Page 112 of The Trophy

Wait, what?

Ok. Karma might be a bitch, but right now, I’d give her a high five.

Of course Topher doesn’t feel the same way. “The fuck I am. You can’t do that.”

It’s Coach Harrison’s turn to laugh. “I can and I just did.”

No one expects Topher to take this lying down and I’m not surprised when he doesn’t. “On what grounds?”

Coach shrugs. “I don’t know, you choose. If blackmailing your teammates and proposing a bet that could be seen as hazing isn’t enough, let’s talk about your performance as of late.”

I swear this guy doesn’t know when to quit. It’s true when it comes to party games and drinking and it’s even truer when it comes to the fallout from his behavior.

“What about my performance?” he snarls. “Last I checked, we just won our conference and are headed to the playoffs.”

“You have some nerve Mumford,” Coach says, shaking his head. “If our team performed the way it did, that’s no thanks to you. I’ve been observing you since I caught you manhandling your girlfriend right outside the locker room. That was your first strike, that cost you the chance of being team captain. Rather than taking that in your stride and cleaning up your act, you started acting the fool on this ice, game after game.”

That’s a fair assessment, but Topher doesn’t see it that way.

“Is that still about LA? I already explained?—”

“It isn’t just about LA,” Coach interrupts him. “That’s the tip of the iceberg, Mumford. It’s about your recklessly dangerous behavior on the ice during training. I’ve seen you risk injuring your teammates in more than one occasion. I talked to you about it and all you had to offer were a bunch of lame excuses. Someone smarter would have probably changed tune, but you didn’t. You just got sneakier about it. Or do you think I haven’t noticed your subtle attempt to undermine your teammates’ game on the ice? I would go as far as to say that we’ve won our conference despite your performance. Luckily for us, the addition of Rossi to our roster strengthened our offensive game. Last year with a performance like yours, we would have ended last in the conference.”

He still doesn’t get it.

“That’s just your opinion,” Topher seethes.

Coach barks out a laugh. “The only opinion that counts.”

“You’re gonna regret this, Coach. The truth is that you fucking need me. What are you going to do once Rossi and Dunne leave if they get signed by a pro team? Sure, you can promote Sawyer and Wesley to starters, but an offensive line of second strings will kill any chance at a decent season next year. Or do you think that a starting line with Collins as center will win you the conference again?”

I hate to admit it, but the asshole has a point.

Coach Harrison however doesn’t let Topher’s provocation ruffle his feathers. “I’m confident that Sawyer and Wesley will step up to the plate next year. They’ve offered a solid performance every time they stepped on the ice this season. As for the center position, you aren’t wrong. Collins is a very promising athlete, but he needs a lot more development without strong players like Rossi and Dunne by his side. This is why I put up with your behavior for this long, Mumford. There’s been a recent development however that has solved that particular problem, allowing me to suspend you. I’m sure you’ve heard about Ryker Moore?”

Fuck.

We all have.

Ryker Moore is the starting center for Hemlock Grove College, a small private Ivy League university in South Carolina.

“What about Moore?” Luca asks. “I faced him on the ice last year and one of the many perks of transferring here was not to have to play against him. Yale defeated Hemlock in last Year’s Frozen Four, but they put up one hell of a fight.”

Coach nods. “Yup, and the results of their game against Harvard just came in. They won their conference, so we might meet them in the playoffs or somewhere along the way to the final. The good thing is that Moore has been unhappy in South Carolina and we just secured a transfer at the end of last week’s transfer window. So you see, Mumford, I have the perfect starting center joining us for summer training. That means that not only will you have to prove that you have the moral qualities I demand from my players, you’ll have to earn your place on the ice if I decide to reinstate you in the active roster.”

Holy shit.

All I can say is that maybe there’s a God.

Predictably, Topher disagrees. “You can’t do that. My dad went to college with the Dean. My family practically built our new state of the art locker room. If I tell my father what kind of treatment I’m getting, you might find yourself without a job.”

Topher’s threats don’t have the desired effect. “I was well aware of your family’s connections, Mumford.” Coach smiles broadly. “You have to thank those connections if you’re suspended and not permanently off the team, which was my first choice. However after consulting with your father, he agreed that you need to learn some discipline. He was actually eager to see you mature before you start your internship at your family firm before law school. So as you can see, if you want to play hockey next year, you need to show me that you understand the meaning of the word team. With that gentlemen, you’re all dismissed. Make sure I don’t need to call you into this office again, especially you, Mumford. Now, get out of here.”

We do as we’re told, heading to the now empty locker room to finally wash tonight’s game off of our tired muscles.

I’m not surprised that the locker room is deserted, the rest of the team must be already back to the Gamma house.

“Well fuck, Topher,” Cash cackles. “Looks like your shit finally caught up with you. And wait until Bay hears about the dare, she’ll dump your ass faster than Coach put you on probation.”

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