrimmage, Kovacs."
That last one stung. He didn't react, not yet. Just laced his skates tighter, jaw clenched, gaze fixed on the scuffed floor beneath the bench. His knuckles were still sore from yesterday's drills, but that was normal. Expected.
