Page 14 of Pucking Matt
His eyes bore into mine, searching for something. “I'm serious, Matt. This is who you need to be. There’s no giving up in life. You either let it kill you, or you get back up and out there.Keep it up! Not too long ago, I was going to bench you if you didn’t get your act together.”
The words hit me like a body check, knocking the air out of my lungs. Me, benched? That’s dramatic. I'm one of the best players on this team, and everyone knows it. But as I look at Coach's face, I can see he's dead serious.
I nod, suddenly not feeling so cocky. “Thank you, Coach.”
As I hit the showers, letting the hot water pound against my tired muscles, I can't help but wonder if I’ve been that obviously depressed since the whole thing with Maddie. It’s insane that Coach was going to keep me out of the game. Hell, what the fuck have I been doing? It’s time to get my head on straight and focus on improving.
My mind wanders to my biggest distraction. For once, it’s not my dick. No. If I didn’t crave a sandwich on that random Tuesday evening, I wouldn’t have run into the only person who wished I never existed. God, I’m glad to remind her that I do. And I will keep reminding her. Now I’m hoping she comes to the party with Harvey.
I wake up the next morning with a mission. Operation: Annoy the Hell Out of Amber. It's not the most creative name, but hey, I'm a hockey player, not a poet.
I stroll into The Grind Stone, fully expecting to see Amber's scowling face. But instead, I'm greeted by some pimply-faced kid who looks like he's never seen the business end of a razor.
“Welcome to The Grind Stone,” he squeaks. “What can I get for you?”
I scan the place, hoping to catch a glimpse of my favorite sandwich maker. No Amber. Damn, I was lied to about her schedule.
“Where's Amber?” I ask, not bothering to hide my disappointment.
The kid shrugs. “I guess she’s not here. So, uh, did you want to order something?”
I sigh dramatically. “Fine. One protein shake, extra protein. No raisins.”
The kid looks at me like I’m crazy, but I just smirk. He'll never understand what I mean unless that is some insider trade secret that I’m only finding out now.
As I wait for my shake, I can't help but feel deflated. It's like showing up to a fight and finding out your opponent called in sick. Where's the fun in that?
I take my shake and head out, my grand plans for the day thoroughly derailed. As I sip the disappointingly normal-tasting drink, I realize just how much I was looking forward to our little verbal sparring match. Who knew annoying someone could be so entertaining?
Back at my place, I live with three non-hockey playing roommates. And they’re all home for some reason.
“Yo, Matt!” calls out Christian from the couch. He's sprawled out, controller in hand, eyes glued to the TV screen where he's undoubtedly getting his ass handed to him in whatever game he's playing. “You left early just for that?”
I flop down next to him. “Yep.”
From the kitchen, I hear a snort. That'll be Zack, our resident culinary genius (and by genius, I mean he can make mac and cheese without burning down the house). “Their shakes taste like shit.”
“Not once you get used to it.”
“Pain in the ass,” comes a new voice. Ah, there's Alex, emerging from his cave where he spends most of his time coding or hacking or whatever it is computer science majors do.
Alex looks at the screen and then at me. “Don't you have some paper to do? Are you done? Need me to proofread it?”
I wince. Shit. I'd forgotten about that. “Yeah, about that.”
Christian pauses his game, turning to me with a grin. “Let me guess. You haven't started it.”
“I've started it,” I protest. “In my head.”
They all groan. We keep each other accountable in this house.
“Dude,” Christian says. “You can't coast through everything on your hockey skills.”
I know he's right, but I'm not about to admit it. Instead, I haul myself off the couch. “Alright, alright. I'm going to work on it now. Happy?”
As I settle into my desk chair, textbooks spread out before me, my mind wanders. I think about Amber, working in a suit at our age. It doesn't add up. Shouldn't she be in college, drowning in textbooks like the rest of us?
The mystery of her intrigues me more than I'd like to admit. Who is this girl, really? It's like she's living some kind of weird double life. And for what reason?
