Page 31 of Eye of the Hurricane
“Nope. I’m letting you take lead on this. You’ve got it, Kat. At this point, I think you might be better equipped for this job than I am,” he says with a laugh.
Okay. I can do this.I know this plan in my sleep. It’s not something I needed to learn, I created it. I can do this.
I head out to the ice where the team is waiting for me. They’re all yelling over each other and roughhousing. I go entirely unnoticed when I walk on to the ice.
I clear my throat and get the attention of exactly one player.
“Hey,” I call out. Nothing.
“HEY!” I yell out, this time with some bass in my voice. All of their heads snap in my direction. “I’m meeting with you all to talk about the new media plans going forward. Before I start, do you have any questions for me?” I feel like a grade school teacher. Some kid I hardly recognize pipes up.
“How can you walk on the ice in those shoes?” I roll my eyes, huffing in annoyance.
“The ice is rough after you’ve all been out here. I walk careful. Does anyone have any questions that matter?” I ask, pointedly. A few snickers bubble through the group before an awkward silence falls over the group.
“Alright then. The quicker you let me get through this, the quicker you can all shower and go home.” I get a few nods and even a couple ‘yes ma’am’s.
“I think Jacob is doing a great job with you all, so I don’t think there are any major changes to implement. However, I do think we’re lacking in social media presence.” Everyone is giving me their undivided attention and the anxiety I felt before is replaced with… I don’t know. Something big and heavy, something a lot closer to pride.
“I want to start slow, let it be less of a shock to the system. I don’t think we need to be putting out tons and tons of content, especially in the off-season. I’m thinking maybe two to three picture posts and one video a week for now. How does that sound?”
“What does that look like on our end?” Hudson, the captain, asks.
“That’s a good question. For you guys, it would look like small photo shoots here and there to provide content. Not every photo post has to be of the team. Some will be text posts, some will be of the arena or fans. The videos though, I’m open to being flexible if you’re all willing to work with me on it. Some weeks, we can film multiple to keep in a backlog. Others, we’ll be able to film just one or even skip.”
“We can do that,” he assures me.
“I can’t tell you all what to do with your personal socials but I will ask that you stay mindful of how you’re reflecting on the team. I know there are guidelines for what you can post due to being an athlete at DHU. I’m not talking about that, that’s between you and the school. What I’m asking is that you keep your interactions with fans positive, interact with team posts, and stay out of controversial conversations online.”
“Let me know what you need from the guys and I’ll get it done. If they give you any trouble, let me know,” Hudsonassures me. If it was my place, I would tell him he’s a good captain.
“Thank you. Do you guys have any questions?” I ask one more time.Maybe I should have specified that I don’t want to be asked about my outfit again.
“Is there a platform we’re focusing on?” This time, it’s Jackson who speaks up. He’s one of the defensemen for the team.
“Nope. All of them equally. Good question, though. I want a presence on every platform that will bat an eye at us. Anything else?” Everyone either shakes their head or gives no response at all. So we wrap up and I send them out to the locker room.
I turn to head back to Jacob’s office but he’s standing just the other side of the ice, watching with a smile on his face.
“You said you wouldn’t be here.”
“I wanted you to know that you didn’t need me there.”
Luna
You always call me while you get ready for work. Are you okay?
This should be fun.I’m absolutely dreading this conversation but I might as well rip the Band-Aid off. Luna can read me like a book, so there’s no sense in lying to her. I connect the phone to my car and dial her number, planning to talk on the drive home.
“What the hell? I thought you were dead!” she exclaims. Her voice echos through the car speakers.
“I had a hectic morning and then Jacob had me busy all day. I promise I wasn’t ignoring you. I’m okay,” I explain. It’s mostly true, although I might have been avoiding her slightly.
“Well, what’s wrong? Why was your morning hectic?” Genuine concern is wrapped up in her words. If I was a worse person, I’d make up some story about having a bad morning.
But I’m not. Even if I were, she’d see right through me. So I swallow the pill and tell her the truth.
“Promise you won’t freak out.”
