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“Are you drunk or something?” Coach kicks my side, waking me up.
I snap up and nearly slip on the ice as I try to stand.
“No, not drunk. Just stupid,” I confess. “What time is it?”
I squint up at the ceiling, but there aren't any windows to see outside.
“It’s almost eight. Do you have a flight to catch?”
“Not until later,” I tell him as we both walk off the ice.
“Come, let’s talk.” He grunts and I follow him to his office.
Lenny’s flight is at eight. I was supposed to take her to the airport. I was supposed to spend the night with her and send her off. Now, I won’t be able to see her for almost a month.
“Who’s the girl?” Coach gets right down to it.
“No one,” I lie.
I can’t admit I’ve been distracted by a girl. It was the number one thing I meant to avoid this year. Turns out I became completely blinded by it.
He eyes me, waiting for the truth.
“Lenny Briggs,” I confess. “She writes for the school paper.”
Coach nods. “I’ve seen her. She writes some pretty good shit too.” He points to the old newsletter sitting on his desk.
It’s open to the first article she wrote about us or co-wrote as it says.
“So, what’s the problem?” Coach asks after he takes a sip of his coffee.
I shrug. “I got distracted. I was blind.”
He sits up and shakes his head. “She was good for you. I told you to keep whatever it was that was driving you. That was yesterday. Then all of sudden you become a robot and start playing like shit. You’re lucky the other guys played like shit too.”
I shake my head in disbelief.
Lenny sold me out. She betrayed me.
But the more I say it, the more I don’t believe it.
“That stuff about my injury is going to come out.” I groan.
“From her?” He asks, still sipping his coffee like it’s no big deal.
“I don’t know!” I groan and run my face over my hands, because I can’t for the life of me say that she’s the definite cause of my injury being leaked. “I told her about it, and now that fucking guy knows. He will tell everyone.”
“First off, don’t curse in my office.” He scolds me. “Second, I told you I’d deal with that little shit. Are you positive she told him?”
“No,” I say honestly.
“Neither am I. She looked just as upset as you did when he started asking you questions. And the questions he was asking me felt a lot more educated then I’d believe he is.” Coach runs his hand along his jaw and smirks like he figured something out.
He’s not sharing his bright ideas with me though.
I may be the captain of the team, but I’m not in Coach’s inner circle that strictly lives in his own mind.
“Now get out of here. Relax and have a good holiday.” He dismisses me.
