80. Replaced By Chaos

The school celebration was in full swing, but it was all noise, nothing more. We had just been beaten down and barely scraped a win. The energy in the locker room was far from the wild cheers echoing around the rink and outside.

It felt empty, like we were apparitions wandering through the middle of a party that wasn't meant for us.

The truth was, we didn't feel like celebrating.

Who celebrates getting their asses kicked?

I got it. A win's a win, but that didn't mean we had to pretend we weren't all feeling like we'd just been run over by a train. Multiple acctually.

Coach was pacing, trying to ramp everyone up. "We pulled through! That's what matters! You dug deep, and you found a way to win!"

The guys were just staring at the floor, nursing their bruises. I could see the frustration in the set of Cam's shoulders, the way Adrien kept rubbing at his ribs. Even Kris, usually quick with a grin or a joke, was quiet, his eyes dark with something he wasn't sharing. Bear didn't play