Page 4 of Tutoring Mr. Hotshot

Adrenaline pumps through my veins at the sound. This is what I was missing in Russia.

This teamwork

This community.

I don't have to like these guys. To know that they respect this man who will lead us to victory is good. Because that means they’ll see me play and understand that I am their secret weapon. I’m the one who will come in and destroy all who go up against us.

Coach turns to me. “I want you to give it your all out there, Andry. Don't let these guys think they can pull it over on you just because they played together for a while. Prove to everyone that bringing you here was worth it. There were other guys who could have had this spot. Aiden Mercer was one I’d been watching. Another school snatched him up around the time I found you. Had I pursued him first, you’d still be across the pond.”

I give him a nod as I set my shoulders back and puff my chest up.Aiden Mercer is a damn good player.To know I got a spot meant for him is slightly intimidating.

He and I are about the same when it comes to skill. To know Coach went out of his way to get me first means a lot.

“I will prove it, Coach.”

“See that you do,” he says before tapping his clipboard against his hand and walking away.

Some of the other men follow him out. I would bet anything they're the assistant coaches. Or maybe they're the support staff.

I've always heard that American colleges have loads of money to put towards their athletics. If that's the case, they can have many people on staff with jobs I know nothing about. Back home it was only bare bones help.

The other guys talk and joke amongst themselves, playing music and dancing around the room in our ten minutes. I find it all a little foolish because I want everything to be just right. They should be focusing on getting ready, not this.

My pads need to be perfect. My jersey tucked just right. My skates need to be laced until I can feel every single movement of my foot within the skate. There's nothing that can be off-balance for when I get out there. My dedication is what has gotten me this far. I can't stray from that.

It's why when someone steps into my line of view as I'm lacing up my second skate, I feel a growl build in my chest. I'm like a feral animal now. All I want to do is fucking destroy whoever decided to interrupt my process.

I raise my head to see that it's the guy who was late. He raises his hand in a gesture to say he surrenders.

“My bad, bro. I know better than to interrupt someone's systems. I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. I'm the team captain, Liam Parnap.”

I dip my head. "Yes," I say.

He tilts his head. "You don't speak much, do you?"

"No need."

He laughs, his hands moving to his hips. “I can't say that I'll complain. Talking can be fun, but yeah, I want my guys to be focused. I think you'll like it here in Bellport. Let me know if you need anything. Coach said that you're moving into the underclassman house. We’ve already cleaned out your room.”

Part of me shrivels up and dies at the thought of having to live with these guys. My living situation was supposed to be one of the perks of my moving here. Now, I’m not so sure.

I can withstand it, so long as they don't interrupt what I'm here to do. If they become a problem, then I'll just have to find another plan.

Maybe it means getting a place of my own or finding a job to keep me busy when I'm not around them. My primary goal is to play hockey. The next is to keep my grades up well enough to play hockey. Anything else after that is not important.

"Oh, and there's a party tonight," Liam says as he walks away. "You should definitely come. We have a good time at these things. You might get a chance to meet a girl. Maybe hook up and lose some of that tension you got, bud."

He motions towards his shoulders as if to say mine are too tight. I'd give anything to be able to flip him off and tell him to go fuck himself.

My shoulders are this big all the time. I'm not stressed, and I sure as shit wouldn't need a woman to help me destress.

Yeah, they're beautiful and I respect them, but they're not what I want. I wonder if he’ll freak out when he realizes I'm gay. It's not something I ever got to confess back home. While I had one or two stolen kisses with someone else, there wasn’t much else. Anything past that was too dangerous.

My country doesn't like same sex anything. Homophobia is the standard.

Coming to America could mean I finally get to explore that part of me. In the same breath, I chastise myself because I know that would only be a distraction. It would be something that could cause strife with my game.

I may not have ever been in a true relationship, but I've watched enough TV and seen enough movies to know that they're not picture-perfect. Something always goes wrong. The idea of risking my entire future for someone who could just bring trouble to my doorstep is not my idea of a good time.

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