Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
“Hold on,” I snap and walk out, grabbing the whiteboard and seeing he fucked it up on purpose. “That is not what we are doing.” I look at Cam. “Get the fuck out of here.” Finally confirming my suspicions that he’s the whole reason that half the plays are not working.
“What?” he says defensively. “I’m doing it how you called it.”
I look at the guys in front of me, erasing the board. “This is how they are playing.” I mark the opponents in X’s. “I want Kirby and Jaxon here.” I point to the blue line. “Aaron, I want you in the middle with them, the three of you passing the puck. I want you skating into the middle but passing it back to Jaxon, who one times it to Knox.” I then do two circles. “Knox,” I look at him, “I want you here.” I do the circle right next to the goalie. “Lane,” I do the other circle, “you jump on the rebound.”
The whistle blows, telling us that it’s time to get back on the ice. “You are not to touch another fucking play.” I lean over to Cam. “That’s the last time I’ll coach with you behind the bench.” He leers at me.
I’m not even watching the ice when the roar of the crowd makes me turn my head and I see Knox skating to the side, pointing over at the bench. “You fucking did it!” Eric cheers. “You fucking did it!”
thirty-seven
Zane
Eric comes over to me and slaps my shoulder and then squeezes it. My eyes are on Cam as he looks up at the Jumbotron. I walk to him and whisper in his ear, “Get the fuck off my bench.”
“Fuck you,” he hisses at me, “you don’t tell me how to do my job.”
The horn blares, telling us the game is done, and the guys are jumping over the bench, heading to the ice to celebrate with Sammy. I look over my shoulder at them, skating over to the middle of the ice, holding up their sticks to the crowd who are on their feet. I stand in the tunnel as Cam walks out. “Dressing room. No press,” I snap. He looks over at me and if I didn’t know he was gunning for me before this, the look on his face solidifies it.
I look at Eric. “I need you to find Ken,” I tell him. “Get him to the dressing room.” He nods at me and looks back at Cam. “This ends tonight. I just hope it ends in my favor.”
“I have your back.” He slaps my shoulder as he starts to walk off to find Ken.
The first couple of guys come off the ice, my fist is closed to hit theirs. “Way to fucking play, boys,” I praise as they trickle off. I’m not expecting Owen to fist bump me, but he does.
“Nice play there,” he says, nodding before pushing off his helmet and heading to the locker room.
“I want no press in the room!” I shout down the hallway as the crowd roars, and I look up to see they announced Knox as the third star. He does a circle by the bench and then comes back down the tunnel, holding up his hand.
“The comeback king.” He smirks at me. “Who would have thought you had it in you?” he jokes with me, hitting my shoulder with his.
“Shit is going down,” I tell him quickly. “I need you to make sure no one leaves the dressing room until I get there.”
“You got it, Coach,” he assures me, taking off his glove and walking down the hallway as Kirby skates off the ice.
“Not going to say that was one of the best moments of my life,” he declares to me, “considering I found the love of my life, but that comes in the top five.”
“Top five?” I ask him.
“I’m going to have kids, that’s going to come above this. But if it makes you feel better, it’s number one on the job front.” I chuckle as he walks past me and toward the locker room.
I hear Jaxon’s voice as he takes an interview on the ice. “Yeah, it was a play Coach came up with,” he explains, “and to make it come to fruition was pretty great.” He looks up at the crowd. “I don’t know about you guys,” he says, “but who else is looking forward to lighting this place up for the playoffs?” The question makes the crowd roar even more. “It’ll be a fun ride, no matter what.”
He comes out of the tunnel and toward me. “Aww, are you waiting for me?” He takes off his gloves and unsnaps his helmet. “Aren’t you sweet?”
“Good game out there, Captain.” I slap his shoulder. “It’s been an honor.”
“Why are you talking to me like you’re about to break up with me?” he questions as he turns and the two of us walk to the locker room. I look down the hallway and see Eric coming down with Ken beside him. Ken’s face is tight, and Eric looks down.