“What’s up, Cap?”
“Co-captain. I’m your co-captain, just like Zhuri is.”
I can see him fight the urge to roll his eyes. “Right.”
“You need to start showing more respect for your teammates. You played selfishly today.”
He huffs. “I wouldn’t say I was playing selfishly.”
I level him with a look. “How many times did Zhuri ask you to pass the puck before you finally did?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugs.
“The fact that it’s more than one means it’s too many, Michael.” I lean back against the wall and cross my arms. “Look, I get that you aren’t happy about this new team, but you gotta get over it. It’s not changing. Zhuri, Clara, and all the other women are our teammates now. You’re expected to treat them the same way you do the guys.”
Michael takes a deep breath before letting it out. “Okay. I’ll work on that.”
I clap a hand to his shoulder. “That’s what I was hoping to hear. Now get in there and shower. You smell like ass.”
We both enter the locker room now, strip out of our gear, and head for the showers, washing away all the sweat and odor from today’s practice.
I slip into a white T-shirt and black athletic shorts and pull on a black baseball cap after I’m cleaned up. Sidney walks up to me as I’m flipping it backward.
“What was up with Michael?” he asks.
“Coach Leverson isn’t happy with how he’s treating the women. I told her I’d talk to him.”
He raises his eyebrow. “You think it actually worked?”
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” I admit. “He did pass to Zhuri at the end of practice, and he seemed receptive to what I was saying. I think we might start seeing him be a better teammate now.”
I sling my bag over my shoulder, and Sid and I walk out of the locker room together.
The lightness I’m feeling after what I’d consider a successful conversation with Michael dissipates instantly when my phone vibrates with a call from my father.
Sidney sighs and tries to give me a reassuring smile. “I’ll let you answer that, but don’t let him get to you, Cam.”
I nod, even though we both know that’s an impossible ask.
Sid walks away as I swallow hard before bringing the phone up to my ear.
“Hey, Tata…”
seventeen
Zhuri
Ican’tfindCameronanywhere.
I’ve been running around the halls for ten minutes trying to locate him. We said we were going to talk about the team after today’s practice, but I can’t do that when I don’t know where he is.
I round the corner and spot Sidney, Nico, and Wes about halfway down.
“Hey,” I say, moving closer to them as they turn around. “Have you seen Cameron?”
“You can’t find him?” Wes asks.
“No,” I shake my head. “I’ve been looking around for a while with no luck.”
