*connor's pov*

Preparing for a game is never easy. It's not like it's regular season gamenight yet, it's not as high stakes and intense in the preseason, but it's still a big deal.

I didn't feel the pressure at the rookie showcase as much. It didn't seem real at all. Everyone was just joking around and having a good time. No one really looked at it as a factor of me being "talented" or not. Preseason seemed, well, I don't know, more real, I guess.

First real NHL gameday was a little different.

And Sierra was coming.

Her brother had been texting me nonstop(I don't even know how he got my number) telling me about their homecoming dance for some reason. I don't even really get what the point of a "homecoming" dance is. It has something to do with football, but I want to know why the hell this one is so special.

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si

i have a question

is it about the cubs

no

i dunno how helpful i can be then

your brother is the one who told me about it

so ask him
i gave him your number btw

that was you?

you're welcome
now i get half as many annoying texts

i only get half??

yep
you should thank god you don't live with him

oh?
scared for your life?

no just my hearing
i'm going to go deaf if i have to keep listening to him
anyways what was your question

oh yeah
what's homecoming

there's two parts to that
football game or dance?

both i guess
i know the dance has something to do with football but i dont't get why it exists

actually I'm not sure either

so it's not special or anything

i'm pretty sure it's just an excuse for a dance

love that

derek eats it up

are you stereotyping because he's a football player

are you defending him??

should i be

if you want
i wouldn't though
he's kind of stupid

okay i won't then i guess
but why is it a tradition

to celebrate football

are you stereotyping again

are you telling me you wouldn't want to go to a football themed dance

no
i would
is it really football themed

the theme changes every year
last year ours was 'happily ever after: disney princesses"
this year it's football

i'm guessing you have no say in that decision?

why would you think that

because we all know you would pick baseball over football

actually that would be a killer hoco theme
but i'm not in student council so you're actually correct

i think you should start a petition for the theme to be baseball

i think i should start driving
see you in a couple hours

wear red and black

no
byeee

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*sierra's pov*

I was planning on pretending as if I was not currently hyperventilating in the car when I got to the arena.

Why I was freaking out so much, I have no idea. I had been to hundreds, probably thousands, of hockey games in my life.

Is it normal to freak out?

God, I don't even know. I don't even know who I would ask. I'm not comfortable in this situation at all. It's so weird.

To say I'm uncomfortable would be an understatement. It's not anything to do with him, it's just the situation in general.

Also the amount of times I drive to the city these days is insane. Not just for Connor, but also for interviews and luncheons and stuff.

At least a hockey game would be remotely entertaining.

I was dressed entirely neutral in a pair of baggy jeans and an oversized Tate McRae sweatshirt that was my brother's birthday gift to me. It was the same type of outfit I would wear to school or something, not too nice.

I know that a sporting event is usually an excuse to dress up, especially when a boy that you're kind of flirting with is the superstar player who everyone's eyes will be on during the game, including your own. I don't really feel like dressing up, though, and it makes me kind of nervous that I didn't wear something nicer.

The amount of parking at the United Center was actually kind of crazy, and for preseason, it was way overkill.

I had seen the parking lots at overflow level during the playoffs a couple of times. Since the whole "Crappy for Connor, Bad for Bedard" era, the attendance numbers hadn't been nearly as high.

For a game that was pretty much redundant, there were far too many cars in the parking lot. I assumed it was because of Connor, but I had no clue why it was so popular to come.

Also, I was somewhat early to the game, and there were still tons of cars in the parking lot. Maybe it was free parking or something and they walked somewhere else? I had no clue what was going on.

Entering the arena, it's clear it's because of Connor that everyone's there. Stores have all sorts of stuff with his name on it, the cameras are solely focused on him, the name "Bedard" is buzzing around the concourse, and it's clear that's the only reason anyone is here.

Connor sent me tickets earlier in the day, and the seat number is one in the first row. I've barley ever been to the United Center, but I assume Row 1 means the row right behind the glass.

As soon as I get to my seat, I'm regretting not bringing Keely or Derek to this ordeal. Derek would have died for this view of Connor Bedard's first game.

Warm-ups start, and the Blackhawks come out and start warming up literally right in front of me. There are other families around the glass, banging on it and begging the players to toss them a puck.

Connor seems pretty locked in, until he starts skating around the net. On his second or third go around, I think he finally spots me, and his game face turns into a smile. He waves, and I wave back, and the smile stretches even wider.

I mean, I feel a little better about coming after that.

"You're wearing black," he says, and I can barely hear him through the glass.

I roll my eyes but nod. "Go Blackhawks, I guess," I shout, and he laughs, even though I would never in my life become a Blackhawks fan.

I think he knows that I won't anyways, but I'm starting to consider it.

The Blackhawks actually don't look that bad, which is why I'm starting to warm up to the new type of team that I can see so far.

They're definitely playing against a watered-down, shitty, backup St. Louis Blues team, because they're for sure better than this. Maybe they aren't, but I'm pretty sure the Blackhawks won Connor because they were worse than St. Louis. They outshoot them by seven shots, and even though I don't know that much about hockey, I know that's way too much.

During the second period, Connor makes a pass right to someone else(I really don't know any other players) and that guy slides it right into the goal for the first goal to put the Hawks up 1-0. It's a good pass, I guess, again, I don't really know.

From a quick look around during the start of the third period, I'd guess there's about half the capacity of the arena in attendance, so about 10,000 people.

Pretty good turnout for a preseason game. 

My dad is calling the game up in the broadcaster's box, but I haven't and probably won't go up and see him. I don't think he knows that I'm here. He leaves at the crack of dawn to drive to the city on game days, and so when my brother and I woke up, he had already left, even though the game didn't start until 7:30.

Probably halfway through the third period, the Blues shot and made a goal behind the Blackhawks goalie(who was pretty shitty, by the way), tying the game at one with only ten minutes left.

There was a fair number of Blues fans in the crowd, which was probably because St. Louis was not that far at all from Chicago. I knew that Blues-Blackhawks must be a rivalry because Cubs and Cardinals was like the biggest rivalry I knew of.

At the end of the third period, they took a five minute break, because the game was still tied and they had to go into overtime.

By the way, I'm not a hockey idiot. I know how the game works, but the thing is, my knowledge is very, very outdated. So I know rules and how the game works and stuff, but the players are the real issue. Like I thought the Blues were really good? They won the Stanley Cup like pretty recently.

From a quick google search, I learn "pretty recently" is almost five years ago. 

So I know hockey, but I don't know NHL. The only "rookie" I know, besides Connor, is Luke Evangelista, because I know Predators stuff(and he's friends with my sister).

Once overtime starts, my heart rate quickens every minute. I keep reminding myself that the game doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, but it's really hard to remember.

From my high school tennis career, I know what it's like to be locked in. and I can see it in Connor's face, that's where he's at. He's in the zone. Like the movie where the people end up in the floating bubbles in heaven when they're really focused. That's where he is, I know it.

I'm so sure the game is headed into a shootout, because there's only about a minute left in the game, when Connor makes another pass, this time onto the stick of a different guy. 

This guy wires a shot towards the Blues goalie, and it sinks into the net.

And still,  I know the game doesn't matter, but it's two assists for Connor and a win for his team, so I'll take the little things.

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*connor's pov*

The feeling of winning an NHL game, in overtime, for the first time ever, is one of the best feelings ever. I love winning. 

I suppose that's an athletes thing, but really, it's a competitors thing. To be the best you have to have the drive. I saw it running through Sierra at that match last week, and I feel it in my own bones now.

Sierra.

I saw her during warm-ups, and I'm pretty sure I looked like a total dork looking at her. She stuck around for the whole game, I saw her banging on the glass after the overtime goal.

And she was wearing black. I know she said she wouldn't wear red and black, and I know black should barely qualify, but the fact that she was actually cheering for the Blackhawks made me too happy to explain.

Back in the locker room after the game, we were a thousand percent riding the high of the win. I was pretty sure even though it was not that important, they would still be going out or something to celebrate.

I didn't want to use a fake ID to find my way into a mess with my teammates. I'd personally rather ask Si more questions about the Cubs.

A quick check of the Cubs final score tells me they lost, so I'm sure she'll have a rant for me later. That is, if she wants to stick around afterwards.

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si

do you want to meet up somewhere downtown or something?

i'll just tell the security to let you into the locker room

okay but it's really late so i have to go kind of soon

how soon?

like ten-ish

okay that's not bad at all

yeah it's a lot of time

do you know how to get to the locker room?

yeah 
i'll be down soon

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Sierra apparently does actually know how to get down to the locker room. I'm not surprised, but it's kind of strange how fast she comes. I'd only just finish changing when the security guard told me Si had arrived.

She was wearing the same oversized black hoodie and jeans that I remember her wearing from the beginning of the game. Her cheeks are flushed, almost like she's still coping with the cold of the ice in the arena. She has a small white bag slung across her shoulder, and I wonder how she got a bag like that past security.

She's so goddamn beautiful, with her dirty blonde hair and her brown eyes, but I've only known her for a month and I don't know how to tell her that I'm already obsessed with her.

She wraps her arms around me, the same way I did at her tennis tournament three weeks ago, happy for a victory, the same way I was, and I can think that maybe for a second she might be obsessed with me too.

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Once we arrive back at my apartment, Sierra is reclined across the couch in my living room, watching the Cubs game I recorded earlier. She's half looking at the TV, half looking at me.

I'm attempting to cook, using the recipe that my mom attempted to teach me a couple of weeks ago, but cooking is a lot harder than I thought.

"You can always give up on it, y'know. I've accepted that I suck at cooking, and I'm perfectly happy with it," she says.

"I'm almost done, but then it has to cook in the oven," I tell her.

"Do you know what's going on in this game at all?"

"I know that the Cubs lose. And I know that Dansby Swanson is probably performing better than Nico Hoerner." I dust my hands off on my shorts, and look at the messy dish I've prepared.

"Shut up," she says.

"Sorry to tell the truth."

"You're annoyingly persistent."

I drop the pan in the oven and take a seat on the couch, in between the arm of the sofa and Su's head.

"Alright, what's really going on?"

"The Cubs are getting run over by the Braves. Dansby Swanson's former team."

"Not playoff bound?"

"I don't even know if they're still in the race."

"Kevin Korchinski told me they got knocked out."

"You talk to other people about the Cubs? And you have friends on your team?"

"Are you offended it's not just you?"

"No, I love that you like them enough now. I'm the goddamn best."

"You are. Can we talk more about this Homecoming thing? I'm still really confused."

"You still don't get it?"

"Not really. I get it's to celebrate football, or whatever, but I don't get what exactly it is."

"Well, some schools have actual dances, with like slow numbers or whatever, but ours is more like a giant mosh pit of kids. Most kids end up going crazy at partied before or after but the dance is fun in a normal way."

"And you always go to the game too?"

"Con, I go to every game. Homecoming and not. Home and hours away. Of course I'm there."

"Best big sister ever?"

"He makes it easy. He's the best."

"Is it the kind of dance where you take a date?"

"Yeah. I mean, most kids do."

"Do you have one?"

"Yeah. You remember Chase and Zander? The senior soccer captains I told you about going to the football game with a couple of weeks ago?"

"You're going with two guys?"

"No, no, absolutely not. Keely is going with Zander. I'm going with Chase."

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

I didn't know what the feeling was, bubbling hatred towards the guy pooled in my stomach.

"I don't."

"Good."

"Are you jealous, Con?" She teased, "Chase is just a friend, he's my co-president of student athlete association."

"I'm not jealous."

Was I though? I couldn't tell. I also wasn't sure what was going on with Sierra Dames and I now that she was telling me all of this. Did I have the right to be jealous at all?

"Can you still change who you're going with?" I blurted out.

God, I am so fucking dumb.

"What are you asking?"

"Um, I have no fucking clue what Homecoming is, but I want to go with you."

"You have to pay an outsider-"

"That's fine, whatever. I want to take you, though."

"Okay, sure, I guess."

"Your date won't be upset?"

"No, I'm pretty sure he has this massive crush on a flag football player anyways. I think he wants to ask her but our prearranged thing has kind of been shackling him down."

"The gossip at your school is insane."

"I get it all from Keels. She's the most social person I know. She's a huge gossip, but in a good way."

Sierra moves her head up to the lower part of my quad, so her head is resting right above my knee.

"Homecoming is Saturday, by the way," she informs me.

"That's in two days."

"You're the one who wanted to go. Besides, the only thing you need is a suit, and I'm sure you own plenty of those."

Sheiks right about that. I probably own more suits than any other eighteen year old.

"Are you wearing a dress?"

"Yep. Light blue, mid-thigh, sleeveless."

Mid-thigh. Fuck me.

This is going to be one hell of an experience.

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i want someone to love me the way connor loves sierra please