Page 23 of Puck You
Director of Athletics
Dallard University
I reread the letter several times, searching for any indication that I was being kicked off the team.After my fourth scan of the email, my heart rate slowed to a normal pace.How the hell had I gotten off with a verbal warning?Last night, Mr.Castillo had been furious.
Mind reeling, I slipped out of my bed and into the kitchen.My roommates were seated at the breakfast bar, sipping their coffee and murmuring to each other quietly.At my appearance, they fell silent.Glancing back down to my phone, I tried to string together an explanation, but words were hard to come by this early in the morning.Instead of reading them the letter, I walkedover and placed my phone on the counter in front of them.Both girls hunched over to read the message.
“I can’t believe you’re getting off with a warning.That’s incredible,” Lydia said.
When Caroline finished reading, she pushed my phone back to me with an almost clinical calmness, like this was exactly the outcome she’d expected.
“Why do you not seem surprised?”I asked her.
“Well,” she replied, tucking a piece of her long blond hair behind an ear, “after you went to bed last night, I did some research.While you technically could be charged for trespassing, which would be a misdemeanor, our student policy only outlines the consequences and processes for felony charges.Honestly, I’m not surprised Castillo got the hotel to back off.They’re probably more worried about the truth getting out than they are about you crashing the gala.I read a few articles that exposed several universities for sexism and discrimination, and it seems like this could be a real media mess for the school.And none of the information you shared was untrue, meaning they can’t accuse you of slander.”
Had Caroline stayed up all night researching for me?
An overwhelming sense of relief and gratitude filled my body.“I—thank you, Caroline.That was really thoughtful of you.”
She shrugged.“I’m going to be a lawyer, Grace.This is just a warm-up for what I’ll be expected to do in law school.”
I nodded in understanding then asked, “Did Austin post last night?Are we on our way to causing a media storm for the school?”
“Not quite a storm,” Lydia interjected, looking down at her phone.“At least, not yet.But the post has over ten thousand views,and the comments are picking up.By next week, everyone on campus will have heard your speech.Especially with Sebastian’s successful return to the team.The guys are back under a microscope now that their star player is back.”
“I wonder if Castillo knows about the video,” I mused.He probably wouldn’t have let me off so easily if he knew there was a recording of the whole thing.
“Don’t worry about him, trust me.”Caroline said.
It was silent for a moment, then both girls exchanged a conspiratorial look.
“Grace, I know you’re probably exhausted after last night, but we could use your help,” Lydia said.“My girlfriend, Nina, agreed to make posters to put up around campus, but we need some eye-catching content.Any ideas?”
My mind flashed to an image of Sebastian’s smug grin as he told me to get out of his car, and I got the perfect idea to knock him down a peg.I couldn’t wait to see his face when he realized I was still here.
>> <<
St.Cloud didn’t stand a chance against us.Back in the offensive zone, our forward line functioned like a well-oiled machine, cycling the puck around the net and making quick passes to create a solid gap.There were only ten seconds left on the clock when one opened.Lydia’s wrister flew high, bounced off the goalie’s chest, and ricocheted straight for Big D.The left winger slapped the puck my way, and the pass connected at the perfect time.A sliver of space opened as one of the defenders shifted to cover Lydia.It gave me just enough room to sink the biscuitbetween the goalie’s legs.
The horn blared just as the clock hit zero, and I was immediately surrounded by a swarm of my teammates, their celebratory cries echoing across the ice.A chorus of excited chatter followed the team as we headed down to the locker room.Everyone was high off the win.As Coach Riley congratulated us, my teammates’ exhilaration mirrored my own.Tonight’s game was further justification of our worth as competitors.I was positive that we would make history, either as the team that made it all the way despite the odds stacked against us or as the team that fought for and ensured a future of equal treatment for female athletes at Dallard University.
The bus ride home was long, but it gave me time to debrief the team on my efforts at the gala and our plan to develop a campaign to help raise awareness around campus.Coach Riley didn’t make a peep from her seat at the front of the bus, but she was listening in.At one point, I could have sworn she was smiling.
“With the momentum coming off the gala, we need to act fast.The next phase in our plan is widespread awareness.We want support from our fellow students, which means they need to know all the dirty details.Thanks to Lydia, we’ve already drafted a flyer to spread around campus, and I’m hoping to get a piece into the school paper.Grace and I are meeting with the editor of theDallard Spectatoron Monday to talk details.”You could practically feel Caroline’s determination through every animated word she spoke.
“These look amazing,” Liv voice was full of awe as she inspected the draft poster on her phone.A copy had been sent to the team group chat for everyone to see.
“My girlfriend helped with design,” Lydia said with aprideful gleam in her eyes.“She said we could include a QR code at the bottom that will link to the article.”
The poster design was simple but effective.Two pictures were cut and pasted together, one side colored blue and the other pink.The blue portion featured a picture of DuLane Arena while the pink half displayed an image of McKinley Rink in all its outdated, run-down glory.The stark difference between the facilities was jarring to the eye.A strip of bold text had been placed over each photo.The blue side readOne National Championshipwhile the pink side readThree National Championships.Directly in the middle of the poster, where blue transitioned to pink, was a large equal sign with a slash down the middle.
“If anyone wants to include a quote in the article, let me know,” Caroline said.“But not a single word of this can get out before it’s published, so keep things quiet for now.”
I watched the formidable blond from my seat across the aisle with deep admiration.Since I’d stuck my neck out for the team, Caroline had thrown herself into the plan wholeheartedly.She was a natural leader, and her connections around campus were already paying off.It also didn’t hurt that she had more organizational skills than the entire team combined.Without her, none of this would have come together so seamlessly.But it wasn’t just Caroline stepping up.Lydia was proving just as resourceful.Bringing Nina into the fold and watching them put their creative brains together had resulted in an amazing centerpiece for our campaign.I'd never experienced this level of camaraderie before.It was foreign to feel so much support, especially from people I’d only known for a month and a half.
By Monday afternoon, I was buzzing with anticipation.As planned, Caroline and I met up after our morning classes and setoff for the student union.Maggie O’Neil, the editor-in-chief of theDallard Spectator, got straight down to business the moment we joined her at a corner table in Coaler Café.The place was packed with chattering students meeting for study groups or picking up their afternoon energy boost.Despite the lack of privacy, the sound of the indie folk music in the background accompanied by the hum of machinery ensured that our conversation went unheard.Maggie typed away furiously at her laptop, her brow furrowed in concentration as Caroline and I took turns speaking about the women’s hockey program.Every so often, she would interrupt to ask a question or pause to loop a finger through one of her thick black curls.
“This is exactly the kind of story we need,” Maggie said, pushing her cat-eye glasses up the bridge of her nose.“I had no idea that there was such blatant sexism within the hockey program.”
