“Good morning, Devils!” I grinned as I stood in front of my teammates. When they didn’t reply I blew out a frustrated breath. “You’re supposed to say,good morning, Parker.”
“Dude, what’s going on?” Seth asked through a wide yawn.
He wasn’t the only one who looked half asleep. It probably wasn’t my best idea to call a meeting first thing on a Monday morning. But this conversation with my team couldn’t wait.
“Fine. I’ll get straight to the point.” I paused and held out both hands for a little dramatic effect. “We suck.”
“We got out of bed early forthis?” Cullen groaned.
“Yep. We’ve lost our first three games this season, and it’s not good enough.”
“Notallof us suck…” Elliot pushed his way to the front of the group. “I’ll be back in the number one jersey soon. That’ll make all the difference.”
“This isn’t about any one player, Ford,” I replied.
“Yeah, right,” he scoffed before glancing obviously at Mackenzie.
I started to respond, but Mackenzie got there first.
“You’re still hobbling around in a boot, Ford. All you’ve proved this season is that you know how to throw an average party. Besides, this is a team sport. We win and lose as a team.”
Elliot sneered, but he didn’t try to argue. How could he when it was true? A few mutters of agreement soundedamongst the guys.
My eyes flickered in her direction. I’d been doing my best not to look Mackenzie’s way this morning. When I did, I was only reminded about how amazing last night had been and how badly I wanted to kiss her again. I’d never felt like this around any girl before. She made me lose control, and more than that, she made me want to lose control again and again.
She was still scowling at Elliot, but when she caught me looking her expression blanked, and she nodded for me to continue. It was as if our mind-blowing kiss had never even happened. Maybe she really had gotten me out of her system. Meanwhile, mine clearly needed another attempt to fully reboot.
“You were saying?” Seth prompted.
“Right.” I cleared my throat as I focused on the rest of the group. “I was saying that weallneed to improve. Anyone who thinks they don’t, please feel free to go back to bed, but don’t bother showing up for practice tonight. Like Mackenzie said, this is a team sport. Right now, we’re not playing like a team.”
“Bit rich coming from you, Parker,” Elliot piped up again.
“What?”
“You’re like a one-man show out there,” he continued. “Maybe try passing instead of shooting all the time.”
I nodded. “You’re right.” A few mumbles rippled around the group and Ford looked surprised. “You’re right,” I said again. “I need to work on being a better teammate too. I’ve been trying too hard to do everything on my own. Score goals, help the defense, be an enforcer; I thought that was how I could best help the team. But it’s actually hurting us.”
I found myself glancing back at Mackenzie. I wasn’t sure how I expected her to react, but when I saw her smiling at me, I felt more confident.
“Every one of you has a job to do out on the ice. And the best teams trust each other to do those jobs. But I haven’t been doing that. None of us have.”
Ford looked like he wanted to object, but my admission seemed to have stunned him into silence. More players were beginning to nod in agreement, although some still seemed unsure.
“We have less than two weeks until the homecoming game,” I continued. “I don’t want to lose to those Sunshine Hills jerks. Do you?”
The mutters of agreement grew louder.
“We’re already training hard,” Owen said.
“That’s true,” I replied. “Everyone is working hard at practice. But I’m talking about things that make us a stronger teamoffthe ice. Over the next two weeks, I want us doing everything together. We sit together in the classes we share. We eat lunch together. Play video games together, hit the gym, go for a run, have a skate. I don’t care what it is, we all need to spend time witheverymember of the team.”
“You want us to hold hands and share feelings?” someone yelled from the back.
“If it helps you learn to communicate better, I don’t care if you braid each other’s hair and give piggyback rides.”
Most of the players chuckled. I was beginning to feel like they were getting the message.
