k a r r i s

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We were ready.

At least, I think we were. It was our first game in several weeks after the boys were put back on the team. The moment they were off academic probation, was the same moment their feet hit the ice, delving themselves in intense practices. The Willowridge hockey team had so much zeal and enthusiasm during practice that even if we didn't win, it wouldn't be without a fight.

"Are ready for your presentation?" Mom asked as she drove me to school the morning of the match.

She eyed me quickly, noting my choice in apparel. I had an important presentation in Government today-- at least, that's what my mom thought. When I strolled down the stairs that morning wearing a deep purple dress, the hemline gracefully falling right above my knees, my mother's eyebrow lifted in curiosity.

"Important presentation in class today," I told her, shrugging my shoulders.

Mom believed me, smiling in approval before wishing me luck. I couldn't tell her that we had a huge hockey match today and that Coach Benson always makes us shower and look nice on game days.

"We haven't talked in a while," mom began, taking a right turn on Walnut Avenue. "So, anak, do you have a boyfriend?"

(translation: child; dear)

I cringed and shot my mom a look of disgust. "You're not actually asking me that, are you? You sound like Tita Vicky on Thanksgiving dinner."

(translation: aunty)

"What? You can't blame me!" Mom exclaimed, an airy chuckle escaping her lips. "My daughter is so beautiful; I'm sure there are handsome suitors trying to court you."

"To your dismay, there no suitors trying to 'court' me," I air-quoted, before grinning incredulously. "Besides, I already know what you'd say."

"Which is?"

"No boyfriends, school first,"

"You're right, anak," mom winked. "No distractions."

(translation: child; dear)

She turned onto campus property, through the iron gates and drove towards the roundabout where a slew of students escaped the confines of parental vehicles. Mom put the car in park as I unclipped my seatbelt and reached for my messenger bag on the floor.

"You really do look beautiful today," mom reiterated with a proud smile perched on her face.

I sighed blissfully, "thanks."

Opening the passenger side, meeting the warm air outside, I slipped out of the cool leather seat. I smoothed out my dress and readjusted the messenger bag on my shoulder. Letting out an exhale, I turned over my shoulder to take peek at my peers sauntering across campus. For them, it was just any other Thursday. But for me, it was make or break.

"I'm sure you'll impress whichever boy you're wearing that dress for," mom blurted. Mom's words, though spoken playfully, snapped me out of my own thoughts. 

"Huh? What? I told you, it's for an important presentation," I pressed, feeling my cheeks heat up-- mom's know everything.

What kind of sorcery is motherhood?

"Whatever you say," mom stifled a laugh. "Ingat, okay?"

(translation: be careful)

"Yes, mom," I grumbled, residual embarrassment still lurking.

I pushed the car door closed, giving my mom a wave goodbye. I watched her drive away from the curb and follow the other cars off campus property. With one hand grasping the strap of my bag and the other one awkwardly resting at my side, I strolled towards the glass doors.

My arm reached for the slim handles, however before a finger could even tickle the metal, my entire body lurched to the side. As my feet tried to keep up with the rest of my body, I was saved from falling over by a couple of welcoming arms.

"Big day, coach!" Michael's grip around my shoulder was surging with excitement as he beamed down at me. His normal garb of jeans and a tee-shirt was replaced with slacks and a button up shirt. The blue-haired boy even combed his normally messy mop atop his head.

"We're gonna kick ass, no doubt. I can feel it in my balls," Luke confidently stated, resting his long arm around my shoulders. Like his teammate, Luke cleaned up well-- the white button up sleekly hugging his torso and the black tie gave him the perfect touch of class.

"If your ball confidence is anything like my faith in the world then..." my words faded into silence as I thought about the statement flowing out my mouth. My face was painted with a quizzical expression as I perpetually mulled over the almost declaration at hand.

"...then I must have some pretty big balls," Luke finished the statement with a wide grin and mischief glossing his bright, blue eyes.

"Let's not talk about your balls," I expressed flatly, before my lips turned into a snarky smirk. "Especially because I'm not entirely sure they exist."

A rupture of hollers pounded from the vocal chords of Michael as he pushed Luke around. He animatedly hopped around before grasping me by the arms and shaking me in excitement.

"You're literally the coolest person ever!" Michael exclaimed.

"Eh, I'm not so sure about that, Clifford," a happy-go-lucky voice filtered into our ears and the attention shifted to a very handsome hockey captain strolling his way towards us.

Ashton had a bright, dimpled smile as he approached. With both hands in his pocket, he walked on the concrete sidewalk with finesse. It wasn't his khaki slacks, or the white button-up shirt Ashton wore that almost caused my knees to buckle. Instead, it was the simple embellishing piece around his neck.

A yellow bow tie.

"Close your mouth, sweetheart," Ashton winked. "You're starting to drool."

"Ha, ha," I scoffed. "You're so into yourself."

"Pretty sure you're into me," he argued playfully, taking a step in my direction.

Ashton's smirk fell into smooth lines before his gaze fell on mine with a featherlike touch. He was looking straight at me; no distractions, no aversions. I felt my breathing hitch when he, once again, stepped forward.

"You look nice in that dress," he complimented. "Dark purple."

"You look nice in that bow tie," I reciprocated with a smile. My heart was thumping uncontrollably. "Yellow."

My stomach was in knots; twisted bouts of acidic energy and I didn't know if I were going to survive it. Ashton was a little too close to me, and even though my heart was seconds away from hammering my soul into pulp, I didn't want him to step away.

"If you guys are done flirting," Luke interrupted, wrapping his arms around both Ashton and I. "I'd like to talk about Halloween plans."

"Flirting? Who says I was flirting?" Ashton scoffed. "Maybe the princess was because, hello? Look at me."

"I wasn't flirting," I declared, scowling at Ashton before cowering in my own misery. At a whispered grumble I continued, "I don't even know how to flirt."

"No wonder Cal couldn't get the hint that you were so unbelievably in love with him," Ashton teased, rolling his eyes with annoyance.

"Stop bringing that up," I shot back, feeling my entire body heat up with embarrassment for what felt like the fiftieth time that week.

"Like I said," Luke's arms gripped our shoulders tighter, smirking incredulously at Ashton and I. "Stop flirting for one second because Halloween is next week."

"What's there to talk about?" Ashton unhooked himself from Luke's grasp. "We do the same thing every year... we party."

"Just making sure we're not straying from any tradition," Luke grinned. He looked at me with hope, "you'll be there, right coach?"

"I'm invited?" I was surprised— I was never asked to come to parties.

Luke looked taken aback, cocking his head in curiosity, "why wouldn't you be?"

"Because," I shrugged. "I'm me."

"Yea, and you're cool as fuck," Luke declared with a laugh. He pulled me closer to his chest, giving me a friendly hug. "For future reference, any party we throw, you're invited to. No questions asked."

When Luke let me go, gazing at me with a dimpled smile, I slowly began to think that my Senior year might actually turn out to be okay.

The conversation ended with my self-esteem at a high. The smile plastered upon my face as the hockey team and I departed that morning didn't fade. Nothing could rain on my parade — except for maybe one, tiny thing that happened during lunch.

School was such a blur during the first half that when I sauntered into the cafeteria with my lunch bag in my hand, did I finally take myself off of autopilot. I scoped the expanse of my high school canteen, and almost immediately, I spotted my best friend sitting at a table by the window. Smiling to myself, I made my way over to Berkley who was laughing hysterically at something. When I approached, I saw that she wasn't alone.

"...ew, what a bitch!" Berkley laughed. "I'm so glad I don't have her for Bio."

"You've been blessed," Natalia declared. She noticed me first, turning her head in my direction as I stepped up to the table. "Karris! Hey!"

"Hi Karebear," Berkley grinned, pulling out the plastic chair next to her. "Sit with us."

"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever," I plopped into the chair with a sigh, finally happy to be with my best friend. I had hoped to have her to myself for lunch, but I took what I could get.

"I know, I know," Berkley frowned, leaning over to give me a hug.

I reciprocated the embrace, and just like that, it was like old times. I lifted my lips into a subtle smile and let my eyes land on a familiar blue, plastic container. I separated from my best friend and smiled blissfully at her.

"You have tamales," I mentioned with a grin.

"I do," Berkley grabbed the container and opened the lid, revealing the beautiful goodness before me. "I brought them for Talia because she's never had them before."

"Oh," I slumped into my seat, looking over at Talia whose face was peppered with guilt.

"I'll bring you some after the game," Berkley quickly declared, sensing the change in atmosphere.

I smiled, "you're coming tonight?"

"How could I miss it? It's gonna be one of the biggest matches of the season!" she gushed. "Talia and I will both be there right after we go shopping for a bit."

My eyes darted from my best friend, to Talia, and then back to Berkley. Was I angry or jealous at all that Berkley and Talia were becoming close friends? No. But in hindsight, that was the start of it.

"I'm going to get a bottle of water," Talia moved her chair back. "Do you guys want anything?"

I shook my head, "I'm alright."

"Same," Berkley smiled.

I watched Talia's movements, as she strolled away from the table and towards one of the many brightly-lit glass refrigerators. When I was sure she was out of earshot, I turned back to Berkley.

"You two are becoming close buddies," I commented. "Is this your way of keeping your enemies close?"

"Excuse me?" Berkley raised one of her perfectly sculpted brows, taken aback by my comment.

I shrugged, "Talia hurt you once, remember? Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer."

"Luke hurt me," Berkley corrected with a frown. "Talia has nothing to do with that... she's actually pretty cool if you give her a chance."

"Like, be The Three Musketeers or something?" I scoffed— I wasn't so sure.

"You'll always be my number one Karebear," she assured. "And we'll still have our annual Halloween sleepover with all the junk food that's shit for us."

"And scary movies that will have us sleeping with all the lights on," I chuckled.

"You'll always be my best friend," Berkley reached out to squeeze my hand. "Talia is cool, but I wouldn't replace you."

"Thanks,"

"Unless you loose the game tonight," Berkley quickly added, a serious tone laced within her quip. "Then we can't be friends ever again."

"Ha, ha," I smirked, shaking my head. "But like, don't pressure me. I'm already so nervous."

"The guys will be fine, but they're gonna have to hustle their asses off. Brampcrest is no joke, you know that,"

I nodded in agreement, "yea, I know... the boys want this win so bad. I just hope they get it."

With a sigh, I turned my head to glance across the cafeteria where the hockey team all sat. They flung napkins at each other, stole food from one another's tray, and compared the ties that completed their game day outfits. The boys joked around like any other day, but at 5PM that night, being silly would only be a distant memory.

The remainder of my school day proceeded as normal. Lectures, note-taking, and the occasional snarky quip from my classmates invaded the afternoon like routine. If it weren't for my teachers wishing myself and the team luck, or my peers mentioning the game, I would've forgotten about the impending doom. Dramatic, but I wanted to expect the worse and not get my hopes up.

"Hey, if you don't eat you'll puke," Michael plopped down next to me and placed a plate of food before me.

I turned to him, "if you don't stop, you'll puke."

The hockey team and I were held hostage in an empty classroom an hour after the last bell of the day. All the hockey moms came with a wide array of food to fuel us for the game. Of course, being the ravenous boys they were, wasted no time in devouring their food.

"I know you're nervous, but we got this," Michael stated confidently. "If you teach me chemistry, and can train me to be the hockey player I am today, then Brampcrest won't know what hit them."

"Brampcrest will be so surprised that Mikey doesn't suck anymore," Luke chimed in playfully, taking a seat on top of a desk, "that they'll be too distracted to continue."

"You're a dick," Michael sneered, throwing a piece of fried zucchini at Luke, who remarkably caught the vegetable in his mouth.

"Speaking of dicks," Ashton began, approaching us. "Have any of you seen Calum? David's mom brought enchiladas and that's his favorite."

Ashton stood so close to me, I wanted to run away. His presence was too much at the moment and I wasn't so sure if I could handle it all. My stomach hurt and twisted into every way possible whenever he was in the same room as I. It scared me, no lie, because at one point I absolutely despised Ashton. And now, when I look at him, admiring his dimpled giggle, I couldn't help but to fawn.

"...drool Karris,"

"What?" I jolted within my seat, coming back from my inner thoughts. I darted my attention from Michael, to Luke, to Ashton, who all smirked mischievously at me.

"Karris, if you don't stop gazing lovingly at Ashton, you'll start to drool," Luke winked at me, and immediately I felt very warm.

I sank in my seat, embarrassed that I got caught checking out Ashton. My cheeks were burning and suddenly the plate of food in front of me became more interesting.

"Imagine if Gabe were here? He'd beat Ash to a pulp and send Karris to a nunnery," Michael laughed. Luke seemed to agree with the statement and gave him a high-five.

"Gabe would've never approved of Ashton and Karris," Luke snickered.

I sunk deeper, grabbing the stray carrot on my plate and began to munch on it. I hoped that the orange, crunchy vegetable would distract me from their conversation, but I couldn't ignore their loud mouths.

"Okay, that's enough," Ashton's strong voice interrupted the conversation and immediately Luke and Michael ceased.

"We're just messing around," Luke reached over to give Ashton a pat on the back.

"No more messing around," Ashton scoffed, rolling his eyes in annoyance, before walking to the front of the classroom where Coach Benson was merrily eating a slice of cake. "If you fuckers are done eating, then I suggest you start heading over to the locker rooms to get ready."

Silence lingered in the room for a few moments, before the sound of shuffling filled the space. A few members of the hockey team followed Ashton's orders and walked out the classroom door. Michael grabbed a cupcake to go, and Luke stayed still.

"What the hell was that about?" Luke stood up. "We were just playing. You don't have to be so sensitive about it."

Ashton narrowed his eyes towards Luke and slowly sauntered forward. A nerve was pulled and the atmosphere changed within seconds. I held my breath, unable to unfreeze from the position I was stuck in. This clearly was my cue to leave, but there was a part of me that wanted to see it all unfold.

"I'm sensitive about it, because it deals with my best friend," Ashton reasoned. "And you have no right to playfully joke about him."

"Why not?" Luke argued. "Gabe may have been your best friend, but he was our teammate and friend too."

Ashton let out a laugh, "was he? Because if I'm not mistaken, there was once a time when you hated him so much, and he suffered from that hatred."

"What?" I pipped up, scooting myself upwards in the chair I was planted in. "What are you talking about?"

I darted my eyes from Ashton to Luke, whose face was flushed from any color. He kept a hard gaze on Ashton, his lips closed tight. I watched in silence, my mind swirling with questions that I knew weren't going to be answered at that moment.

But I tried anyway.

"Luke? Did you really hate my brother?" I questioned, standing up from my chair. "And what does Ashton mean about him suffering? Luke?"

I rounded the desk and stood in front of Luke, grabbing him by the shirt. I looked up at him with pleading eyes but his focus only remained on Ashton.

"Please? Answer me. Luke? Please," I tugged onto his shirt, but then something else tugged onto me.

"Come on babydoll," Ashton's voice was low, as he pulled onto my shoulder. "Luke's not going to say anything to you."

"Tell me the truth, please?" I breathed. "I-I-I don't believe you hated him. Maybe you hated something he did, but I don't think you actually had any cruel disdain for my brother."

Luke finally dropped his gaze to meet mine, "but I did." 

✖ ✖ ✖

Incredibly sorry for making you all wait for this chapter! School was insane and I'm surprised I actually survived this semester. Regardless, thanks for being so patient. 

I hope you liked this chapter, and I'm seriously so excited to start writing the next several chapters. Shit's about to go down and more history will be revealed between the hockey team and Gabe. 

Also, it is with great excitement to announce that SLAPSHOT is nominated for BEST ASHTON IRWIN FANFIC in the 2017 FANFICTION AWARDS. I'm so stoked and I am absolutely humbled by all the support. I greatly appreciate it SO VERY much!

Voting is officially OPEN and UNLIMITED. You can vote here: https://www.wattpad.com/418160753-the-fanfiction-awards-2017-voting-open

Voting ends on JULY 2ND at 11:59PM, GMT+0

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!