#will smith2

"dude, have you looked at your phone recently?" mack walked up to him. the blonde raised his eyebrow, "uh, no. i don't look at my phone before the game."

most times mack wouldn't care about stupid tweets saying stuff about them, but this one seemed like whoever posted it was trying to spin things that weren't before the game. he didn't want will to find out about it on the ice or something. "you need to look at this." 

will took his friend's phone. he scanned over the screen, briefly reading the caption before jumping down to the photo attached. 

WASHINGTON CAPITALS ROOKIE RYAN LEONARD AND UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN WOMEN'S SOCCER CAPTAIN SAMY HUGHES SEEN SHARING A QUITE INTIMATE MOMENT TOGETHER!!

fans are speculating whether or not hughes broke up with her longtime boyfriend will smith, san jose sharks forward. are they done for real??? what does this mean for the game tonight against the washington capitals and san jose sharks? always thought ryan was the better choice anyway. 

the photo attached was some sneaky photo of the two in a restaurant together. ryan was sitting on samy's side and he had an arm wrapped around her while her head was tucked into his shoulder. 

will stared at the tweet for a long time. he scrolled into the comments that continued increasing by the second. 

omg?!! this is insaneeeee

woah insane work posting this when there's a game tn

ok this is totally from a few months ago..why is this just being posted now.. 

about time she finally got rid of him and moved onto the better option 

samy hughes cheating?? not on my bingo card 

"what the fuck is this?" will finally spoke. he looked back up at his friend who looked as clueless as he felt. "i don't know. i just kept seeing it. it's spreading like crazy." 

the blonde tried to be rational about this. he knew samy went to new york city almost two months ago now to visit gabe who invited the three of them out. only samy and ryan went though because will was too caught up with practice. so he definitely knew this photo was semi-old. he also trusted samy and he trusted gabe and ryan. they weren't the kind of people to just..do something like that to him and neither was samy. 

the comments kept coming in though and the hockey player kept reading them. 

let's not jump to conclusions it lowk looks like she's crying or was upset about something

this looks more like ryan's consoling her..not some romantic getaway

real ones know samy has been best friends w ryan and gabe for like ever so i def do not think this is like..some weird cheating scandal.. i do think she is upset about something though 

isn't she struggling with an ED? maybe it's about that

ok but why would she go to ryan and not will?? 

"maybe you should just go talk to him? it's obviously just someone try to spread shit," mack said after a moment of silence. 

the last comment got stuck in will's mind. why would she go to ryan and not will? if samy was upset about something that night, this was the first he was ever hearing or seeing anything of it.

his chest pinched. 

"i'll be back," will mumbled and gave mack's phone back. 

on his way back through the locker room, he grabbed his own phone and it didn't take long to find the tweet people were talking about. some people were even tagging him in it asking him to explain. 

will was a fairly secure guy in his relationship, especially with samy, but he did know she went to gabe and ryan a bit more than she leaned on him for support through things. sometimes that did hurt a little more than he wanted to admit because he was her boyfriend after all and one of her best friends and to think she couldn't go to him about stuff but turned to his old teammates instead.. 

maybe it was a little bit of jealousy too. 

he made his way to the capitals locker room. he didn't care about sticking his head in, he just did it. the other players glanced curiously in his direction. "is ryan around?" he asked. 

the older guys exchanged a glance before nodding. "yo, leno! you got someone here wanting to talk," they called further into the locker room. 

ryan stuck his head out from around the corner. he met will's gaze and raised his eyebrow. "i need to talk to you. in private." 

some of ryan's teammates chirped, but the brunette ignored them as he walked out of the locker room and followed will down the hallway to a bit more secluded area. "what's wrong?" the boy wondered. 

will held his phone up with the tweet. "what is this?" 

ryan's eyebrows drew together in confusion. he glanced at the phone and skimmed the text and then the photo below. "what the hell is this?" 

"i don't know. you tell me. i just saw it and it's blowing up." 

"okay well first, we were not sharing an intimate moment. gross. that's totally wrong. second of all, this is from like two months ago when we were in new york visiting gabe. this is not from today," ryan clarified what will already knew and figured. 

"then what is it? what is going on in this photo? why are people saying she looks upset?" 

when ryan briefly hesitated, the blonde drew back. "we were just talking. we got dinner together because gabe had something with his teammates. it's wasn't really anything." 

"why did you hesitate?" will narrowed his eyes. 

"what? what, you want me to tell you what we were talking about?" ryan raised his eyebrow. 

"like..yeah. was she upset?" 

"dude, come on. it's not..that's not my business to be telling. whoever took this photo was being a creep and not minding their own business. also, why is this just being spread around now when this was took two months ago?" 

"well, it's my first time hearing anything about this and i actually never heard anything about this from the trip," will wasn't trying to sound mad, but it was coming off that way anyway. also, the jealousy he felt was slowly rising that samy opened up so easily to ryan and gabe but still had trouble with him. 

"will, i don't know what you want me to say. nothing happened in that photo besides us talking. it's not my business to tell her business," ryan shrugged, trying to ease any tension away. 

"you're not telling me so maybe i do have a reason to believe something actually happened." that was a low blow and they both knew it. 

"oh, come on. i'm not like that man and neither is samy. don't say shit like that," now the capitals rookie was getting mad his friend would even think that about him. "i've been your friend since we were kids, lived with you for two years, went to college with you and you really think i'd make a pass on your own girlfriend? that's so fucking low." 

"what else do you want me to think? this photo is trending and people are thinking i got cheated on by my two best friends. why does she go to ryan and not will? hell if i know!" 

"bro, you're being so fucking insane right now. we were talking and she just started opening up about stuff and obviously i was gonna be there for her because i'm a good friend!" now they were yelling at each other and probably attracting the attention of the other people in the hallway. 

"so she can open up to you but not me? it's always been the two of you knowing stuff about her before me and i'm her fucking boyfriend!" 

"well maybe if you didn't go and break her heart with some bullshit excuses last summer then maybe she'd feel more comfortable telling you stuff! incase you forgot, you told her she wasn't worth it to do long distance and proceeded to break up with her because it'd be too much work to keep up a long distance relationship across the country. i'd have trust issues too if someone told me that!"

that was an even lower blow. without thinking, will threw a nasty punch in ryan's direction. the brunette stumbled back, doubling over. he recovered quick though and lunged right back at the blonde. 

"who was there for her when she drove an hour and a half to my house when you broke up with her? me. who was there for her when all she did was cry her eyes out all night? me. who was there for her all of the other times she doubted herself and battled about what to do? me. gabe. aram. drew. vote. fowler. who was there for her when she hurt her shoulder and was scared to tell you because she feared she'd put too much on you and you'd run away again? take a fucking guess." ryan was riling will up and they were quite literally fist fighting each other.

mack had a bad feeling about the conversation, so he went to find gabe, aram, and drew who showed up for the game. he explained to them what was happening and the four of them made it into the back hallway in time to see will throwing another punch in ryan's direction. all of their eyes widened. gabe quickly went to pull will back while aram and drew held ryan back. 

"hey! what the fuck is going on?" gabe got between them. 

"go ahead, will. tell them how you're being insanely jealous thinking samy cheated on you with me and then proceeded to be confused about why she can never tell you stuff! tell them how we were the ones there for her through it all," ryan spat angrily. 

"oh fuck off, leno. you probably like that she goes to you more." 

"fine. you wanna so badly what we were talking about? fine. she thinks she's broken because of her eating disorder. she still can't eat and she spirals everyday about it. she fake eats her food. she's scared of telling you because she doesn't wanna ruin your reputation and make herself seem like she's not the perfect girlfriend everyone thinks she is. so yeah, while you're here accusing me of cheating and making passes on her, you might wanna make sure your girlfriend is doing okay." 

everyone stilled hearing that. will's eyes flicked to gabe who slowly nodded in confirmation while adverting his gaze. when he looked at drew and aram they didn't meet his gaze either. 

"you're serious?" 

"why the fuck would i lie about that? that's what that photo is about. she completely broke down in front of me," ryan said sadly. 

TWO MONTHS AGO

when ryan and samy couldn't decide what to make for dinner while gabe was out, they decided to just eat out too. they were in new york and that felt like enough of an excuse to buy dinner. after some brief research, they decided on a small restaurant only a few blocks from gabe's apartment. 

samy carefully stirred her straw around her cup. her gaze was on the table, kind of like her mind was somewhere else. ryan watched her carefully, wondering if he should pry or not. he wasn't one to really pick into people's lives, that was more gabe's thing, but samy had been looking spaced out ever since yesterday when she got in. 

"hey, you okay?" ryan gently nudged her foot under the tale. the brunette glanced up at him, flushing. "yeah, sorry. i'm good." 

she managed a smile, but the boy knew her better than that. he may not be will, but he had been samy's friend long enough to know when she was lying. he could tell there was more on her mind she wasn't saying. 

"all cards on the table?" he asked and samy knew what that meant. her, ryan, and gabe had this saying with each other that they used when one could tell there was more the other wanted to say but wasn't and the other two wanted them to know they were there to talk or listen. 

the soccer player grimaced. her skin felt hot like she was being caught in a lie. she struggled to meet ryan's glance, especially when the tears welled in her eyes faster than she wanted. being this vulnerable in front of people was something she hated. the hockey player heard her sniffle though and he immediately knew something was wrong. 

"hey, i'm right here. it's okay. you can talk to me. judgement free zone. whatever is said here doesn't leave this table." 

samy's head fell into her hands as she started crying harder. ryan's eyes flicked around the restaurant to make sure no nosy ears or eyes were trying to catch wind of what was going on. he carefully got up and scooted himself into samy's side of the booth. 

"oh, samy.." he tugged his arm around her and let her fall into his shoulder. 

"am i broken?" she finally asked through her cries. 

the boy raised his eyebrow, "broken? no. you're not broken, sam." 

"i feel so broken, ry. so broken. like i don't know why i feel this way or how to even feel better. it's like a cycle i can't break out of," she vented and the boy's heart broke hearing and seeing her like this. 

he's always known samy to have a hard outer shell. she knew what she wanted and didn't put up with people who talked down on her. hate comments rolled off of her back. seeing her so unsure of herself hurt. 

"you're so not broken, samy. you've been through some hard stuff, yeah, but that doesn't make you broken. you're still seeing your therapist and taking meds?" 

"it's not working. i still can't eat. the voices consume me and work harder than the meds do. i feel..stuck. i let it slip to my therapist and she put it in her notes. my psychiatrist thinks we should up my dosage and that fucking terrifies me because then that means i can't ever be normal again without them. i don't wanna have to rely on medication to make me feel an ounce of normalcy." 

ryan squeezed her shoulder, "it can be scary to have to rely on something like that, but taking meds to make you feel better doesn't make you any less normal. it definitely doesn't mean you're broken." 

"then why aren't they helping me?" 

"sometimes you have to take a little more of something to be able to feel its full effect." 

"my brothers are three perfect people. they don't struggle. they work hard and achieve these crazy things. i can't even eat a full meal without internally freaking out and having to throw it up or picking apart what's in it. i'm not supposed to be this way." ryan knew people online compared samy to her brothers a lot. most of it was stupid, but someone always had something to say. he couldn't imagine having to see that constantly. 

"just because you're struggling with this doesn't make you any less of a person or weaker than them. you're still strong, at least i think so. these feelings won't last forever." the capitals rookie tried reassuring. 

"and what happens when they do?" 

"a lot of people who struggle can't even admit they are or need help. it's a big step already that you're admitting to the help and letting people help you. have you told anyone that you still feel this way other than your therapist? your brothers? will?" 

samy shook her head. "god, quinn would be so disappointed if he knew i wasn't getting better. if he knows, he'll tell my parents because they still don't know. that was our deal. he moves things around and puts me on his insurance to help me and i get better, then we don't have to involve my parents. i don't, and he tells them because then it's a bigger problem that they need to know about." 

"he wouldn't be disappointed in you. he loves you and just wants to make sure you're gonna get better. the same goes for will," the boy said gently. she grimaced at the mention of her boyfriend who also didn't know about any of this. 

"i can't put something like this on will. he's got so many other things to worry about with his career hitting a high. i can't...i can't be the one to ruin that or fuck up his reputation because he has a mentally ill girlfriend who can't pull her shit together. everyone thinks i'm some perfect girlfriend..and i can't fuck up any of that for him."

ryan frowned hearing samy think will wouldn't carry this with her. if anything, he'd drop it all if he knew samy was still struggling this badly. "sam, you know he loves you and also cares a lot about you. you wouldn't be ruining anything. he'd drop everything for you if you asked or didn't ask." 

"i know which is why i don't wanna tell him. this isn't his burden to carry. he can't be distracted thinking about me when he has his 2nd nhl season ahead of him. i can't be the distraction." 

ryan wanted to beg otherwise, but he didn't. instead, he squeezed samy tighter into his side and hated how she didn't even think she couldn't go to her own boyfriend because she didn't wanna burden him. that was definitely small remnants still from their breakup last summer. 

even though will was his childhood best friend, ryan would always hold that grudge against him for hurting samy like that and making her think she wasn't enough to stay for. 

"well, i'm always here for you and so is gabe and everyone else. you don't have to carry all of this alone, sam. tell us what you need and we'll be there," ryan promised. 

the girl managed a smile for the first time since she started crying. 

"thank you. i appreciate you. sorry for just..dumping all of that on you," she wiped her eyes wiyh the back of her hands. ryan quickly shook his head. "don't apologize. this is what we're here for. you lean and we lean back." 

NOW

later, after the game ended—the capitals walked away with the win and ryan just told will to call samy before leaving—the blonde sat in his bedroom hovering over the girl's contact. she had to have seen the tweet by now and all the people talking about it, so she was probably waiting for him to say something about it. 

he pressed call and held the phone to his ear. it rang three times before it connected. for a moment, both of them were quiet like samy knew what he wanted to ask her about. 

"hey," will breathed. 

"hi," samy said. 

"i'm assuming you've seen the tweet?" 

"yeah..i have," she paused. will bit his lip, mulling over everything he wanted to say and also how much he wanted to apologize for making samy think she could still never lean on him for things like this because of a stupid mistake he made a year ago. 

"will, i'm really sorry i didn't tell you..i didn't really think—"

"you don't have anything to apologize for. ryan told me everything. i'm the one who should be apologizing to you. i never meant to..to make you think you could never come to me or think you'd ruin my reputation or some shit. that's the furthest thing from my mind. i could literally care less about what people thought of me," the boy quickly cut her off. 

samy breathed out. she sat on her own bed in michigan mulling over her own words. 

"i wanted to tell you. i promise. i just..i dunno. i haven't really felt like myself in so long. i feel like i don't even know who i am anymore. i guess i felt shitty for lying to you about eating what i needed to and i didn't want you to be disappointed in me." 

"baby, i could never be disappointed in you no matter what. you're going through something really hard. i hate that you feel this way about yourself and i wish there was something more i could do to help you not feel this way."

"it's just like..these thoughts i always have. like a second voice talking to me. it psychs me out. it talks down on me. it yells at me. i'm battling my own brain to eat. i don't even know how to explain it. i was having a really hard weekend and..i guess it just all came out with ryan. whoever was watching us must've thought something else and wanted to make drama at the game tonight. i'm really sorry if it did.." samy frowned at the idea of will getting mad at ryan for something like the photo was trying to imply.

the blonde flushed. "if anything, i think it knocked some sense into me. i really wish i could be there for you more and not just through a phone." 

"i really wish you were here, too. the summer was so easy because i had you always checking in on me and eating with me to make it feel a little easier. it just gets so hard when it's just me trying to do it," the girl bit her lip, the ache of missing her boyfriend growing stronger in her chest. 

will's ache grew too. he missed her like crazy. 

"tell me how i can make this easier for you. we can facetime every meal? i can send more texts about checking in? pictures? videos? anything, baby. i'm here for you," will promised. 

"you wouldn't hate getting up early to eat breakfast with me or.." 

"never. i'd wake up at any time to talk to you. i'll even make my own breakfast to eat later. i'll send videos, pictures, whatever." 

a soft smile crept onto samy's lips. "i love you." 

"i love you so much. i promise i'll make it work to see you soon. you come here or i go there. i wanna see you so bad." 

"me too. it's so hard being so far," the brunette mumbled. 

"i know, but we'll be in the same city again soon. i'm so excited for you to live in san jose with me," the blonde grinned. 

a more comfortable silence fell between the couple as they just listened to each other breathe through the call. "can i ask if..if you ever did end up upping your dosage on your meds?" will wondered. 

"yeah, i did. i did about a month ago. it's been helping more which is good, but i don't know. it's like an addiction. it's always gonna be there and i have to actively work to keep it away."

"you're doing the best that you can, baby. it's gonna feel scary, but i'm really proud of you." 

even though he couldn't see her, samy smiled at his words. "i hope you didn't hate ryan too much.." 

"uh..i may have threw a few punches at him, but i was being immature and irrational. i was upset he knew what i didn't. i got jealous that you went to him and gabe more than me," will frowned and so did samy. 

"i never meant for it to be like that, will. i always wanna talk to you—" 

"i know you never meant anything by it. i shouldn't have made you feel like you couldn't come to me." 

"we all learn from our mistakes. know i always wanna go to you for everything," will smiled at her words. 

"so we're good then?" the boy asked and samy nodded. 

user4 ok pls drop the workout routine

| user5 just look up what workouts pro athletes do LOL

lukehughes_ woah lots to say about this one...

| samyhughes bad things?...

| lukehughes_ well first of all there's the last pic..😐

| samyhughes i feel like i'm too old for u to be policing me nowadays...

_quinnhughes california turned her crazy

| samyhughes HEY

| user6 LMAO QUINN PLS

drewf2 ok but who was taking that last pic??

| samyhughes literally this girl i don't even know her but she airdropped it to me LMAO

aram_minnetian come home the kids miss you

| samyhughes awww u miss me??😁

| aram_minnetian don't get too sappy now

jacob_fowler24 smitty better know how to fight

| _willsmith2 don't worry i do.

_willvote sickening

| samyhughes 😔

gabeperreault44 the contrast between the one at the rink and the one of smitty eating your neck...

| samyhughes double life

user7 someome pls tell me how to meet samy at games i wanna meet her so so so bad but i never know how to catch her or not wanting to bother her 😖

| user8 honestly just go up to her!!! she's soooo friendly and loves talking w fans i don't think she ever really cares when people go up to her but usually people catch her before or after the game

| user9 i've also learned she sits close to the glass (thanks to will :p) and usually i can catch her for a quick chat before the game starts during warmups and she's down there watching will and stuff

| user10 ^^ this is all true!!! also sometimes she goes through the players' parking lot w will and gets out to sign autographs. she's there pretty regularly so just scout her out!!

ryan.leno_4 i actually expected nothing less idk why i was surprised when i got to the last pic

| samyhughes HAHAHAH please

jackhughes is this contract appropriate?

| samyhughes is being photographed w tate mcrae contact appropriate?

| user11 LMAO she got him

mackcelebrini ok ur stealing him while i'm away 😒

| samyhughes first come first serve 😛

emmagcooper omggg i wanna be u so bad this is +1000 aura

| samyhughes LMAOO em i love u

eklund_72 _willsmith2 down bad or what?

| _willsmith2 😌

| collin.graf oh he gets it so good

teddystiga_ gotta let everyone know he's taken

| samyhughes mhmm doing my duties

jameshagens_4 hannahduke when that gonna be us??

| hannahduke whenever u want 😉

samanthaminnetian holyyy wow ur actually gorg

| samyhughes literally u tho

danielle_minnetian i jump for joy whenever u post

| samyhughes ❤️❤️

graceccsmith love u samy!!

| samyhughes plsss come back to cali i already miss u

rutgermcgroarty looking gooddd

| samyhughes the cali glow

kayleighdocherty_ sooo pretty samy!!! come visit me

| samyhughes literally omwwww

user12 literally the people's princess

user13 neeedddd her to play on the uswnt at some point PLEASE

user14 california looks soooo good on her wow i love

edwards.73 why do u have so many lip stuff

| samyhughes bc why not i need to match the occasion

| _willsmith2 it's everywhere in my car and my apartment

| samyhughes u say that like u hate it 😒

markestapa wow all grown up!

| samyhughes missing our weekly pizza dinners

nick_moldenhauer why do u two have the most aura i've ever seen wow

| samyhughes #mogcity

tj_hughes13 i almost forget you're from michigan

| samyhughes can't forget my roots 💔

user15 she knowsss she's that girl

user16 and if i had an insanely attractive bf that every person fawns over i'd post him like this too like yes

user17 ppl forget her and will are like soulmates and have known each other since they were kids and have been together for like over 2.5 years no willmack here just willsamy the true otp

_willsmith2 holy wow i love you

_willsmith2 come back to my room pls

| samyhughes i love you

| samyhughes On my way! 😊

_willsmith2 ☀️❤️

view all comments

ryan.leno_4 the most basic caption ever

ryan.leno_4 why is there a random hockey pic in the middle of this post

ryan.leno_4 why is samy half the post

| _willsmith2 ok first of all don't need to flame me like that first comment in second of all why not third of all she's my girlfriend??

| ryan.leno_4 alright

gabeperreault44 i feel like there were so many better captions and the hockey pic is throwing me off

| _willsmith2 did u and leno collectively agree to flame me in my own comments?

| gabeperreault44 no

| ryan.leno_4 yes.

user1 i know will came up w the caption himself bc it's just two emojis LOL honestly so on brand for him

user2 needs to make sure people know he still plays hockey LMAO

user3 samy looks soo pretty aw

drewf2 interesting pic choices

| _willsmith2 are u judging them??

| drewf2 no ofc not

aram_minnetian i knew a post from u was coming since samy posted

| _willsmith2 😁

_willvote come back to boston?

| _willsmith2 omw!

jacob_fowler24 samy out mogs u in this by a long shot

| samyhughes YAAAAAA i know that's right

| _willsmith2 i'll let u have the win for now.

zeevbuium28 my fresh prince ❤️

| _willsmith2 ❤️

tofff73 happy summer!

| _willsmith2 happy summer!

eklund_72 the random hockey photo confuses me

| _willsmith2 brooo it's not even anything it's just part of the dump

collin.graf mr. samy hughes

| samyhughes exactly.

mackcelebrini i go away to switzerland for a month and this is what happens 💔

| samyhughes willmack divorce...

| _willsmith2 i'm sorry please forgive me 🙏

user4 i didn't realize she was laying ON him in the last pic SOO cute aw

user5 will pls ask samy's routine for everything for us the people want to know

user6 i cannot imagine living by a beach ugh so jealous

hannhduke the love of my life samy hughes

| samyhughes the love of my life hannah duke

tyler___duke5 looking good man

| _willsmith2 thanks man

jameshagens_4 supporting bc even on the west coast i see

| samyhughes maroon is literally my color

teddystiga_ how long did the caption take?

| _willsmith2 this entire post took me like 5 minutes to put together tbh

emmagcooper my beautiful samy u look amazing

| samyhughes aww thank uuuu🫶🏼

lukehughes_ glad to not see any crazy pics on ur post

| samyhughes bruh stop flaming me

_quinnhughes wild wild west coast

| _willsmith2 it is wild

| samyhughes LMAO quinn 😭

user7 thinking about how in love they are

user8 i love seeing good looking people together

user9 they literally r the blueprint all the ogs know they paved the way for the other michigan x boston college couple crossovers LOL

graceccsmith how cute will!

| _willsmith2 thank u grace🫶🏼

blairestevenson even in the candids she looks so amazing

| samyhughes BLAIRE!! i love you my baby ❤️

collin.graf i hope u remembered sunscreen

| samyhughes 🫡

| _willsmith2 first thing in the bag don't worry we're health and skin conscious

danielle_minnetian living the best life!!

| samyhughes yes we are!!!!!

samanthaminnetian ugh wish this was my life

| samyhughes HAHA tell aram to hook u up w one of his hockey buddies

| aram_minnetian immediately no

user10 will pls ask samy how she managed to achieve this life so we can copy her

| _willsmith2 HAHA she said she doesn't really know just manifest

| user10 LMAO please like real

samyhughes hey i'm obsessed with u and ur basic captions

ryan.leno_4 omg wow this means we get more posts with smitty in them!

| samyhughes yup!

gabeperreault44 looking real good hughesy

| samyhughes thank yaaa misss uuu

user1 omg she's glowing i love

user2 the california look is a REALLY good look on her wow

user3 ugh i'm so happy her and will are in the same state again i missed not seeing them together all the time

tyler___duke5 okay cali!

| samyhughes yupppp i'm a cali girl now

tj_hughes13 lowk jealous wait

| samyhughes you could come visit?

user4 AW the ones of her and will are soo cutie

user5 i js knowww will makes sure she sits front row every game now

rutgermcgroarty wow! you're from california now?

| samyhughes yup i am now u have a reason to visit bc kay's from here too

zeevbuium28 sooo we can hang out more now bc we're all on the same coast again 😁

| samyhughes YES welcome to the canucks!

lhughes_06 this is goated

| samyhughes wow! you're complimenting me for once 😊

| lhughes_06 don't ruin it

jackhughes proud of u pop!

| samyhughes can u get me a ticket to the olympics??

| jackhughes maybe

edwards.73 i'm emo she's all grown up now

| samyhughes ugh don't remind me 😖

markestapa i swear you were like 15 yesterday...

| samyhughes i swear i grew up

user6 i needdddd the bc hockey boys to now come to cali so we can have a reunion

user7 this makes me so maternal i feel like i've grown up with them and now samy's a pro soccer player like wow

user8 i need to know how jim and ellen did it bc wdym they made 4 pro athletes???

emmagcooper SO CUTE!!!!! so happy for u

| samyhughes UGH I MISS U

julianne_gelinas PRETTYY WOWOW you're so cali now

| samyhughes pls come see me i miss u

drewf2 this is good smitty pic 😌

| samyhughes omg ikr i was rlly proud of that one

aram_minnetian DAMN y'all living that high life i luv to see it

| samyhughes why r u commenting like that 😭

| aram_minnetian bc i want to?

jacob_fowler24 big things from the legend herself

| samyhughes i'm glad you think of me as a legend how sweet

_willvote you guys should just move in together atp

| samyhughes hey that's the plan!

user9 YAY updates from them! i was thinking about them the other day when i haven't seen many updates

user10 need to know if samy babied will while his shoulder was injured

user11 THE FIRST PIC AWW they're so baby with each other i love

teddystiga_ bro come back to the east coast

| samyhughes tempting

mackcelebrini HEY I MADE IT!

| samyhughes where there's will there's always mack

beckettesennecke_ sooo meet up when??

| samyhughes omw to LA

samanthaminnetian this is so cutie samy im glad ur loving it!

| samyhughes best time ever come see me

danielle_minnetian thriving!!!

| samyhughes YUPP

blairestevenson yay cali!!!

| samyhughes WOOOO!!!

jameshagens_4 so how'd that shoulder injury feel smitty??

| _willsmith2 great

_quinnhughes michigan native forever tho

| samyhughes MHMM

_willsmith2 love you long time ❤️

_willsmith2 spending time with you has been so fun!

| samyhughes i love spending time with you and i love you!

| samyhughes roomies soon?

| _willsmith2 is that even a question?

_willsmith2 comeback season 🤝

view all comments

ryan.leno_4 not a cripple anymore!

| _willsmith2 alright

gabeperreault44 samy posted 2 of u and u only posted 1 of her..damn

| _willsmith2 bro

| samyhughes u tell him gabe!

drewf2 dudeeeee you're so goated

| _willsmith2 dudeee i know miss u fort

_willvote but why are you walking 10 steps behind samy???

| _willsmith2 i promise i wasn't that far behind her this was in .5 😭

user1 i don't think i've ever not seen will not post samy

user2 my babies in cali together 🥹

user3 so glad to see u back on the ice 🙌🏼

user4 i love this and them

aram_minnetian what did u do while u were injured?

| _willsmith2 laid around tbh

jacob_fowler24 good to see you back out there!

| _willsmith2 hey thanks fowler!

zeevbuium28 can't knock em down that easily

| _willsmith2 no sir

tyler___duke5 good stuff smitty congrats on the good game back

| _willsmith2 thanks duker appreciate it man

hannahduke samy mention

| _willsmith2 i always mention her

emmagcooper need more samy tbh

| samyhughes i agree

| _willsmith2 did gabe tell you to comment that??

| gabeperreault44 no.

rutgermcgroarty dudeeee you're so goated glad to see you back

| _willsmith2 glad to be back man 🤝

mackcelebrini HEY i got featured TWICE!

| samyhughes don't rub it in 😐

| mackcelebrini i wasn't

lhughes_06 can't stop em can they? 👏

| _willsmith2 they can never stop me

user5 so glad he's back ugh

user6 that pic of samy is sooo cutie i love

user7 samy def took 1 and 3 😌

user8 ugh they're so cute

julianne_gelinas confirmed: will hates samy he didn't post her enough

| samyhughes exactly

| _willsmith2 stoppp ur gonna get me cancelled or something 😭

blairestevenson justice for samy

| _willsmith2 alright

eklund_72 sooo goodddd kibble

| _willsmith2 good to see u on the ice again

zeevbuium28 my g love u man excited to play u

| _willsmith2 canucks!

teddystiga_ baby is back

| _willsmith2 baby is back ur right

jameshagens_4 cripple no more!

| _willsmith2 u know it 🙌🏼

tofff73 welcome back!

| _willsmith2 i'm backkkkk

samyhughes and i didn' t even get photo credits 😖

samyhughes it's okay i still love you glad i don't have to baby you anymore

| _willsmith2 bro 😭

"i mean you have before," she finally found his gaze, smiling with a hint of something else behind her expression. the boy's entire face pinked, "you say that like you hate it." 

"it depends on what you're sweating from," the soccer player shrugged, observing the way will nervously breathed out as he studied her face. she loved knowing that she could still affect him like that. "you smell good. did you use my body wash?" her nose filled with rose and vanilla. 

"i forgot my body wash, so i've been using yours," will explained. 

"i was wondering why my bed smelled more fresh recently," apparently, samy was in a teasing mood. the blonde gently shoved her, rolling his eyes. "did i do something to you? you're being extra mean to me." 

"i'm not being mean. i'm sorry. just teasing you," the youngest hughes giggled, pinching will's chin between her fingers and bringing his lips to hers so she could kiss him. 

they melted into one another as their lips molded together. when they were at the lake house, it was rare that they could find time alone together without someone interrupting or chirping at them for their affection so the kiss they shared was the first real one they got in almost days. 

it was obvious too because neither of them could pull away. 

samy needed air first, so she broke their kiss, smiling at the way will chased her lips before gently pulling back too. "how was ice time? what'd you guys do?" she wondered, watching the hockey player collapse into the couch adjacent from her chair. 

"it was good. fun. we just kind of did whatever. i'm kind of stiff though. my back felt so tense after," he stretched around in the cushions, his muscles still tight even after the shower. 

"getting old already?" the brunette grinned. 

"shut up." 

the girl got up. leaving her book in her seat as she joined will on the couch. "want me to massage it?" 

"if you want," will pulled his shirt off, his skin glowing in the sunlight. 

anytime samy saw her boyfriend without his shirt, she wanted to devour him whole. she swore each season grew will's muscles bigger than before. he filled out shirts that used to be a bit too big, especially in the arms and the back whenever he crossed his arms or flexed and the material was literally skin tight against his biceps. or when he was lifting something and samy watched, she saw the way his back muscles flexed and stuck out. 

now with his shirt off, she had a clear view of everything—his broad shoulders and rigid lines that marked how hard he'd been working on and off the ice. she knew if he turned around she'd also be able to see his hard chest and defined abs that he spent years sculpting and perfecting. 

everything about will made samy's heart pound. 

"you gonna massage me or keep checking me out back there?" now it was his turn to tease her. samy blushed in embarrassment. "not my fault i have something to stare at," she quipped back, moving her hands up to his shoulders to start. 

samy wasn't an expert in massages, but she'd done it enough to know what will liked and how to ease the tension away. she started gentle, her fingers digging into where his shoulders rounded while her thumbs rubbed just above the blade. 

a soft, relief-filled groan escaped will's lips almost immediately. samy smiled. 

"fuck. that feels good," he muttered, dropping his head when she pressed her fingers in harder. 

"damn, you are kind of tight. you been sleeping okay?" she could feel the tension in his muscles, especially when she started moving down his back. will leaned forward so she had better access. 

"as far as i know, yeah. i dunno, my back gets tight and achy occasionally."

"do you think it's from when you hurt yourself still earlier in the season?" samy knew her boyfriend still felt the affects from when he got knocked into the boards and sometimes he needed to go back to physical therapy for it. 

"maybe. that wrecked me in all kinds of ways," she heard the deflated tone in his voice. it was one of the reasons will was so hard on himself during the second half of the season because it felt like he just got so behind on his progress. 

"hey. you bounced back really well and taking the off season to heal and rehab even more means you'll come back even stronger next season," samy assured, deciding to press a little kiss into his shoulder blade. the blonde twitched at the feeling of her lips on his skin, gently smiling. 

"i know, i know. i just feel like i could've been so much better if that didn't happen or like..i was paying more attention. i couldn't even play all of january and it felt like everyone was progressing but i wasn't," he vented a little. anytime he opened up, samy took as much as she could because it was hard to get it out of him in the first place. 

"i know it was hard. it's still so early though. it's only your second year on this team. there's so much ahead of you. this will be your year, i know it," she kissed his other shoulder blade. 

"i guess i just...people compare me to mack all the time and as much as i love him, it kind of hurts when people can't see me for someone outside of him..or anyone else on the team. he's our star of the team, but he's not just doing it all by himself. we're the ones who get him the goals and pass him the puck. i don't know how to explain it," will breathed out a soft sigh, groaning again when samy hit a particularly good spot on his back. 

she kissed that place too. "i get it. comparison is..killer. i'm not gonna say don't compare yourself to him because i need to take my own advice, but you're good will. great, even. don't let fans who hardly know anything try to tell you otherwise." 

the hockey player shifted, pausing samy's massage as he turned to face her. he sported a soft smile on his lips, clutching his girlfriend's hands in his own. "i love you. thanks for always believing in me." 

"of course. i love you," she smiled sweetly. 

even though he was the one with the shirt off, will couldn't help but check out his girlfriend too. he ran his hand up her leg, stopping at her thigh where her little sleep shorts cut off. he gently squeezed the flesh between his fingers, eyes floating up her torso and across one of his old boston college t-shirts that she liked to wear to bed. samy could be wearing anything and will would still find her insanely attractive. 

"now look who's staring," the brunette muttered, watching her boyfriend drink her in. 

"can't help that you look so beautiful," he replied, lips on hers in seconds again. 

the tension in will's back eased the longer he kissed and felt her lips against his own. everything in his brain turned into nothing but mush and thoughts of samy. he used his strength to easily lift her into his lap, her little giggle fueling him on. 

"you know we probably shouldn't be doing this when anyone could walk out," samy said in the beat of space when they pulled away. 

"are you saying we're starting something?" the boy smirked. 

"i don't know, are we?" she teased back. 

will's heart leapt, feeling himself harden at the mere idea. 

3 years and all it took was some light teasing and a bit of kissing to still rile will up. samy prided herself knowing she never had to do much to turn her boyfriend on. 

"i mean my shirt is already off," he shrugged lightly. 

"you wanted the massage." 

"you offered in the first place." 

the couple shared a laugh, their noses brushing together when their heads leaned forward. the boy's blue eyes stared into hers while her fingers twisted together the curls on the back of his head. 

"if we go inside, we're definitely gonna get stopped and pulled apart by everyone who wants our attention," samy hummed. she loved their friends, but when they were all together like this it was impossible to not have one of them needing the other for something. 

"so..we don't go inside?" will said like it was obvious. 

"and where are we gonna go then?" 

"i have my keys in my pocket." 

samy didn't even realize he did until she pressed her leg against his thigh and felt the hard outline of the key fob. "why do you even have them in your pocket?" she laughed. 

"well i did come out here to ask if you wanted to just go somewhere with me to begin with because i haven't had much alone time with you since we got here," the sharks player explained. samy blushed. 

"oh really?" 

"hey, god forbid a guy misses his girlfriend and barely gets time alone with her because of the twenty other people in the house with us," he rolled his eyes which made samy laugh again. 

"okay, okay. they're gonna know what we were up to though," she shifted off his lap, flushing when she noticed his half hard bulge hiding in his sweatpants. oh how she couldn't wait to be alone with him. 

"again, god forbid a guy misses his girlfriend and wants to spend some alone time with her," will pulled his shirt back on. 

when he stood up, he pressed another kiss to her lips, just wanting to feel them again before they snuck around the house to the cars in the driveway. "is anyone gonna be blocking you in?" samy wondered when he took her hand and pulled her off the porch. 

"no because we took my car this morning and i made ryan pull in before i did. i thought this through," samy realized he really did think all of this through. she wondered how long he was thinking about doing this for. 

will's gray bronco was the last car in the long row. him and samy were giggling as they climbed in and didn't even think twice as they rolled out of the driveway and onto the road. 

"do you have the location in mind too?" she wondered, loving the way he reached over to hold her hand. "maybe. you'll see." 

no one in the house even realized will and samy snuck away until hannah went looking for the brunette. she wandered onto the porch, eyes sweeping over the furniture like maybe samy was hiding or sleeping somewhere. she didn't see anything but the girl's book left on the table. 

"find her?" ryan wondered, coming onto the porch too. 

"nope, just her book," hannah said. 

"weird. couldn't find will either." 

he tried not thinking about it though because the team was counting on him this year after being considered one of the top players last year and even playing up with the old u18s occasionally. he needed to be playing his best for the whole year.

of course the pressure was tenfold.

samy was the only person who'd talk him through the overwhelming pressure—more like the only person he'd let see him like that.

samy. where did he even start with her? he felt the change in their relationship fast and the change in his feelings towards her. all of it was slowly becoming a confusing mess in his head.

being in michigan year-round got him a lot closer to her than they ever were when they were kids during the summers and holidays. it was mutual and somewhat unspoken how they started showing one for one another as the first year progressed. she'd go to his games. he'd got to hers. even the guys started loving soccer because he dragged them to the games so much. group hangouts began individual hangouts on the weekdays after practices doing the most mundane activities like homework or just talking. the guys teased him so much about it. he never heard the end of it whenever he got in his car and drove the 15 minutes to canton.

she was becoming the person he always went to with any problem or thought. it wasn't like when they were angsty, awkward, and mean preteens to each other anymore. will wanted to be around her all the time and he was pretty sure samy shared the same feelings.

she was his rock—a sturdy, and constant place for him to land. he was her rock.

the feelings swelled fast and it scared will so much.

they had their bubble of just them and he loved that. ruining that was not in the cards.

the more things changed though and the older they got, the more their bubble tried bursting.

will got his first taste of that a month before the new hockey season started.

mid-july was so hot in michigan, it wasn't even enjoyable anymore. june was warm, but it was manageable. july just made everyone feel sluggish, especially when the humidity rose. the group was crowded in the coldest part of the lake house: the basement. fans were still going, but at least it wasn't as warm as it was upstairs. a movie was playing, but no one was really paying much attention to it.

"guys, i'm bored," marcie complained, her head rolling against the couch. aram scoffed, "well it's too damn hot to do anything else." others murmured in agreement.

marcie groaned again. she was growing tired of her tiktoks and needed something else to do. she tried searching the room for somr type of board game or something that was low effort. "come on, sam. you gotta have some board games laying around or something," samy perked her head up. she was on the floor with her back against the chair will was sitting in above her.

"uh..we might have cards against humanity?"

"boring. we've played that so much that the cards aren't funny anymore," ryan quickly cut in. he was right. they beat the game to the ground all last month.

the brunette reached forward to open up the tv stand cupboard. she searched for something else that might've been laying around. "i have for the girls? i also have we're not really strangers, but that one's kind of deep. i don't know if we fit the vibe," samy giggled a little.

"i'd play for the girls," aram spoke and everyone else agreed so samy got it out.

they crowded in around the coffee table without getting too close to one another that their sweat would mix together. "rules are simple. we just take turns picking a card. each color means something different. it's like truth or dare, never have i ever, rapid fire, best of the best, who's most likely to. we roll the die to figure out which card we're picking and you have to do whatever the card says. whoever gets 25 cards first wins," the youngest hughes explained the rules and how it worked.

"seems simple," drew hummed.

"some questions are really personal so if you don't wanna answer or do it, we like to pass to the next person until whoever does it," marcie added.

"whoever has the most instagram followers goes first," gabe read the instruction page. everyone pulled their phones out to check, "it's definitely gonna be hughes or smitty," ryan teased.

samy and will exchanged a sideways glance. there was a soft smile on samy's lips that zapped through the boy. he'd been feeling a lot of those zaps ever since him and samy had to do that 7 minutes in heaven back in april. she peaked over his shoulder, "21k," samy read for him.

"holy hell how do you have so many?" aram asked in disbelief.

"samy has 27k. she wins," marcie read samy's over her shoulder. the girl flushed when the guys reacted with even more surprise. "where are you guys getting all of these followers from? save some for the rest of us," aram muttered.

"she's a nepo sister and he's a pretty white boy with fluffy hair. what do you expect?" marcie teased before passing the die to samy.

the girl rolled and they watched the die land on purple. that was the never have i ever one. she picked up a purple card, eyes scanning the words before she read them. "never have i ever sexted someone.." her cheeks immediately flushed.

"wow, starting strong," drew muttered.

"uh..yes," she immediately slid the die to will. she didn't meet his gaze while the others murmured something about her response. she didn't give them the benefit of adding anymore details.

will felt a little pinch in his chest, swallowing nervously thinking about the idea of samy sending some guy nudes and lewd texts. he rolled pink. truth or dare. he grabbed the first one in the pile and read the question, "truth; have you ever liked the same person as your friend?"

no. will immediately thought, but his gaze briefly flickered to guys. he didn't like samy..or..maybe he did, but for a second, the thought about any of the other guys having a secret crush on her filled his mind. he din't really blame them because look at her but also something possessive filled his system and he wanted samy to only be his.

"no," will said though.

he ignored the way ryan teasingly wiggled his eyebrows beside him. the brunette rolled next. he got the blue/turquoise which was the who's most likely to. everyone watched him take the card and when he read it, something in ryan's expression shifted. he briefly glanced at samy across the table like he was debating something.

"maybe i shouldn't read this one out loud. for you though," he slid her the card face down. everyone else knitted their eyebrows together in confusion. the hockey player just shrugged and tried rubbing the smirk off his lips from whatever the card said.

samy flipped it over though and marcie was instantly leaning in to read over her shoulder. she audibly gasped which grabbed the other guys' attention. "what does it say??" drew sat up more.

even will tried to crane his neck. samy's entire face was a light shade of red though.

"ryan.." samy warned.

"hey, i'm not the one who altered the card. whoever was playing this must've wanted to add in their own make your own card. who else am i gonna give it to anyway?" the boy hummed in amusement.

the others still didn't know what the card said. marcie hit her friend on the arm, "you've had sex?!"

will's gaze snapped up to samy. "woah. sex?!" aram exclaimed.

"okay, okay. it wasn't even like anything super special. it was..just with some guy," samy shrugged casually. she finally set the card down so the others could see what it had been altered to.

it was very clearly scribbled out with a sharpie marker and below the old words were new written-in ones. who's most likely to hook up with a hockey player? will stared at the card and samy blankly.

"okay wait, details please. and why does lean know already?" gabe urged.

"it was just..it happened like close to the end of the past hockey season. one of the guys from merrimack. we'd been talking and one thing led to another," samy was all too casual about this.

"let's just say i accidentally walked too far down the hallway at the rink one time," ryan shrugged as well.

everyone's eyes widened. there was a sharp, pointed pinch in will's chest. was it jealousy? hurt? anger? how could samy not tell him about this? they were close enough to talk about stuff like that.

"holy shit. a guy from merrimack? and lean caught you?" aram exclaimed. samy quickly shushed him before her parents or brothers heard them. "it was an accident. he wanted to meet up after the game and so we did. that was that."

"why did you not tell me?? i can't believe you're not a virgin anymore!" marcie cheered more happily. the soccer player's face flushed a deep shade of pink.

"oh my god. woah. you guys used protection right?" gabe raised his eyebrow, his protectiveness coming out. "yes. promise."

"well, shit. that makes now two less virgins in the group," aram grinned and nudged ryan's side. the boy pushed him off.

will hadn't said a word since the revelation. he actually didn't know what to say. he knew sex was something that happened at their age, but it never dawned on him that samy, his best friend, would be doing it this soon too. hearing that she sexted before was one thing, but sex? that pinching feeling in his chest grew stronger.

that change he'd been feeling was happening. that bubble him and samy closed themselves in started feeling weak. reality crashed in. it wouldn't just be him and her forever. things like sex with other people was threatening to burst it. and maybe he desperately wanted to be the one she gave herself to.

this was only the tipping point of all this change and it got exponentially worse when samy drunk kissed will again at marcie's senior kickoff party but proceeded to get a new boyfriend only a few days after.

god, that hurt will so bad.

he wasn't supposed to be having these feelings though. samy was his best friend. if he ruined that, he'd never forgive himself.

and when the worst couldn't get worse, it did.

one of the first games against the season was against merrimack. samy never gave much further detail about the guy she got with, so will couldn't help but wonder if he was on the team still. when he found her in the stands wearing one of his shirts with his name and number, she didn't look too bothered. she was sitting with marcie and hannah, the three of them talking about something and laughing. will couldn't help his smile watching her look so carefree with his name on her back.

her curls were down instead of tucked away by a hat or a ponytail. will liked how she was starting to embrace them more after saying her whole life how she hated them because they were so hard to manage. her and luke were the only ones that got the curly hair gene too.

the dev boys were up by 2 points by the end of the 1st period. will was riding a high after assisting with the 1st goal. samy waved to him when he passed her section making a sense of pride swell in his chest.

things hit the fan in the 2nd period.

one of the boys skated at him in full force, practically pushing will into the boards when he was with the puck. the blonde rattled against them, losing his balance as he fell. he heard some of the crowd gasp, but he got up. it didn't even really hurt, but his gaze followed the guy who just did that. he looked back briefly and his expression was unreadable.

gabe and drew skated over to make sure will was okay. when he brushed them off the refs resumed the game.

will chased the guy down. they fought for the puck, trying to pass within their lines but it was chaos with everyone trying to crowd in on them. the blonde shoved a little, sending the guy flying off to the side and opened the opportunity for the puck.

that clearly pissed the guy off because he fought back even harder.

if will wasn't listening, he would've missed it. the merrimack guy skated past him, mouth opening and words escaping his lips fast. "i'm sure i fucked her better than you have."

what the hell did that mean? will didn't get it until it clicked all at once. it was the guy samy hooked up with last season. it had to be. he must've seen how will and samy were interacting before the game and assumed stuff based on the shirt she wore with will's name on the back.

the anger bubbled faster than the blonde could stop it. he lurched forward and shoved the guy so hard he stumbled back.

everything spiraled from there.

a sharp ache pierced through will's face in seconds. someone's arms were on him trying to pull him back. he saw a ref or two in the mix, but all will wanted to do was punch the guy for saying something like that about samy. whoever was trying to hold him back wasn't doing a good job because will got a nasty punch in too.

the crowd erupted in confusion and hollers that was either trying to encourage or discourage the fighting.

"will!" someone's voice finally snapped him from the daze.

the boy drew back, panting and out of breath. he finally realized what happened and the way the merrimack player was bleeding from his nose. will touched his own face, something warm smearing his fingers. when he looked down he also saw blood.

"off the ice," the ref pushed will away.

he recognized the voice was ryan's. he led will back to the bench and into the locker room to treat his bloody nose. on the way, he passed where samy and the girls were sitting. her expression was unreadable and every single form of regret filled the boy's system that he just punched someone in front of her.

they got him onto the bench in the locker room. the athletic trainer was already checking him out, but ryan hadn't left yet. gabe appeared too. "dude. what the hell was that? you never fight," ryan said pointedly.

"yeah, smitty, what was that out there? you've never looked so angry before?" gabe questioned.

will's jaw clenched. "he was trying to get some rise out of me. i don't know."

"what'd he say?" ryan grew more confused.

"he said, i'm sure i fucked her better than you have," will finally explained.

it took a second for the other two to put the pieces together, but when they did, their mouths dropped open. "wait, woah. that was the guy samy hooked up with last season?"

"mhm. got some impression samy and i were together or something, said that. i punched him. i'm not letting some guy talk about her in that way. he fucking deserved it."

"dude..check that jealousy," ryan said.

will's eyes shot to his friend, "what?"

"oh come on, i know you. you like her. it's so obvious," the brunette couldn't help his laugh.

"i-i don't. no. stop. i stuck up for her because i'd always defend her no matter what. even if it costs me a game," will said, voice softening the tiniest.

as if he summoned her, samy appeared in the doorway of the locker room seconds later. she glanced between the three and the athletic trainer who hadn't said anything since she started helping will's bloody nose.

"holy shit, will," samy muttered, moving closer to sit with him on the bench.

"hi," will managed weakly because he didn't know what else to say.

"what the fuck happened out there? why did you just fight him like that?" samy pushed her questions.

will didn't wanna answer. samy looked at ryan and gabe who quickly shrugged. even though they thought their friend was being stupid, they weren't gonna rat on him. "will, look at me. you're literally bleeding."

he found her gaze. her soft brown eyes looked extra sweet today. he hated how distressed they looked right now because of him.

"it was nothing, okay? just some shit on the ice. you know," will avoided it completely, hoping samy would drop it.

"you punched someone. that's not nothing. just tell me what he said." she wouldn't drop it though. samy was way too insistent and stubborn to drop anything like this.

she also cared about will and wanted to know why on earth he got into a fight on the ice when he's never been a fighter like that.

will shook his head though. he was swearing himself to secrecy and just wished they'd move on and drop it all together. he couldn't tell if samy was angry at him or not—or scared. god, he hoped she wasn't scared of him now.

he felt their bubble getting more weak. even now, samy felt distant, like something he couldn't quite reach. she'd always be in a smaller, more secluded bubble that he wouldn't be let into it.

will hated change like this. he wanted to make this last forever, not think about the impending doom that he was 99% sure he was in love with his best friend who didn't reciprocate anything back. 

that didn't make anything better, if anything worse.

the youngest hughes grinned and then started adding tape to the other streamers so will could get them up. they worked in comfortable silence like an assembly line and will would just hold his arm out when he was ready for the next streamer. since she was captain, samy was hosting the state championship party after their big win last weekend which now made the girls team a 3-peat. it was the seniors' third straight title since their first win back in sophomore year—so many of them were planning on going extra hard to celebrate the end of such a good season and high school career. samy was also a perfectionist, so she wanted everything to look perfect.

"i can't believe you guys are 3 time state champions," will hummed, breaking their silence. he glanced down at her tapping the next streamer.

her hair caught in the light which made it look extra bright and soft. the hockey player found it hard to tear his eyes away. when she met his glance, will's heart thumped against his chest and he finally flicked his eyes to something else.

"it's actually crazy because the first time still feels like it was yesterday. i can't believe i'm graduating and it's gonna be over," samy reached up to give him the streamer.

she watched how his back muscles flexed through his shirt and now she couldn't tear her eyes away. will had always been fit because of hockey, but lately she'd been noticing it way more than before. "this part may be over, but i already know you're gonna dominate at umich. you're gonna be a freshman starter," the boy praised and sang quickly flushed.

she shook her head, "don't flatter me. i'll be lucky if i get to play for more than 5 minutes next year. i gotta work my way up."

"sure, but you never know. the coaches see your hard work and at least give yourself some credit, samy. you're one of the top scorers in the state and in the country," while samy tried staying humble and never acknowledged how much she's accomplished, will always made sure she knew. what she's done in the last four years have been way more than any other average high schooler.

the brunette's cheeks pinked, but she tore her gaze away before will could see.

"okay, done. does it look okay?" will asked once he hung the last streamer on the roof. samy grinned, nodding. "yeah, looks perfect. thank you."

he hopped down from the chair and let his eyes follow samy across the porch where she started decorating the rest of it that didn't require his height advantage. another comfortable silence fell between them as he settled against the railing, his gaze lingering when he knew she wasn't looking.

"it's probably stupid to ask, but..how've you been doing since..since the whole stuff with kevin?" will asked carefully and quietly. neither of them talked about kevin anymore after what happened a few weeks ago.

samy's jaw clenched and she froze for a second from where she was on the other side of the porch. will noticed her sudden drop in mood bringing him up and he instantly regretted even asking. all of it was such a weird line to toe still.

"uh, it's been fine. i don't really think about it. i haven't talked to him in school and he avoids me basically," she swallowed the lump in her throat. even though they ended things wanting to stay friends, it was still hard after everything. samy understood his reason for distance, but the guilt of leading him on and him confronting her about her feelings for the boy standing on the porch with her continued to build.

"i'm glad your black eye had cleared up though. it looks a lot better," she briefly met will's gaze over her shoulder. the purple and red had faded into remnants of green and yellow. hopefully by next week or the week after, it'd be completely gone.

"me too. it doesn't really hurt anymore and at least people have stopped asking me about it," will chuckled lightly. samy gave a tight-lipped smile.

he continued watching as she finished her last few decorations, but he could tell she still had something on her mind that she wasn't saying. samy's silence always meant she had something on her mind that was weighing her down.

"hey, you okay?" he finally asked.

she snapped her eyes to his and paused. he could see the way the gears in her brain turned like she was trying to find the right thing to say.

"yeah, sorry. i'm good. i'm glad you're healing and i'm sorry he punched you. i'm just glad it's over and we don't have to deal with that again," the real words the youngest hughes wanted to say weren't coming out of her mouth and this didn't seem like the time to attempt to open up more.

she could deal with liking will and him not reciprocating her feelings if it meant she could keep the friendship they had right now. the blonde didn't fully believe her, but he chose to let it go. "yeah, me too. we'll never have to deal with him again," he offered a soft smile.

when she returned it, will's heart leapt. if only she knew.

being a rebound wasn't what will wanted though. even if kevin was a shitty person, samy still liked him at one point and he knew she was still trying to get over it. but god did he wish she knew about the feelings in his chest.

if they were ever gonna be together, will wanted it to be genuine and mutual and on their own terms. not through drunk kissing in bathrooms or rebounding after a breakup. plus, samy gave no indication that she reciprocated what he felt.

"i'm gonna head back inside to see if ryan and gabe need any help. wanna come?" samy nodded to the door. will smiled and followed her back inside.

he held the door open for her, not missing the blush on her cheeks at the gesture. it made his insides feel all warm and fuzzy.

—

later, the entire senior class was at samy's house. people were scattered everywhere between the porch, the living room, the kitchen, and downstairs in the basement. the music blasted so loud, even outside people could hear it. it was lively and the perfect thing everyone needed before winter break and the start of their last semester next month.

everyone was congratulating the varisty girls for the win and their third title. as samy made her rounds through the house, someone was always stopping her to either hug her or dap her up.

she was smiling wide when she made it back to the porch. ryan and will were out there too and she instantly caught their gaze. her entire face lit up seeing them as she pushed her way through some other people to get to them.

that feeling from before returned to will's chest. he loved seeing her so happy and so unburdened by everything for a few hours—the hockey boys offered to help monitor the party so it didn't all fall on samy and she could enjoy herself a little bit.

"hi, you two having fun?" the brunette wondered when she got to them.

"we're having a blast. this is honestly one of the best parties i've been to. are you having fun?" ryan looked at the girl. she nodded, holding up her cup of whatever.

"i am. i honestly didn't think i'd be able to pull this off, but people are enjoying themselves," samy looked out across the small crowd of people on the porch with them.

"you definitely pulled it off. no one can house party like you and marcie can," the taller brunette teased.

"oh please. this is nothing," she was giggly. whenever she got a little tipsy, she got more giggly. a soft smile crossed will's lips as he threw his arm over her shoulder for a moment. "should we make you a plaque naming off all your accomplishments?" he hummed.

"guys, stop. there's no need to flatter. it was a team effort to put all of this together."

"i'm really gonna miss being in the stands watching you play every game. it's not gonna be the same through the computer screen," ryan started getting sentimental which was rare for someone like him.

"i guess that means you better be booking your tickets to michigan every weekend. i'm really excited for college, but i am really gonna miss this. miss you guys. miss having you so close. it's not gonna be the same," samy mumbled.

"hey, we still have so much time. don't be missing us yet," ryan quickly said. will squeezed her arm and when she looked up at him, he almost did something so stupid.

it was the way her eyes sparkled and the soft grin on her features that had him melting, especially being tucked into his side like she belonged there.

the line they kept walking was getting more dangerous everyday.

luckily, will was saved from doing something stupid when the front door swung open. the three saw lauren scanning the crowd definitely looking for samy. when she spotted her, she ran over.

"sam, we're doing another shot and you are leading it," lauren said it like a statement and was whisking the soccer player away before she could even protest.

ryan and will shared a laugh, watching the door close again and samy disappearing inside.

will took another sip of his drink he'd been nursing all night. "if i were you, i'd ask her out before someone else does again," ryan said unexpectedly.

the blonde's gaze snapped to his, "what?"

"you're so blind, smitty," ryan laughed.

"shut up. she doesn't like me like that. plus, i'm not some rebound."

"i don't think you were ever the rebound," will didn't get what ryan meant and he didn't have time to ask because aram and fowler came out asking if they wanted to do shots.

ryan agreed, but will declined knowing samy wanted someone staying on the porch. the three boys went back inside and will was left to mull over what ryan meant.

he didn't see much of samy the rest of the night either, too busy with saying hi to people and taking shots with her soccer teammates. he was glad she was enjoying herself though because she deserved it after the long season.

will may have not gotten what ryan was poking him about or the obvious to everyone else glances him and samy shared, but the ring camera by the front door definitely did.

it caught everything that was never said.

TWO (will loses one of the biggest games that could seed them into the divisional finals)

will stormed outside and samy didn't hesitate getting to her feet to follow after him while the others grew into a tension-filled silence. they were trying to relax and ease off the loss that they just had at the rink, but will's mind was going crazy ever since watching the other team net the puck in the last 30 seconds that pushed them into the winning lead. he felt so stupid for letting the opposing team's offense even get through him to make it to the goal, but they played rough and almost every u.s. dev player went into the boards at one point or another.

the screen door slammed and for a second samy stopped. she watched will mumble things under his breath and basically collapse into the stairs with his head in his arms. she frowned, hating how he always got so hard on himself after losses like this.

she was super critical of herself too though. it was their matching fatal flaw.

samy wasn't scared though. she knew how his brain worked and exactly what he needed to here to feel better. she pushed the door open and carefully approached her friend. she didn't say anything as she joined him on the step and gently placed her hand on his back in hopes that it would help bring him back to earth.

"i'm so fucking stupid," will mumbled, shaking his head. he didn't push her away though meaning he wanted her presence there.

"so fucking stupid. we had them! we had them for so long and then they just..and then the ref doesn't call it when duker is thrown into the boards twice..and then the other team fucking smirks at us like they know all and i just..i fucking wanted to punch them," samy didn't talk. she just sat beside him rubbing his back and listening to him vent it all out.

if there was one thing she learned about hockey players after a bad loss, it was that they really just needed someone to listen to about the bad plays and the bad calls. will, especially. with how much he had weighing him down recently, she knew how much he needed someone to just listen and not give feedback.

"i mean i'm the one the team looks to because i'm one of the best and then look what i go and do. so close to the divisional finals and nationals...fuck."

his hands slid into his curls, tugging harshly at the roots like he was trying to put the pain elsewhere. samy frowned, reaching up to lead his hands away from his hair.

"hey, i'm right here. i'm right here, will," she hummed and her soothing voice did pull him from his swimming thoughts. he looked up, meeting her warm gaze.

"i'm sorry. i just feel so..stupid."

"you're not stupid, will. you played your best and that's what matters. you have one more game that can determine your seed for the divisional finals," samy reassured but the blonde shook his head.

"this far into the season though? i'm supposed to be the top dog and here i am making stupid mistakes a u17 would make," the frustration dripped from his tone. "yeah, but everyone makes mistakes. don't forget that. you've been playing nonstop games this month, so of course you're gonna get burnt out more quickly. you guys are still ranked top in u18 teams. you're gonna get a seed, i promise," samy squeezed his shoulder.

"yeah, but i shouldn't be making mistakes like i did tonight. i've been doing this for how long now and i can't even block advances from a team and let them push me around? it's pathetic."

"it's not pathetic, will. i still think you did your best with what you had and could do," the soccer player nodded and will met her gaze again. "yeah, but—"

"stop with the but's. you're a good player. you're one of the best i know even. one mistake doesn't mean you're horrible," she cut him off and will finally shut his mouth. he watched her for a second and she never broke eye contact until will looked away first. "one of the best you know?" he couldn't help the tiny blush that crossed his features.

"yes, you are one of the best hockey players i know. you're going to boston college for hockey. their program is insane and you're a legacy. don't let this one loss make you stop believing that," samy spoke so softly to him and will could've melted right there. her hand was still in his hair, so he leaned a bit further into her touch and finally breathed out to get rid of the anger in his system.

"sorry i was being such a bitch," the boy said and samy shook her head. she removed her hand from his hair and scooted closer so she could rest her head on his shoulder. he tried to ignore his heart hammering against his chest and hoped that samy couldn't hear it either. he pressed his cheek into her hair, breathing her perfume in.

"it's okay. you were frustrated and that's understandable. you're allowed to be mad, but just remember that one bad game isn't a bad career."

will knew she was right. he was still good. tonight was just bad, but tomorrow was a new day and he could pretend like their loss didn't happen. samy always saw the good in him and he loved that.

"i took my calculus exam today. i really don't think i did well, so it will be a miracle if i do," the girl shifted the subject and started talking about her day. she knew just getting will's mind off hockey helped ease his frustration.

"i'm sure you did great. you're like crazy smart and i couldn't even do those problems you were doing the other day," the boy laughed.

"thanks. in ap chem, marcie and i had to redo our entire lab because we did the titrations wrong. we were literally stuck there for 30 minutes longer than everyone else."

"how does that even happen?" will raised his eyebrow. "uh, i don't know. we counted wrong? some stupid shit like that," they shared a laugh.

will really liked when samy told him mundane things about her day from school. it made him feel like he was in school with her since him and the guys didn't get the normal high school experience because of hockey and all of the traveling they did.

"sometimes i'm jealous of you getting to be in high school while i just do online school," will mumbled.

"don't be jealous. it's really not all that," samy shook her head. she loved high school and her friends, but having to wake up at 7 everyday and then being awake into late hours of the night doing homework was not worth it.

"feeling any better?" samy removed herself from will's side to look at him. he tried to to seen too disappointed at the distance between them. "yeah, i am. thank you."

she ruffled his hair, "you know you can always talk to me. i'm always here for you."

the blonde smiled. "5 years ago, you would have never said that to me."

that earned him a playful eye roll.

"alright, alright. ready to go inside?" samy pinched his arm. as much as will wanted more time alone with her, he agreed. she helped pull him up and he wrapped her into his side as they started for the door.

the ring camera caught their little moment like it always did, always watching and catching the things that went unnoticed.

THREE (samy's senior dinner party)

will followed luke onto the porch until he realized he didn't hear samy's footsteps behind him anymore. he paused, glancing over his shoulder and finding the brunette lingering on the bottom step looking like the world was about to come crashing down on her.

"hey, i'll catch you guys inside," he called to luke before turning on his heel to go back for her. he shuffled down the stairs where he finally met samy's sad gaze. "hi, you okay?" he softened his voice.

"like no," the girl mumbled before sinking onto the step. will quickly followed, his hand going to her back and getting flashbacks to a few weeks ago when she was comforting him. the tears bubbled faster than samy could stop them.

"hey, i'm right here. what's going on?" the boy tried, keeping his tone gentle.

they'd just gotten back from samy's senior dinner party where family got invited to watch the seniors accept academic and athletic awards. it was the last bits of high school before she graduated next week and it was taking a bigger toll on the girl than she expected.

"everything's gonna change after next week," her voice came out small and shaky. will's seen her cry plenty of times, but it's been awhile since he heard her sound so vulnerable and unsure of herself. he frowned, "i know it's scary, but it's gonna be good change. we're going to college. we get to play with the big leagues. you'll still be close to home."

"no, no it's not that. it's like everything, will. luke's going to jersey for real. marcie's going to oregon. you all are going to boston. i-i'm the only one not leaving and everything is gonna change," samy vented it all out. will finally realized what she was trying to say.

he collected her into his arms, pulling her into his side and not caring that she cried into his arm and dampened his sleeve. "you're not gonna be alone though. you'll have hannah and tyler. plus, i'm sure you're gonna meet so many awesome people in college too."

she was way better at talking him down than he was to her, but he was trying his best. "none of my brothers will be here anymore though. you won't be here. gabe or ryan won't be. aram, vote, fowler, and drew. i always had one of my brothers around and then when i didn't have them and they started growing up, i had you. i met your friends and i had them. now, i don't have any of that. everyone's leaving," will knew everyone leaving michigan was looming over their heads and it had been a sore topic the closer it got, but he didn't know just how much it'd been on samy's mind like this.

he squeezed her tighter. "hey, you're always going to have me, okay? just because we're gonna be in different states again doesn't mean you don't have me. you're always gonna have us, samy. i'm like 99% sure all of the guys will be texting you everyday. it's not gonna go away just because we're leaving."

he heard her sniffle and it broke his heart.

the hockey player gently pulled her from his side so he could see her face. she was stained with tears and puffy eyes, but will still thought she looked beautiful. he carefully swiped his thumb across her cheek. "i'm really nervous for this new chapter in life too, but a little distance isn't gonna change anything. you're my best friend and don't doubt for a second that i won't call you before and after each game or on a random tuesday."

his words pulled a giggle from her lips and will mentally pumped his arm in victory. he knew getting her to laugh was a good sign. "i've always been in my brothers' footsteps and done the things they've done and they've always been here for me to watch me do it. when luke got too busy with school, i had you guys. i'm just scared because i'm about to do this all by myself."

"you know your brothers would pick up your call anytime you needed them. they love you and we love you too," will blushed when the L word left his lips even though it was in a platonic sense. "plus, ryan already wants to get a ticket to your first game at umich, so you're not getting rid of us that easily."

she laughed again, her smile brightening which was exactly what the boy wanted.

"we also have all summer still, so we're not leaving just yet. we have 3 more months to all hang out," the blonde grinned. samy wiped her tears some more and nodded.

"yeah, you're right. you're right. i'm sorry. it just like all hit me sitting at the ceremony and i just realized how different everything is gonna be soon."

"don't apologize, it's crazy overwhelming. i get it. life changes are not easy sometimes. i'm always here for you though. you really can't get rid of me because our families spend like every single holiday together," will grinned. the brunette matched his smile and gently pulled him into a hug.

the two sat out there until luke came looking for them an hour later asking where they'd been. samy was grateful when will didn't drop any details knowing being vulnerable in front of her brothers was hard sometimes for her. instead, the blonde made some funny excuse and chased luke inside to play a round of super smash bros with him.

the girl grinned, heading back inside too. later, she'd watch the ring camera footage again and didn't deny the bright smile on her face seeing the way will comforted her and didn't let her go until he knew she was smiling again.

FOUR (will almost confesses his feelings during a fight)

will followed her onto the porch. the door slammed behind both of them that only worsened the tension cutting through the air. "samy, you asked for my opinion," the boy rushed out.

"that doesn't mean you just straight up say you don't think he's good for me. at least lie!" samy snapped back. she spun on her heel and will stopped in his tracks before he ran into her.

"why the hell would i lie? you wanted the truth. you begged for me to tell you and that's what i think of him. i don't think he's good for you and i don't think he even really likes us."

the soccer player stared at her friend long and hard.

it was just them hanging out when samy got home from school. will had an off day and she invited him over like always to just chill. samy was doing homework when she brought it up.

sure, she did ask for will's opinion because maybe in the back of her mind she did think kevin didn't like the rest of them—but she kind of didn't want to believe it and hearing will say it just riled her up more than she wanted to admit.

her instinct to argue back with him came naturally..a little too naturally. maybe it was because she didn’t wanna admit everything that had been plaguing her mind recently.

“i don’t know what else you want me to say. i said what i said because you asked for it. he never looks like he’s having fun and you never look like you’re having fun either. he says weird shit sometimes and i’m honestly surprised you’re dating someone who says stuff like that,” will continued.

the youngest hughes’ mouth dropped open. her eyebrows furrowed and she resisted every urge to shove will backwards out of anger. “you don’t even know how i feel. you don’t how he feels!”

“why are you picking this fight with me? you asked for my opinion and i told you what i thought. it’s not like i’m telling you to break up with him!”

“well you might as well just say it. i know you want me to,” samy crossed her arms.

“why would i want you to break up with him?” will was so baffled by this conversation.

he had no idea why samy was suddenly getting mad at him for expressing his opinion that she asked for. it wasn’t like he gave it unprompted because there had been plenty of times he wanted to do that but reframed from doing so.

him and kevin had never really seen eye to eye and will didn’t really want to dig into why that was even though he knew deep down.

maybe samy knew deep down too.

maybe they all knew deep down but no one wanted to admit it.

“i don’t know will, why would you?” samy said and the boy stared at her in disbelief.

it was like she wanted him to admit to something—like she needed to hear will say it, confirm the feelings she’s been having, put the blame elsewhere instead of herself because she was feeling the exact same way?

“because i’m your best friend and i don’t want you to be with someone who doesn’t make you happy?” will said instead.

“so you think he doesn’t make me happy? you think you could make me happier?”

the silence was loud after that. will closed his mouth, eyes flicking away from the girl in front of him. samy studied his expression like she was trying to find truth in what she just said—trying to cling for something because then maybe breaking up with kevin wouldn’t hurt so much knowing will felt how she did too.

“i’m not gonna do this with you, okay? i’m not. we already fought about this once. i’m not here to bring up old memories or whatever. we’re just friends so why would it matter if i could make you happier?”

samy watched him walk back inside. the door slammed on his way and she lingered on the edge of the porch processing what just happened.

her cheeks burned in embarrassment.

moments on the ring | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

the 3 times samy’s confused about her feelings and the 1 she isn’t

the 3 times will’s confused about his feelings and the 1 time he isn’t

grace’s big sister advice

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