Hockey trip

The morning after the tournament win was unusually quiet for Val Ortiz—at least, as far as her team was concerned. Normally, the locker room was a cacophony of voices, the kind of unfiltered chaos that came from a mix of adrenaline, victory, and youthful energy. Val, as the de facto leader, was usually right at the center of it all. She’d either be barking instructions, teasing her teammates, or stoking the competitive fire that kept everyone on edge.
Today, however, Val was oddly subdued.
She sat in the corner of the locker room, her phone held firmly in her hands, fingers flying across the screen. A faint smile tugged at her lips—something her teammates rarely, if ever, saw. Every so often, she’d pause to let out a quiet laugh or shake her head at whatever she was reading. She was completely absorbed, and the change in her demeanor was impossible to ignore.
Her teammates weren’t the type to let this kind of thing slide.
Riley, perched on a bench near the back of the room, leaned toward Maddie and nudged her. “Who’s she texting? I haven’t seen her smile like this since… ever,” she whispered, her tone a mix of curiosity and disbelief.
Maddie followed Riley’s gaze, narrowing her eyes as she observed Val from across the room. “No idea,” she murmured, her own curiosity piqued. “But you’re right—she’s practically glowing. That’s weird for Val. Do you think it’s, like, some secret strategy thing? Maybe she’s scouting a rival team?”
Riley snorted, clearly unimpressed. “Strategy doesn’t make you blush,” she said, smirking knowingly. “Look at her! She’s got that dreamy, faraway look. Like, full-on romantic comedy level stuff.”
Maddie tilted her head, her brows furrowing as she considered the possibility. “You think she’s got a secret boyfriend?” she asked, her voice low but brimming with intrigue. She paused, then added, “Or girlfriend. You never know with Val.”
The idea seemed to surprise even Riley. She let out a soft laugh, quickly covering her mouth with her hand. “Yeah, right. Val doesn’t do relationships. She’s always at practice, or at the gym, or pretending emotions are a waste of time. You’ve seen her, Maddie. The girl doesn’t even cry at movie nights.”
Maddie shrugged, leaning back against the lockers. “Well,” she said, gesturing vaguely toward Val, “maybe someone finally broke through that wall. I mean, come on—she’s giggling. Giggling, Riley. Since when does Val Ortiz giggle?”
Both girls turned to observe Val again, more discreetly this time. At that exact moment, Val chuckled softly at something on her phone. Her thumbs moved quickly, her grin widening as she bit her lip to stifle it.

A Peek at Val’s Screen
Tyler: What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? And don’t say something boring like vanilla.
Val smirked as she typed back: Vanilla, but with rainbow sprinkles. Fight me.
Tyler: That’s… acceptable. But only because of the sprinkles. You’re lucky you’re cute.
Val’s grin froze for a moment as she read Tyler’s reply. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she found herself rereading the last line: You’re lucky you’re cute.
A strange flutter stirred in her chest, something she wasn’t entirely used to. She felt warm, flustered, and a little disarmed. Tyler Grant, she thought, shaking her head with a wry smile. What are you doing to me?
Her thumbs moved again, more deliberately this time: Cute enough to beat you in 21 questions? Because I am absolutely winning this.
Tyler: Winning? Babe, this isn’t a competition.
Val froze. Babe. The word stood out on the screen, radiating casual confidence. It wasn’t like Tyler to use nicknames—or maybe it was, and Val had just never been on the receiving end of one before. Either way, it caught her off guard. She reread the message, her lips parting slightly as if she were about to respond aloud.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure of how to respond. Before she could overthink it, another message buzzed through.
Tyler: Anyway, question 12: What’s your favorite way to spend a day off?
The nervous flutter in Val’s chest melted into something softer, more familiar. She smiled, her response coming easily this time: Skating. Preferably not getting body-checked by you. What about you?
Tyler: Not body-checking you sounds… surprisingly nice. How about this: a walk? Say, this afternoon?
Val blinked, rereading the message twice. Her stomach flipped. A walk? Just her and Tyler? It felt oddly exhilarating—and terrifying.
She took a deep breath and typed back before her nerves could get the better of her: Yeah. I’d like that.

The Departure
Snapping her phone shut, Val stood abruptly, shoving it into her pocket and grabbing her jacket. “I’ll be back later,” she announced, her tone unusually casual for someone who was practically fleeing the room.
Her teammates turned to stare, their eyes wide with surprise.
Riley was the first to recover. “Wait—what? Where are you going?” she called after Val, but the door was already swinging shut behind her.
For a moment, silence hung in the air. Then Maddie broke it. “What just happened?”
“I don’t know,” Riley muttered, her brow furrowing as she stared at the closed door. “But did you see the way she was smiling? She never looks like that. Ever.”
“Do you think she’s secretly meeting someone?” another teammate asked, leaning forward eagerly. “Like… on a date?”
“A date? Val?” Maddie burst out laughing. “She’s basically married to hockey. Who has time to date when you’re perfecting your slapshot at 6 a.m. every day?”
Riley sighed, her arms crossing as she thought it over. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “But if it is a date, whoever it is better not mess with her head. We need her focused.”
Maddie nodded in agreement. “Yeah. But… I mean, did you see the way she was blushing? She looked kind of happy, don’t you think?”
Riley frowned, her expression softening. “Maybe. But this feels like the calm before the storm.”
Meanwhile, Across the Rink
At the same time, across the rink, Tyler Grant was having a morning that was eerily similar to Val’s—quiet, distracted, and full of secret smiles. She leaned casually against the wall near her team’s lockers, her fingers flying across her phone screen, completely absorbed in whatever conversation she was having. The locker room was bustling around her—teammates chatting about the win, discussing plans for the next week, and making plans for post-tournament celebrations. But Tyler barely noticed it all. Her focus was entirely on the small device in her hands, her thumb tapping away with a rhythm that spoke of a comfort she didn’t usually exhibit.
She smiled to herself, her fingers dancing over the keys. She felt a little thrill at what she was reading. It was hard to admit it, but she couldn’t help herself. She’d gotten used to Val being tough, unshakeable, always the one in charge. But lately? Lately, Tyler had been seeing a softer side of her—a side that was starting to sneak past her usual defenses.
“Tyler, you coming?” Steph asked, a towel draped over her shoulder as she glanced over her shoulder on her way to the showers.
Tyler didn’t even look up. “In a minute,” she muttered, her focus glued to the screen, her fingers moving faster now. She had to be quick—she didn’t want to overthink this.
Val’s message had just come through, and it had Tyler grinning from ear to ear.
Val: Skating. Preferably not getting body-checked by you. What about you?
Tyler chuckled, the playful teasing making her heart beat a little faster. She hadn’t expected to feel this excited over a simple message. She typed back quickly, not wanting to miss her chance to make a playful move.
Tyler: Not body-checking you sounds… surprisingly nice. How about this: a walk? Say, this afternoon?
Tyler hit send and stared at the screen for a moment, willing her phone to buzz again. She waited with bated breath as the seconds ticked by. Was Val going to say yes? Would she be open to spending time with her outside of the rink?
It didn’t take long before Val’s reply appeared, confirming what Tyler had already hoped for.
Val: Yeah. I’d like that.
Tyler couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across her face. She felt lighter somehow—giddy even—and that was a feeling she hadn’t realized she was missing. She tucked her phone into her pocket, still smiling as she grabbed her hoodie from the back of the chair. It wasn’t a secret anymore. She was meeting Val. And there was something thrilling about it, something about the idea of spending time with her outside the usual intensity of the rink. It felt… different. And Tyler had to admit that she was looking forward to it more than she’d ever imagined.
With a final glance around the locker room, Tyler stood up, stretching her arms over her head as she made her way toward the door.
“Catch you guys later,” she called over her shoulder, her tone light and casual, but there was an underlying excitement there that she couldn’t quite hide.
Steph, who had been busy collecting her things, paused mid-step, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she took in the scene. She watched Tyler’s retreating form with a raised brow.
“Wait—where are you going?” Steph asked, her voice a little sharper now, a thread of suspicion curling in her tone.
Tyler, already halfway to the door, didn’t break stride. “Nowhere important,” she said with a smirk, but the smirk only made her look guiltier, like someone who had been caught doing something they knew they shouldn’t.
Steph eyed her, not buying it for a second. She watched Tyler disappear out the door, then slowly turned back to the rest of the team, who were still in the middle of their usual post-game chatter.
“Okay, is it just me, or is this super suspicious?” Steph asked, raising an eyebrow as she cast a glance between her teammates. “First Ortiz left, now Grant? Something’s up.”
The room fell silent for a moment as everyone stopped what they were doing to look at each other. The air in the locker room had shifted. Something was definitely going on. The sudden departure of both Val and Tyler, within minutes of each other, wasn’t lost on anyone.
“I mean, they’re both gone. At the same time,” another teammate, Erin, piped up, her voice laced with disbelief. “You think they’re… I don’t know… meeting each other?”
Steph shook her head, the corners of her mouth twisting into a smirk. “No way. That’s ridiculous. They’re rivals. Why would they meet up? What could they possibly have in common other than hockey?”
“Maybe a lot,” Erin countered, leaning against the lockers with a speculative look. “Have you seen the way they’ve been looking at each other lately? It’s not just all about the game anymore.”
Steph turned to face her, arms folded across her chest. “Yeah, okay. But that’s just… weird. They’ve hated each other for years. The whole ‘rival captain’ thing isn’t just for show.”
The whole team was now engrossed in the conversation, everyone contributing their own thoughts, their speculations growing more wild by the minute. Some of them were still skeptical, but a few were starting to catch on to the idea that something wasn’t quite right. They’d seen how the dynamic between the two captains had shifted over the past few weeks. The subtle glances, the unspoken competition that had started to feel… different. And, if they were being honest with themselves, they had all noticed the little things—the way Tyler and Val’s rivalry seemed to have lessened, the uncharacteristic playfulness in their exchanges, the way their eyes lingered a little longer than they used to.
Steph, ever the voice of reason, shook her head, though there was a hint of doubt creeping into her expression. “I don’t know. I guess I just don’t want to believe it. The last thing we need is for those two to get… distracted.” She shot a glance toward the door where Tyler had just exited. “They’ve got enough on their plates already.”
The conversation lingered in the air, buzzing with uncertainty and unspoken thoughts. It wasn’t just that their team captains might be involved with each other off the ice—it was that they didn’t know what it meant. The idea was too new, too strange, too out of left field for them to fully grasp yet. But the one thing they could all agree on was that something was definitely happening, and whatever it was, it was making them all uneasy.
“I’m just saying,” Erin added with a teasing grin, “if they are dating, they’ve got a really good way of keeping it under wraps. No one’s ever said a word. Not a single leak.”
Steph rolled her eyes, but the faintest flicker of concern remained in her expression. “For now,” she muttered, clearly not convinced that the secrecy would last.
Back across the rink, though, Tyler was already on her way to meet Val—no longer thinking about the speculation, the worries, or the pressure of being watched. She was just focused on what was coming next. A walk. Time with Val, away from the noise of the rink and the expectations that came with their roles. It felt like the start of something new, and she couldn’t wait to see where it would go.
Would Val feel the same when they met? Or was she just as nervous as Tyler? All Tyler knew for sure was that this wasn’t a moment she wanted to let slip away. She was about to find out just how much they were both ready to open up.
The Walk in the Park
Val and Tyler met at a quiet park halfway between their teams’ lodgings, just as the late morning sun was beginning to rise higher, casting a golden glow through the trees. The park was peaceful—an oasis of calm after the chaos of the tournament. The path beneath their feet was a winding trail lined with lush greenery, and the rustling of leaves in the breeze was the only sound that filled the air, along with their soft footsteps.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. It wasn’t awkward, but there was a subtle hesitation, like they were both trying to figure out what to make of this new dynamic between them. The competition, the rivalry, the tension that had always existed between them seemed to have evaporated in the air around them. It was just the two of them now, away from the ice and the expectations, and the world seemed to stretch out before them in a way it never had before.
Tyler glanced over at Val, watching the way the sunlight caught in her hair, the way she looked so… different. Softer. There was no icy mask in place, no walls to hide behind. Just Val. Just the person she had been getting to know off the rink, away from the game. Tyler couldn’t help but feel a small flutter in her chest, a feeling she wasn’t used to.
“So,” Tyler said, nudging Val with her shoulder playfully, breaking the silence, “what’s the verdict? Is this better than getting slammed into the boards?”
Val let out a laugh, the sound warm and genuine. It felt like music in the quiet of the park. “Definitely,” she replied. “Though you’re not exactly a saint out here either.”
Tyler grinned, enjoying the ease of the conversation. “What can I say? I like to keep you on your toes.” She bumped her shoulder against Val’s again, this time a little more gently. It felt like a spark, but one that didn’t come with any of the usual tension. Just a playful ease that was… new. And nice.
The two of them fell into step side by side, the rhythm of their walk matching the rhythm of their conversation. They found themselves talking about everything and nothing—flicking through old memories, sharing things they hadn’t said aloud before. Tyler had never realized how much she enjoyed hearing Val talk about something other than hockey. For all the years they’d spent locked in fierce competition, she’d never known how funny Val could be, how easy it was to laugh with her, how much they had in common beyond the game.
Tyler found herself telling Val about her love of action movies—her guilty pleasure being the over-the-top, ridiculously unrealistic kind where the good guy always wins and the explosions are constant. Val, in turn, admitted she had a soft spot for rom-coms, though she would never let her teammates live it down if they found out.
“And,” Val said with a playful smirk, “I dare you to name a more iconic rom-com couple than Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.”
Tyler’s eyes widened in mock horror. “Meg Ryan? Seriously? How old are you?”
Val laughed. “You’re the one who said you were into explosions. You can’t throw stones at me.”
Their conversation shifted to childhood memories, and Tyler found herself opening up in a way she hadn’t expected. She shared the story of how, as a kid, she used to try to jump over the back fence in her yard to escape her brother’s incessant teasing. But one day, she misjudged the height and ended up flat on her back in the mud. Her brother still never let her live it down.
Val chuckled, shaking her head. “And here I thought I was the one who had the most embarrassing stories.”
“Oh, I have plenty,” Tyler teased, her voice light. “But none of them involve falling into mud—so I think I’ve won.”
Val rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress the smile that tugged at her lips. “You’re ridiculous.”
They walked on in comfortable silence for a moment, the sun now higher in the sky, the warmth spreading across their shoulders. The air was crisp, but it was the kind of crisp that felt refreshing rather than cold. Every so often, their arms brushed against each other, but neither of them pulled away. It was subtle at first, just a light brush of skin, but with each step, the space between them seemed to close in a little more.
And then, before Val could think twice, Tyler slid her arm around Val’s shoulders, pulling her closer into the curve of her side. Val’s heart skipped a beat, the move so natural that it took her by surprise. Her breath caught, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned into Tyler’s warmth, feeling the steady beat of her heart as they walked in sync.
For a moment, it felt like time had slowed down. The world around them—everything that had always been fast-paced, full of competition and adrenaline—faded into the background. Here, in this moment, there was no need for anyone to be anything other than themselves. There was no pressure, no need to prove anything. It was just the two of them, sharing something they hadn’t expected to find.
Val hesitated for only a second before she leaned further into Tyler, letting herself relax into the comfortable space between them. It felt right, in a way she hadn’t anticipated. The connection between them was easy, almost effortless. Tyler’s arm around her felt natural, as if it was meant to be. And for the first time in a long time, Val felt like she could just be—without the weight of expectations or the need to guard her emotions.
The walk itself was peaceful—almost serene—and Val realized she had never felt more present, more connected to someone. It wasn’t just the physical closeness, though that was enough to send her heart into a quiet flurry. It was the emotional closeness, the way Tyler had managed to dismantle the walls Val had spent so long building up. There was something in the way Tyler’s hand rested gently on her shoulder, something unspoken but undeniably tender.
But just as quickly as their peaceful moment had begun, a sudden sound broke the quiet—the rustle of footsteps in the leaves, followed by hushed voices. Both girls turned in unison, their eyes immediately darting toward the noise. They hadn’t realized they weren’t as alone as they thought.
Behind a cluster of trees, just out of sight, two figures stood—familiar faces peeking out from behind the foliage. Val’s heart dropped into her stomach. Her first instinct was to pull away from Tyler, to put the space back between them, to hide the unexpected closeness that had just blossomed. But it was too late. The two figures had already caught sight of them, and it was impossible to pretend this wasn’t happening.
Tyler stiffened slightly beside her, her arm moving away from Val’s shoulders as she straightened, trying to play it cool. But Val could see the way her fingers clenched at her side, as though trying to calm her own rising tension.
It was Coach Roberts and Coach Everett, standing at a distance, their expressions a mixture of surprise and something that looked a little like confusion. They were supposed to be off-duty, far away from the ice, but they had clearly decided to take a stroll themselves.
“Well, well,” Coach Roberts said after a long moment of stunned silence, her tone dry but amused. “Looks like the rivalry’s taking an interesting turn.”
Coach Everett chuckled under his breath. “I was wondering how long it would take. I thought it might happen sooner or later.”
Val’s stomach churned. She glanced over at Tyler, but the look in Tyler’s eyes told her that neither of them was sure how to play this. They weren’t ready for anyone to find out, but it had happened anyway. Their coaches, their teams, everyone would eventually know.
And when that happened, there would be no turning back.
Val took a deep breath, straightening her posture, but the air between her and Tyler had shifted again. It wasn’t tension exactly—it was something more complex. There were so many things they didn’t know yet. But what was clear was that whatever was unfolding between them, it wasn’t just a walk in the park. It was something far more unpredictable. And now that their coaches had caught wind of it, there was no pretending anymore.
The only question now was what would happen next.
Behind the Trees
The coaches stood behind a thick cluster of trees, their eyes fixed on the scene unfolding in front of them. Their presence was almost undetectable, hidden behind the foliage, but they were clearly observing every move.
Coach Roberts and Coach Everett had been walking through the park, taking a break from the pressures of the tournament and the chaos of their respective teams. But when they had heard the soft crunch of footsteps on the path, the unmistakable sound of familiar voices, they had instinctively stopped, hidden themselves behind the trees, and listened.
“What in the world…” Coach Roberts muttered under her breath, her gaze fixed on the two figures ahead of them—Val Ortiz and Tyler Grant.
Coach Everett, always a little more laid-back, tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes, taking in the sight of the two rival players walking side by side, deep in conversation. He had seen these two girls locked in fierce competition for months—arguing over game strategies, challenging each other in drills, and exchanging barbed words. To see them this close, walking together like… well, like friends, was something neither coach had ever anticipated.
“Is that… Ortiz and Grant?” Roberts asked, her voice almost a whisper as she leaned in, her disbelief evident.
Coach Everett smirked. “Looks like it. Guess the rivalry’s taken an interesting turn.”
“I thought they were sworn enemies,” Coach Roberts said, still trying to process what she was seeing. “Are we sure they’re not about to throw down in the middle of the park?”
Coach Everett shrugged, eyes never leaving the pair. “Well, if it’s a fight, it’s not happening just yet. They seem… well, happy.”
Val and Tyler’s voices had softened into an easy rhythm, their conversation flowing naturally. Both girls were so engrossed in their talk that they hadn’t noticed the coaches lingering just out of sight. Their laughter floated through the air, light and unguarded—nothing like the competitive tension that had defined their every interaction until now.
“Maybe they’re having a secret strategy meeting,” Coach Roberts suggested, though her tone was tinged with skepticism.
But there was no strategy meeting here, no plotting for the next match or talking about rival teams. No, what Roberts was witnessing was something far more surprising: the two of them, walking side by side, moving seamlessly together as if this was the most natural thing in the world.
As they walked, their conversation became more intimate. Tyler nudged Val with her shoulder, and for a brief moment, the warmth between them was palpable. Tyler brushed her arm against Val’s, and then, as if in one fluid motion, Tyler slipped her arm around Val’s shoulders, pulling her closer. Val didn’t pull away. She leaned into the touch, a small but significant gesture that spoke volumes.
The two coaches exchanged a glance, their earlier shock now transforming into confusion.
“This can’t be real,” Coach Roberts muttered, rubbing her temples as if trying to make sense of it.
“What’s real is that they’re not exactly fighting anymore,” Coach Everett said with a raised eyebrow. He let out a quiet laugh, his grin spreading wider. “I guess that’s progress. At least they’re getting along now.”
For a brief moment, the sight before them was so calm, so unguarded, that it almost felt like a dream. The two girls were walking together as if they had no care in the world, lost in their own little bubble. Then, without warning, Val stopped walking.
Tyler didn’t notice at first, still talking about something innocuous when she realized Val had stilled beside her. She turned to look at her, brow furrowing slightly, before her expression softened.
Val didn’t say a word. Instead, she reached up, cupped Tyler’s face with both hands, and kissed her. The kiss was brief but electric—full of warmth, tenderness, and all the unsaid things that had been building between them for months. It wasn’t just a kiss; it was a release. A culmination of every stolen glance, every quiet moment shared when no one was looking, and every lingering tension that had only ever been a part of their rivalry. The moment was intense and real.
Tyler’s eyes fluttered open as they pulled away, and for a second, neither of them spoke. There was no need to. The kiss had said everything that neither of them had been able to vocalize before.
Tyler’s grin spread across her face like sunlight after a storm, and her voice came out in a teasing whisper. “Took you long enough.”
Val’s cheeks flushed a bright pink as she let out a soft laugh. Her gaze dropped for a moment, embarrassed but undeniably happy. “Shut up,” she replied, her voice playful but warm.
The coaches stood frozen, their eyes wide as they tried to comprehend what they had just witnessed. They were caught in a moment of disbelief, unable to move or speak for several seconds. The reality of what they had just seen was slowly sinking in.
“Well, well,” Coach Roberts muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible. “I’ll be damned.”
“What did we just watch?” Coach Everett asked, almost laughing, shaking his head as if he hadn’t quite registered the magnitude of what had happened.
The two girls resumed walking, their hands brushing occasionally, but this time it wasn’t just about rivalry—it was about something else. Something new, something unexpected. Tyler’s arm slipped back around Val’s shoulders, and she leaned in, saying something that made Val laugh. They were just two people enjoying each other’s company, no longer bound by the walls of competition.
The coaches watched them in stunned silence for a few moments longer before Coach Roberts sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose in exasperation.
“Well, I guess that’s one way to end a rivalry,” she muttered, still trying to make sense of what had just unfolded.
“For now,” Coach Everett said with a sly grin, clearly amused by the whole situation. “But let’s see how long that lasts when they’re back on the ice.”
Roberts rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. The next game is going to be real interesting. If they can keep their heads in the game.”
“They’ll figure it out,” Everett said, his voice full of knowing amusement. He couldn’t help but chuckle. “But I gotta admit, this is… unexpected. I didn’t see this coming.”
“It’s like we’ve walked into an entirely new season,” Roberts said, still processing. “I mean, I thought the last few years of rivalry were bad, but this...”
Everett chuckled again. “Well, maybe now that they’re, you know, getting along... the real challenge will be to make sure they stay focused. But hey, if they can be this distracted, maybe we’ll finally get to see some real chemistry on the ice.”
The two coaches exchanged a long, meaningful look, both of them aware of the implications of what they had just witnessed. It wasn’t just a walk in the park. It was the beginning of something much bigger—something neither team had anticipated, and something that could either help or hinder the two players when it was time to get back on the ice. The lines between rivalry and something more were blurring, and now the coaches would have to figure out how to navigate the aftermath.
For now, though, they stayed hidden behind the trees, letting the girls walk away, their laughter still echoing in the distance. The rivalry had taken a turn, but no one could predict where it would lead from here.
And whatever happened next, it was going to change everything.
The Aftermath
As Val and Tyler continued their walk through the park, they were blissfully unaware of the lingering presence of their coaches behind the trees. Their conversation had shifted into an easy, playful rhythm, the tension between them now gone. It was as if everything had shifted, the weight of their rivalry dissolving in the warmth of each other’s company.
Tyler was still laughing at something Val had said when she leaned her head against Val’s shoulder, her body relaxed and content. The air was cool but comfortable, the rustling of the leaves overhead the only sound besides their laughter. They were both acutely aware that things were different now—between them, yes, but also with the world around them.
“I can’t believe we just did that,” Tyler said, breaking the silence with a quiet laugh, her voice low but filled with a sense of giddiness.
Val’s cheeks were still flushed, her heart racing in a way that had nothing to do with their usual on-ice adrenaline. “Yeah,” she murmured, a small smile tugging at her lips, “me neither.”
“I mean, if someone had told me a week ago that we’d be like this…” Tyler trailed off, shaking her head in disbelief.
“I know,” Val agreed, her eyes dropping to the ground briefly before meeting Tyler’s again. “But I guess sometimes things just… happen.”
Tyler’s grin softened. “Yeah, I think I’m okay with it happening.”
They stopped walking for a moment, standing side by side, the reality of the situation starting to sink in fully. Both girls were trying to process what had just occurred. They were standing there, not as rivals, but as something else—something that felt almost too good to be true, but also so undeniable in its authenticity.
“I didn’t think you’d kiss me,” Tyler said, her voice a mix of surprise and something deeper, something more serious.
Val chuckled nervously, her eyes flickering away before she looked back at Tyler. “Yeah, well… I wasn’t sure how to, you know, start that conversation.”
Tyler tilted her head, a teasing glint in her eyes. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t wait for me to start it.”
Val laughed softly, shrugging a little. “I just—couldn’t hold it in anymore.”
“Good,” Tyler replied with a wink, “because I’m definitely not complaining.”
But as the words left her mouth, a shift in the air around them made them both stop, their easy smiles faltering for a split second. They were on the brink of something new, something that neither of them had been prepared for. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t exciting.
“Hey,” Tyler said, her voice suddenly a little quieter, more serious, “what now?”
Val took a deep breath, her eyes flickering to Tyler’s. The question hung between them like an unspoken challenge. It wasn’t just about what happened next between them; it was about what would happen when they returned to their teams. Could they keep this new dynamic under wraps? Would it affect their game, their focus, and their roles as leaders? What would the other players think?
Val sighed, her smile returning slowly. “I don’t know. But we’ll figure it out.”
Tyler nodded, her fingers lightly brushing Val’s arm as she leaned in slightly, her tone playful again. “You know, we could always go full secret agent on everyone and pretend nothing happened.”
Val snorted, the tension of the moment melting away with her laughter. “Yeah, because that always works.”
“Hey, it worked for a lot of people,” Tyler teased, nudging her with her elbow. “It’s not that hard to pull off.”
Val shook her head, the smile never fading. “We’ll see.”
The playful banter was interrupted when a rustling noise nearby caught their attention. At the same moment, both girls turned toward the sound—instinctively, their gazes sharp, their bodies tensing. It wasn’t until they realized it was just a squirrel darting up a tree that the tension bled out of them, and they both laughed, their nerves a little frayed, but grateful for the lightness that still remained between them.
But the laughter soon quieted as they realized the silence of the park had changed. It wasn’t just the wind rustling through the trees or the sound of their own footsteps anymore. A more distant noise was creeping in—a familiar one. The soft murmurs of voices reached their ears, and both girls stiffened instinctively. They turned slowly, their hearts skipping a beat when they realized that they were no longer alone.
Peeking from behind a line of trees, the unmistakable figures of their coaches were standing, their faces a mix of surprise and amusement. Roberts looked like she had just walked into an unexpected plot twist, her expression still half in disbelief. Everett, on the other hand, was holding a smirk that was both satisfied and slightly mischievous, as though he’d just witnessed the perfect moment in a drama he didn’t know he was part of.
Val and Tyler froze, each of them feeling like they had been caught red-handed, though they hadn’t technically done anything wrong.
For a long moment, no one said anything. The coaches stood awkwardly, their presence making the air feel heavier. It was Roberts who broke the silence, her voice laced with disbelief.
“Well, this is… certainly unexpected.”
Tyler’s cheeks flushed deep red, and she shot a nervous glance at Val, who seemed equally embarrassed but tried to hide it behind a teasing smirk. “You’ve been watching us this whole time, haven’t you?”
Coach Everett stepped forward, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Not like we planned it, but yeah, we caught a glimpse of the whole... reunion.”
Val groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Great. Just what we needed.”
Roberts shrugged, her tone softening. “At least you two aren’t fighting anymore.”
Tyler rolled her eyes, trying to brush off the awkwardness. “Yeah, no thanks to you two,” she teased, though the smile never quite left her face.
Coach Everett chuckled, clearly amused by their discomfort. “Well, I guess now you just have to figure out how to make this work when you’re back on the ice, huh?”
Val and Tyler exchanged an uncertain look. The tension between them had eased, but it was clear that the next few days—weeks even—were going to be filled with complicated questions, both on and off the ice.
“I guess we’ll figure that out too,” Val said, though there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
Tyler nudged her shoulder playfully. “Yeah. But maybe just no more kissing in public?”
Val laughed softly. “You’re probably right.”
The coaches stood there for a moment longer, taking in the girls’ lighthearted banter, before Coach Roberts finally gave a small nod and turned away, her expression thoughtful.
“Well,” she said as she walked away, “this will definitely be a season to remember.”
And as the coaches disappeared into the distance, the last thing Val and Tyler heard was the sound of their laughter echoing through the park, their rivalry still lingering, but now wrapped in something much more complicated—and ultimately, something that neither of them could have predicted.