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Johnsie, the second-line forward, smashed his stick into the wooden bench that lined our lockers, snapping it with the force. “How the fuck can he do that to us?”
The team was taking the news of our captain being gone worse than I did. I watched the players’ reactions from my spot on the bench while taking off my gear.
Coach raised a brow, crossing his arms over his broad chest. He huffed out a breath and sucked on his front teeth. “Hodge was a good player and a great captain. He helped lead the way to nationals, but he was justoneplayer. You did it as a team, and you’ll do it again this year.”
Johnsie complained, “We didn’t just go to nationals, Coach. We fucking won.”
“Sit down,” Coach commanded, and Johnsie nearly fell backward into his locker he sat so fast. “Do I look like an idiot?”
“No, Coach,” we murmured as a group.
“Well, from your whining, it sure sounds like you think I’m an idiot. If I’m not worried, you shouldn’t be worried. Got it?”
“Yes, Coach.”
“Good, because I’ve got an announcement.” He looked toward me, and I wanted to crawl into myself with all of the attention. There was a time I’d have lived for this, but now, there were few things I wanted less than the responsibility of taking care of this team. I wasn’t Hodge, golden-boy player. I was Lucas Knight, fuckup.
The worst part was the team knew I wasn’t a good fit for captain. I didn’t do pep talks or pats on the back. I was too busy using the game to numb my fucking mind.
Coach gestured my way. “Lucas is your new captain. I expect you to treat him with respect.”
All eyes shifted to Alex, who leaned on his locker across the room. As the current assistant captain, he was definitely the better fit for the position. He got along with everyone, helped out everyone he could. Basically a team favorite.Fuck. He should be captain.
A muscle ticked in Alex’s jaw before he smiled, walking over to me and slapping me on the back. “Can’t fucking wait, man. Just don’t bag skate us.”
“No promises,” I joked, and a weight lifted from my shoulders. People would follow his lead, and I might suck at this, but at least I wasn’t going to have to take shit from my team.
“Speech!” a rookie I’d just met a few days ago screamed from the corner. I studied his face, making sure to remember to make him skate extra laps tomorrow. Maybe this captain shit wouldn’t be horrible.
“Work hard, play hard, and don’t suck.” Lamest excuse for a speech, but the guys banged the ends of their sticks on their steel lockers, hurting my ears with the noise.
Coach clapped his hands. “Alright, knock it off. We’ve got the Paws and Claws fundraising fair in two hours. Which means you’ve got thirty to be down there to set up.”
Groans circled the room. I tensed, expecting Coach to flip his shit, but he turned and walked back into his office, closing his door. My guess was he didn’t want to do this any more than we did. Even if it was for a good cause.
* * *
The fair was taking place in the large south campus parking lot. The layout was simple, four rows of games each manned by a varsity player. That way, attendees could walk their way in a file while stopping at whatever station they’d like. There were some of the usual games—pie throwing, dunk tank, ball toss—but ours was a unique setup.
I lifted a forty-pound bag of ice from the back of Jax’s pickup truck and hauled it over to our station. There were two large black soaker tubs filled with ice water next to a table with stopwatches on it.
The game was simple, if not familiar. If you stayed in the water for forty-five seconds, you won.
I tipped the bag of ice into the tub, goose bumps erupting on my arm where the already frigid water splashed my skin. I fucking hated ice baths. They were common for players, but I did my best to avoid them at all costs. Just like I would today.
“Jax.” I called him over, and Alex followed.“Rock, paper, scissors for who goes in.”
“Fuck you, buddy. We’re taking turns.”
“Are we though? I’m the captain. You’re lucky I’m offering this.”
“Asshole,” Alex said, his smile undermining his insult.
Jax chuckled and held his fist out. “Are we doing this or what?”
“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot.” Alex called it out, and we all played our hands. Both Alex and Jax chose rock like the fucking idiots they were, and I held up my paper. Fucking predictable.
They played another round, ending with Alex groaning and Jax chirping about how cold the water would be when a group of three girls walked up.
