Page 5 of Puck with Karma
“Hmm…” Coach leans back in his chair and watches me thoughtfully. “You plan on quitting?”
“Well, no, but…”
“You got conditioning training for the rest of the afternoon,” he cuts me off. “You do not stop until I tell you to stop. You willbe back here at six a.m. sharp, not a second past. Understood?” he barks at me when I don’t respond.
“I thought…”
“I don’t give a fuck what you thought.”
He stands up, and I follow suit. I feel confused and unable to process his words. Even my vision is blurry now, especially when I see Coach stretching his hand and waiting for me to shake it.
“Welcome to the pros, son.”
Chapter 3
Abby
Present day
When I step out of the airport in Minnesota, I finally feel free. I throw my head back and smile at the sky despite the fact that it is gray and snowy. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, and I can’t believe it is finally here.
I’m not sure how long I stand like this for. I jump in surprise when someone clears their voice gently next to me.
“Miss.”
My eyes snap open and my head drops back down, only to be met by an older gentleman’s. He smiles in reassurance.
“Are you Abigail Bennet?”
I grin at him. “I am.”
“My name is John, miss. I am from the Minnesota Cats organization. I was sent to pick you up.”
“Perfect,” I quip in delight. My excitement only seems to amuse my new friend, John, but in a good way.
When he reaches out to grab my bag, I let him. My eyes continue looking all around, amazed at the snow piled up on theother side of the pickup area. I feel like I’ve never seen the cold white stuff before, even though we’ve always gotten snow where I grew up in Massachusetts. I am in awe with every little thing that I see.
Aware of how goofy I must look right now, I finally turn my head to look at John. He is holding the door to the car open for me to get in, a patient smile still on his face.
“I am so sorry. I…”
As I’m rushing to get inside the car as fast as possible, I somehow manage to hit my head on the top side of the car. It makes me see stars in an instant.
“Miss, are you okay?” John asks gently when I about bounce back and onto my ass.
I press a hand to my head, trying really hard not to laugh at the picture I’m sure to make in this moment.
“I think so,” I snort unsuccessfully.
“Shall we try again?” John inquires, causing my amusement to go up a notch.
“Yes.” I nod with my hand still on the spot where I bumped my head. It feels sore already.
“I can make you a quick ice pack if you’d like,” he continues, and that’s the moment when I can’t contain myself anymore.
“I’m good,” I assure him as I double over and almost fall into the backseat of the car.
I am laughing so hard, I don’t even notice John when he steps to the side to fill up a small plastic bag with some snow. He places it against the bump on my head, shaking his head in amusement.
