He tilted his head slightly. "This isn’t adding up for me." He gestured toward the chair across from him. "Sit down."
Ryan leaned forward a bit, elbows on the desk arms crossed - it must be a sibling thing.
"I gotta say, Colton—you’ve been working great with Finn. Tight communication, clean screens, and giving him a chance to see pucks. It’s making a difference."
I lean forward, unconsciously matching his posture. "Yeah! You know, I was thinking—he responds best when we keep the pressure off his glove side early. Gets his confidence up. Maybe we adjust the warm-ups so he sees those high shots first—let him settle before we start ripping them blocker-side."
One of Ryan’s eyebrows raise, "Uh-huh…"
I’m on a roll "And hey, if we tweak the defensive rotations a bit, we could give him cleaner lanes. Less traffic, better reads. We should—"
Ryan holds up a hand, grinning "Colt."
I stop short "Yeah?"
Ryan smirks, "Are you… coaching me right now?"
I laugh and rub the back of my neck. “I got carried away, huh?"
Ryan chuckles and pushes back from the desk. "A little bit."
Now I’m laughing and shaking my head, "Sorry…. Coach”
Ryan rests his elbows on the armrests, folding his hands together. "Don’t be. It’s good to see the Colton spark again."
"Yeah, it's good to feel it again.”
Silence.
Ryan doesn’t say anything, doesn’t push.
That’s the thing about him—he knows when to talk and when to just... let you sit with it.
“That’s why I think I should leave." I exhale, running a hand through my hair. "I know I can get myself back on track. I mean I wouldn’t have gotten this far without everyone here. But…"
I pause, trying to find the right words.
"I’ve made too many mistakes. Too much damage. And I think… maybe it’s time for a fresh start."
Ryan sits up a bit straighter. "You said it yourself—that wouldn’t have gotten this far without everyone here. How do you think everyone will react to you leaving?”
I can’t look at him, so I look at the whiteboard behind him. "They’ll be fine without me. I mean, I think you could pairMason up with Finn. Mason’s solid, just needs confidence, and Finn could help with that."
Ryan is silent but gives a small nod.
I shrug, "And honestly? Giving Finn that kind of mentorship role could boost his confidence, too."
Ryan leans a bit more forward “Colton, I wasn’t talking about the team. I was talking about Riley”
I know exactly what he means.
And worse? I know he’s right.
Riley.
Damn it.
I swallow, exhaling slowly like that’s gonna help me figure out what’s going on. This was supposed to be about hockey—about my future, about getting my head on straight. Nother.Notus.
