CHAPTER FIVE

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THE DOORS OF the arena groaned as she opened them, and stepped into the cool air of the building, making goosebumps rise on Anastasia's exposed skin, considering she was only clad in platform Converse, ripped, baggy jeans, and one of Mark's Michigan shirts. She should've listened to Lola when she said it was going to be cold in here. "I'm not giving you my jacket, Stassie." Lola taunted as they walked down the concrete stairs to the ground level. Anastasia rolled her eyes, "I never said I'm cold, and I never asked for your jacket."

The ice was crisp and empty. A pen dropping would echo for seconds after the impact, it was that quiet. "Is this where he told us to be?" Lola questioned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yeah, Mark said that coach Naurato wanted to meet us out here and have us meet the team before their practice started," Anastasia shrugged, pulling her phone from the back pocket of her jeans to make sure she read his text correctly. And she in fact had.

"Okay but do we trust Mark?" Lola retorted, tucking a rogue curl behind her ear. The obsidian girl turned around to face her best friend, "Good point, but like where else would we go? Or like where else would the coach wanna meet us?" "I don't know, you're asking the wrong person. How about you go ask your boyfriend." Anastasia let out a loud sigh, when she finally leveled out from the stairs, now finally on the lowest possible without actually being on the ice. "He is not by boyfriend." She heard Lola scoff playfully from beside her. "Bullshit." Anastasia leaned against the tempered glass of the rink, the cool surface only making a chill run down her spine. "Oh my God, you know Mark's rule, so why on God's green earth would I date one of his teammates?"

Anastasia remained against the tempered glass as Lola did the same across from her, looking lovingly at her friend. "Stassie-" she sighed, but was interrupted by what was quite possibly the loudest fucking noise the two of them had ever heard. It was almost instantly that the team started skating around the rink, yelling, shouting, and laughing; they were in their hockey gear, either wearing white, yellow, or blue jerseys since the rules during practice were more lenient.

Coach Naurato appeared within the home team bench, a Michigan baseball cap casting a shadow over his eyes, making it almost impossible for Anastasia to see where exactly he was looking. But of course, leave it to the girl's anxiety to make her nervous to talk to the coach, the one she would be working for from now to April.

Lola stepped closer to Anastasia, both of them watching the guys skate around the ice. "I forgot how hot he looks in his hockey shit," the curly haired girl whispered, making her bring her hand up to cover the smile that appeared on her glossed lips.

Sure, she'll admit that Mark was an attractive guy, they all were; Luke, Mackie, and Duke were all handsome in their own way. And the fact that they play hockey just quite literally multiplies their attractiveness at least to Anastasia it did.

But the college freshman was currently mentally cursing herself, as a fluttering feeling appeared in her lower stomach, along with her cheeks flushing a bright pink, causing her freckles to stand out. Suddenly, she wasn't so cold anymore. God, she didn't think she could be more attracted to Ethan that she was right now. Just seeing him acting care-free while skating (something she couldn't do), the corner of his eyes crinkling due to how hard he was laughing due to something Mark said to him. Anastasia tried to subtlety pressing her thighs together while she continued watching him.

Lola's loud sigh knocked the girl out of her thoughts, her cheeks still flushed pink. "Good God girl, you need to fuck somebody, you're like a bitch in heat." Anastasia's eyes widened at her friend's words, as she brought a hand up and punched her bicep. "Ow! What the fuck?"

"Ow! What the fuck?" the two girls heard repeated from below them, causing both of them to look down at the rink. Mark and Ethan were looking up from their position on the ice, the masks of their helmets pushed up so that their faces were fully visible. And Anastasia thought she was going to pass out then and there with how Ethan was looking at her. Little strands of brown hair peeked out from his helmet, a toothy grin on his lips. He was adorable.

But she couldn't think about him. She just couldn't. And call her stupid for choosing her friend over a fucking hot guy, but Anastasia had her morals straight, and Mark was too important for her to fuck up their friendship.

She broke her gaze from his beaming smile, and looked out onto the ice. She was suddenly fascinated about how the fluorescent lights looked gleaming and reflecting on the rink. And then she turned her head to look her Lola beside her, and the goofy, love-sick smile that graced her face as she looked down at Mark. She just hoped that her two friends got together soon, because she didn't know how much more she could take of their flirting.

Mark didn't need to know about the feelingsEthan felt towards his best friend. He didn't feel the need to tell Mark about his little crush that he had developed within an eight, almost nine month period. The emotions he felt towards the younger girl felt all too intimate, too real, to tell Mark. And he was also scared that Mark would beat him to a pulp if he knew that he viewed Anastasia in not an annoying little sister way. No, he viewed the girl as someone he could quite possibly spend a significant amount of time with.

Ethan remembers the first time he saw her, that cold night in December after a home game. He had faintly remembered something Mark had told him about bringing his friends down to meet everyone. Ethan didn't think anything of it, until he saw her. Her black hair cascading down her back in waves, her small frame being engulfed by a Michigan hockey jersey, and her legs covered in some black leggings. Her smile, that made his heart soar, and the faint smell of vanilla that he smelled.

But Anastasia didn't need to know that.

He had asked Mark for Anastasia and Lola's snaps, not wanting to give himself away. Mark gave him a questionable look until Ethan stated that he 'just wanted to know his friend's friends' and at that, Mark was still skeptical, but he trusted Ethan enough to know that he wouldn't try anything.

But, that's not what happened. Now, he catches his heart rate accelerating each time he sees her name on his phone, or when he hears that he might get to see her. It's easier now since they go to the same school.

Ethan didn't know if it was something wrong with him or what; but she acted different when they were around other people, it was almost like he annoyed her, like he was the last person she'd ever want to see. He knew she was playing hard to get, he wasn't stupid, but it was so adorable to watch her cheeks flush each time he just looked at her. He also wishes that she would just swoon over him in public, and act the way she did when they snap, or when they would send each other pointless rants throughout the summer nights. But right now, he wasn't focused on how she did or didn't act. As long as he could see her, and talk to her, he was a happy man.

"Uh coach wants to talk to you guys before practice starts, and show you guys around and his expectations and stuff," Mark trailed off, gesturing his hand back towards the team bench where Coach Naurato stood, his hands placed on his hips as he looked over the rink. Anastaisa blew a raspberry past her lips as she exchanged glances with Lola, "Right now?" the curly haired girl questioned, adjusting her jacket tighter around her body. Anastasia tried to stifle the small chuckle that threatened to fall from her lips when she saw Mark glance down her friend's shirt.

He cleared his throat and shot Anastasia a small glare, "No, he wants to wait til Christmas." He said sarcastically, shifting his hockey stick to his other hand. Lola gave him a fake laugh in return, "Oh wow you're so funny, stop sign." "Down girl, c'mon. Let's go talk to coach." Anastasia laughed, placing her hands on her friend's shoulder as she started to guide them away from the two men. That is until, "Hey," he spoke, stopping her from walking any further. She felt her stomach flip, just at the sound of his voice, but she had to keep her façade. "What do you want?" She sighed, dropping her hands from Lola's shoulders, allowing her to go ahead and walk to the team's bench.

Ethan's eyes roamed up and down her body before they settled on her face, causing her to shift her weight from one leg to the other. His gaze felt heavy, but she craved more of it. "I was just gonna say that if you're cold, which I can tell you are because there's goosebumps on your arms, that you can take my jacket if you want, when coach takes you guys to the locker room." Anastasia's eyes widened slightly, and her heart beat loud in her chest. Keep it up, keep it up, keep it up.

Oh, fuck it, Stassie.

"Um, thanks, yeah I might take it." She nodded, a ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, as her cheeks became even more pink. If that was even possible. It was inevitable, Anastasia couldn't keep acting like she hated him– not when he's only been quite possibly the sweetest boy she's ever met. Besides Mark, of course.

Ethan's smile widened at her response, before he skated away and joined Luke who was laying in the middle of the ice.

She walked over to the other side of the rink where Lola was talking to the head coach of the hockey team. She stood awkwardly at her side, waiting for them to finish their current conversation.

"Oh my God, finally!" Lola exclaimed, as she slung an arm around Anastasia's shoulders and pulled her closer into her body. The obsidian haired girl offered the man a small smile as she held out her hand, "Hi I'm–" "Anastasia Green, yes I know," he sighed, a bright smile on his face as his gaze darted between the two girls. "Mark wouldn't shut the fuck up about having you two on the team." He chuckled, which only made the girls join. He held out a hand towards her, "I'm the head coach for the hockey team, here, and while they call me Naurato, but you guys can call me Brandon."

They nodded at his words, before they exchanged hand shakes and formalities.

Anastasia couldn't be more grateful for Mark, for getting the position as the hockey team's athletic trainer, especially as a freshman. She had mentioned to him over the first Labor Day weekend when he had came home from college, how she had found interest sports medicine. And so when he told her over the summer that he got both her and Lola spots to be the team's athletic trainers, she could've kissed him on the spot. But, of course she didn't. First, she didn't view Mark in that way, and second, she couldn't do that to Lola.

Although, she didn't know why he got Lola a spot as well, given the fact that he knew she was planning on majoring in music performance, she was thankful that she would have both of her best friends by her side this year.

To be so fucking honest, Anastasia wasn't really paying attention during the tour, and neither was Lola. The only places that they really needed were the trainer's office, and the locker room. Sure, they knew it was going to be helpful but both of them were still on cloud nine from the small interactions they had with their crushes. Call them school girls, but who could blame them?

But when they finally made it to the locker room, Anastasia didn't waste any time looking for Ethan's locker, and grabbed his jacket. "What the fuck are you doing?" Lola whispered-shouted, not wanting to interrupt the coach's tour of where certain items were located within the locker room. Anastasia gave Lola a playful wink, which only made the curly hair fed girl silently cringe at her actions. "Please, never, ever do that again."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

full dialogue chapters are my fav...

AND HELLO??? WE GOT AN INSIDE OF ETHAN'S BRIAN HOW WE FEELIN

i lowkey was struggling w this chapter but i'm proud of it!!!

hope you guys enjoyed 🫡🫡