𝓕𝓮𝓮𝓵𝓼 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮

❆₊˚｡౨ৎ₊˚｡❆

The team was gathered on the ice for practice, standing in a loose line while Bombay walked them through drills.

Juliet stood at the front, followed by Charlie, Noah, Jesse, Peter, Goldberg, Averman, Terry, Guy, Connie, and Dave. The rink was buzzing with chatter, the cold air filled with the sound of skates scraping the ice.

Bombay clapped his hands, getting their attention. "Alright, everyone! Time to show what a proper fall looks like. Dave, you're up. One, two, three! Boom!"

Dave, taking it too literally, actually fell flat on his stomach, face-planting into the ice.

The group erupted in laughter, everyone except Juliet, who skated over to help him up.

"What are you laughing at, cream cheese boy?" Bombay called out to Goldberg, shaking his head. "Go!"

Everyone broke off into pairs, ready to practice fake falls, but Juliet noticed Guy standing awkwardly by himself.

She skated over to Connie, nudging her with a grin.

"Hey, go team up with Guy," Juliet suggested. "I'll find someone else."

Connie looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure? I mean, I'd always choose you first over a guy."

Juliet smirked. "Come on, do it for me. The love story is happening whether you like it or not."

Connie giggled, giving Juliet a quick hug before skating off toward Guy, her face a little flushed.

Juliet couldn't help but smile at how obvious Connie's crush was.

With Connie sorted, Juliet ended up paired with her brother, Noah.

They got ready to push each other for the drill, working on fake falls and stumbles.

Juliet let out an exaggerated sigh. "This is such bullshit."

Noah chuckled. "Look, I hate this as much as you do, but let's just get through it, alright? You know how Dad is about us being on the team."

"Fine," she muttered, pushing him lightly as he exaggerated a fall.

Bombay was pacing in the middle, watching their progress. "If we're gonna cheat, we've gotta make those falls look real! Keep it up! Go at him, Juliet! Come on, get angry! Make it look believable!"

Juliet pushed Noah harder, though she wasn't fully into it, and Noah stumbled dramatically across the ice.

Averman, (not on purpose ) fell near them, groaned loudly, "I am hurt."

Bombay skated over, clapping. "Good, good. That's what I like to see!"

He then lined everyone up in two rows, facing each other.

The team stood still as he skated down the middle, barking orders.

"Now, say it again!"

In unison, they all shouted, "Take the fall! Act hurt! Get indignant!"

Bombay nodded, satisfied. "One more time!"

"Take the fall! Act hurt! Get indignant!"

He grinned, finally pleased with their progress. "Good! You guys are ready."

Juliet exchanged a glance with Noah, rolling her eyes playfully as they skated back to their spots.

Though the drill was tedious, she knew this was just another part of the game.

And somewhere on the other side of the rink, she could see Connie and Guy chatting, a small smile tugging at her lips.

The game was intense, and the pressure was on as Juliet sat in the box with Terry and Peter, her eyes darting between the ice and the Hawks' aggressive play.

The Hawks scored again, sending Goldberg crashing onto his shoulder, groaning in pain.

The buzzer blared loudly, and Goldberg skated up to the referee, his voice dripping with frustration. "Give me a break, ref! Open your eyes! Did you see what he did to me?"

Bombay, ever the coach, sighed in exasperation. "Goldberg, you don't take the fall while they're shooting at you."

Goldberg shot him a look. "Oh! Well, I guess you didn't explain that very well, did ya?"

The referee blew the whistle, cutting off any further bickering. "District Five! Cut the acting class. One more dive, and I forfeit to the Jets!"

Bombay's eyes widened. "What?! I'm insulted by that!"

Juliet, always quick to pick up on Bombay's sarcasm, mimicked him. "Yes, me too! Super insulted!" She threw her hands in the air dramatically, causing Terry and Peter to snicker.

Bombay shot Juliet a look, pointing sternly at her. "Hey, quit it, young lady."

Terry, always playful, nudged Peter's hat off. "Let's go! Let's go!"

Peter, not in the mood, shoved him back. "Quit it!"

The whistle blew again as the puck dropped, Charlie grabbing it but quickly getting pinned against the boards by two Hawks players. He tried to keep control of the puck, but he was outmatched, and eventually, the referee blew the whistle.

"Face-off! Let's go!"

Bombay called Charlie over. "Charlie!"

Charlie skated over, panting from the effort. Bombay crouched down to eye level. "That guy is twice your size. Next time he gets you in a corner like that, I want you to grab your eye like it's cut and then hit the ice! Got it? Let's go."

Charlie gave him a look of disbelief, clearly unimpressed with the suggestion.

He glanced over at Juliet, catching her eye, and she gave him a supportive smile.

His face turned a slight shade of red, and he quickly skated away, trying to shake off the embarrassment.

"Let's go! Face-off!" The referee's voice echoed through the rink.

Jesse muttered under his breath as the Hawks took control of the puck once more.

Charlie managed to steal it back, skating down the ice with determination. But once again, he was shoved into the boards, harder this time.

Terry was on his feet in the box, yelling, "Come on!"

Bombay clapped his hands. "That's it, Charlie! That's it!"

Juliet leaned forward, gripping the edge of the bench. "Let's go, Charlie!"

Peter joined in. "Come on!"

But just as Charlie neared the net, he lost control of the puck and stopped, glaring at Bombay with a mixture of frustration and defeat. Bombay threw his hands up in frustration.

"Damn it, Charlie!" he yelled, the tension on the ice now palpable.

Juliet sighed, her eyes following Charlie as he skated off. The game wasn't going well, but something told her this wasn't just about hockey for Charlie anymore.

They all trudged toward the locker rooms, the weight of yet another loss hanging heavily in the air.

Terry kicked at the ground in frustration. "We can't even win when we cheat. Stupid cake-eater tricks!"

Connie shook her head in disbelief. "That was embarrassing."

Before anyone could say more, Bombay came storming in, his eyes locked on Charlie. "Charlie! What the hell was that?"

Charlie, clearly irritated, rolled his eyes, smacked his stick against the floor, and turned his back to Bombay.

Bombay wasn't having it. "What is the matter with you? When I tell you to do something, you do it! You got it?"

Charlie clenched his jaw, staring down at the floor, shaking his head. The room went silent, the tension between coach and player thickening with each second.

Bombay stepped closer. "Look at me."

Charlie hesitated, then finally raised his head, meeting Bombay's intense gaze.

"You got it?" Bombay repeated, his voice firm.

Charlie's voice wavered as he finally spoke, the frustration clear. "You can't make me cheat."

Without waiting for a response, Charlie threw his helmet into his locker and stormed out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving the locker room in an awkward silence.

As soon as he left, Jesse and Terry's dad walked in, his face red with frustration. "Jesse, Terry, let's go. This is what I gave up my overtime pay for? To see my kids takin' falls?"

Jesse and Terry exchanged a look before quietly grabbing their stuff, clearly upset with how things had unfolded.

Noah turned to Juliet, lowering his voice. "Let's go check on Charlie. He's probably with Cassy and Mom."

Juliet nodded. "Yeah, okay. Let me say bye to Connie first."

She walked over to Connie, giving her a quick hug. "I'll see you later. Hang in there, okay?"

Connie sighed but hugged her back. "You too. This day was a mess."

As Juliet and Noah approached the chairs, they spotted Casey gently calming down Charlie, his frustration evident.

Emma sat nearby, her face lighting up when she saw her kids.

Emma: "My babies! Hi!" she greeted, opening her arms for them.

Juliet and Noah, feeling the weight of the game, looked down, shuffling awkwardly.

Emma smiled warmly, trying to lift their spirits. "You both played really well out there. Honestly, you're one of best players on the team."

Juliet exchanged a glance with Noah, a soft smile tugging at her lips despite everything.

Charlie, sitting next to Casey, sighed. "I blew it, Mom."

Casey rubbed his back gently. "No, you didn't. You played your heart out, and that's what matters."

Noah walked over, placing a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Hey man, don't sweat it. We all have bad games. You'll get 'em next time."

Juliet nodded, chiming in, "Yeah, don't beat yourself up. You played better than most of us today."

Charlie let out a small chuckle, though his eyes remained downcast. "Thanks. I just... I don't want to cheat, you know?"

Juliet sighed softly, nodding in understanding. "You did the right thing, Char."

Charlie finally managed a small smile. "Thanks, Jules."