Page 111 of The Trophy

I spill the beans.

And with that, I mean everything.

At the end of my story, Coach shakes his head as if that could help me make sense of what he just heard. “So what you’re saying is that you all wanted to date Miss Woods after going on those auction dates with her. Mumford heard you arguing about it in the locker room and he forced you into that dare?”

Cash nods, his stony expression rivaling the one on Coach’s face. “Correct.”

“Then,” Coach continues, “when you refused, he got the majority of the team to vote on it, using various ways to intimidate the teammates who are also Gamma brothers into siding with him and making the dare an official fraternity dare?”

Luca confirms it. “Exactly, Coach. What he didn’t expect was that we would choose to tell Lakyn about the dare.”

Coach looks around the room at each of us, before concluding. “And when Miss Woods confronted him, threatening to tell her sister—Mumford’s girlfriend—about the dare, he threatened her to out the fact that she was involved with all of you, putting her scholarship in jeopardy?”

“Yup,” Cash grinds out. “He threatened the ones of us on scholarship with the possibility of losing everything because of the morality clause.”

Luca intervenes. “The ones of us who aren’t here on a scholarship, were kept quiet with other types of blackmail.”

Coach Harrison exhales slowly. “Other types of blackmail…” his face is twisted in a disgusted expression, as if just saying those words left a bad taste in his mouth. “I don’t even want to know. What do you have to say about your teammates’ allegations, Mumford?” he pins Topher with the same hard glare he’s been doling out very liberally since he took over as head coach of our team at the beginning of the new academic year.

I can’t say I’m surprised when Topher doesn’t own up to any of the shitty things that brought us into this meeting.

“It’s their word against mine,” he bites out, with a devious smile on his face. “I stand by everything I told you, Coach.”

There’s a beat of silence, as Coach looks at each of us for the umpteenth time since we set foot in his office. “I assume that asking your teammates would be pointless, if they’re being somewhat coerced into silence.”

The three of us nod in unison.

Coach Harrison might be a hard ass but he isn’t stupid, he has a good understanding of the situation.

What he’s going to do about it, is a totally different matter and at this point it’s anyone’s guess.

“Very well,” he drawls after a long moment, lacing his fingers together on the wooden top of his desk. “I want it to be clear that I’m disappointed in all of you. In over twenty five years in hockey—both as a varsity, collegiate and then professional player and now as a coach—I’ve never seen more questionable behavior than the one displayed by the men in this room.”

Fuck.

That’s harsh. Not that I disagree, at least in Topher’s case.

“Since it has come to light that you three didn’t play this childish game behind the back of the young lady in question,” Coach continues. “I’m not going to invoke the morality clause that y’all had to sign when joining the team. I assume that the young lady, Miss Woods, chose Rossi, since he has served as team captain for the past few months. Under the present circumstances, I can’t in good conscience let you continue, Luca. Despite the fact that you’ve done a great job leading the team. However, having a team captain who is in blatant breach of the morality clause puts the entire team in jeopardy. I’m afraid you leave me no other choice. You’re no longer team captain, effective immediately.”

I’m stunned into silence.

“But Coach—” Cash reacts, feeling the same outrage that’s making me clench my fists with white knuckle force.

“Hanbury,” Coach’s expression turns sterner if possible. “I don’t recall giving you permission to speak. You’re skating on extremely thin ice as it is, so my advice is to keep your mouth shut and accept my decision. Believe me, if the four of you cause any more problems, I’m not going to be so lenient.”

Cash hangs his head. “Sorry, Coach.”

“Like I was saying,” he resumes. “Rossi, you’re relieved from your role of team captain effective immediately. I’m going to appoint a new captain, like I should have done to begin with. If this wasn’t a lesson that democracy is overrated when it comes to hockey teams, I don’t know what is. Let me also be clear that I couldn’t care less what the three of you do behind closed doors, as long as it doesn’t affect me or the team. Take my silence about this matter as your first and only get out of jail free card, but let me be clear on something. You might want to be very careful from now on if you intend to continue with your unusual relationship. You don’t want to end your collegiate career with a huge scandal, no professional team would take you on then, no matter how good you are.”

I hate that Coach might be right.

Isn’t it ironic how much difference thirty minutes can make in someone’s life? We stepped off the ice just half an hour ago feeling on the top of the world, while right now our morale has sunken under our heels.

Fate must have a sick sense of humor though, because I barely finish that thought, when Coach Harrison looks in Topher’s direction.

The fucker looks at us with a smug smile on his face. I swear to God, if Coach makes Topher team captain, I’m quitting the team. If that means I don’t get to go pro, then so be it. I guess my old man was right about having a college degree to fall back on.

“Mumford,” Coach growls. “You are suspended from the team and placed on probation until you demonstrate you deserve to be a Cove Knight. Said probation will last until I deem it necessary, beyond the remainder of this season. Screw up even once, and you’ll be off this team’s roster for good.”

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