Page 118 of Unrivaled Love
"Okay, rapid fire, quick, what animal could you beat in a fight?" Lydia hurries us along.
"Bear, baby bear." Duncan spits out.
"Dog!" Crosby yells.
"Dog?" I ask.
"What? I dunno, I panicked."
"Boba Tea, what's your animal?" Dunc asks me.
"I'm thinking a farm animal; goat, pig, maybe even a cow. I think I could win in a fight against one of them."
"Actually, logical." Lydia says and then she sends us on our way.
"Where do they come up with these questions?" Crosby asks as he pops a few sour patch kids in his mouth.
"My guess is they're all on a group chat and they share ideas. Or they get high every night and come up with the goofiest shit." Duncan says.
"It doesn't matter, they keep the fans entertained, especially the casual fan and that's how we grow the sport." I tell them as we walk down the hall.
"True true, thanks for cooling us down AC." Crosby says and we pause.
"Oh shit, that was smooth!" Duncan slaps Crosby on the back.
I grin. "It was. Crocs did you just give out a nickname?"
Duncan pushes into the locker room and starts clapping his hands. "Boys, new nickname alert! Cros here just called Boba Tea, AC, and it's a beaut."
"I like that one." Aiden says as we pass his locker.
“We’ll see if it sticks.” I tell him. “I’ve been Boba Tea for years.”
“Do you ask Jo to call you that when you’re in the throws of love making?” Duncan asks as he starts to undress. We all change into shorts and sweatshirts for warm ups before getting into all our game gear.
“Let’s leave AC’s love making preferences alone,” Felix says. “I’ve got a new song for us. Do you want it now or right before we take the ice?”
The room groans. I personally love Cap’s annual pump up song picks. Last year it wasCotton Eyed Joeand it never got old for me. It became part of my pregame ritual and helped loosen me up just a fraction more before taking the ice.
I start to change as Felix gets his speaker connected. “The suspense is kinda killing me.” I say with a laugh to Emmett next to me.
“I honestly have no idea where he’s going to go with this.” He says as he pulls his socks on.
“Okay boys, listen up!” Felix says and then he dramatically presses play. There’s a moment of silence before the Baha Men start yelling “Who let the dogs out?! Who? Who? Who? Who? Who?”
The boys start barking along with the song as we get into it.
This locker room atmosphere is exactly the kind I need before going in to grind it out for another 82 games of the regular season.
***
I was named star of the game after two goals and two assists in our four-two win over Dallas. A small part of me wanted us to lose. I craved the feeling of a loss. I need to be knocked back down to make sure I can still get up again.
“Bryson,” the rink-side reporter says and I lean in to hear them over the roar of the crowd. “How’d it feel to open the season with a win?”
“Great!” I grin. It might not be my personal mentality but a win is a win. “We might be reigning champs but it doesn’t mean anything going into this season. We all start from zero.” I say and the crowd cheers.
“Dallas got two in against Aiden Youngren, how’s he feeling going into a season playing more games?”
