AllFreeNovel
Share Us
With a half-shrug, I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed out.
I needed to get on the ice and skate away some of this tension.
* * *
“Okay, here’s how this morning is going to go,” Coach Tucker said as we joined him on the ice. “I want my D-men working with Coach Carson. He knows the drill. Aiden, Noah, Ward, and the rest of the power forwards, you’re with me. Mase, Coach Dixon wants to work one-on-one with you today.”
“Okay,” I said with mild confusion.
“Don’t look so worried, kid,” Coach Dixon chuckled. “Once I’ve put you through your paces, I’ll move on to someone else.” He winked, entering the rink and gliding off toward the far goal.
“We’ve got a hard couple of games ahead of us. The Huskies have started the season strong. So don’t expect to get the win easily. Okay”—he clapped his gloves together—“get to it.”
The team broke out into their various positions. The defensive men with Coach Carson, centers and wingers with Coach Tucker. While I followed Coach Dixon to the other side of the rink.
“I’ve been reviewing your game footage,” he said, skating around me. “You create excellent chances for your teammates to score. Yet, you have a powerful shot, but you rarely go for the goal yourself. Why?”
“There’s better guys on the team.” I shrugged, not sure where he was going with this.
We all had our roles to play. I didn’t shy away from taking the shot if the opportunity arose, but I was a playmaker. I wasn’t a goal scorer. That was predominantly Noah’s or Aiden’s job.
“I don’t accept that answer, son.” He dropped a puck on the ice and slid his stick toward it.
It was a little surreal, watching James Dixon—a Lakers legend—skate toward the open goal, cutting down the left and picking up speed right before he faked a pass and took the shot instead.
“I played left wing, Mason. And with your speed and skill, you should be scoring more goals. That’s what I want us to work on.”
“I’m not sure—”
Coach Dixon drew up short, ice spraying up from his perfectly executed stop. He might have retired early through injury, but clearly hadn’t lost his knack on the ice.
“I watched that game footage, Mason, and do you know what I saw?”
I kept quiet, a little rocked by this whole encounter.
“I saw a guy withholding his potential. A guy on the verge of great things, but not if he doesn’t master his full capabilities. Coach Tucker wants the Lakers to go all the way this season. You’re an integral part of the team, but you’re not working to your full potential.”
“With all due respect, sir, I’m not sure—”
“You get one shot, Mason. One shot at making this happen. To make your future happen. Look me in the eye, and tell me you don’t want it.” His eyes narrowed, waiting, daring me to prove him wrong.
But I couldn’t.
I couldn’t do it. Because, of course, I fucking wanted it. I just didn’t see a way to make it work. So yeah, I played in the background, letting my teammates skate into the spotlight.
“Thought so.” A knowing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and for a second, I saw Harper smiling back at me.
Fuck.
Not a visual Ieverneeded to see.
Blinking away the intrusive and definitely unwanted thought, I cleared my throat. “What are we working on then, Coach?”
Another knowing grin. “Now there’s the spirit, son. I want you to come at me and see how many you can get past the line.”
If someone had told me that, one day, I’d be practicing with Lakers legend James Dixon, I would have laughed in their face. Though here I was, about to try and score against him because he saw something in me. If that didn’t make my chest puff out a little, nothing would.
But now I’d caught a glimpse of Harper in him; I couldn’t unsee it.
