I’m about to respond when I feel a light, wet spray on my arm and hand. When I turn, I see Bash pointing a bottle of champagne away from himself as he opens it, the foam bubbling over and the liquid shooting out.
“We’re drinking it from the bottles tonight, mothafuckas!” he yells. “First drink goes to our badass goalie, Isaac, who got a shutout tonight!”
Isaac, who showered immediately after the game, only wears a towel wrapped around his waist. He’s beaming as he takes the bottle from Bash and tips it back, letting the liquid run down his face and chest.
His teammates yell, cheer and clap, everyone relaxed and happy after their win.
When Isaac finishes, he passes the bottle back to Bash, running a hand through his damp hair and grinning.
“Love you guys,” he says. “Thanks for never giving up on me.”
“You earned this, brother,” Carter calls out from the other side of the room.
“And you scored two!” Lucien yells at Carter. “Way to go, Cap!”
Everyone cheers and more bottles of champagne are broken out. Of course, Silas pretends one of the bottles is his dick as it sprays out an arc of thick white foam.
“Did I miss something, boys?”
My dad’s voice booms through the room, the celebration immediately dying down.
“Did we just win a championship?” Dad asks, feigning genuine curiosity. “I thought we just won a regular season game, which we should be doing all the time, and you’re acting like we just won the cup, the bowl and the series!”
Every player is looking at him, most of them frozen. The champagne flowing from Silas’s dick champagne bottle is just a little trickle now.
“I’m fucking with you,” Dad says with a grin. “Hell of a game, boys!”
Everyone cheers, the tension lifting immediately.
“But take it easy on the booze,” Dad calls as he heads for the visiting coach’s office space. “We’ve got to be game ready tomorrow night.”
Our plane will depart for Phoenix in a couple of hours. The equipment staffers have to get everything packed and loaded. If the players are lucky, they’ll be able to sleep on the plane and catch a few more hours at the hotel after we arrive.
“Hey, how are you at wrapping and taping?” Melina asks me.
I consider. “It’s been a hot second, but I do know how.”
“Excellent. Can you help me get some guys taken care of? I desperately need an assistant, but we haven’t been able to get the position approved yet.”
“Sure, I can help. I won’t be as good at it as you are, though.”
She waves a hand. “You’ll be great. I’d love your help anytime you’re up for it.”
“Sure, I’ll do whatever you need.” I follow her toward the training room. “No fart yoga, though.”
Her laugh reminds me of my friend Anya’s laugh. Anya’s still in San Francisco, and we text sometimes, but I haven’t been up for much else. Being around Melina makes me think about calling Anya, though. Maybe tomorrow, I will.
Chapter Six
Lucien
* * *
Ten Days Later
* * *
“You good, man?” Carter asks me.
