“That was my intention, yes. I needed to tread carefully and highlight the fact that the Dean wishes to keep the details of this investigation as confidential as possible. I was hoping that knowing that there wouldn’t be any rumors that could hurt his team’s reputation would be enough to convince him not to drop you. But things didn’t go the way I hoped.”
My heart drops at the news. “So they’re definitely dropping me?”
Coach sighs. “Not quite. The situation is a little more complicated than we knew. This is still confidential news, so I trust that you’re going to keep what I’m about to tell you to yourself until it becomes public knowledge. The Gladiators have just signed Misha Marchenko as a free agent. He wanted to play somewhere warmer than Pittsburgh, and it’s a done deal. He’s going to be their starting goalie, and surprisingly, their current goalie, Smith, decided to stay and play second string rather thanrisk being traded. He’s a born and bred Angeleno, and he was planning on retiring in a couple of seasons at the most, anyway. They wanted you before the trade. But since they already had signed another rookie goalie last year, they were thinking about either dropping your contract or sending you to their farm team in Winnipeg.”
Bile coats my tongue, and I rise from my seat. “Great. So my options are to go play in the AHL possibly forever since, let’s face it, goalies’ spots are harder to come by than others. So I can kiss goodbye to my great entry level contract and my signing bonus forever. Or holding onto that waiting job my sister promised to get me. After all, I don’t have a college degree to fall back onto now that hockey is falling through.”
“Sit your ass down, Prescott. Or so help me God,” Coach barks out.
I don’t even know why the fuck I do what he just ordered me to do, but four years of obeying this man are hard to shake.
“Prescott.” Harrison pins me to my seat with a deadly glare. “I’m not done. You’re going to leave this office when you’re dismissed, not one second sooner. Am I being clear?”
My rebellious streak decides to surface, like it always does whenever I feel hopeless. “You aren’t my coach anymore, and I’m not even a student here from tomorrow. My scholarship won’t cover an additional semester even if the Dean allowed me to retake those two classes. Without my signing bonus, there’s no way I can afford it, anyway.”
Coach slams the palm of his hand onto his desk. “Shut up, Tucker, for fuck’s sake! Let me finish what I called you here to tell you before you jump to conclusions.”
A sardonic laugh escapes from my lips. “Is there anything else? Is there anything you can add to the pile of shit you just dropped on me?”
I’ve never seen Coach Harrison roll his eyes, but there’s a first time for everything. “You know, Prescott, you’re a complete jackass. You’re immature, you’re a pain in my ass, your constant pranks are annoying as fuck, and you don’t know when to stop running that big mouth of yours. In the past four years I’ve thought about kicking you off the team more than once. Do you know why I didn’t?”
“I’m sure you’ll enlighten me, sir.” I refuse to drop the attitude, offended by his opinion of me, even though deep down I know that he isn’t totally wrong.
“Because you’re one of the most talented goalies I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing on the ice and because you remind me of myself when I was your age.”
The backhanded compliment renders me speechless for a second.
“Thank you, I guess?” I lower my gaze, regretting my outburst. “It means a lot coming from you, sir. You were a legend. I grew up watching you play, and you were the reason why I wanted to be a goalie.”
Coach’s expression softens, which in his case means he scowls at me like he just wants to bag skate me rather than kill me and put my body into an unmarked grave. “Sadly, you don’t remind me of myself just on the ice. I was a little shit just like you before my rookie year in the NHL. My coach and my team captain whipped me into shape though, so I know there’s hope for you too. The Gladiators aren’t going to drop you. I explained the situation to Grant, and I vouched for you. I told him that you’re a jackass but that you aren’t a cheater.”
My mouth pops open. “You stuck your neck out for me, Coach?”
He nods. “I see potential in you, Tucker. To become a good man and one hell of a goalie. Don’t make me regret vouching for you.”
My hand goes to the back of my neck. If Coach had kept yelling at me, I wouldn’t regret my shitty attitude as much as I am right now. His kindness is making me feel like the immature little shit he just said I am.
That doesn’t change my situation, though.
An AHL contract would probably pay below fifty grand a year for a rookie. If I wanted to complete my degree and take those two classes online, I would probably need to get a loan to pay for it. That’s assuming that they would even let me re-enroll while the investigation is ongoing.
“So do you think I should go to Winnipeg?” I ask Coach, feeling that my world is crumbling around me.
“No. I spoke to Grant, and I convinced him to let you stay here another year to keep developing your skills. By then Smith will probably retire, and the Gladiators will have a spot for you on their roster. And before you say anything stupid, I vouched for you with the Dean, too. I told him my players aren’t cheaters. So he agreed to let you play until his investigation proves your innocence.”
Sometimes hope is more painful than the alternative, and the reality of my situation is unchanged despite Coach’s efforts. “That’s great, sir. But my scholarship won’t cover an extra year and my family simply doesn’t have the means to keep me here.”
Coach Harrison opens his mouth to say something, but there’s a knock on his office door.
A guy who looks vaguely familiar sticks his head in. “Oh, sorry, Coach. I didn’t know you were busy. Just wanted to let you know that I’m here when you’re ready for me.”
“No, no. Perfect timing, Belkin. Come on in. I was just about to break some news to your teammate here. We’ll kill two birds with one stone.”
When the newcomer makes his way into the office, I know why he looked familiar.
Nash Belkin is one of the best D-men in the NCAA. He plays for Hemlock Beach College. We defeated his team in the semifinals of the playoffs last year thanks to our left winger Macklin Shayba’s hat trick. What is Nash doing here and why did Coach just call him my teammate?
CHAPTER FOUR
