Page 175 of Desperate Pucker
“Where do you think you guys went wrong tonight?” another reporter asks.
I tug a hand through my sweat-soaked hair. “Honestly, I think we played really well. Sometimes the other team is just better.”
“Do you think your injury is holding you back from playing at your best?”
I glare at the reporter. “Yeah.”
“How do you feel about Bobby Baker’s remarks about you on his podcast tonight?”
I bite down, annoyed. “I don’t really care what that guy says about me.”
“Really? He made a pretty serious accusation about you?”
I frown. “What accusation?”
I notice Coach Porter and the other players in the room looking at each other like they’re confused.
“Bobby claims that the only reason you’re even playing on the team is because you’re dating the team owner’s daughter. He claims that a source close to the team owner, Greg Macer, said that about you.”
It feels like I’ve been sucker punched in the gut. “He said what?”
The reporter repeats his question, but Coach Porter cuts him off.
“That’s bullshit.”
Everyone looks at him in shock, including me. Coach Porter is a stern guy, but he doesn’t curse during post-game press, ever.
All the reporters turn to him. He’s standing tall, his arms crossed over his chest, looking completely unfazed.
“Ryker is one of the hardest-working and most skilled players in the entire league,” Coach Porter says. “Guys like him are a rare find. To make it as far as he has and to play as well as he does is almost unheard of. We wouldn’t have made it this far without him.”
I stare at Coach Porter, shocked by his praise. I knew he believed in me as a player, but I didn’t know he thought that about me.
“His work ethic blows me away,” Camden says while sitting in front of his locker. “I’ve learned how to be a better player just from watching him.”
I stare at Camden, shocked. He seriously thinks that?
The rest of the guys nod along.
“He’s taught us how to show up, no matter what,” Xander says. “All the guys on the team look up to him. We all want to be the kind of player he is. Dedicated. Focused. Never makes excuses. Always puts in a hundred percent.
“He plays better than guys in the league half his age,” Sam says.
Theo nods. “He’s the kind of player you want on your team. He inspires us to be better. He shows us how good we can be if we’re willing to put in the work.”
“I really look up to St. George,” Blomdahl says. “And that’s saying a lot because all my idols are goalies.”
Everyone in the room chuckles. I do too.
“Anyone who knows anything about the guys on this team knows that St. George is here because he earned it,” Del says. “Anyone who says otherwise doesn’t know what the hell they’re talking about.”
My chest is tight as I take in what my teammates and coach have said about me. This whole time, I felt like I wasn’t as important as the rest of them. I felt like I was the old guy playing on borrowed time.
But now I know they see me as more than that. They see me as one of them—just as important, just as deserving.
I swallow back the emotion building up inside of me. “Thanks, guys.”
They all nod. Post-game press ends, and the reporters file out of the room.
