“You were a bit hard on the rook, don’t you think?” White says, skating to my side.
“He needs to learn to follow.”
“He’s trying to impress you.”
“By disregarding my instructions?”
“He just ran the same drill fifteen times exactly as you instructed. Seriously, ask anyone.”
“Ask them what?”
“About the rook. We all see it. The kid’s desperate for your approval.”
I have to admit, Luka has skills. If only he’d fall in line and stop with the risky shit. It might pay off once in a while, but when a single goal can mean the end of your season and a shot at the cup, thoserisks just aren’t worth it. If he starts the season thinking he can do whatever he wants out there on the ice, the whole team will pay the price, and I won’t let that happen.
“I guess I could give him a little more positive reinforcement.”
“That’s all I’m saying,” White replies, turning and skating backwards toward the rest of the team. “You coming, Cap?”
“Be there in a second,” I reply, and I stand there watching the team take turns to shoot on Colt. Luka is up next. He comes up on Colt at half-speed. Colt is set square; it looks like Luka’s going to go for a wide drive, but then Luka pulls the puck slightly inside. Colt shifts his weight to his inside edge, then instead of continuing inside, Luka pushes the puck back outside, releasing almost immediately and lighting up the lamp a second later. He immediately looks my way, and I give him an approving nod. Even from this far away, I see his smile grow wider, and that same flurry hits my gut.
This kid is going to get me in trouble.
***
“We made grilled cheese,” Benji calls from the living room when I push through the door of our small three-bedroom home. It was left to all three of us when our parents passed, and thanks to the money I’ve gotten from playing for Philly, we’ve been able to keep it. I drop my phone and keys on the hall table and join my brothers inthe living room. They’ve got a platter covered in toasted sandwiches sitting on the coffee table beside a big pot of chili.
“Looks like that’s not all you cooked,” I say, and Benji laughs.
“You can thank yourself for that. It’s the batch you put in the freezer last week, we just reheated it. We can’t have grilled cheese without chili.”
“That’s true.”
David flicks the television onto the sports news and plonks down next to his brother on the couch. To look at them, you wouldn’t guess they were brothers. While Benji is almost six feet tall with the same golden-brown hair and dark brown eyes that I have, his jaw looks like it was chiseled from stone, and he’s all lean muscle. David is the polar opposite. He’s just over five feet, and is the most ripped sixteen-year-old I think I’ve ever seen. His hair is cut short like Benji’s, but he’s bleached his natural golden brown to white blond and throws in a colored streak every other month. This month’s one is orange. They both have the same smile as Mom, though. Actually, we all do. It’s nice seeing her reflected in them. Sometimes I worry that I’ll forget what it was like to have parents. Then one of these guys smiles at me, and I remember all over again what it was like to come home and see that same smile on my mother’s face. She was always happy to see us. She used to say that we were the best part of her day.
Fuck I miss them.
I hear my name, and we turn our attention to the television. David grabs the remote and turns up the volume. On the screen is a panel of sports reporters, and they’re talking about me.
“This could be the last season for the captain, don’t you agree?” Perry Jenkins, the main host of Sports in Action, asks Mike, Lennox, and Gordon, who sit at the table with him. The screen behind them is showing a replay of both the highlights and low points of my career.
Mike is the first to answer.
“I don’t know, Perry. He’s brought home the cup for Philly three times in seven years, which would be a huge achievement for any player nearing retirement age.”
“I’m not that old,” I mumble under my breath as Mike shakes his head and continues.
“I just don’t think he’s done yet. What do you think, Lennox?”
“I agree, Mike. Reid Raines is everything a coach is looking for in a defenseman. He’s got strong gap control, and he reads the play and makes great decisions under pressure, which this team is going to need if they expect to make the finals this year.”
“That’s true,” Gordon chimes in with a smile that always seems forced. Unlike the others on the panel, Gordon always looks like he’d rather be anywhere but at that table. “Raines has really proven himself to be a consistent player and leader. I think we’ll see him on the ice for a few more years yet.”
David turns the volume back down a little.
“See, Dad Bro, they still love you.”
“Three out of four of them, anyway,” Benji follows up with.
