Page 2 of Jockstraps & Newspapers
“Yeah, you are!”Toad tossed his arms up in the air.
“And this year is going to be the best yet!”Elliot whirled to face Toad, high fiving him with both hands.Toad tossed back his head and let a massive, grass-colored flame out of his mouth.When their gazes locked again, Elliot squeezed his co-captain’s hand.“I’m going out with a bang.”
“Yeah, you are, bro, yeah you are.”Toad tossed his arms around Elliot and dragged him into a tight hug.Elliot engulfed him in his arms.Patting his co-captain on the back, Elliot tried to fight off the doubt plaguing his mind.Toad pulled back, slapping Elliot on the biceps.
The minotaur spared one last look to the mirror.A good looking minotaur,a good looking captain.White fluff with speckled rust red fur, brushed back and slicked around his horns to show off his striking bone structure.The onyx nose ring matched his glistening nose and pressed suit.He fluffed the pink handkerchief.And you’re gonna look good as a coach.
He sauntered after Toad from the locker room.The sun descended onto his head, catching the glistening of his cuff links.
“There you are, big guy, finally.Come on, the captain needs to be in the yearbook.”Coach Renner slapped his back, guiding him toward the pitch.A photographer with their entire gear waved vigorously.The fantastic glitter of the changeling with platinum blond hair and purple eyes.
“Mr.Bonesaw!There you are, can’t have a photoshoot without my best-looking guy, can I?”Celeste cheered, charging up the pitch to Elliot.
Elliot tossed his arms around the lithe Fae, careful not to break them.Champagne and pearls filled his nostrils.Celeste rubbed the minotaur’s shoulders before stepping back.Elliot gave the photographer two thumbs up, “Let’s photo this mug, huh?”
“Mug?Oh, you absolute lug of a man, you have a sculpture of a face.The fur, the horns, the red spot around your eye; it’s like a painting!Get your butt in this chair before I photo your glutes!”Celeste flirted, as per usual, motioning for Elliot to take a seat on the barstool.
The minotaur sank onto it, settling into place as the changeling flounced in front of him.Two assistants dove in, fluffing some of his neck fur and dabbing something against his horns.Then, in the blink of an eye, Celeste called for attention and Elliot pulled out the smoldering light within him.A special that Celeste coached into him the first year he did SportsBall.
“Look at that handsome fella,” Celeste cooed from behind their camera.
“Next year, he can’t take a million years to spruce up.Coaches take photos first,” Renner teased.
Because Renner was retiring, and Elliot got the job as Coach.From the underbelly of the city to King’s Fall Sports League Coach, not bad for a no bit, buff brain minotaur, huh?
Elliot was going to make his last year his best…then go into his new position with trophies on his shelf and pride in his chest.
Chapter two
A new piece
Cassiopeia
“WelcomeMs.Darling,whata pleasure!”Rick Pearson chirped from his office as Cass stepped into the room.His assistant shut the door behind her.The resounding click made her stomach twist in knots.Mr.Pearson’s office was a glistening paradise of accomplishments.Plaques with his name on them, photos with every lead in the publishing industry, and there were books with his face inside or on the cover.Rick Pearson was somebody.
Cass smiled, waving sweetly as she scurried across the room.Head up, shoulders back, you can do this!
“Mr.Pearson, an absolute honor,” she breathed, extending a hand to him.
The rugged dwarf was that kind of writer who clearly doesn’t sleep and had movie star looks with unintentionally good facial hair.His long, salt and pepper beard was styled to perfection, defining his cheekbones.His eyes were ringed with light purple circles, but he had a distinct glimmer in his eyes.His suit was pristine.Mr.Pearson sat up from his chair, shaking her hand vigorously.“The honor is mine.I mean, we read your journal articles on crystalwire about the tech crisis hitting the magic engineering field and knew we needed to bring you into the fold.”
She exhaled heavily, “Oh!I’m so glad, I thought it was a pretty good piece.”
Sinking into the seat across from him, she set her briefcase on the floor.Ankles crossed; she made her hands into a perfect fold over her lap.The last thing she wanted was to seem nervous.Despite the internal screaming.She smiled, “I’m so glad my work got me this interview.I’ve dreamed of working here since I was a kid.”
“Oh, well, we’re just a newspaper.We print the news, and we do our best to keep our readers engaged.Nothing special.”He waved off the comment with a chuckle and a flick of his wrist.
“Nothing special?”she snorted.“You covered the last food shortage in the Maylor Kingdom and the coverage of the slime dragon revival has been some of the most riveting stuff I’ve read!”
“Mmm, good, flattery will get you everywhere, Ms.Darling!”He flashed her a finger gun.
“Thank you!”She winked, giving him one back.Oh, my dragons, is this working?Is this?She tried not to give into the frantically molting intrusive thoughts beating around the sides of her skull.
“So, let’s get down to brass tacks, huh?I mean, sure I could interview you, but I’ve seen your articles, I’ve seen your social media presence, and we already know you’ll be a good fit, so why don’t we just put you on a story and use that as your entrance exam, huh?”He cocked his head.
Wait…what?Her heart skipped a beat.That’s so unusual.She let out a slightly nervous laugh.“I mean, yeah, sure, I’d love to show you what I’ve got.But I thought this was for a permanent journalist position here at the daily.”
“It is, but we can’t just hire anyone off the crystal web.There’s no better interview than seeing you work a story.Plus, I wanna see what your process is.How you take a story and make it your own, and how adaptable you are.”He sat back in his chair.
