Chapter Text
"Please act normal, okay? A little less like you." Mack looks at Aiden in frustration. "But I am me."
Aiden just sighs, as if Mack had said something incredibly stupid.
Mack leans back in the passenger seat. Being him is somehow always a problem. Frustrated, he chews on his sleeve. He really tries to be normal but somehow he's always too much.
Too weird. Too annoying. Too much him.
Not even his own brother wants anything to do with him. When they were kids, Aiden was his best friend, but eventually that changed. He spent less and less time with him, became standoffish and cold whenever Mack wanted to play with him and eventually they only talked when necessary.
Mack glances at his older brother out of the corner of his eye. He knows that Aiden hates the fact that he is transferring to boston college and he wants to tell him everything, tell him why he couldn't stay at bu, let him comfort him as if they were kids again.
But they aren't kids anymore, so Mack tries to keep a neutral expression and remains silent. Aiden probably wouldn't care anyway.
"It's best not to talk so much, don't be such an unbearable know-it-all and for god's sake, don't write anyone a stupid feedback essay about their weaknesses in the game."
"But it serves to improve the team and besides they see that I'm engaging with their playing and working on contributing to our success as team.", Mack mumbles.
"No, Macklin, they just see that you're an unbearable nerd who likes to act like a coach."
"But dadda gives me feedback after every game and it really helps me improve." Mack sounds so serious and sincere that Aiden refrains from making a snarky comment.
But then Mack continues. "I've sent the coach a mail if I could film the practices so I could send them to dadda, but he said no. But just getting feedback from dadda for the official games isn't enough, because..."
"You what?" Aiden interrupts sharply.
Mack looks at his brother, surprised by the tone. "Well, dadda always analyzes how I play and..."
Aiden interrupts again. "Dude, Macklin, you can't just ask the coach that! It's so embarrassing and annoying!"
Mack's cheeks flush. "Why? I just want to be good?"
Aiden turns onto campus. "No wonder nobody liked you at bu."
Mack flinches and turns away with a hurt expression. His vision blurs as he stares out the window, trying to suppress his tears.
If Aiden notices, he doesn't let it show. He parks his car next to a blue jeep and gets out.
"Get your stuff out of the trunk. I'm certainly not going to carry it all for you."
Mack follows him, a grumpy expression on his face. "Are our rooms on the same floor?", he asks, struggling with his luggage.
Aiden stands unmoved and watches as the younger boy straps on his gym bag and backpack and then tries to somehow transport his other two bags on top of his suitcase.
"Nope. We're not even in the same dorm."
A bag slips off the suitcase and lands with a dull thud on the asphalt.
"What? Why?" Mack's voice sounds more whiny than he'd like. He knew from the start that Aiden wouldn't be spending time with him all day but he'd hoped to at least have him nearby.
Aiden sighs and picks up the bag. "You couldn't fit any more luggage?" Without waiting for Mack, he marches off. "Also complain to Dad. He picked your dorm."
Mack hurries to catch up with his older brother without losing half his luggage. "What? Which dorm?"
"You're in the dorm on the other side of campus. That's for the rich kids. I'm in the regular one."
Mack stops. "Why? I want to be in the same one as you!" Aiden also stops and turns around. "Probably because you're his favourite." his voice sounds ice cold.
"But that's not true! I—" Mack begins, but Aiden cuts him off. "Shut up, Macklin. We both know you've always been the favorite, but the moment you first stepped on the ice…"
But I'm just a project, Mack wants to say, but he swallows it.
Instead, he blinks frantically to suppress the hot tears that have already welled up in his eyes.
It's not the first time Aiden has accused him of being favored, but it's not even true.
The only thing Rick cares about Mack is his performance on the ice.
At first, Mack's mother, Robyn, tried to convince him not to put so much pressure on Mack.
But eventually she stopped. She started to ignore it when Mack was the only one not allowed to have dessert or a birthday cake because it didn't fit into his diet or when he had to jog for two hours in the morning before school started. Sometimes Mack wonders if she loves him less than his siblings.
Sometimes he wonders if anyone really loves him.
~ 4 months later ~
"Dude, little Celebrini is not quite right in the head," Will growls, plopping down on the locker room bench next to his best friend Leno.
"He actually wrote a three-page essay about my play, where my weaknesses are and how I can compensate for them."
Leno snorts. "Three pages? He wrote me seven pages last week."
"He's acting like he's the coach," Will snarls, crumpling up Mack's essay and throwing it into a corner.
"It's because everyone's treating him like a damn exceptional talent again," Leno says.
Aiden, who overheard the conversation, grimaces in embarrassment. "I told him not to do that."
Will just grunts and takes off his skates. Aiden is one of his best friends and he always feels sorry for Aiden for feeling compelled to justify himself for Macklin's behaviour.
But the younger celebrini is truly a pain in the ass.
Little by little, the remaining players trickle into the locker room.
Mack, as usual, is the last one. "Guys, there's a party at Boldy's tonight," says Cutter. "That's gonna be so cool!"
"But we have training tomorrow morning!" Mack looks horrified as he sits down next to Will, but no one pays any attention to him.
Gabe and Cutter are already starting to loudly discuss whether they want to pre-drink in the common room.
Mack tugs at Will's jersey. "You're not going, are you?" Will gives him an annoyed look. "What's it to you?" he replies dismissively, taking off the rest of his gear.
"But you can't go to the party! Training is early tomorrow!" Mack repeats again. He's still sitting there in his gear and hasn't even taken off his gloves yet.
"Why don't you come too, Celebrini?" Leno suggests. There is a mocking expression on his face.
Macklin falls silent and looks at Leno with wide eyes.
"Are you serious?"
"Sure, buddy.", Leno replies.
Will exchanges glances with Gabe and Aiden. Leno's voice practically drips with irony, but Mack doesn't seem to notice. A hopeful expression, almost longing, is on his face.
"But I'm not invited," he says, obviously trying to sound indifferent, but his barely concealed eagerness betrays him.
"Leno just invited you," Gabe chimes in.
"Gabe, man, stop it!" Aiden grumbles.
The older celebrini looks seriously annoyed. "Come on, Celly, it's just fun!" says Gabe with a laugh and puts his arm around Aiden.
Aiden shakes him off, irritated.
"It isn't. Parties, fun, and Mack are three words that should never be used together in a sentence."