Page 161 of Loving Ladybug: Part One
We took off our pads and skates, grabbed our gear, and headed upstairs.
“You seem to know Double D well.” Arden gave me a look.
“This is my third year as an EBUG. You get to know some of them,” I replied, as I swiped my badge to let us through the door. “Oh, Coach didn’t mention this, but if you’re uncomfortable in the press box, you can get permission to sit with the MASOs instead.”
Arden’s manicured eyebrows rose. “Why would I be uncomfortable?”
“Yeah, you probably won’t have a problem with alphas pinching your ass and offering tohelpyou with your career. I just wanted to throw it out there.” In the dining room, I plunked my stuff down on a chair and got out the bag with the necessary things.
There was a nice little buffet of snacks for us, including sports drinks, fruit, sandwiches, and other tasty options.
“Before we snack, we have to take care of important goalie business.” I took the bag and went over to the picture of Maria Barilla on the wall. I took a deep breath. Soon, I’d have to pass this on to someone else, like it had been passed on to me.
“This is Maria Barilla, New York Knight, Queen of the Goalies, and as the season begins, we always honor her with a sacrifice of noodles.” I took the noodle necklace I’d made last year off the corner and wrapped it around my wrist. “She was an EBUG once, too, which is why it’s our job,” I explained.
There was no formal program back then. It was literally await, the equipment manager’s daughter is a goalie and is here and it’s better than nothingsort of situation.
It had been her big chance to prove to all the teams that had turned her down that she could do it. Especially when the Knights signed her.
“Her sauce is reported to be almost as good as my nonna’s.” I added a cheesy grin. Out of the bag came noodle necklaces I’d made out of the star noodles from the treasure room, embroidery floss, and glitter.
Everyone stayed silent and respectful. Ty and Dean knew the drill, but even Arden didn’t make a snarky comment. You didn’t mess with goalie superstition.
“As the new season starts, we give you this offering of noodles and ask you, Queen of the Goalies, to guide us and help us both in and out of the net.” I hung the nicest and most sparkly of thenecklaces on the corner of the picture. I think she’d like the star noodles and glitter.
“We ask to be steady, and fast, and patient.” I put a noodle necklace around everyone’s neck.
I took out the small container of pasta sauce and a single lasagna noodle I’d begged off the dining hall yesterday. “We ask to be as strong as you, to be good people, and good goalies.” Because she was also anicegoalie–well except to designationist assholes.
Taking the lasagna noodle, I put some sauce on it and used it to paint some on Tyler’s forehead. Then Dean’s. “Help us bring the sauce to every game.”
While Arden hesitated, she let me anoint her with sauce, using the lasagna noodle.
“The goalies are doing a goalie thing. Can you wait a moment before going in?” Grif Graf told someone, without a hint of teasing. Like even he understood the importance of this moment. I appreciated his respect.
I put down the noodle and sauce and got the bottle of Chianti out of the bag, which I’d already opened. “We ask this of you, our goalie queen. May we all have as many shutout games as you. In pasta we trust. Garlic toast.”
Taking a swing of Chianti, I passed the bottle to Ty, who took a drink, then passed it on. It made its way around the circle.
“All Hail the Queen of the goalies,” Dean said, bowing his head. He then looked over at me. “Thanks for including me.”
“Can I wipe the sauce off my head now?” Arden asked.
Tyler touched the sauce on his face, then tasted it. “You made the sauce from scratch again, didn’t you?”
“My nonna’s recipe.” I wiped the sauce off my head.
“It’s so good,” Ty told me. “If we get invited to any pre-season parties, will you bring some of your lasagna like you always do?”
“Yep.” It was my go-to dish.
For a moment, we all stood there, looking at the picture, passing the bottle back and forth.
“Is it safe for non-goalies to enter?” Grif Graf called.
“Yes, thank you, Gumdrop.” Dean wiped the sauce off his head, but not before tasting it and nodding.
Grif Graf, Jonas, Dimitri, and Nia came in. Their eyes flickered over the noodle necklaces and the bottle, but instead of saying anything, they headed for the snacks.
