Chapter Text
Today had been rough. The first day at a new school was always rough, but today had hit harder than the last few times. Coming into the year almost halfway through, Luz felt more out of place than usual. The only seats left in all her classes were all the way in the back, and she didn’t even have a chance for awkward first impressions because classes were in full swing. Not that those ever went well anyway.
As the last bell of the day rang, though, she knew it would all be worth it as she made her way to her school’s ice rink. For years, she had been working with Eda Clawthorne, one of the best hockey players of all time, and now she was finally on a team! Her heart started beating faster with every step forward. She took a deep breath, swallowed down her nerves, and pushed through the doors and into the arena.
The cold air of the rink washed over Luz like a blanket of comfort. She had spent hours on the ice, day in and day out, for years. Most of the time, she might just have been a weirdo, but on the ice? Well, she was still a weirdo, but one that was really good at hockey.
The team was already skating as she walked in, and Luz was vibrating with excitement to join in. Before she could lace up her skates, though, a voice called out to her.
“Luz Noceda?”
Luz looked up to see a tall, raven-haired woman looking at her with piercing teal eyes. She startled a bit at the menacing aura around the woman and normally would have shrunk inside herself at the gaze that was staring down at her, but she knew this woman. Or, well, she had seen a ton of pictures of her on the walls at Eda’s house, so it was kind of like she knew her.
“Yes sir Ms. Lilith sir- uh, ma’am-coach? Sir!” Luz stumbled through her words, emphasizing the end with a salute.
Lilith sighed. “You’re Edalyn’s kid, aren’t you?”
Luz nodded and Lilith looked down at her clipboard. She glanced up at the ice, narrowing her eyes. “Park! Porter!”
Two of the players looked up, glancing between their coach and Luz before skating over. They came to a stop just a few feet away, and Luz had a chance to take in their appearance. One was a stocky girl, though Luz could tell it was all muscle, making her eyes widen in awe at the absolute tank standing in front of her. She had green eyes, short-cropped black hair, and a kind smile as she nodded at Luz.
Next to her stood a tall, lanky boy with dark skin and studious eyes. He smiled at her as well, and it then struck Luz how much younger he seemed to be than the rest. She smiled back, giving the pair a little wave.
“Ms. Noceda here will be the new center for your line. Take her onto the ice and show her the ropes of being a Banshee.”
With that, Lilith turned away and returned her attention to the team. Luz grabbed her gear, put it on, and stepped onto the ice next to her new teammates.
“So, uh, hi! I’m Luz! I play center!” Luz stuck her hand out in front of her.
The girl reached out and grasped Luz’s hand with her own. “I’m Willow. Right wing” She nodded to the boy next to her. “This is Gus. He’ll be your left wing.”
“Oh my gosh, you’re so strong!” Luz shook her hand out after Willow’s death grip then smiled. “So! Banshees, huh? I, uh, I’ve never been on a team before.”
Both Gus and Willow sighed. Gus toyed with his stick while Willow looked at Luz with remorse. “Well, welcome to the worst line on the team. Gus and I… aren’t very good, and Lilith barely lets us play. We’re lucky if we even get a minute a period.”
Luz opened her mouth to respond but was cut off as another Banshee skated past them.
“Oh look, another loser for the wannabes.”
The girl stopped next to them, her pink hair tied tight in a bun. Her jersey had an A stitched on the front, and Luz could tell the girl was as comfortable on the ice as she was.
She looked at Luz with disgust then scoffed. “Just more dead weight to carry. Right, Amity?”
Another girl had skated near them, wearing a jersey with a C stitched on the front and eyeing Luz up and down. She had mint-green hair pulled back into a half-ponytail, and when Luz locked eyes with her, she jumped at how startlingly bright the girl’s amber eyes were. With the lighting in the arena, they almost looked gold.
Those same eyes narrowed at her, a fierce frown marring the porcelain skin of the girl’s face. “Just keep out of my way and we won’t have any problems.”
Amity skated off, and the pink-haired girl gave them a nasty smile. “Catch you later, losers!”
Luz frowned. “I guess there’s going to be bad apples anywhere you go, huh?”
Gus nodded next to her. “That’s Boscha. She’s… well,” He looked around, then leaned in to whisper. “She’s a major bitch.”
Luz laughed as Willow chimed in. “And the other girl was Amity. They never get in trouble because they’re the star players.” Willow tapped her skate against the ice. “They always look down on us.”
“Well, that’s a bunch of malarkey!” Luz said, slightly louder than intended. She gestured toward the opposite end of the ice of the mean girls. “Come on, let’s get some practice in to take our minds off them. I’m sure you’re both great!”
—
Okay, so, admittedly Gus and Willow weren’t great, but Luz could tell they had a ton of potential. Willow was playing very timidly, which allowed Luz to steal the puck from her several times, and Gus was incredibly enthusiastic, but if he didn’t shoot the puck immediately, he’d lose control almost instantly and turn the puck over.
When Lilith blew her whistle and ended practice, Luz skated over to Gus and Willow. “Hey, would you guys mind hanging with me a bit on the ice? I have an idea.”
Both Willow and Gus shrugged in affirmation, and Luz took them over near one of the nets. She dropped a few pucks and pointed at Gus.
“Okay, so Gus, you’ve got really good aim, and amazing power behind your shots, but your puck control is… not great. So here, watch!” Luz moved slowly, showing Gus how she moved her stick around the ice, keeping the puck exactly where she wanted it. She passed it over to Gus, watching as he started to mimic her movements. Within minutes he had better control than she had seen from him over the last few hours.
She turned to Willow while Gus kept practicing and smiled at her. “I think we’ve unlocked some potential!”
Willow smiled, then looked sheepishly down at the ground. “Too bad there’s not much I can do…”
“Bologna!” Luz said, startling the girl. “You just need some confidence! Look at me,” Luz said, gesturing down at herself. “I’m a beanpole. I have to be quick on my skates and good with the puck or else I’m not really helpful, but you? Girl, you’ve got muscle!” Luz flexed to indicate her point. “You just gotta use it! Get a little more physical, check some people into the boards!”
Willow looked down at herself, flexing her forearms. “You really think that’ll work?”
“I know it will. You and Gus are super talented. I don’t know who told you that you were the worst line out there, but we are going to prove them wrong!”
Willow glanced at a laughing Gus, watching as he skated up and down the rink, maintaining control of the puck seemingly effortlessly now. She looked back at Luz and smiled. “Thanks, Luz. I guess no one has ever really believed in us before.”
“Well, you’ve got me now! After all, what are friends for?”
—
Over the next few days, things picked up quickly. Luz realized Willow was in her biology class while Gus was in her math class. Having someone familiar to talk to and be friendly with made her new school suddenly feel less daunting, and Luz started to learn about her new friends beyond their hockey play.
Gus was an amateur magician, a computer wizard (in Luz’s terms), and a certified genius. It turned out he didn’t just look younger, he was younger. He had managed to skip two years of school, and when he was helping Luz catch up in class, she was in absolute awe of how he thought. After blowing her mind with his math knowledge, he had also shown her a few card tricks in class before the teacher took his deck away, though he winked at Luz and pulled another deck seemingly from thin air.
Willow loved plants, and honestly, that might be an understatement. Luz had asked her about it one afternoon, and Willow had taken it upon herself to educate Luz thoroughly on the different needs plants had. She also learned about her friend’s workout routine. It had started when she got serious about playing hockey with an old friend, but when Luz asked more about that old friend, Willow just said “It was a long time ago” and left it at that.
They still talked hockey, though. The team had already played part of their season, with five games down, and they were off to a strong start. While each game had been close, the team had pulled out four wins. Willow and Gus described the games in great detail (though, when Luz learned that it was because they spent most of their time on the bench, she felt bad for them) and Luz learned more about the team played and the team itself, meeting more and more of her teammates, though they all seemed inclined to just ignore her and her friends.
Amity, Boscha, and their friend Skara were insufferable, picking on them at almost every practice, but Luz had to admit, they played a good game. Boscha and Skara were physical, though Boscha definitely got into the spirit a bit more, while Amity was just all-around amazing. Luz found herself staring several times as the mint-haired girl would move from one end of the ice to the other, more often than not receiving a glare in return.
Every day, whether they had practice or not, Gus and Willow would hang out with Luz after school, sometimes just to chat, but also to hone their skills or go over schoolwork. The few tips that she had given them really took root and it showed during the one team practice they had the day before the game. When Willow stole the puck from one of the other forwards and shouldered her way to the net, it surprised everyone, and when every one-timer Gus fired from the blue line hit the back of the net, Luz could tell the team was giving them a little more attention than normal.
When Lilith blew the whistle to signal practice was over, the trio left the ice in high spirits, talking to each other excitedly about testing themselves in a real game.
“I just can’t wait to see the look on Amity’s face when someone else finally gets a goal!” Gus said as he unlaced his skates.
“I’m just going to pretend everyone I check is Boscha,” Willow said with an eerily peaceful smile. “It’ll be cathartic!”
“Woah there girl, calm down,” Luz said, holding hands up placatingly to Willow. “Try not to get thrown in the penalty box, okay?”
Willow smiled, leaning back as she waited for the other two to finish up. “No promises.”
Gus jumped to his feet, clapping his hands together. “Seriously, Luz, I just… I know we haven’t really known each other long, but you’ve really made a difference for us. I can’t wait to return the favor tomorrow.”
Luz pulled her two friends into a hug. In the past, the idea of having two friends was a pipe dream. Now, she squeezed them tight, hoping to show how happy she was to know the two of them. “I’m so glad I get to be on a team with both of you and tomorrow, we’re going to show everyone what we’ve got!”