“Coach Porter certainly thinks you have what it takes,” Alanna says.
“Or maybe he’s pulling the nepotism card. You’re about to be his son-in-law, after all,” Blomdahl jokes.
Xander shoves his shoulder, but he’s smiling. His fiancée Sophie is the daughter of our coach and the team doctor.
“I’m just giving you shit,” Blomdahl says. “We all know Coach Porter isn’t like that. He’s probably gonna be the hardest on you now that you’re captain, actually.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else from him,” Xander says.
“Any word on who’s going to be the alternate captain?” I ask, trying not to sound too eager. I haven’t told anyone this, but my biggest goal as a player in the league is to someday be alternate captain of my team.
“My vote is for Ryker,” Xander says.
“Mine too,” Blomdahl says.
“He’d be great,” Alanna says. “He’s been playing in the league for more than fifteen years. All the guys on the team look up to him. And he’s got a good temperament for it. Mature. Serious. No-nonsense.”
“Did he say he’d do it?” I ask.
They shake their heads. “I think Coach Porter’s still trying to convince him. It’s a lot of responsibility,” Xander says.
“Yeah, definitely.” I clear my throat. “If he doesn’t want it, I might put my hat in the ring.”
All three of them stare at me for five seconds, then they all burst out laughing.
I stand there, surprised at their reaction. Is it really that laughable to think I could be alternate captain of our team?
“Wow, guys. Laugh harder, will you?” I try to play it off with a joking tone, but I can’t deny the sting I feel.
Getting named the alternate captain of your team is a huge deal. The alternate captain of the team takes over for the captain if he’s in the penalty box or on the bench. That means developing a rapport with the officials so you can talk to them if there’s anissue with a call or a penalty during a game. And it means having the respect of your teammates. It means being able to rally the team in good times and bad times.
Maybe I’m not the guy they had in mind for the job, but the way they’re laughing, it feels like they think I’d never be fit for it. And that kind of stings.
Alanna walks off, still laughing.
“Come on, dude. You don’t fit the bill for alternate captain,” Xander says.
“Yeah. You have to take things seriously. You have to be mature. You can’t be fucking around all the time, which is one of your favorite hobbies,” Blomdahl says.
They both walk away to visit with Sam and Theo on the other side of the party. The sting from their lack of belief in me lingers as I watch them walk off. I guess I can’t really blame them though. I act more like a frat boy than I do a serious leader that they’d look up to.
Coach Porter walks up to the bar to order a drink. He’s who I should be talking to if I want to be taken seriously as a candidate for alternate captain.
My nerves kick up as I turn to him. “Hey, Coach. Having fun?”
“Yeah. You?”
I nod and clear my throat. “I was wondering if you’ve thought about who you want for alternate captain.”
His expression is stern and unreadable as he looks at me. “I have.”
When he doesn’t say more, I’m even more nervous. Coach Porter is known for being a gruff, straightforward, and no-nonsense guy. Sometimes he just frowns at you without saying much, and you can’t tell if he’s pissed or unbothered. It can be pretty intimidating.
I can’t let that faze me though. If I want to be taken seriously—if I want to be considered for alternate captain, I need to be confident and assertive.
“I’d like to be considered for the position,” I say.
Coach Porter’s hard frown doesn’t budge. He looks unimpressed. I guess that’s better than him laughing at me.
