Page 10 of Collide
First Eli, now Coach. I guess I’m not hiding it well. “Does it really matter, as long as I’m playing well?”
Coach exhales an irritated breath. “Hockey can’t be your entire life. You have to think about the future.”
“The future? Coach, you’ve said that I play so well because I’m only focused on the present.”
“For now, but it can’t always be like that. Once you go to the NHL, it’s one bad game and it’s all over. I don’t want you to burn out.”
I laugh. There is no way I’m getting a lecture on burnout right now. My stats are great, and the team is doing well because of the extra effort we all put in. “Is that what you think is happening? I feel fine.”
“Are you sure? Because you’ve been missing commitments and losing sight of your players. You are not the captain I chose in junior year.”
His words cut deep, but I don’t let him see it. “I’m managing.”
“I don’t need you to manage, I need you to sustain. I’ve been coaching for twenty-five years, Crawford. Patterns are all I see. You are one of my best players. I’m not going to let this happen to you. You need to learn balance. Partying should not be a main priority, especially not in your senior year.”
“It was only a few parties. I’ve been letting loose for once. Shouldn’t that help prevent my supposed burnout?”
Coach shakes his head. “That’s the wrong way to go about it. Find a balance, Aiden.”
“So you want me to balance my classes, hockey, coaching and a research project on top of everything else? Isn’t that counter-intuitive?”
“Maybe. But only if you’re making room for the wrong things. Let’s not forget that you willingly took on this punishment. I’d rather not give one to you, but these are the consequences. Deal with it, or I will.”
THE LAST TIME I bought a girl flowers was, well, never.
I’m not an expert in botanics, but this situation calls for some serious damage control. Coach is seconds away from putting me on probation, so I have no choice but todeal with it.
In the flower shop, I’m immediately overwhelmed by the sheer volume of plants. A guy beside me holds a big wreath that could go nicely on a dorm door. Christmas had passed a month ago, but don’t girls like this stuff?
“Hey, I’m trying to say sorry to someone. You think those flowers would be good?”
He looks confused and the sadness on his face is evident. He must have really fucked up. He only shrugs and walks to the cashier. Not wanting to waste time browsing the aisles, I pick the same one.
Kian’s blowing up the group chat for no reason again when the cashier rings me up.
Bunny Patrol
Kian Ishida: Just saw two girls come out of Dylan’s room.
Eli Westbrook: Dirty motherfucker
Aiden Crawford: That’s what you were doing last night? We were supposed to go to the gym, D.
Sebastian Hayes: At least he got his cardio in.
Eli Westbrook: Double the cardio, apparently
Kian Ishida: I’m home Tuesdays. I’d prefer not to run into anyone on my way to the kitchen.
Dylan Donovan: Don’t be ungrateful, Ishida. They’re probably the only naked girls you’ve seen all year.
“My condolences,” the cashier says, making me look up from my phone. “Cash or credit?”
With my flowers in hand and spirits high, I pull into Iona House. Rejection doesn’t accompany anything I do, so each step to her dorm is met with easy confidence. Luckily Kian knew where she lived so I didn’t need to get my ears chewed by Coach if I had asked him.
When I knock, muffled voices can be heard through the door.
“I swear to God if you invited some asshole over—” The words die on Summer’s lips the moment she sees me. “I guess I got the asshole part right,” she mutters.
