Parker

"Get your head out of your ass, Cadell," Connor speaks lowly as he skates by me.

Dakota told me about her and Lincoln yesterday, and now I can't look at the guy without wanting to high-stick his smug face. I've been in avoiding him during our morning skate, and it's really showing in my shitty performance.

The universe must be against me today, though, because Coach keeps partnering us for drills. Instead of passing him the puck, I keep trying to shoulder my way through the other team, never making it to the net. Not only does Connor look ready to drop kick me, but so does Coach.

As practice ends, I'm first off of the ice, eager to get away from Lincoln and the guys. I'm steps away from the locker room when Coach starts yelling. "17! In my office now. Don't worry about dressing out first."

Fuck.

I've never walked so fast in my life, rushing into the office and sitting down in the chair across from his desk. Coach walks in seconds later, closing the door hard behind him.

"Cadell," he lets out a heavy sigh. "I've had my eye on you for three years now, hoping one day I'd be able to convince you to play for me over here. You have no idea how excited I was to get that call from you this summer, asking for a tryout. Then, I bring you onto my team and name you assistant captain over guys who have played under me for years."

I stare at the wall behind his head, continuously trying to crack my knuckles. He wouldn't strip me of my A after one bad practice, right?

"You showed up and kicked ass last week, made me excited for the rest of the season," he finally looks up, locking eyes with me. "So what the hell had you looking like an idiot on my ice today?"

I'm frantically racking my brain, trying to decide what I should tell Coach. There is no way in hell I'm telling him what went down between Dakota and Lincoln, it's not my place.

"I'm sorry, sir. There was absolutely no excuse for my performance today, and it won't happen again." I say with certainty.

"It better fucking not. This was your one bad day for the season, no more from now on. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir." Tension rolls off of my shoulders.

Coach begins clicking away on his desktop, but I don't dare move, not having been dismissed yet. After a few minutes, he looks back at me with a more relaxed look on his face.

"You're trying to get drafted in May, correct?" He finally speaks.

I perk up at his question, "that is the goal, yes sir."

"Any teams you're hoping for in particular? I need to start preparing to talk to some scouts."

"I would be very happy with the Predators, Ducks, or Avalance. I think they're great teams and I could bring a lot to the table," I say with confidence.

Coach nods in approval, "those are solid, though I'm going to add a couple more to that list for you so you'll have more options in the end."

"Sounds good, Coach, I appreciate it."

He waves his hand and smiles, "get out of here, son. Get your head on straight and let's make some magic this weekend."

I thank him once more before rushing to the locker room, eager to get out of my sweaty gear.

~

I find myself driving in the opposite direction of the hockey house without even thinking about it.

Next thing I know, I've crossed the river and am standing at the edge of a small boardwalk. When I first got to Michigan, I came out here for a run trying to relax before meeting the team when I stumbled by my new favorite place.

I haven't had the chance to come out here as much since the semester started, but right now I'm really wishing I could. Coming from a small beach town in North Carolina, it's the only place I found that even slightly reminds me of home.

My mother is a kindergarten teacher, and my father a real estate agent. As hard as they try, they're only able to make it out to my games if it's within a few hours drive from home, due to my mom's limited vacation days.

Before I left home, there was not a single game they were not sitting in the stands, screaming their heads off. After every win, we would go and get Mcdonald's soft serve and french fries, eating them on the beach no matter how cold or late.

I've tried to do it on my own a few times, but it's just not the same.

Dakota's aggressive nature at the games is what initially drew me to her since it reminded me of my family when I played in high school. When I saw her wearing Connor's jersey, I knew who she was immediate because he talks about her every chance he gets. Each time I'd finish a shift, my eyes would automatically gravitate towards her.

Hanging out with her at the party was the icing on the cake, having the excuse to be close to her. Something about her presence reminds me of home, and I'll be damned if I don't try to hold onto that for as long as she lets me.

I spend the next hour trying to clear my brain as the sun goes down before heading back home.

~

"There you are man, the Lightning and Devils game is about to start," Connor nods towards the TV. "There's pizza in the oven, too."

"Cool, thanks." I quickly grab a few slices of pizza and a Gatorade before settling on the small loveseat in the living room just as the puck drops.

Not even five minutes in, Vasilevsky makes a huge save.

"I'm telling you both right now, I'm gonna be the next Big Cat," Brooks says seriously. "Actually, fuck that. I'm gonna be better than him, a .955 save percentage."

Honestly, he could do it. Brooks is the best collegiate goalie right now, has been since his freshmen year. The league would be extremely lucky to have him.

"The day I have to score on you during a game will be the hardest of my life," I joke back at him.

"For you, Cadell, I'd consider letting one slip by." Brooks shoots me a wink, laughing.

We watch the game quietly for the next period, except for the occasional cheer and groan from Connor.

As the game is winding down, he turns to me. "You were acting really off at practice today, is everything okay man?" He clicks into captain mode.

"Yeah, I don't think you made a single shot on the net," Brooks adds.

Part of me wants to lie to them and give them the same excuse that I gave Coach. On the other hand, they're the only two people I can actually confide in about my newfound dislike towards Lincon.

"Dakota told me about her and Lincoln yesterday." As I finish my sentence, both boys quickly sit up, staring at me intently. "I couldn't look at him without wanting to drop my gloves, so I just tried to avoid him instead," I shrug.

The room is so silent, you could hear a pin drop. Shit, should I have just gone with the off-day thing?

Connor finally speaks, his voice quiet. "She told you about Lincoln?"

Unsure how to respond, I give him a slight nod.

"Like, everything about Lincoln?" Brooks jumps in.

"She told me about them dating and the bet, yeah." My eyes find the wall.

None of us talk for another few minutes, turning our attention back to the last few minutes of the game. I really don't know what they're thinking right now, being that Dakota shared the story with me after knowing eachother for only six days now.

"Well, I've gotta be honest I'm shocked she even told you." Connor glances over at me, "but part of me is also glad someone else feels the pain of not being able to lay the dickhead out."

"A'int that the damn truth," Brooks raises his water in the air before taking a sip.

"Have you both really not said anything to him about it?" I ask in disbelief.

"Kota doesn't want us to, so we respect it," Brooks shrugs. "I mean, don't get me wrong, we'd love to. She just cares too much about our futures to let us chance a suspension."

"I just check him extra hard when we scrimmage," Connor shrugs. "He gets the point."

"I'll keep that in mind for next time," I mumble. "I really am sorry about today, it won't happen again, I'll keep my shit off of the ice."

Connor looks over at me sincerely, "it's all good man, we're all allowed to have bad days. Plus, I don't mind since it's about Kota, just means you care about her as much as we do and I appreciate that."

I just look at him, unsure of what my next words should be. "Yea-yeah, I do care about her, she's a great girl."

Brooks smiles knowingly at me while Connor looks at me, unreadable expression. "She really is, I'm glad she trusts you already. You're a good guy, Cadell, I'm selfishly glad your team lost funding."

Me too, Connor, me too.

______

Happy Thursday!

I had to throw in a Lightning/Devils game at some point, couldn't help myself. I hope you all enjoyed this quick chapter, getting to know a little bit more about Parker.

Monday, you get to meet Connor and Dakota's parents!!!

See you then,