Chapter Text
The Hollanders moved back to Ottawa the summer before Shane started 11th grade. It was a decision that wasn’t easy to make but his mom had been offered a better job just not in Montreal, so they had to take it. Being back in his home town for the first time in five years was strange. The streets around him were the same as he remembered them but the air felt different.
When his mom had first told him they were moving back he was angry. He was at a school he liked, with friends who cared about him and was finally at a stage where he was enjoying hockey again. Moving would disrupt that. After the initial shock of the news, she made him a list of pros and cons. Yes, he would have to start all over again with new people but it meant that he got to reunite with old friends too.
He had been friends with Hayden Pike since before they were even born, their parents had met when they were younger and that carried on into the boys becoming friends too. He and Hayden messaged each other nearly every day, so getting to see him in person would be a treat. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see Hayden, but moving meant change and Shane hated change.
That summer they’d spent time riding their bikes around the city, Hayden pointing out things that had changed in the time that Shane had been gone. None of his friends from Montreal had messaged him, that was the part he was finding hardest. These people that he’d felt so guilty for leaving hadn’t bothered to even check in on him.
In one way being back home felt like being wrapped in a soft blanket and reminded of a time when things were still simple, in another, nothing he remembered from when he was younger had stayed the same. The neighbours had changed, his favourite store on the corner had changed owners and now no longer sold his favourite brand of ginger ale, the small rink that they used to practice in had grown.
He hoped that being back home would remind him that sometimes change was necessary.
The first day of school arrived quicker than he expected. He’d packed his bag the night before, making sure he had everything, including his glasses. His mom had insisted on packing his lunch, he’d made sure it fit into his diet, so he had to remember to grab that in the morning. That evening they’d all huddled together on the couch watching films and eating snacks, his snacks mostly consisting of vegetable sticks and pretzels. It was the perfect end to his first summer back in Ottawa and he hoped it meant that the school year would be perfect too.
Hayden picked him up from his house that morning, something about how he knew that Shane wouldn’t want to sit on the bus. Shane was grateful that his best friend knew him so well.
“Good Morning, Hollywood. Ready for your first day as a Centaur?” There was that nickname that Shane had hoped would have been forgotten, no of course not. He’d have to make sure to stop it before it became an actual thing again. Hayden had started calling him that when they were 11 and Shane had gone through his phase of hating hockey and wanting to be an actor. He was glad that his struggles in self identity provided nicknames to be used against him.
“I’m scared, nervous and excited all at the same time. Mom, put an extra cookie in my lunch for you by the way.”
“I love that woman! What flavour is it?”
“Ew. Can you go at least the rest of the year without reminding me how hot you think my mom is please. Yours is chocolate chip because I know you’d moan if you had oat and raisin.”
“Hell yeah! Oh the plan is, to get there, go to the office, get your time table, I want to introduce you to some of the guys and then we’ll head to class. We have most of our subjects together, you’re welcome.”
He was grateful that Hayden knew how much he needed a set structure especially when it came to new things. They arrived at Ottawa High School, home of the Centaurs, quicker than Shane expected. The red brick building was massive, standing proudly amongst fields of bright green grass. It had grand steps leading to the front entrance and Shane felt another wave of anxiety course round him at the size.
It’s not that his school in Montreal wasn’t big, it was. But it split into various different buildings for the different subjects, OHS was one solid building making its stature appear even bigger.
They headed straight to the office, got his time table and locker combo for him to put his hockey gear into. Then walked straight back out the front of the building to meet Hayden’s group of friends.
“Guys, this is Shane. Shane, this is J.J, Rose and Jackie.” Hayden introduced the group, his gaze lingering on Jackie for a beat longer than it had with the others.
“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard lots about you all from Hayd, all good stuff I promise.”
“Hayden told us that you guys grew up together here before you moved to Montreal, what’s it like to be back?” The short girl, Rose, asked.
“It’s definitely strange, a lot has changed but a lot also hasn’t changed. I’m excited to see what is in store for me here, both in hockey and in school.”
“Oh yeah! I forgot that you're gonna be joining us on the team, I’m really looking forward to playing with you. It’s really fun this early in the year because we get to play friendly games against each other and figure out who we work best with.”
Shane liked J.J from the moment they met, the taller boy was enthusiastic and from what he’d heard from Pike the kid was incredibly passionate about hockey, that bleed into his performance on the ice. He looked forward to getting to watch that in person.
He spends the rest of the day getting used to the set up of his new school, meeting his new teachers and having to introduce himself numerous times. Math is his favourite subject of the day mainly because he gets to share a table with J.J and listen as he tells
Shane all the answers even if he doesn’t mean to.
Being good at school wasn’t something he forced upon himself, he genuinely enjoyed learning new things and if he wanted any chance at getting a scholarship for university, especially for hockey, then he needed to make sure that his efforts at school matched his efforts in his sport.
When the end of the day rolled around they made their way to practice, Shane waited for Coach to call him over to introduce him to the rest of the team. As he sat in the stands watching the game that was currently happening, he was captivated by the fast movements of a tall blonde boy.
He was quick and aggressive in his play styles, slamming the other teams players into the boards as he passed for no reason, flashing them a smile full of mouth guard as they fell.
That smile was going to be dangerous.
“Rozanov! I’ll bench you if you keep doing that. We need these boys in fighting condition for the game this week.”
“Maybe you should teach them how to play hockey.”
He responded and went back to skating around and body checking as he did. Shane knew that this guy was going to be troubled. At that point Coach noticed them sitting in the stands and called them down to the ice.
“Boys! Gather round we have fresh meat to meet!” When the remainder of the players had skated into the centre he continued. “This is Shane Hollander, just transferred over from a school in Montreal. He hasn’t currently got a position so he’ll be switching in and out. Treat him well, he’s going to be a force to reckon with. Rozanov, no slamming into boards on the kid’s first day with us please.”
“No promises!”
For the rest of Shane’s first practice with the Ottawa High Centaurs, he could not take his eyes off of Rozanov. Everything about him was mesmerising from the way he skated effortlessly but still managed to be one of the fastest, to the way he didn’t hesitate when making decisions, even the way cheered when he sent the puck to the back of the net was fascinating.
Shane could tell that he was going to be trouble but a part of him found that hypnotic.
After practice, he hurried to the locker room and jumped straight into the shower. When finished he grabbed his stuff and made his way to meet Hayden in his car.
“So that was Rozanov.”
“Yeah, he was something else. What’s his deal?” Shane inquired, curious to learn more about the obnoxious guy he’d seen on the ice.
“There isn’t much to him really. His first name is Ilya. His family moved here a few years back from Russia, hence the accent, he can be a bit of an asshole sometimes but he’s an incredible player. Sure he gets a bit aggressive when he gets into it but it’s kind of great to watch him slam guys twice his size into the boards. Apart from that I don’t really know him, he messes around in class and smokes on campus despite them telling him off for it all the time.”
He repeated the name in his head a few times, deciding that it made him sound like he was going to be even more trouble. He’d have to make sure to steer clear of all things Ilya for the foreseeable future. He could not afford to get caught up in the chaos that surrounded him.
When he enters the threshold of his house, his parents are there waiting for him. Something he didn’t know he enjoyed as much as he did until it happened regularly. He was so lucky to have them.
“My boy! How was your first day? Your plate is in the fridge for you, caesar salad like you asked.”
“Thanks, dad. It was good, I met all of Haydens’s friends and we share a bunch of classes so that’s good. Practice was fun, there’s this guy on the team, sort of obnoxious but also super talented. Coach Wiebe is cool, super down to earth and chill but can keep control of us. I think the team is going to be really great to play for.”
He watched his mothers eyes sparkle with unshed tears, she probably hadn’t heard him speak about hockey that way since he was a small boy who spent countless nights sitting in front of the tv watching the NHL.
“I’m so glad to hear that honey, your father and I want nothing more than for you to be happy. This team sounds like it could be the key to that happiness.”
As he sat between them at the table eating his perfectly curated salad and drinking his one ginger ale for the day, he couldn’t help but think of a certain pearly white smile and the cocky person it belonged to. Playing for the Centaurs was going to be the biggest test of his self control.
If that night was the best night’s sleep he’d had since they moved back to Ottawa, then that was for him to know and no one else. The exhaustion of finally playing hockey properly again seeped into his bones. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was lulled to sleep, dreaming of skates and pucks and watching his now team mates getting slammed into the boards of their rink.
He was so incredibly screwed, but he wasn’t even mad about it.