“And don’t you fucking forget it, son.” Coach Harrison scowls. “What about you, Belkin? I don’t mean to rush you; we’ll have time to meet one on one once we’re at camp; but I have a busy few days ahead of me. What’s it gonna be? Are you in or out?”
My mind is made up. “I’m in, Coach.”
As I scribble my signature on the dotted line, I send a silent prayer to the universe in the hope that being on TV won’t be like a drop of blood in the ocean. The media can be like sharks and kept circling around me all last season; the last thing I want is for them to resurface. Coach Hiddink made sure to disguise what happened as an injury. Fuck knows he didn’t do it for me but to protect his own reputation.
I wish I could take back what happened, but the past can’t be changed. I already paid a very high price for a mistake that wasn’t malicious.
“Thanks, gentlemen.” Coach Harrison collects the two forms. “You’re going to receive an email with the address of the new facility and the schedule of your first week. I’ll see you there on Saturday to tour the property and move in. We can have Sunday to acclimate and our first practice will be dry land at seven a.m. sharp. You’re dismissed.”
“Seven a.m.?” I groan once the heavy door of our head coach’s office closes behind me and Prescott. “I get why practice needs to be early when we have classes, but we have eight weeks to do nothing but practice.”
“You say that because you don’t know Coach Harrison just yet,” Prescott chuckles. “Our coach is a rare combination of strict and scary. And a word of advice, since you’re new. Don’t eventhink of being thirty seconds late to practice. Coach’s motto is “If you show up on time, you’re fifteen minutes late.”
What the fuck have I gotten myself into? “Great. He does look pretty scary. Thanks for the warning.”
To my surprise, my new teammate’s expression turns serious. “He doesn’t believe in pleasantries or in giving the team a day off after a game. Coach Harrison leads with an iron fist, but you’re gonna learn a lot from him. And deep down, even if it’s hard to believe, he cares about each of his players. He’s going to show it to you when you least expect it.”
“Right.” I say sheepishly.
“I’m serious, dude.” Prescott argues. “When I came to see him this morning, my life was practically over.”
He explains his situation and how Coach Harrison went out of his way to fix things for him.
“I hope you’re right, Prescott.” I sigh. “I could do with a coach who has my back for a change.”
He slaps my back, offering me his hand to shake. “My name’s Tucker. We can leave the last names in the locker room.”
I can’t help but reciprocate his smile. This guy has a way of putting people at ease. Even Coach didn’t scowl quite so hard at him. “Nash.”
“So what’s your story, Nash? You were battling an injury, right? You were riding the bench when we played your old team in the playoff semifinals. I mean, it was lucky for me. At least judging by the game tape I’ve seen, you’re one of those D-men who also score an impressive amount of points. I assume you’re ok if you’re here?”
The look on Tucker’s face is friendly and genuine. I don’t think he’s trying to pry.
“I wasn’t really injured.” The second the words slip out of my mouth, I regret it. I confided in my former teammates and they still iced me out to stay on Coach’s good side. Tucker seems nice,but I came here for a fresh start. I don’t want to risk being judged the same way I was in Hemlock Beach before the season has even started. “Coach Hiddink and I didn’t gel. He didn’t like me, so he benched me.”
That isn’t the whole story, but it’s the truth.
“That’s rough, man.” Tucker commiserates. “Like I said, Coach Harrison is strict but fair. A few of the guys on the starting line are graduating, but we have a really good team. I think you’ll fit right in.”
“That’s the hope.” I say, following Tucker out of the athletic department building.
“Nash, can I give you a ride anywhere?” He says, pointing out an old Ford truck parked nearby.
I shake my head. “No, thanks. It took me a couple of days, but I drove here. I didn’t want to be without a car.”
“That’s fair.” Tucker nods. “Listen, I’m going to get a couple of kegs for tonight’s party at the Gamma House. It’s the fraternity most of the guys on the hockey team are in, myself included. Wanna come party with us?”
Certain things stay the same even in different schools. “I was a Gamma in Hemlock Beach, too. That chapter is equally made up of hockey and football players.”
“That’s fucking awesome.” Tucker smiles. “We have a few football guys, but it’s mostly hockey for us at the moment. If you’re a brother, you have to come.”
I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t tempted, but I’m going to be spending the next eight weeks in very close quarters with these guys. And we’re gonna see a lot of each other during the season, too.
“Nah, man.” I decide. “I’m tired. I think I’ll get an early night. Next time, though. Thank you.”
Tucker’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “Are you sure? It’s gonna be full of graduating Zetas wanting nothing more than to let loose with one of us.”
Yeah, no. A woman is exactly why I almost lost everything. “This year is going to be important to show my future team that I’m ready to step on NHL ice. So my plan is to breathe, eat, and sleep hockey. No women, they’re just a distraction.”
