Page 5 of (La)Crosse My Heart

“I promise I tried,” I say, sighing. “Acting has never been my forte.”

“We all know that,” Coach Martin says with a laugh. “Your face backs it up.”

I let my frown deepen, knowing everything I feel shows right there on my face—that’s what keeps getting me into trouble.

“Don’t worry,” Coach says, patting me on the back. “We’ve got someone called in to help you with that.”

“Please say you didn’t hire a plastic surgeon or something,” I say, shaking my head.

Coach Martin laughs louder than I’ve ever heard before. “Hopefully it won’t come to that, but I guess we can always keep it as an option later.”

It’s a good thing I know him well, because I haven’t had a coach as chill as Coach Martin before.

“Hilarious, Coach,” I deadpan.

“Okay, so I just got word today from the managing company. Looks like they’re pairing you up with someone to help with your ads.”

Frustration rears its head, and I shake it off. “I don’t need that, Coach,” I say.

“From what I’ve heard about this past weekend, you definitely do.”

I don’t like how serious he’s being about this. “I’ll be fine. It just takes some time for me to get used to the cameras.”

“Clark, it seems like you had a hard time, even when you were holding a lacrosse stick. And that’s your normal, everyday face, right?” He points to me, and I try not to frown, which isn’t working.

I close my eyes and wish the humiliation from this weekend hadn’t followed me home. “What are they going to do? Give me facial exercises?” I ask.

Coach shakes his head. “That, I’m not really sure about. I just know that with you as our main franchise player, we need to use you as the face of the team.”

“Can I get a card that says ‘Get Out of Jail Free’?” I ask, cracking a smile.

“If I don’t get one, then neither do you,” Coach says, his smile not as bright now.

That makes me think he has to do things he’s uncomfortable with, too.

“Do you know who I’m working with? It’s a long shot, but I’d be more comfortable if I didn’t have to stress about spending a lot of time with someone I barely know.”

“I can’t remember the first name, but I think the last name was Stratton.”

I frown. “Brock?”

Coach shakes his head. “That doesn’t sound familiar.”

Who am I kidding? I would only luck out if my friend from high school was the one to help me reform my “struggle face.” He has a sister, but the chances of Jessa leaving Virginia to live in Utah seem pretty slim. She always loved the idea of traveling and trying new things—as long as it didn’t involve leaving her hometown of Alexandria for more than a week at a time.

I’ll just have to worry about that later.

“Get out there, work hard, and show the team you’re ready to be captain this year.”

I do a double take and stare at Martin. “For real?”

He nods. “I think if you can fix things with your endorsements and with everything else we’re doing, I don’t see why you couldn’t wear the C.”

I smile then, knowing I still have a lot of work to do before I can earn that honor—but it’s definitely something I want. I’ve put a lot into this sport, and leading the team to a postseason victory would be the ultimate accomplishment.

3

Jessa

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