"Fuck he is literal ass tonight," some dweeb behind me curses. Luna squeezes my hand to keep me from turning around and punching him directly in the throat. He has progressively gone from a huge Ryder fan boy to non stop complaining every time he gets on the ice. I can agree Ryder is playing not at his best tonight but how do you turn on your star player so quickly?

"I mean why should he bother and risk injury? I wouldn't be surprised if he sat out of Regionals and Frozen Four." His friend hasn't been as mean but he has completely written off Ryder like he would just throw the team to the side, like they don't matter to him.

"Maybe it is for the best if he can't score a fucking goal!" The guy screams the last part of his sentence as Ryder misses yet another shot. It is a close game tied at 2-2 and Ryder not being at his best is definitely hurting us. People assume he is off his game today because of Thursday's announcement that he will be spending the summer training with the Islanders. They think he is playing half ass because he doesn't care about the team anymore and just wants to get through today without an injury; but they couldn't be more wrong. Ryder cares about his team, he would never abandon them.

The guy behind me continues to bitch and whine about Ryder even though he isn't on the ice. I try so hard to ignore it. With 4 minutes left I just need to make it through one final shift of Ryders and then I never have to hear this guys bitching again, but I can't do it. I know Ryder doesn't need me to defend him but something in me snaps. Luna, Maya and Parker are too slow in stopping me and before the guy even knows what's happening I am turning around and dumping my entire soda over his head.

"You fucking bitch," he screams already trying to reach for me, but Tristian and Parker have already stepped in front of me to protect me.

"If you're so fucking good why don't you go play! If he is playing so bad go ahead, gear up and get out there buddy!" I am literally seeing red as I scream at this dude. I can see security rushing down to handle the situation which has disrupted the game. Normally something like this wouldn't affect the game but we are only two rows back so we are in direct view of the players.

"He fucking sucks!" he dude yells, still dripping in soda.

I leap, literally fucking leap, over Parker trying to get my hands on this dude. No one is allowed to talk shit about Ryder except me! And Luna but don't tell her that she will abuse the privilege.

"Fran," Maya yells while both her and Luna grab me and try to pull me away. The rest of my team all tries to make a wall between me and the guy as security reaches us.

Security escorts both of us out of the arena taking us out two separate exits so we aren't anywhere near each other. I text the group chat and tell everyone to stay for the end of the game and that I will sneak back in and meet them at the locker room doors like normal. Luna protests but she never comes out to join me so I guess someone, likely Tristian, assured her I would be fine.

"Francesca?"

I look up to see one of the assistant coaches walking toward me. "Yeah?"

"I was sent to come get you and bring you back inside. You can't sit in the stands but you can come sit in the media room and wait. You can stream the game in there so you don't miss the end."

"Thank you." I follow him as he leads me back inside to the media room which is right near the locker room. It is also right across from the guys coaches office and I wonder if he is going to yell at me for disrupting his game.

The assistant coach, I think his name is Mike, puts on the game then leaves me in the media room alone. There is only a minute left with the game still tied at 2-2. "Fuck, come on Ry!" I yell at the screen as he hops onto the ice. I feel like my dad for a second yelling at the hockey game; if he saw me right now he would be so proud.

The tv is delayed by a few seconds apparently because I am watching Dunk skate with the puck but I can hear the arena going insane. I watch as the screen catches up with the commotion I heard. Dunk skates around the back of the net crossing paths with Ryder. I don't even see him slip Ryder the puck at first until he is sending it flying into the net. Apparently the other team didn't notice either, as they all sulk about the goal. The game ends shortly after Ryder's goal so I wait nervously for whoever sent Mike to get me to come.

I can hear the team walking to the locker room, everyone is excited and animated. I am just relieved they won, relieved Ryder won. After the week he had and having to watch senior night tonight where all the seniors parents stand on the ice with them for their final send off he needed one good thing. Winning the division doesn't change all the other stuff but at least it is something.

"Beck, Beck?" Ryder bursts into the room, hockey stick still in hand like he didn't even stop at his locker before looking for me. "Are you ok? Did he touch you?"

"I am fine Ryder," I assure him as I stand up. He has thrown his hockey stick to the side along with his gloves and is inspecting me like he doesn't believe I am ok. "Ryder he didn't touch me, I promise."

"What were you thinking, Francesca? Are you fucking crazy? He was like double your size! What if he hurt you, then what? Do you have the money to bail me out of jail because that is where I would be if he so much as moved a single hair out of place!"

"Please don't go to jail for me," I laugh.

Ryder pulls me into a hug. With his skates on I am even smaller next to him than normal. "Then please don't fight grown men for me, ok butt? I know you want to defend me and I really appreciate that but if you get into fights then I am going to get into fights."

"Have you ever even been in a real fight hockey boy? You grew up with money, do rich boys get into fights? And before you say yes, on the ice doesn't count."

"Well... no but you're saying you have? You Beck?"

"Yes," I exclaim.

"Oh do tell," he teases as we both walk towards the locker room. "Cover up," Ryder orders before tucking me under his arm and walking me to his locker. Most of the guys are dressed but a few grab for towels to awkwardly cover themselves. I just crawl into Ryder's locker and make myself comfortable as he begins to take all his pads off.

"We're still skating before heading back to your house right?" I ask as he sits in a chair so he can face me.

"Yeah I even got a hockey stick small enough for you. Pretty sure it is child size."

"Haha, you're going to be the next person I fight if you aren't careful."

"I am still waiting for this story," he reminds me as he grabs my skates from the shelf above me and hands me them to put on.

"Ok so I was like 6 and this girl, she was older than me by a few years, she was picking on Sal. Anthony was not with us at the park so I grabbed her hair and pulled her to the ground. Well that was my mistake because I didn't know she was a blue belt in karate, so she jumped on me and began beating me up. I held my own and got in a few good hits but she did knock out my first tooth. I lost it in the sand at the park under the monkey bars and never found it."

"Baby Beck got her first tooth punched out? Shit." Ryder tries not to laugh but his eyes are shining with amusement as a full blown smile pulls at his lips. He looks so happy I try to think of another embarrassing story just for him.

"It's ok the tooth fairy still came," I assure with a laugh.

"I need had a tooth fairy," Ryder admits and my heart instantly shatters. How could two people be so horrible to a literal child? He never asked to be here, he didn't have a choice if he was brought into this world. I hate his parents with every fiber of my being for how they treated him, even if I am also secretly grateful they had him. My life without Ryder would be dull, so as much as they didn't want him I am glad nonetheless they kept him, so one day he could be here with me.

"Well, next time you get a tooth knocked out I will leave money under your pillow."

"My teeth are real," he defends as he pulls his jersey off and works on all the pads on his upper body.

The locker room is empty now except for the two of us laughing hysterically. I have my skates on and am laying across the bench while Ryder shimmies out of his pants so he is in just a pair of boxer briefs and socks. God damn what a view, one I could enjoy for forever honestly.

I am in the middle of drooling over Ryder when his coach walks in. He still terrifies me no matter how many times Ryder has assured me he is nice. "Francesca," he greets, sticking a hand out to greet me.

"Sir," I squeak, nervously shaking his hand.

"You got some height with that jump in the stands."

"Sir I am so sorry I interrupted the game. I promise it will never happen again." This is not at all the introduction I planned to have to the head coach of the hockey team. The man is a literal legend in the hockey community and now he knows me as the crazy girl who attacked a fan in the stands.

He just laughs and looks at Ryder. "I see why you two get along. And as for you Francesca, I appreciate anyone who cares about my players like I do, but next time please do it in the parking lot or at least between periods."

"Understood sir." Ryders coach leaves and I collapse to the floor. "He is still terrifying Ry!"

"You're so dramatic," he grumbles while lifting me up like a sack of potatoes and carrying me toward the ice.

"Me? Dramatic? Never!" I scream as Ryder sets me on the ice and throws me a hockey stick.

"Ready ice princess?" Ryder drops a few pucks at our feet. The arena is empty but the evidence of the game is still littered everywhere. Some of the lights have been shut off and the jumbotron but there is still a buzz in the air that can be felt.

"Bring it hockey boy." I take my hockey lesson from Ryder very seriously. He teaches me lots of things in the few hours we spend on the ice avoiding going back to the house filled with his teammates and their parents. Ryder is someone else on the ice. I like to believe this Ryder is the truest version of Ryder. It is clear as day he loves hockey, admittedly it is the only thing he loves but the point still stands. His parents have tainted a lot of things but on the ice, they can't touch him or control him.

"I think it's time to go," I gently tell him as some janitors stand at the top of the stands watching us.

"I'm not ready," he admits. The unspoken reality is that this may be the last game Ryder ever played at Yost. When he walks out that door today the future becomes uncertain. If the Islanders like him enough and he plays well this summer they may sign him and he may not play his senior year. It is a reality Ryder knows but hasn't accepted yet.

"It's time Ry. You have made your legacy here and if this is the end you need to walk away proud of yourself."

"I have more left," he chokes out, wiping at his face.

I wrap my arms around him tightly. "Good, I hope you have many years left but those years aren't here."

"This feels more like home than anywhere else. If I leave here, where will I go?"

This boy really is trying to kill me. "You can come visit next year. I will always have room in my apartment for you."

"You'll show me around New York, right Beck?"

"I will take you to all the best places, and not the touristy ones I mean like the really good places that only the locals know about. It will be great I can show you around all summer and you can come over and hang out with me and the twins and you can meet Nonna oh and I can even take you surfing! We have to be careful of sharks but I promise there has only been like 2 or 3 shark bites in the last few years."

"I think I am ready," Ryder whispers as I continue to ramble about all the plans I have for us this summer. I am not proud to admit but when I heard that Ryder would be in New York all summer the first thing I felt was relief. I was already dreading 3 and a half months away from him but now we will be together.

"I am right here," I remind him while I lace our fingers together.

"I know." Ryder is looking at me like the sun rises and sets with me. I think back to the bar on Wednesday, the way he looked at my lips. The way we were so close I could smell the scotch he had been drinking all night and see the scar under his eye from when he was a kid and he took a slap shot to the face. Maybe it was just the alcohol and emotions clouding things but I swear there was this energy between us that was electrifying. That awoke all my senses at once.