Chapter 19 #2
Coach Hawkins stepped forward, arms crossed over her chest, her stance mirroring the defensive posture I often took when confronted.
“We'll be pairing you up,” she said, her tone leaving no room for argument.
“One Blizzard Belle with one Rink Runner.
You'll train together, study together, and make sure this partnership doesn't go up in flames before the month is up.”
A low murmur spread through the room, a collective rustle of discomfort and dismay, whispers passing back and forth like a current. I could feel the tension emanating from both teams, a palpable resistance to the idea of forced collaboration.
“Oh, crap,” someone from my team muttered, the words barely audible but somehow carrying in the tense silence.
Coach Gunner ignored the grumbling, his gaze sweeping over us with cold determination.
“We're putting out the list tonight . If any of you have a problem with it, you can take it up with the administration.
Otherwise? You better learn to get along.
Because if you don't—” His gaze flicked between the two teams, the threat hanging in the air like a guillotine blade. “There will be consequences.”
A heavy silence followed, the weight of it pressing down on all of us, the reality of our situation slowly sinking in. Coach Hawkins broke it, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife.
“There will be a one-week team bonding retreat at Blackwater Bay for both teams. We leave in three days.”
She said it as if she was merely remembering something so trivial it could be an afterthought, and not something she'd just dropped on us like a bomb, the implications of it exploding outward, reshaping the landscape of our immediate future.
“We're implementing new protocols for this partnership. First, practice overlaps. Each team will run the last thirty minutes of their slot with the other team. This means proper communication between captains is non-negotiable.” Coach Hawkins said, her tone just as hard.
My teeth were literally grinding and I refused to look in Lively’s direction.
Coach Gunner took up the baton. “Second: weekly scrimmages, starting during retreat and will continue until the one month is up. Full contact, mixed teams. Summers, you and Baleman will alternate picking players. This isn't about men versus women, or the Blizzard Belles versus the Rink Runners anymore. It’s time you guys stepped up.”
Even though he was talking to his player, I couldn't help nodding once, my heart pounding hard. Even though the idea of mixed practices was something we'd already been primed to anticipate, it was still a topic that roused my teammates nonetheless.
Coach's eyes swept the room again. “Isn't it convenient that you're all chummy buddies now?” She said, her tone cold, and I bit back a wince. “Makes things easier for us.”
Yup, we were so fucked.
She turned back to me. “Baleman, you'll coordinate with Summers on implementing the practice schedule. You have until tomorrow morning to submit any adjustments you would like to make.”
“Yes, Coach.” I said, pulse fluttering in my throat.
One week. With the Rink Runners. In close quarters. And, I guess it shouldn’t have bothered me seeing as it was just one week out of the month we still had left of this arrangement, but a retreat like this meant proximity .
And that meant that I was going to be seeing a lot of Lively Summers for the foreseeable future. Now that I was in his debt, I really didn’t know how to feel about that.
“Baleman!” Coach Hawkins’ bladed tone sliced a painful paper cut across the surface of my distraction. “My office. Now .”
But now was not the time to worry about any of that. I straightened up at once, my lips pressed into a thin line before I said, “Yes, ma’am.” There was no bite in my voice as I said it, though, because I’d already known it was coming anyway.
“Hey, Hails, I’m so sorry, I didn’t think it would be so dangerous-” Gina was watching me with a concerned expression, and she took a step like she wanted to follow me in, but I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I…”
“No, G,” I said with a small smile. “It’s cool. I should’ve known better than to let this fly. I’ll handle it.”
Now, she looked even more guilty. “Damn it.”
“Don’t sweat it, Gin.” I said again before turning away. And then, I walked up to Dani, my fists clenching and unclenching. “Hey, Dani,” I started, my throat tight, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have let things escalate this far at all.”
Dani was grinning at me, even though I could see the stiffness at the corners. “It’s okay, Cap,” she said, but her words only made my chest squeeze even tighter. “I’m not-”
I cut her off. “No. You could have lost your eyes, Dani.” I said, and her smile froze on her face. “I should have known better. I’m sorry.”
She sucked in a breath before her expression relaxed. “Thanks, Cap.”
“Baleman!” Coach Hawkins’ sharp tone was a dagger screwing into my throat. “Don’t make me call you again.”
“Yes ma’am.” I called back, and turned on my heel in the direction of her office.
And, as I passed the Rink Runners, I could feel the singular gaze of only one person, despite knowing that they all watched me. The very person I’d been trying to punish all along.
Lively Summers’ blue eyes was no doubt burning into the back of my head, but I refused to look back. The shame squeezed my throat like a vice, making it impossible. I could only keep walking forward, and farther away from him.
But, no matter how far my feet carried me, I knew I couldn’t avoid him forever. Because, right now, I owed him. Big time.
Ah, damn it.