Coach Wagner swung around, taking two long strides toward me until he was in my face, spitting from fury when he talked. His huffing and puffing continued without words for a full minute.
“Son, I’m going to try and calm my ass down because my doctor told me that if I don’t learn to control my rage, I could have a stroke. Now, my two ex-wives might be thrilled, eager to get their grubby little spike-nailed hands on what’s left of my fortune, but I don’t plan on expiring any time soon. And why? Because I have a contract. A contract in place for three years. Inthose three years, I’m required to come to work every day like the professional I was hired as. Do you understand what I’m getting at?”
One of the team whistled and the way the coach snapped his head toward the guy scared the shit out of me. I thought he’d broken his neck.
“Go get your shower, gentlemen. There is nothing to see here.” The coach returned his gaze glued on me while yelling at the other players.
Who didn’t respond with quick rabbit feet. They were far too eager to watch me on the receiving end of a verbal beat down.
“Sure, Coach. I get it.” I tried my best to calm the situation, but he wasn’t ready to let it go yet.
“I swear to God, it was like you were skating in quicksand, completely lethargic. You certainly couldn’t find your rhythm, and your passes were flat as shit. Hell, every time the puck found your stick, it danced all over the blade like a live grenade. Did you see the wingers scramble to keep up with whatever the hell it was you were doing?”
“I hadn’t noticed.” Of course I had. I could read a play with the best of them and not only because I had a photographic memory. Since I was a tiny baby, I’d gravitated toward hockey. I’d played the game as a toddler, preferring a hockey stick to a baseball bat any day.
I’d worshipped my father and my brother, so hearing the coach’s condemnation after one of my first practices after joining the team was embarrassing as fuck.
But he was wrong and I planned on proving it.
His glare was harsher than before. Apparently, I’d stunned him into silence.
“That’s the problem that I can see so far. You don’t get it. You can’t tell when the game is suffering. That concerns me greatly. Plus, you’re not a team player.”
“That’s not true.” I puffed up more than I should, which prompted the coach to stick his finger in my face.
The other players were still hanging around. Now that was infuriating the hell out of me.
“Go take a fucking shower!” the coach snapped at them without bothering to look at a single one.
Except they didn’t respond right away. When he turned his head, I was shocked the building hadn’t caught fire.
Thankfully, the players scrambled, slamming locker doors when they did.
The coach took a couple of steps away, rubbing his eyes. “Not only wasn’t your mind on the practice today, but your heart wasn’t either. This is normally the time when a player is new to a team that they go all out, giving it their best. What you just showed me out there was that you’d rather be anywhere else in the world but on this team. They know it. The assistant coach knows it. The fans are certainly going to pick up on it. Even worse. You know it.”
I had no idea what he wanted me to say.
“My question for you is do you want to be here? Cause if you don’t, I assure you I will talk to the team’s owner and figure out a way to buy you out of that sweet little contract you have. I don’t like your kind, Steven. I don’t mind telling you that.”
“My kind?”
“Yeah, you know.”
I bristled, even fisting my hands, but my father’s voice lingered inside of my mind.“Get your head out of your ass, son. You’re going to experience hate in their world. People fear what they don’t understand. You’re not like them and it makes many of them nervous. Let’s face it. You’re not entirely human, but you are a man with a heart and soul, with blood and bone, with emotions and fears. Let that shine for them. Not your wolf abilities. Be the man we’ve all fought to become, to be allowed to walk freely among full humans.”
The speech was one I knew well. How our ancestors had fought for freedom and rights. Yeah, yeah. I got it. That just meant I couldn’t put my fist into my coach’s face. At least not now.
What my father had been trying to tell me was to take the high road whenever I had the opportunity. Doing so would make me the better man.
I wasn’t honestly sure he was right, but at this point, I also didn’t want to hear my father’s snarls if and when I told him I’d gotten kicked off the new team. Oh, hell, no.
“I just want to play hockey, Coach. I know I was shit today. I think I’m just nervous. You know, being with a new bunch of guys. That’s it. I’m happy to be here. I plan on making this a winning team. With your help, of course.”
I wasn’t good at sucking up.
He eyed me warily, chuckling as soon as he dropped and shook his head. “Keep your day job, Steven. Don’t try and become an actor. However, I do believe you want to play so we’ll try thisagain. Just do me a favor. Don’t become a goddamn werewolf in the middle of one of our games. Alright?”
He was still laughing as he walked off.
