Evan: The owner.
Laughing emojis fill the chat.
Sully: Dude is old enough to be her grandpa.
Fish: He's a billionaire.
Bouch: But she had PSP.
Fish: Just because you'd suck his dick.
Bouch: Fuck you.
Emmett: Does it matter? Whatever happened, it's their loss and our gain.
Bouch: Exactly, Cap.
Fish: Can't imagine dealing with all this drama and changing teams last minute like that.
Sully: Must have been bad.
Nelly: And don't forget the Felix drama. Fucking around with your teammate's girl is the lowest of the low.
Evan: Think we might need to show Stephen Carter how the Mavericks treat assholes like that.
Sully: Agreed.
Bouch: We've got that exhibition match with them at the start of the season.
Emmett: Above board though.
Evan: Yes, Cap.
Sully: They are Mavericks now and we look after our own. We won't tolerate any disrespect. Agreed?
All the boys agree.
Emmett: Guess I'll see you fools at training camp next week.
Nelly: Can't believe they're sending us away for a couple of weeks.
Emmett: Coach thought it might be best we get away from our normal training facilities because of the media scrutiny.
Sully: Makes sense.
Evan: Can't imagine everyone is happy with that.
Emmett: No, they aren't. But they don't have a choice.
This season is going to be interesting.
7
JOELLE
London in late August is unpredictable. One day it's sunny. The next it's pouring rain. Today it's somewhere in between. Gray skies. Drizzle. The kind of weather that makes you want to stay in bed. But I'm already at the training facility, have been since six. Preseason is in full swing. The team has friendlies coming up, and half of our players are carrying injuries. Which means I'm busy.
"All right, Jamie, let's see how that hamstring feels," I say. Gesturing to the treatment table.
