Begin Again

Listen Up

"Would you hurry the hell up and sit your asses down please! We only have like thirty minutes and I'm gonna get in a hell of a lot of shit if I don't talk 'bout everything I'm supposed to." I practically screamed at the guys as they're walking around the locker room half dressed and talking about the upcoming game.

Then all suddenly look at me, quite surprised I was able to yell like that. I guess I really am the daughter of a coach. Luckily, they all take their seats quietly and look to me, indicating to start the discussion.

"Okay cool. Thank you, and sorry. I just gotta get through all this stuff, and life is busy right now." I apologize and try to start, but before I can Dylan whispers under his breathe, "Yeah you didn't make life for Davo real easy either toots."

I hit him with a glare. "Thanks Dyl...but it goes both ways... 'toots.'" He laughs at my quotation signs around the word toots, before monitoring me to actually begin our discussion.

"Okay so obviously you all know we're playing the Bulldogs tomorrow at 7:30, in Hamilton. That means we've gotta be on the bus tonight at 6:30. We'll get there around 10:30-11 depending on traffic, and then file into the hotel. You guys are welcome to see your families on game day..." At this, they all begin to smile and whisper to one another, but I need to crush their happiness with this small detail, "...after our 6am practice." They all boo and throw their gloves and dirty socks at me.

"Ew! Yuck! Omg stop! Eww!!" I scream, trying to dodge the nasty equipment. "Jeez! It isn't my decision to have a 6am practice! If it was up to me I wouldn't even be here right now." I laugh and so do most of the others, except Connor. Instead, he speaks up. "So why don't you just run away? You're pretty good at that last time I checked." He spat.

The room fell silent. I could slap him. I'd just walk right up to him and slap him straight across the face. His cheek would turn a dark red with a couple blotchy spots. If only I could slap him. But he's kind of right. I mean I shouldn't have ran off, I should've stayed and tried to fix it or at least talk it all out.

Instead of doing anything drastic, I laughed. "Good one Connor." Maybe it'll brush away. "Okay back to it. So we have some publicity stuff to do with the guys that are eligible for the draft. Since we're in Hamilton a bunch of guys from Toronto will be coming out to watch and therefore all the media will be joining them." They all look kind of nervous so I decide to shift the topic back to something a little more upbeat.

"Okay. So after our game we have a little, um, outing to go to." They all look at me confused. "So I used to live near there, so I know a couple of the guys on the team. Actually I know a lot of them. So they've invited me, and I twisted it to be all of us, to a banger. You guys in?" They all jump up cheering and planning it all out. "Okay, okay! Quiet down! You've gotta keep it on the down low from my dad...uh I mean coach. I'll talk to him about it tonight. So boys, make sure you bring you party clothes...it's gonna be a hell of a wild one." They all begin to cheer again.

We finish going over the complete itinerary for the weekend, and then I leave to let the boys finish getting changed.

I whip out my phone and text my good friend from Hamilton.
We'll all be at the party. And make sure you bring out some cute guy for me, I seriously need to forget about Connor.

He replies in seconds; I know just the guy.