1. Have a positive relationship with your new coach. Make sure you know where he stands on lots of things, such as the best style of hockey to play, bad penalties, good penalties, having morals, standing up for the team, etc. Establish an honest relationship, one that makes you better.

2. You have 41 games to prove that you're something special. No postseason, thanks to the university's punishment for the cheating scandal. You have 41 games to prove that your injury didn't slow you down. Make every single one of those count. Bad games happen, but good players don't let the world know that everything is going wrong.

3. No more Spädbarn. He's a baby, and although it's a really cute nickname, you can't live up to it. Mr. Nice Guy has got to disappear when you're on the ice. Take a bad penalty every once in a while, if you have to. Just play with a chip on your shoulder. Let the world know that Viktor Sundqvist is not happy, and he's back with a vengeance.

4. Score at least one super mega pretty goal. Dirty goals count just as much as top-shelf snipes, but sometimes, you gotta look good while you score. It draws attention to your never-ending supply of talent.

5. Be a team player. You can't play a hockey game by yourself, and without a great group of teammates, you wouldn't even have the opportunity to be in this position. Make sure you appreciate every good pass they give you, and make sure you do your best to set them up nicely as well.

6. Make me look like a genius. Give me something to be proud of.

Viktor was a little surprised my list wasn't a bunch of statistics goals, but I didn't really care about his numbers on the season. I just wanted for him to prove himself and to show all that he had learned over the years. He had grown from a whiny, entitled child to a player who wanted to win and was willing to put the team on his back in order to get there.

He had taken a small part of me and adopted it for himself, but I wasn't the one who chose that life for him. That was all him.

And with the next hockey season fast approaching, just like the year before, most of his time was dedicated to that.

I didn't mind. October was for the boys, and now that I had Blaine and Arti, the world certainly wasn't so lonely for me anymore.

Love was everything for me, but romantic love wasn't the most important. Familial love and friendship were. And while I loved every aspect of a romance with Viktor, it was the friendship that we had built over three years that I loved the most. The romantic love and attraction just followed that.

A large part of me wanted to know what Mom thought about the whole situation, but I couldn't ask her. She was probably up in heaven cheering about her OTP (I was nearly certain of that), and I smiled at the thought of it all.

I never would have been this happy if it hadn't been for her crazy ideas, her meddling, her support, her disapproval.

The amount of joy she brought me outweighed whatever sadness I had by at least a billion times. Understanding and appreciating that was a process that took a damn long time, though.

When it was finally time for the first game of the season, I dragged Blaine and Arti along with me to the arena. It was a hockey girlfriend duty, and it was one that I took seriously. Of course, neither of them was nearly excited as I was, but I was pretty sure that they were happy that I finally had something to be happy about.

I would have forced Drew to come, too, but she had to finish setting up for the party at the Sig Kap house after the game.

I set my notebook and gel pens on my lap and waited for the puck drop to start the game, ready to take notes about every minor detail of Viktor's reconstructed knee and attitude.

Viktor had always been fascinating to me, and while I had heard stories from his practices and how good everything felt for him, I hadn't seen him in a game situation since before he got hurt.

Blaine sat to my right, and he had been fidgeting for a couple minutes.

"Are you bored?" I asked.

He nodded. "A little. I just want the goddamn game to start."

"It will soon. Just be patient for once in your life."

"Just be patient. That's funny coming from you."

"Are you trying to fight me?" I asked.

"Yeah, kinda. Plus, I have every single Backstreet Boys song ever written stuck in my head right now, and it's killing me inside."

"Backstreet's making you slightly aggressive?"

"Mhm. And I don't want it that way."

I blinked a couple times at him. He laughed at his own joke.

"I'm glad you think you're funny," I said.

He kept laughing. "Come on, Amanda. I've got it goin' on."

"Just shut up. You're not funny."

"I'm hilarious. I don't know what you're talking about."

I looked over to the ice, where the players were getting ready for the national anthem.

"See? It's almost time to start. Are you happy now?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I was just starting to get into this name-calling, but I guess that's fine," Blaine replied.

I looked over at Arti. She knew enough about Viktor's career and could follow what was happening during a game, but she sure as hell cared the afterparty and Drew much more.

The Star-Spangled Banner played, and we were ready for puck drop.

I knew that I missed the thrill of the game and the joy of watching Viktor, but nothing in the world could replace the butterflies I got from the sound of skate blades scraping the ice, a little pregame chirping, and that number 50 with the biggest smile I had seen from him in a long time.

He didn't have the Jardetzky twins anymore, and instead, he had one of his teammates from Madison High, David, as well as the up-and-coming freshman right winger Dominic Larson.

I knew all about him. He was one of the top recruits from last year, and if he was as good at scoring as everyone said, Viktor would pile up some assists this season.

And Dominic was a Minnesota kid just like the rest of us. There was a certain level of satisfaction that came with that.

Viktor was the center for the second line, since a few players ahead of him graduated, moved on, or were forcibly removed from the team, and he was on the bench as the puck was dropped to begin the game, but he didn't sit. Instead, he rested his arms on the boards in front of him as he studied what was going on.

He seemed pretty dialed in, and that was exactly where he needed to be if he wanted to start his season off the right way.

I was counting on it. Viktor promised me we would get what we deserved, even though everyone knew that he deserved much more than I did.

The puck was frozen in the defensive zone by the goalie, so Viktor hopped over the boards and took his spot in the circle for the faceoff.

The arena was pretty quiet, since it wasn't nearly as full as it had been most of last season, and I could hear an exchange occurring between Viktor and the opposing center, but I couldn't make out what they said.

"Please don't let him get in your head, Vik," I mumbled to myself, hoping that somehow, he would get the message.

The referee dropped the puck for the faceoff, and Viktor swept it back to his defenseman almost unopposed. He turned up the ice, or at least he would have if he wasn't tripped.

The ref's hand shot in the air, and Viktor picked himself up off the ice. I could practically feel the smirk on his face as the other player skated to the penalty box.

If he wanted, Viktor could be a complete and utter asshole of an opponent, and no one knew that better than I did. Most of the time, though, he was kindhearted and a bit of a softie.

I smiled.

"Your boy's off to a good start," Blaine said.

I nodded. "He just drew a penalty, though. I'd like to see him put up some points."

"He's still got ninety percent of the game. He'll get there," Arti said.

Viktor was also on the top power play unit, and he spent most of his time on the perimeter, making passes to the players in the middle who were a little more physical than him and could handle getting cross-checked, slashed, and hit by pucks.

Viktor was a bit of a diva in that regard, but I sure as hell didn't want him putting himself in harm's way. He was my baby, and I wouldn't be able to stand anything bad happening to him ever again.

Of course, that was unrealistic, but there wasn't anything worse than when Viktor felt helpless. It broke me.

Viktor won the next faceoff, and then he took his spot along the wall as the team set up the power play. The defenseman sent in a slap shot from the blue line, and it hit a body in front of the net and went in.

I pumped my fist and let out a cheer. "Fuck yes. Fuck. Yes."

"That was fast," Arti said with a laugh.

"That's an assist for Viktor, too," Blaine said.

I nodded. "Fuck yes. This is going to be good. I just feel it."

It was funny how one goal could get me so high, but it wasn't just Viktor that was pissed about their situation. It was the whole team, and even though I only personally knew one other player, David, if they were hockey players, they had heart, soul, and a terrible mouth. They were my kind of people.

If they were going to lay down and die for the season, they wouldn't have scored on that power play.

And if Viktor was going to keep his promise, and I had no doubt that he would, dying wasn't an option. We were different, we were stronger than that.

After a celebratory hug and high-fives from the bench, Viktor sat back down, but I knew enough about him that he wasn't done. Once he got a taste of that energy, he was just like me. He never wanted to give it back up.

***

6-0 was the final score.

Winterview was pissed and ready to steam roll anyone who dared to get in the way of winning, and I loved it.

Viktor tacked on another assist during the second period on a goal scored by David, which was always sweet for me. The two of them always worked well together, and I hoped that familiarity would translate to on-ice success.

Blaine, Arti, and I waited for Viktor in the hall by the door, and we watched as other students passed by, even though there weren't nearly as many as there had been in the past.

It was only the first game of the season, though. If the team kept this up, they'd be worshipped like before in no time.

Eventually Viktor showed up, and I parked myself in my favorite spot in the world, next to him, holding his hand.

"That was a damn good way to start off the season," I said. "The only thing that could have made it better is a couple goals from you."

"You're never satisfied." Viktor laughed.

"For what it's worth, I think you suck," Arti said.

"And suddenly I feel better about Candy Cane's comment," Viktor said.

Arti smiled as the four of us walked to the Sig Kap party.

There were already plenty of people there, so it clearly wasn't a Sweet Caroline party where no one was invited except for the hockey team and people she selected.

Two familiar faces jumped out at me right away. Diego and Jackie.

I waved at Jackie, and she dragged Diego along behind her to come talk to us.

"What the fuck? I don't give a shit about Ama—who the fuck are the other two?" Diego said.

"Amanda's friends, Arti Crawford and Blaine Jacobs," Jackie replied.

"You barely know them. How the fuck do you know their last names?" I asked.

"I stalked them on Instagram. Arti, you don't even need filters. You're so pretty," Jackie said.

Arti pressed her hand to her chest. "Thank you. You're so fucking gorgeous, I'd gladly let you murder me."

"Am I not pretty?" Blaine asked.

"I'd give you a two out of ten," Arti said.

Blaine frowned. "Fuck you."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Diego asked Arti.

"Uh, no, and I'm super fucking gay, so that's not going to happen," Arti replied.

Diego smiled. "Are you sure about that?"

"Diego, stop," Jackie said.

"Sure enough to ruin all my family relationships. Now, as much as I'd really love to stay and chat with your dumb ass, I have some bitches to talk to. See you later, Despacito," Arti said and walked away to go find Drew.

I burst into laughter.

"Did she just call me Despacito?" Diego asked.

"Isn't that kind of racist?" Jackie said.

"Eh, she's said worse things," I said.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to say hi to Julia over there," Viktor said, releasing my hand.

"Is she prettier than me?" I asked.

"You're both pretty, but I'm in love with you," Viktor replied.

I nodded. "Good answer. Have fun." I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek, but he still had to lean down a little, so I could reach.

There were times I wanted to superglue our hands together, so I never had to worry about him wandering too far from my heart, but I also needed to not be a possessive bitch.

And when I had someone like Viktor, so kind and so sweet, not being a bitch about it was much easier said than done.

He wasn't mine, though, and I wasn't his. We just played for the same team, had the same goals, and wanted to win together. It was a lot better that way.

Some people hadn't quite figured that out yet, though.

Arti followed Drew as she made her way to us.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not looking for a relationship right now," Drew said.

Arti waited for Drew to look at her to reply, because the party roared with noise, and Drew probably wouldn't be able to understand a damn thing without visual cues.

"You don't have to look. I'm right here," Arti practically shouted.

"I'm serious. I really like you, but I have too much going on right now," Drew said.

"I can be an afterthought. I don't give a shit," Arti said.

Drew frowned. "But that's sad and hurtful. I'd rather just be friends."

Arti put on a smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah, that's good too. I just—" She trailed off, not finishing her thought as she lowered her gaze to the ground.

"I made you some chocolate chip cookies, Amanda," Drew said, changing the subject after a moment.

"That's nice of you. Thank you," I replied, but I couldn't help my lack of enthusiasm.

Drew smiled, then held out a platter to me. I took a cookie, then smiled back at her as she headed to the next person at the party, making sure everyone felt welcome.

"Well, shit," Arti muttered, and although I couldn't hear her say it over the noise, the way her mouth moved gave it all away.

Drew led her on quite a bit, and Arti sure as hell wasn't used to "no" for an answer.

"Don't worry about her. If she says no, then fuck her," Blaine said.

"Well, that's what I'd like to do, but here I am, all sad and rejected and shit," Arti replied.

Blaine chuckled. "I think you're amazing."

"Bitch, me too, but—" Arti took a breath. "I'm too cute for this shit. I'm getting a drink."

"Good call." Blaine smiled, then turned to me. "Some things never change, I guess."

I nodded. "There's room for improvement in everyone, but at the heart, there's nothing wrong with truly being you."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Blaine said.

"Not to be awkward or anything, but I think you're pretty," Jackie said.

What?

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Diego asked.

"I was just going back to when Blaine was upset because I didn't say he was pretty. So I was just, ah, fuck me, just forget it," Jackie said.

"You're so odd," Diego said.

Jackie frowned. "I know."

"Don't pout. It's not as cute as your smile."

"I'm really not in the mood for your teasing right now."

"You never are."

Jackie nodded. "Exactly."

"So are you two a thing or something?" Blaine asked.

At the same time, Jackie replied with a "no," and Diego replied with a "fuck no."

Blaine looked over at me as discreetly as he could.

I shrugged. "Don't ask me. It's been an interesting and unpredictable road with them."

"Kind of like you and Viktor?"

"Not at all," I said, laughing slightly.

We all knew where Viktor and I would end up, but Jackie and Diego? They were far too on-and-off for me to see anything between them.

That would be much more toxicity than all the shit Jackie removed from her skin with her all-natural face masks.

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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! There are only two more chapters in the book, and I'm panicking (which, as you all know, is not an uncommon occurrence). A lot of stuff was addressed in this chapter, but what will happen with Viktor, Amanda, and hockey?

Thank you all for reading! This chapter was a little longer than usual, but I hope it was worth it. It feels like a giant crossover for me, my two separate worlds combined into one.