(Hockey Bxb) Whistle In The Wind -𝐗𝐈𝐗-

╔══《”I’m drowning in》══╗
the deepest of truths.”

       A week later, Váli found himself shuffling into the rink he was so familiar with. Instead of the calm vibe he was used to, bustling people shoved him around upon attempting to enter. It was a Friday game, and Váli’s school would be playing their riVál.

       He never liked to watch his brother’s games, but he always did. The fighting scared him, the noisy environment made him anxious, and the fast whizzing ball hurt his head.

       While he knew that Aksel was a good player, that thought did little to ease his stress. Finally pushing his way in, he found a seat at the very top–farthest away from the rink. From here, he couldn’t make out which players were who unless he squinted to read the names on the backs of their jerseys.

       He knew his brother was 8–he always had been. He picked the number to correspond with his position–defense–when he first started playing all those years ago. Making the varsity team his freshman year allowed him to continue to use his number.

       Now a junior, he was captain of the team. Váli was proud of his brother’s achievements, but he couldn’t help but feel worried.

       His mother cared a lot about Aksel’s hockey, funding his private lessons and pushing him to try his hardest. On the other side, every time Aksel lost a game, his mother would fume in anger. Aksel was never home to see this, of course, leaving Váli to get caught in the crossfire.

       Rubbing his hands together to fight against the chill in the air, Váli hunched into a ball. Strangers were packed into the stands, sitting no more than a foot away from him on either side.

       The game must’ve started, because the people around erupted into cheers, many standing up from their seats to clap. Váli’s school had a bad football team, but a decent hockey team. This led to students favoring the hockey season.

       As Váli scanned the crowd with his eyes, he paused. Already looking at him, a teenager from the front row was glaring. His expression was tense, and his body was fully turned around to look at Váli. Cocking his head to the side in confusion, Váli blinked rapidly.

       The Asian teen looked strong, and Váli instantly felt intimidated. His shaggy black hair was short by his forehead, but long near his neck where it curled ever so slightly.

       His nose was pierced on both sides, as was his lip and his eyebrow. His ears adorned their own arrangement of elaborate piercings. Getting a sense of déjà vu, Váli quickly averted his eyes, finding it hard to keep his gaze.

       Even after he turned his attention back to the rink, watching the players speed by, he could feel the eyes on his face. Gulping in fear, he tried to clear his head. It’s just a random stranger, you’ve never even seen him before… Why does he lo-

       A loud buzzer interrupted his thoughts, snapping him out of the daydream. By the time he looked around, the person was gone. Was that just my imagination? He turned his attention back to the game to watch his brother get shoved into the penalty box.

       Despite the helmet covering his face, it was clear that he was pissed. Yelling at the ref, he refused to sit down until someone shoved his shoulder. Sitting, he slumped his head. Váli’s heart raced. What just happened? Is he okay? Why did he get a penalty?

       Raking his eyes over the other players, Váli immediately found Luc. The number 19 on his back was one indication, but the other was more clear. He was in the ref’s face, yelling at him. Pointing his right pointer finger at his chest, he was barking in his face. Only when he was pulled away and subbed out did he stop.

       Sitting on the bench, it was clear that he was fuming. Something had ruined his mood, and Váli knew it was more than just Aksel’s penalty.

       Confused, he felt left out. Like they all knew some inside joke he wasn’t let in on. Why did Aksel get a penalty? Why is Luc so mad? Who was that staring at me? He had no concrete evidence, but something about this situation led him to believe they were connected.

       By the time the commotion in the rink died down, Aksel’s penalty was over and he was skating back on the ice, taking his position near the goal. His body was rigid in a way that showed his obvious anger. Váli picked up on the subtlety immediately, tensing up in fear.

       He knew better than anyone that when Aksel got mad, he got mad. The moment his mind locked in on the anger, there was no calming him down.

       For three minutes, Váli watched with his shoulders hunched up in tension. Finally unable to handle the pressure any longer, he stood up quickly. Grabing the small tote bag of his belongings, he shuffled down to an aisle and out of the stands. Walking past his team’s bench, he made eye contact with Luc, who was still subbed out.

       It was clear that he was as angry as Aksel, although less obvious on his face. His eyes were staring at the ground, unblinking. When Váli walked by he perked up just enough to make eye contact for a single second before the blond walked too far away.

       However, even as Vál walked out of sight, Luc continued to stare in his direction. Glancing behind him quickly, he tried to survey the room, his breathing only steadying after he had looked around at every person.

       Meanwhile, Váli walked past the bathroom in the lobby and continued to the back corner where the figure skating rink was. Here, there was a bathroom in the very back. No one ever went in it, and it was a quiet place to rest during hockey games.

       Stepping in, he released a sigh as he collapsed against the door frame. The sound of running water caused him to perk up immediately. Washing his hands at the sink was none other than a familiar face.

       He was already looking at Váli, his expression completely neutral. Walking right up to Váli, he turned before grabbing a paper towel and drying his hands. The calmness of his nature was confusing Váli. He fidgeted as he shuffled by, stopping to stand in front of a sink.

       “What’s your name?” Looking up, Váli once again met the nearly black eyes of the unknown teenager. Pausing for a minute without saying anything, Váli struggled to think of an explanation of who this is.

       “Uh, Váli,” he nervously responded, trying his best to keep his voice steady. “Why do you wanna know?”

       “Nah, no reason,” he shrugged, “You just look familiar.”

       “What’s yours?” Váli queried, curious of who the suspicious teen was.

       Pausing for a second, he simply stated, “Aidan.” Neither boy said anything after that, Váli nodding before snapping his attention back to the sink he was standing at.

       Aidan continued to remain by the paper towel dispenser for an awkwardly long time before sighing dramatically and shuffling away.

       Aidan… He pondered, the name sounding odd in his head. A… He couldn’t help but be creeped out by the odd encounter. He had seen his face before, and recent enough for the image to be present in his mind.

       Leaning against the sink, cheering echoed to the bathroom walls. I guess they scored… He concluded, beginning to walk out of the bathroom. Not even looking toward the rink, he walked straight out the double doors.

       The chilly air nipped at his skin immediately, as he hugged himself harder. A breeze swirled around him as he walked past the parking lot and down the sidewalk.

       He didn’t stop walking until he reached a small convenience store, the open sign flickering on and off quickly in the front window.

       As he pulled the heavy door, a chime rang out. Stepping into the heated store, rows of gas station food lined shelves. Shuffling around, the only person inside was the cashier.

       She appeared to be a middle aged woman, full of facial piercings she had grown out of. She chewed gum loudly while scrolling on her phone, leaning on the counter she stood at. Even after the ding of the bell reached her ears, her eyes remained down, uninterested in whoever had entered.

       Shuffling around the small store, Váli struggled to pick out something to buy. Settling on a bag of chips, he walked up the cash register and placed it down, digging into his pocket for cash.

       Before he could even pull out the dollar bills, he was interrupted by a whistle. “You’re exotic,” the worker smirked. “Never see people with features as light as yours.”

       Uncomfortable, Váli simply nodded and smiled, continuing to rummage around his pocket.

       “You okay? You look a bit ill,” she hesitated, “Drink some water.” Pulling out a styrofoam cup full of water, she slid it over the counter. Quickly Váli took a swig before stepping back.

       Now standing up fully, the woman licked her dry lips once before continuing, “Don’t worry about paying, it’s on me. Only a couple dollars anyway,” she shrugged, pushing the bag toward Váli.

       “Oh… Thank you,” he hesitated, reaching for it.

       Before he could scamper away to safety, he was interrupted again. “Have any plans tonight?” Eyes widened, Váli’s throat dried up instantly. Instead of a manly remark to defend himself, or a humorous joke to break the tension, he said nothing at all.

       “My shift’s over in a minute anyway. I got some place fun we can go to, I got friends coming too.” She continued, assertive with her tone.

       Suddenly feeling trapped, Váli looked to the door briefly before snapping his eyes to the water in his hands. Throat closing, he continued to stand still in silence. He willed his mouth to talk but his mind had shut him out completely.

       “I’ll clock out now,” she smiled, standing up and walking past a small door to a back room. Váli could only remain in his spot, despite the store being empty and the door being unlocked to his right. His feet wouldn’t move, and he hated himself for it.

       After thirty seconds, she was back, walking up with a bag hung over her shoulder. “It’s a short walk,” she smiled, grabbing Váli’s wrist. Unable to flinch away, he was forced in place by her stiletto nails, which dug through his skin, drawing blood.

       He could only be dragged along as his mind dissociated from his body. His vision doubled and his limbs felt as though they were floating detached from his body. What… What is ha…happening?

       Before he could even look up, the woman stopped, apparently done with her journey. With his upside down vision, he could faintly make out the view of the woods, broken down concrete structures covered in graffiti surrounding him.

       The sound of laughter and chatter was distant, the smell of weed and cigarettes so strong he instinctively scrunched up his nose. Confused and bewildered, he stood up straighter in an attempt to get a better view.

       In doing so, his body swayed underneath him, and he collapsed against the women. He distantly heard her groan and grumble, as his body was dragged to where the other people were.

       “Nicole!” a male voice echoed.

       “Ooooo,” another one called, “Who’s that fella?” he teased.

       “Caught some new prey?”

       It was impossible for Váli to make out the number of voices, even more so due to his fading consciousness.

       Three, four, five? The longer he remained, the more voices he heard. Or maybe they were all merging together, and the number he counted was greatly skewed.

       Laughter broke out around him as he body was thrown around, prodding hands touching his face and stroking his hair. He could only remain lifelessly frozen in their grasps. What is happening? Who are these people? Am I gonna be okay?…

       As his thoughts slowed down, his grip on reality faded until the only thing he could do was lay lifeless in the grasps of the strangers. Their hands were ravenous and he was the prey they feasted on…

Question of the chapter: What’s your favorite type of chip/ chip flavor?

Thank you for your patience! Long awaited chapter.

╚══《Word Count- 2,070》══╝

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