Page 120 of Slap Shot Scandal
“Not my shining moment, sir.”
“I’ll fucking say. Remember that speech about keeping our heads down and staying out of trouble? I expected more from you, Steele.”
Those words hit hard.
I expected more.
So did I, and the crashing realization that I let everyonedown—Coach, the team, Bennett, Harbor—steals my breath away, tight pressure building up in my chest.
“I know and I’m sorry.”
“Sorry, Captain? You’re fuckingsorry? What good does sorry do? Bennett’s benched indefinitely until the legal issues are cleared up. He’s facing possible team and league fines. The press is climbing up my ass, demanding interviews. We’re trending on fucking social media. And you’resorry?”
I hang my head in shame, shoulders slumping. I should have stopped this. The party, the fight. This is on me.
“You’re distracted, Steele. I’ve seen it since we got here. I have half a mind to rip that C right off your motherfucking jersey myself.”
A sharp blow to the solar plexus, all the air knocks from my lungs.
I’m going to lose my position.
What’s worse, I deserve to.
I take a shallow, shuddery breath. “I haven’t been the leader this team deserves, Coach. And I own that.”
“Fan-fucking-tastic.” Coach leans back in his chair, slinging one foot over his knee.
“Go ahead and fine me. Bench me. Take the C. I deserve it.”
There’s a long, painful silence, the wall clock ticking like a time bomb behind me as I await my fate.
“I should do every single one of those things, Steele. You let things get out of control when you should have stepped up and taken the lead.” He rakes a hand through his short hair. “But I’m not gonna do that. Now’s not the fucking time to replace the team captain, even if you’re doing a lousy damn job.”
My eyes jerk up, locking with his.
“Step the fuck up, Weston. Get your head out of your damn ass. Stop getting distracted by Harbor Hayes. I don’t care if you’re in love, in lust, or planning a fucking wedding. You’re the captain of this team first, everything else second. Choose, Steele. Now get the hell out.” He tips his head at the door and I jump up, eager to escape.
Racing to the locker room, I try to process what just happened. I’m not benched. Not fined or suspended.
I’m still the captain of the Coastal Crushers.
But he definitely knows about me and Harbor—and I don’t know what to do about that. He’s not just threatening my position—he’s forcing me to choose between Harbor and everything I’ve worked for since I was seven years old. The captaincy isn’t just a letter on my jersey. It’s who I am. But losing Harbor? That would destroy who I want to become.
She’s the one thing I’m not willing to give up.
Not now, not ever.
CHAPTER 33
HARBOR
I’ve walked into press rooms full of angry reporters. Handled playoff scandals, trade leaks—even the time a player ‘accidentally’ stole a golf cart. But nothing’s ever rattled me like this team meeting.
This time, it’s not just the team’s reputation on the line—it’s mine too.
Typically, I’m calm. Polished. The woman with a plan.
But not today.
