Breaking The Ice

CHAPTER 20

Jaxon POV

Thursday mornings usually followed the same routine. Gray complained about waking up. Connor complained about Gray complaining. Tyler somehow managed to eat breakfast and read lecture notes at the same time. And I drank my coffee in peace. Today was different.

"Bennett's late.” Gray's words pulled my attention toward the locker room entrance. I glanced at the clock. He was right. Riley was never late. Not once since she'd joined the team. Connor looked up from tying his skates. "Coach notice?” He asks. "He'll notice if she's not here in another minute.” Almost on cue, the locker room door swung open and Riley hurried inside with her hockey bag slung over one shoulder. "I'm sorry.” she said, slightly out of breath. "The bus—“ She started to explain but Coach Reynolds raised a hand before she could finish. "Get dressed.” She nodded gratefully. "No excuses needed."

She disappeared toward her stall without another word. Gray leaned closer to me. "She's usually here before me.” Connor snorted. "That's because you're usually late.” Connor said matter of factly. "I prefer 'fashionably delayed.” Coach clapped his hands for attention. ”On the ice in two."

Practice started with flow drills. Fast and simple. The kind Riley normally excelled at. She completed the first few rotations without a problem, but something felt... off. Not her skating. Not her passing. Her focus. Coach fired a puck around the boards. Riley reached for it but for just a split second, she hesitated. The puck skipped under her stick. It slid harmlessly into the corner. She chased it immediately and recovered before anyone else could react. Anyone except me. Coach blew his whistle. “Reset." No criticism. No lecture. Just another repetition. The next time, Riley handled it perfectly. Like the mistake had never happened. Most people probably forgot it. I didn't.

The rest of practice wasn't much different. She made good plays. Blocked shots. Moved the puck well. Answered Coach's questions during systems work. If you looked at the stat sheet… You'd say she'd had a solid practice. If you watched her… You'd notice the tiny things. The extra second before responding. The way she rubbed the back of her neck whenever Coach wasn't looking. The faint shadows beneath her eyes. She looked tired. Not from hockey. From life.

Practice ended with conditioning. Coach finally blew the whistle. "Good work.” The team drifted toward the benches. Gray collapsed dramatically on the ice. "I've decided.” he announced loudly, "conditioning is a human rights violation.” Connor skated past him. "You've made that decision every Thursday.” Connor remarked. "Because every Thursday I'm right.” Tyler offered Gray a hand. Gray looked at it suspiciously. "What's the catch?” Gray asked. "I'm tired of listening to you.” Gray accepted immediately. “Fair enough.” Riley laughed. It sounded genuine. But it was shorter than usual. Gone almost as soon as it arrived.

Back inside the locker room, everyone packed up for class. I was stuffing my practice jersey into my bag when I noticed Riley quietly checking her phone. She stared at the screen for several seconds. Whatever she read… It wasn't good. She locked the screen immediately. Took a slow breath. Then smiled when Gray walked over. Too quickly. Like she'd put the smile on. “Bennett." Gray said, "serious question.” She raised an eyebrow. "How serious?” She asks sceptically. "If cereal is technically soup…" Connor groaned from across the room. “No." Connor grumbled under his breath. Gray ignored him. "...then am I eating soup for breakfast?” Riley looked at him for a moment. "I think that's the worst question you've ever asked.” She said but Gray beamed. "So that's a maybe?” She laughed again. This one lasted a little longer. Mission accomplished. Gray wandered away looking entirely pleased with himself. He probably thought he'd just won another ridiculous argument. I wasn't convinced he'd asked the question for himself.

Coach caught my eye as everyone started filing out. “Hayes." I walked over. "You've been watching Bennett.” It wasn't a question so I nodded. "Something's wrong.” I said and Coach folded his arms. "I noticed.” He said simply and I narrowed my eyes a bit. ”You know what it is.” I said but not as a question. Coach was quiet for a moment. "I know she's carrying more than she wants anyone to see.” He replied. "So what do we do?” I asked. Coach looked toward the locker room door Riley had just disappeared through. "We don't take away her choice.” He said and looked back at me. "But we don't stop looking for a way to help either."

I thought about the resident assistant listing. About the housing websites. About the spare bedroom sitting empty in our house. None of the options felt right. Not yet. But waiting wasn't feeling right anymore either.

That afternoon, I skipped lunch and headed across campus. Instead of going to the student union, I walked toward the Housing Services building. The receptionist looked up as I approached. "Can I help you?” She asks. "I hope so.” She smiled politely. "What can I do for you?” I hesitated for only a second. "I'm trying to find out if there are any emergency housing options for students.” She tilted her head. "For you?” I asks and then I thought of Riley. Of the way she'd smiled at Gray only moments earlier. Of the hesitation that had crept into her game. Of the exhaustion she was trying so hard to hide.

"No," I answered quietly. "For a teammate.” The receptionist's expression softened. "Let's see what we can find.” She said as she started to type away on her computer. For the first time in days… It felt like I was finally asking the right question.

The receptionist scanned the screen for nearly a minute. Finally, she sighed. "We do have emergency accommodation.” A flicker of hope stirred in my chest. "But..." She looked apologetic. "It's reserved for students facing immediate safety concerns, family emergencies, or circumstances that leave them completely homeless.” I nodded and sighed.

"Would someone losing their residence qualify?” I ask. "It depends." She replied. "Has the student already been approved for emergency placement?” She asks. ”No.” I said and she shook her head gently. "Then they'd need to submit an application first. Housing Services would review it, but..." She hesitated. “But?" I pushed. "We're already at capacity.” The hope disappeared as quickly as it had come. "There are a few students on the waiting list already.” She informed me. "How long?” I ask. "It varies.” That wasn't the answer I wanted. "So..." I rubbed the back of my neck. "There's nothing else?"

She thought for a moment before opening another page on her computer. "There are sometimes private landlords who contact us when they have vacancies.” She clicked through a few listings and had me take a look. Most had already been filled. One required a lease beginning in January. Another was nearly an hour from campus. She stopped scrolling. "I'm sorry.” She said sympathetically. "It's okay.” I said but it wasn’t. But none of this was her fault.

"If anything changes.” she said kindly, "Tell your teammate to come speak to us directly. Sometimes situations change faster than the website.” She said and I nodded. ”I will.” She smiled. "I hope everything works out.” She said as I started to head to the door. "So do I."

Outside, the rain had finally stopped. Students hurried across campus, laughing as the afternoon sun pushed through the clouds. I barely noticed. I pulled out my phone. One empty bedroom. One teammate running out of time. And now… One more dead end. I stared at the contacts list for a long moment before locking the screen again. Not yet. She wasn't out of options. Not completely. But for the first time… I wasn't sure how many were left.