Chapter 13

D eath has come for me. I woke up this morning nauseous and tired… Fuck, I don't have time to be sick. Shit, I hope it's not burnout. Perhaps I need to be better about following Sully's advice when it comes to eating healthier , I tell myself as I stuff a couple of energy bars in my bag for later.

On the way to the arena to film Sully's first official day coaching, I go through my mental checklist. All the player consent forms have been signed. Walkie batteries are charged. Headsets are charged. Lance is already on-site with our PA Rachel.

Despite feeling like a moldy meatsack, I'm looking forward to today. We already met them at the draft, but this is the first time meeting them as an official team. Once we arrive at the arena, we find the Rogues women's locker room and are given clearance. The room smells of fresh paint and appears to be new construction. The floor and a wall have been painted with the team logo, a fierce rogue wave behind the letters.

We take our places in the back so as not to disturb the players while we gather candid footage of them chatting and building a team bond while we wait for Sully to arrive. When he does, his eyes find mine briefly before returning to his team. He doesn't look nervous and fully embodies a confident head coach. The conversations die down when he enters.

"It's nice to see you all again. Before we head out on the ice, I want to say a few things. First is that I'm thrilled to have you as part of this team, and I'm honored to be your coach. As your coach, I have three expectations of you. The first one is to respect me and respect your teammates. We are a team, these are your sisters. You may not get along all the time, but you better have their back when they need it," Sully announces with authority.

"Two, work hard. Game or practice, you give your all. Do that and you will be successful. Hockey legends aren't born with talent, they're legends because they play a lot and they play hard.

"Three. Never lose your love for this game. You're all here because you're some of the most dedicated and passionate players in the league. We picked you. Each and every one of you were specifically selected to build this team. Love this sport, and show your fans how much you love it… We good?"

"Yes, Coach."

"Good. Oh, and one more thing." He points at me. "Everybody, this is Kendra. You are to ignore her." He winks at me but doesn't smile. "She's the producer for… the docuseries about the team. As you know by now, they'll be here for the next few months. You've all signed your consent forms. Pretend it's any other game-day film crew. It might be a little weird at first, but you've all performed on camera before—"

"I didn't really perform, mostly just laid there," Joey Breck interrupts, and I can already tell she's the sassy one. The corner of my mouth tips up, and I roll my lips together to keep from laughing.

Sully inhales a dose of patience and forges on. "Occasionally, there will be times where they ask to pull you aside for a couple questions. You can always say no. But please remember you're not just representing yourself, you're also representing our team and Minnesota, so keep it short and be professional ." He faces Joey Breck when he says the word, then aims his gaze at me. "You." He points a finger in my direction. "Don't turn my players into clowns."

"Yes, Coach," I respond.

Sully tucks his tongue into his cheek. "Do you want to add anything?"

I step forward. "We really appreciate all of you welcoming us into your space, we'll do our best to stay out of your way. I speak for all of us when I say we're delighted to be a part of this journey with you. Best of luck this season."

"Any questions?" Sully asks the team.

"What's the name of the show, Coach?" Joey Breck asks, leaning back and chewing her gum with a shit-eating grin.

"The name doesn't matter. Okay, time to—"

"Maybe Kendra knows," Cori Kapowski suggests. He rolls his eyes, and I hang my head between my shoulders.

"It's called Scoring with Sully," I answer.

"Catchy," Cori Kapowski adds with a grin.

A few women snicker. I don't blame them, the name is ridiculous.

Overall, the players and staff are accommodating of our crew intruding on them.

The captain of the team, Delta Makkonen, laughs softly while wrapping tape around her stick. Another player, Timber Healy, stretches in the corner. She's flexible in ways no human ought to be. I'm guessing she's the goalie.

I grab the bag of gear at my feet and another wave of nausea tries to creep in, but I hold it back. We wave goodbye to the team and head toward the door. "It was nice to meet everyone, we're going to get set up in the arena. See you out there."

I was not prepared for watching Sully on the ice. It's been the best distraction from my nausea. I knew he was hot on skates after our night together, but I didn't see this. Seeing Coach Sully? Lord help me. He's hot. Like, really hot. This man is more stable on two knives on the ice than I am on two feet on land. I'm supposed to be capturing everything happening in front of me, but I cannot tear my eyes away from him. He's hypnotizing. I could watch that man cut up a rink for days. Hell, maybe I'll hang out in the editing room and do just that.

The practice consists mostly of passing drills, a few plays, and Sully passing pucks to each player while they take shots on goal. What I would give to be the whistle in his mouth. Feeling dizzy, I sit down and dig around in my bag for one of my energy bars, but as soon as I unwrap it, the nausea is back and I want to throw up. "I'm gonna grab some water."

I head back to the locker room and throw away what was supposed to be my lunch, then splash some water on my face and sit for a second. I need to pull myself together. What is up with my body today? After a few minutes, the sound of stomping is heard in the hallway, and the women flood back into the locker room, followed by Sully.

He gives a summary on what he wants the players to work on and what they're doing well. The girls stay in their gear until he leaves, then they undress.

"First practice, we gotta celebrate!" Joey says, grabbing a can of beer, smashing it on the back of her skate, and shotgunning it. Did she bring that from home? Uff. That sounds absolutely awful.

"Girl, you better not let staff see you," Timber says.

Delta turns her back. "I didn't see anything, but Joey, you better wait for the fucking bar next time. I'm not getting fined because of your wily ass."

"Whoa, Kendra. You okay?" Cori asks.

Shit. "I'm great! Sorry, just a little tired. I was up too late getting prepped for today. I'm going to grab some coffee after this. I need to get on Joey's level." I laugh it off. "It was awesome watching you all practice today, thanks for letting us film."

"You bet. See you at the next one?"

"Definitely." I wave goodbye, thengrab my bag and head out. A nap is on my agenda. I can't be coming down with something right as filming begins. All in all, I feel positive after today. We captured some great content, and the players are fun and entertaining and will be great to splice into the show.