“You have a big heart, my man, If she doesn’t realize that, she doesn’t deserve you. Just be yourself.” I slap him on the back and watch him shake his head, lost in his thoughts before putting his skates back on.
Looks like he’s hitting the ice again to let out that frustration. That’s exactly what I would do. Chip away at the ice until your muscles are straining and it’s difficult to breath—it’s the only way you know that all your hard work is paying off.
My fist taps Coach’s door before I enter, and his bent head doesn’t move away from the paperwork he’s leaning over as he reads. I almost miss the second person in the office, but he stands when I enter with his hand extended towards me. Confused, my hand grips his in a firm shake before letting go to take a seat in front of the desk.
“Granger, this is Mr. Wayne Burkley. He’s here today to talk to you about an opportunity that you’ve been waiting for,” Coach says, finally lifting his head with a small smile on his face as he adjusts his glasses while giving a head nod to Mr. Burkley.
My heart starts racing in my chest, and I can feel every pounding heart beat as it pulses through me. This is going to be a life changing moment that I’ll never forget, I can feel it.
“I’m going to tell you a little about myself, and we can go from there. First, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, I’ve been following your skating for quite some time now. I’ve worked for the Bruins for about five years as a scout, and we’ve had our eye on you. You skate with a passion and dedication, and we want that on our team. You graduate this spring, correct?” he asks, but I think he already knows the answer.
He’s giving me a moment to absorb all this information. Coach and I have been planning this since freshman year—to have the team I live and breathe for notice me. It’s been a dream of mine to skate for the Bruins since I was a kid.
“Yes, in just a couple more months,” I tell him, and he nods before looking at Coach for a split second, who’s leaning back in his chair with his arms resting on top of his stomach.
“Training starts midsummer. What do you say?” He leans an elbow on the armrest as he waits for my answer with a hard gaze that means business.
“What exactly are you asking me, Mr. Burkley?” I ask slowly, and wait with my breath held, my dreams just within my reach after all the years of working my way here with sweat, long hours, and blood.
“I’m offering you a position on the team, son. Do you want to skate for Boston? The team needs you, Granger, and we only take the best of the best goddamn hockey players.” He extends his arm out for a handshake, and I reach forward to seal the deal without hesitation.
“You have yourself a new hockey player, Mr. Burkley." I try not to sound too enthusiastic, and give him one last firm shake before letting go.
Releasing his hand, he gestures to the stack of papers placed in front of Coach.
"Since I know who your family is, I'd have them go over the paperwork in detail and get back to me as soon as you can. Looking forward to having you on the team." He pulls out a business card, and I reach for it slowly in a dream like state.
In a daze, I stare at the card in my hand as Coach sees him out of his office. He returns moments later with a beaming smile as he adjusts his glasses. He scoots the paperwork over the desk with the logo of the Bruins on the front. It’s really happening. Right in front of me is my future, and I can’t wait to fucking share it with Kat.
“Let’s go over this and what’s going to happen from here on out with your life.” He kicks his feet up on his desk, ankles crossed as he fiddles with a puck he pulled from his drawer. “I’m proud of you, Wilder. I knew the moment you stepped onto my rink that you were going places. Even when life took an unexpected turn, you slipped a little, but put your head back into the game,” he says in a gruff voice, and I realize that he’s been hard on me right from the beginning to get me here.
“Thanks, Coach. I won’t let you down, and my last skate of the season will be me leading this team to nationals.” The promise is in my voice, and he gives me a single nod of approval before pointing to the papers in my lap.
An hour later, Coach slaps me on my back and tells me to go shower. Everything is finally looking up, my head feels light as if I’m floating on my feet, and I think it’s a piece of calmness mixed in with excitement. Breezing through my shower in a rush, I have ten minutes until English lit lets out, so I can meet Kat outside of class instead of the café. Beast already left half an hour ago, giving me the bro nod when he saw me and Coach talking inside his office. I’ll just have to fill him in later when we meet up to celebrate.
I’m running across campus with my hair still wet and freezing from the cold, but I don’t stop because I really need to hug my Princess and spin her in my arms until we’re dizzy and she’s kissing me with her pink, plump lips that were made for me. I just want to share the news with her because she’s my number one fan, and I know she’ll cheer me on along the
