What with the drama surrounding my daughter at the last training session, I never got the chance to talk to Carter about how it went.
“I don’t think I’m cut out for this, Coach.”
“Bullshit. You’ve only been to one training session – you can’t know that, yet. Next week is our first match.”
“I can’t play,” he says, shocked.
“Of course not. Not yet. But you can watch from the bench.”
“Like the loser I am.”
“No. Like someone who’s there to learn.”
“I don’t know.”
“Trust me.”
As we pull up outside Carter’s house, he turns to me again.
“Skylar said she’ll come to our next training session.”
“Did she?”
He nods.
“See? You’re already moving in the right direction, kid.”
“I don’t think she’s doing it for me, Coach.”
“What do you mean?”
He smiles shyly at me. “I think she’s doing it for you.”
“For me?”
“She said she wanted to see what you’re up to; make sure you don’t mess up.”
“Me? What would I mess up? This is my job; I played for over twenty years.”
He shakes his head. “She meant with the headmistress.”
“Oh.”
“She wants to keep an eye on you.”
I smile. She wants to keep an eye onme.
“Goodnight, Coach. Thanks for the lift.”
I wave as he gently closes the door behind him and heads up his driveway towards the front door.
Thank you, Carter, for giving me hope. I knew you’d come in handy one day.
Not all the decisions I make are shitty, right? I still know how to do something right – and I still have time to learn how to do the rest.
Niall
“You seem a little too nervous for a training session,” Tyler says.
