I was on top of the world. We won gold, made new friends and got to visit sunny LA in the process. Everything was perfect... But the instant I got home, it all started to crumble beyond recognition. Things weren't exactly great between my parents before I left - but now it's like a full blown war zone. It feels as if I was always just a pawn - part of the stay together for the kids mentality. I stepped out and it all went to shit. This is on me.

Needing to escape the rotting four walls I call home, I climb out of my bedroom window and down the fire exit during another one of my parents' screaming matches. Lost in my own brain, I walk aimlessly - eyes glued to the floor - until I reach my best friend's house. Being so physically, mentally and emotionally drained that I lack the ability to raise a hand to knock on the door, I bang my head on it a couple times to get his attention.

"Hey! That's so crazy, I was just about to call you." Charlie rambles as he opens the door. "You wanna- hey, you okay?" He asks as he notices me standing in front of him almost lifeless.

"No." Escapes my mouth barely above a whisper without moving my lips.

"I bet I can guess why." He rolls his eyes with a hint of anger in his voice. "Come in."

"Thanks." He gives me a look of sympathy as I walk past and crash on the couch.

"You know, I've seen it all from you. Happy, screaming, crying - all that. But brick wall is a new one." Charlie comments as he walks through to the kitchen, catching a glimpse of my emotionless face as I stare into space. "My mom finishes work in like an hour, so I'm gonna start on dinner soon. I'm making burgers, you wanna stay? I have enough to factor you in. I could also do spaghetti if you-" I cut off his rambling.

"They're getting divorced."

"What?" His face and heart drop.

"It's over, Charlie."

"Y/N, I'm so sorry." He stops pouring our drinks and looks over with a saddened demeanor.

"It's my fault."

"What? No, no, no, why would you say that?" He rushes over with a sense of urgency and sits beside me, giving me his full attention.

"Because it's true." I finally speak up and put some motion into my body.

"Yeah... I'm not following this at all." He just stares at me confused.

"Think about it, Charlie. Things weren't so bad when we left. I make sure that they don't clash as much and find ways to keep them apart. I do so much around the house to kill conflict before it happens. It's like I was the glue that kept everything together from the brink of collapse. I shouldn't have gone to LA, I should never have joined team USA. I stepped out and let it burn to the ground. I let them down."

"Now this is where I have a problem. You didn't let them down, Y/N, they let you down."

"But, Charlie-" He quickly cuts me off.

"No buts. Just.. Just listen." He forces eye contact, staring into my soul to get his point across. "This isn't your fault. Nothing is your fault, okay? I need you to know that. Divorce sucks, it really does. And the effect it has on the kids often gets overlooked. You spend years of your life questioning why it didn't work and what you did wrong and why they don't love you anymore." He speaks from experience.

"You were young enough to not have a single memory of the guy, Charlie. Our situations aren't exactly the same."

"Exactly! Y/N, your parents use you to stop the apocalypse. They'd throw you to the wolves if they thought it'd do something. You were forced to grow up way too fast. I've known you my whole life and I don't remember a time when things were any different. You're a kid, it's not your job to keep your parents' marriage alive." A few stray tears slip down my cheeks as I listen.

"It's just that with me leaving, nothing was off limits and by the time I got back, it was already too late to fix it."

"Oh, boy, you are gonna hate me for saying this..." Charlie sighs. "Their relationship was a ticking time bomb - destined to explode. It was only a matter of time. And maybe it's a good thing."

"How is a good thing?" I bite at his claim.

"If you never left then who knows how long this cycle would go on for. At least now everyone can start to move on." He shrugs. "This is the part where it gets worse, but it will get better when the dust clears."

"I guess. And let's face it, they didn't have me because they wanted a kid. They had me because they thought a kid would save their marriage. I'd be surprised if they have any love for me at all at this point."

"But I love you. My mom loves you. The whole team loves you. We all love you."

"That's not even the worse part." I laugh in disbelief knowing I won't be able to hold back the tears.

"What do you mean?"

"My dad is moving about, I don't know, 4 or 5 hours away from here. And, uh..." I stare at my fidgeting hands, tears beginning to fall as I struggle to face the truth. "And... He's making me go with him."

"What?" Charlie's heart drops so low you could step on it to crush it even more. "You're leaving?"

"And because I'm the kid, I don't get a say in the matter."

"Is there nothing anyone can do? I mean, you can move. What about the team?"

"I doubt it. And I don't want to lose the team and join a new one, but I don't want to quit hockey." We sit in a sorrowful silence for a moment, unsure what to do.

"...When do you leave?"

"A couple days."

"What? How'd he get it all sorted out so fast?" Charlie continues to be hit with shock.

"He started house hunting when we were in LA. I mean, I knew they weren't gonna watch any of our games because they can't even be in the same room for 5 minutes and never cared about hockey anyway, but I didn't expect him to be looking for a place in a whole new city."

"Don't get me wrong, but I seriously hate your parents." He copies my posture by slouching shoulder to shoulder.

"You're not the only one." I mutter then sigh to break a silence. "What am I supposed to do, Charlie?" I ask in desperation and rest my head on his shoulder.

"I don't know."

2 months later...

It's been about 2 months since Y/N moved away and the Ducks have been in slump of depression. Her resentment and heartbreak travelled with her - any hope she had of starting over and living a better life died before it came to life. For some reason, she had a childish hope of better relationship with her dad now, but he almost seemed worse than before. Y/N would call the Ducks whenever she could, but it became more and more limited because of her father. She was dead inside - numb - and didn't put any effort into trying to make even one friend because of it. For weeks, she went stir crazy thinking about what she could do. Now she's finally done what she's wanted to do since the day she moved away. Escape.

Back at the Conway residence, Bombay is over for dinner. However, Charlie has practically moved into his room, refusing to leave for almost everything - taking his food in there with him. Like every other visit, Casey and Bombay are trying to figure out how to fix things and help the team move on. But this isn't a regular visit. A knock on the door catches their attention. Bombay offers to answer and see who the unexpected guest is. Upon opening the door, he sets his eyes on the frightened girl before him - Y/N clearly scared out of her wits.

Y/N's pov...

"Y/N?" Bombay looks at me shocked.

"What?" I hear Casey question as she stumbles to the door. "Y/N, honey, what are you doing here?"

"I-I...I-" I struggle to find the words as I start to realise what I've just done.

"Are you alright?" Bombay asks but I don't answer.

"Come sit down and tell us what's going on." Casey ushers me towards the couch before grabbing me some water.

Before I can sit down, I hear the squeaking of door hinges. Having heard the commotion, Charlie rushes out of his room with hope washed over his face. Without hesitation, I almost tackle him in a hug to the point of knocking him backwards - immediately bursting into tears. If they didn't already know that something is wrong, they do now. Everyone sits down and they question me as I drink some water and try to compose myself.

"Are you coming back?" Charlie asks full of hope.

"Are you visiting your mom?" Casey reasons, but I shake my head.

"Well, does your dad know that you're here?" Bombay asks.

"No." I stare into space, not wanting to see the disappointment on their faces.

"Y/N, did you run away?" Just from Charlie's tone, I can tell his face has dropped, surely being the only person who really knows what's in my head.

"Oh, boy." Bombay mutters in disbelief.

"Oh, Y/N, what happened?" Casey worries.

"I had to get out of there. I thought being away from my mom would make things better with my dad, but it didn't. He's gotten used to treating me a certain way. Now whenever he looks at me, he just sees my mom. He barely looks in my direction anymore. He banned me from calling you guys because of the phone bill. On top of all that, he made me quit hockey and used my sticks as firewood. I know it sounds a little out there, coach, but you have to believe me."

"I do believe you." He assures me.

"I haven't made a single friend in 2 months. I mean, that's kinda on me - you know I've always just followed Charlie's lead with that stuff. But a couple people recognised me from the Goodwill Games. I thought they'd be friendly but it lasted maybe a day before they joined everyone else making fun of me for being the loner new girl with a crappy family life. I was like pre-Duck Fulton."

"Kids are cruel." Casey shakes her head in disgust.

"The only thing that kept me there for so long was this isolated grassy hill that you had to walk through a forest to get to. I would go there after school and sneak out at night. I would just sit there for hours with my headphones on and nobody would ever come by. If I looked out hard enough, I swear I could see home. I'd talk to you guys on the hill because the phone wasn't an option."

"I knew it!" Charlie exclaims. "I talk to the moon because I knew you'd do the same thing!" His statement makes me smile even if it's only brief.

"Things kinda started building up and I had to come home - I spent more time here than my old house anyway. He has cash hidden away for emergencies. So, with him at work, I grabbed it and took a few buses back here. I've never been so on edge. I didn't want to go to my mom because she'd use it to brag that I like her more or something. That's why I came here." I finish explaining the situation, leaving everyone in a stunned silence for a few moments.

"Y/N, I have to call your dad so he knows you're alright." Casey breaks the quiet and instills immense anxiety.

"No, please don't. If he finds out I took his money, he'll kill me. Besides, neither of them ever noticed when I would sneak out, so it's not like he cares." I plead.

"You really don't want to live with him, do you?" I can't believe Bombay has to ask.

"Absolutely not."

"What about your mom?"

"No way. You're a lawyer - isn't there something you can do?"

"I'm not a divorce lawyer, Y/N."

"Yeah, but surely you know something or someone who can help me out. Please, coach, I'm begging you." I see the cogs turning in his mind but am unsure of what he's thinking.

"It's late, but I promise I'll look into it more tomorrow." Bombay swears.

"Thanks, Coach." I catch him off guard with a hug.

"Don't thank me yet."

"Go get some sleep - you look exhausted." Casey hugs me. "We'll start figuring things out tomorrow, okay?"

5 months later...

Bombay kept his word. While I caught up on much needed sleep, Casey and Bombay struggled to sleep thinking about the severity of the situation. He did everything he could and managed to weasel his way into the divorce hearing for the matter of custody. Casey also kept her word and didn't call my dad. In fact, he didn't realise that I was missing until a week later when the school called him about my absence - that definitely didn't help his case in court. Despite having to wait several months for the hearing, neither him or my mom fought to have me stay with them in that period - so I stayed with Charlie and Casey.

When it came to the court date rolling around, saying I was nervous is an understatement. Sitting there fidgeting, I was scared it wouldn't go my way. However, the Ducks and their parents sat behind me waiting to testify in my favor. That paired with Bombay as my main representative gave me enough hope and confidence to get through it and deliver in the cross examination.

Through the resounding evidence of neglect among other things, both judge and jury deemed my parents unsuitable for custody. Naturally, they wanted to put me into the foster care system - something I had shown hatred for early on. In that moment, Casey quickly objected and offered another solution.

Explaining our relationship, the night I ran away and how I would sleep over every night before moving, Casey (with professional help from Bombay) suggested that she would be more than happy to become my legal guardian (as would Bombay and any of the other parents present). After asking the other team parents if they think it'd be a good fit, it was determined that I would like with the Conways with Casey and Bombay as my legal guardians. My biological parents weren't granted visitation rights and risk restraining orders if they (mainly my mom considering distance) try to harass us.

I've been living with Charlie like my brother for the last 5 months. It was only after the final verdict that I finally began to relax and feel like I've found a true home with people who love me. Bombay and Hans also teamed up to replace the hockey equipment that my dad destroyed. And after everything I've been through, I know I can do anything with Charlie and the Ducks by my side.