“I know!” Ricki chirped with delight. “Do you think you might like him?”
“Bleurgh, no fucking way,” Jacob replied. “I might be a horny as hell but that doesn’t mean I can handle some grumpy guts bossing me around and telling me what I can and can’t do all the time. I do feel a bit bad about telling him that he was washed up as a player though. I was just so angry, but now I feel all crappy for saying that.”
Ricki nodded and the pair of them quickly moved back onto playing an old retro version of Tekken, bashing the buttons and pulling off all the old combos that were imprinted deeper than any hockey playbook could ever be.
Jacob felt safe playing alongside Ricki. While settling into the team might still be very much a work in progress, Jacob knew that in Ricki he had a friend for life. Ricki was cool as hell and never judged. He was a real one, that was for sure.
But just when Jacob and Ricki were about to settle down for a best of seven Tekken match, he saw a message flash up on his phone. And it was very much one he would rather not have seen…
COACH TREMAINE: A message to all players. You’re needed at Pine Rise training complex. ASAP. Attendance compulsory, no excused.
The last thing Jacob wanted to do on his Sunday off was head into Pine Rise. But he knew that coach wasn’t screwing around.
It was time to leave his safe space and head somewhere far less appealing indeed.
And of course, there was the even more unwelcoming prospect of seeing Tane to contend with too…
* * *
Coach Tremaine wasn’t in a good mood. After all, this was his Sunday too…
“Trust me, I take no pleasure in hauling your beat up asses in here on a Sunday,” Tremaine said, his weathered face and deep blue eyes fixed with their usual intensity. “But this came from the Cardini family. And they’re the ones who built this franchise from the ground up, so when they ask… I fucking make it happen.”
After issuing everyone with some guidelines and hooking their bodies up with the usual GPS monitoring vests, the whole Enforcers squad was put to the test on the indoor Pine Rise athletics track.
As far as Jacob was concerned, it was a breeze.
Even though he still felt somewhat hungover, his natural fitness prevailed and he flew around the track for the first few laps. And then when Coach Tremaine put the squad on sprint tests, it was more of the same.
“Come on guys, this is easy work,” Jacob laughed, powering over the finish line for his fourth repetition. “We should all be finding this comfortable. Even theolderplayers…”
Jacob smiled smugly to himself.
It had been clear enough for Jacob to see that the older players in the group, notably Cooper and Alex were pissed with him. Jacob imagined that Tane had filled his two closest allies in on everything that had gone down between them, and they were likely taking Tane’s side entirely.
I’ll show these guys.
It should be me who’s leading this team.
Tane might be team captain now, but I’m what the Enforcers need at front and center.
After a couple of sledge pull tests, Jacob was starting to feel the heat. Maybe it was the partying on Saturday, or perhaps his failure to do his stretches on Sunday morning, but Jacob was starting to wish that Tremaine would wrap the session up sooner rather than later.
For a moment, it looked like Jacob’s wishes were about to be granted.
“Right, that’s enough,” Coach Tremaine bellowed. “Only one test left. Pairs racing. We want you up against a teammate. Gosling, you’re with Rivers.”
Jacob felt hie heart jump.
Under any other circumstance, he would feel supremely confident about beating Tane in a track race. But with his legs beginning to feel heavy and his stomach churning over, Jacob wasn’t quite so confident.
But Jacob wasn’t about to let that stop him acting like he felt the win was all but assured…
“I’ll slow down to not make thistooembarrassing,” Jacob said as him and Tane lined up at the start line. “Don’t say I don’t respect my elders.”
“You just focus on getting across the line,” Tane replied, a steely determination in his eyes that made Jacob swallow hard. “Try your best and don’t stop giving it your all until the race is done. Trust me on that.”
“Pffft,” Jacob retorted, roiling his eyes.
