I bit my lower lip. Hard. The copper tang of blood was painfully familiar. I’m sure I had permanent teeth marks on my lip at this point.
“I’m on it,Damien,” I bit out, using Coach’s first name andreallypushing my luck.
The cacophony of the other players on the ice quieted to near silence. I didn’t need to look at Coach to know that he was glaring at me. Hell, I could feel the bite of his frosty gaze, colder than the ice under my skates.
Banning had it in for me from the get-go, and I was determined to prove him wrong.
I had a knack for solving puzzles and reading players. But Damien Banning’s problem with me was still a mystery and one I intended to figure out. One that I needed answers to. I’d given in to my curiosity and tried to learn more about him, but what I found online was nothing I hadn’t already known. Five years ago, he played defense for Chicago, until his pro career was sidelined by a knee injury. An accident that could’ve happened to any player. But watching him skate now, it was hard to picture. He was eight years older than me, but he looked a lot younger than your typical hockey coach. And he certainly pushed me harder than any previous one I’d ever had.
I should’ve given him the benefit of the doubt. He was a coach, after all, and he was here to help players improve. But his expression was as clear as the blue line painted on the ice:he didn’t have faith in me. There was judgement and the verdict was “you’re good, but not good enough.”
Fuck that and fuck him.
Maybe his dream was gone, but mine was only beginning. Yes, I was facing guys that were all younger than me. But I had grit going for me. A ruthless core that never quit.
My teammates had hockey in their blood, like me, but they were living and breathing it. Me? I had other responsibilities that required survival.
Banning knew about my guardianship of Josiah. The parts I was willing to share, that is. I told him enough to let him know that I wasn’t fucking around in my spare time. I was doing the best I could. Life wasn’t fair, and I knew that if I wanted to make it to the next level, I’d have to forego everything but family and hockey.
“Moss!” Banning shouted again.
“On it!” I yelled back and skated over to face off with Jace.
I didn’t let my temper get the best of me, and I focused on the drill. We ran it over and over, until I finally got the advantage and blocked Jace. After the danger zone drill, we played two-on-two, with me and Axel winning one-zip.
“Good job!” Banning shouted and motioned to the boards. “We’re done for the day. Get out of here and rest up for the game. We have a championship to bring home.”
“Yes, Coach!” all four of us called out.
I skated off with Finn by my side.
“That was a close call today, Silas,” Finn muttered. “I’ve never seen Banning’s face turn that shade of red before.”
I chuckled and pulled one of my gloves off, wiping the sweat off my face with my hand.
“He’s too easy to rile up.”
“Yeah?” Finn raised one eyebrow. “Normally he’s always cool. Nothing bothers him.”
“Nah. Remember that penalty against Grainger College?”
“Oh, yeah. There was that. He lost it for sure.”
“I don’t blame him,” I replied. “If you don’t have passion for the game, there’s no point, right?”
“Still, don’t piss him off for no good reason.”
“He doesn’t want me here,” I bit out. “I’m sick of it.”
“He’s trying to get the best out of you. If he didn’t want you here, you’d be gone already.”
I thought about that for a moment. Would I have been cut by now if my playing was subpar?
“Maybe.”
Definitely.
“For sure. And stop thinking he has it in for you. He wouldn’t offer this extra ice time if he didn’t think you had potential.”
