“Ooh. Are you in trouble?” Randy sings from his stall.
“Fuck off.” I flip him off as I head for Coach’s office.
Not that I have any clue what I did. Or didn’t do for that matter. We’ve already gone over the game plan tonight for playing Cal U.
They haven’t won a game all season, so this should be an easy win.
At least I’m hoping it will be.
“You wanted to see me?” I stick my head into his office and wait for him to wave me in.
“How are your classes coming along this semester?”
“Classes?”
Unless I tanked another exam that I didn’t realize since I’ve been so focused on my two worst subjects.
“I got an email from Professor Smith.”
“What did it say?” I try to swallow around the sudden dryness coating my mouth. It couldn’t be that bad, especially since I did so well on the last test.
“He says you’ve improved immensely since the start of the semester.”
“Shit. Really?”
Coach nods. “As you know, I keep in regular contact with all of your professors to make sure you’re maintaining the academic standards I’ve come to expect from my players.”
“I’ve been trying. I don’t take my starting position lightly. Classes were not what I was expecting this semester.” I scrub at my jaw. No sense in lying to him. Coach Morris has a bullshit radar detector.
“Expected to coast your final year?”
I shake my head. “Not at all.”
“Good. I expect you to keep up the hard work. I don’t want to lose my captain this far into the season.”
“I don’t plan on it, Coach.”
“That’s what I like to hear. I’ll see you on the ice.”
The nerves from being called into his office lessen, as the nerves for the game grow. Marcus is waiting for me by my stall as I grab my stick and finish taping it up.
“What’d Coach want?” He takes a swig from his water bottle.
“To tell me Professor Smith says how I’ve improved this semester.”
“Damn, way to go, Gladiator.”
I toss the roll of tape into my locker and grab a towel to hit the training room. “I thought I was about to be demoted.”
“Nah. We couldn’t survive without you.”
Marcus and I stick together all afternoon through our workout and dinner, shooting the shit and helping the lowerclassmen with their workouts.
By the time we’re suiting up for the game, an excited energy is flowing through me. I follow Marcus out of the locker room and into the tunnel that will lead us to the ice. I can hear people above us now. It’s going to be loud tonight.
Cal U has always been one of our rivals. Even though they haven’t been playing well this season, it’s going to be a fight.
Their fans will show up for the game tonight.
