32. Van

32

Van

" Y ou're up," Will says, clapping me on the shoulder as he walks past me and heads to the locker room. Coach has got us on a rotation so that every two weeks or so, we get a quick sit down with him to check in. They're never long, but it's cool that he takes time with each of us to see how we're doing, both off the ice and on. Some guys get annoyed because Coach Baylor can be a little bit of a control freak at times, but I like how in tune he is with his players.

"Vandaele, have a seat," Coach says, gesturing to the chairs across from his desk. "I've got good news and better news, and I'm not one for suspense, so here it is: First off, your grades are looking good. Straight Cs across the board. I know you're putting in the time and effort. Nice work. And I hear you're getting along well with your tutor these days, so that's good." Coach looks up at me and I catch the smirk on his face before it fades and he's back to business.

I was wondering if this would come up. "Uh, yeah. Josie and I are dating. But we are totally professional and locked in during tutoring hours. Trust me—Josie's a rule follower. Plus, there's nothing in her tutoring agreement that says she can't?—"

"Relax, Van. I'm just giving you a hard time. The powers that be around here have total trust in Ms. Reynolds's professionalism, and I do, too. Hell, I don't doubt yours either. You've proved again and again how dedicated you are to this team, so there's no cause for concern."

I release the breath I didn't know I was holding. "Thanks, Coach. But…how did you know? I mean, we're not keeping it a secret or anything, but I didn't think the team gossip made it all the way to your office."

Coach laughs. "You wouldn't believe the shit that makes it all the way to this office. Besides, I make it my business to know everything about my players. There are no secrets on this team. If something is going on with one of my guys, good or bad, I want to know about it. And that brings me to the really good news. You're getting good looks, Van. Your play is consistent and strong. We've had scouts at nearly every game, and you always deliver. Keep it up and I have no doubt a team will pick you up this off-season."

"Thanks, Coach. I'm giving it my all. I know there's a lot of guys with stats like mine, but I'm working hard to prove I'm the guy they want."

"No doubt here. And they see it, too, trust me. A team like Santa Fe would love to scoop you up. Portland, too, or even Dallas. Just keep doing what you're doing. They want you not only for your athleticism, but your smarts. You can anticipate and analyze. You've got great ice IQ. You're not just a standout player physically, but also strategically. You're gonna be an asset to whatever team is lucky enough to get you."

I don't know what to say, but the manners Mom drilled into me kick in. "Thanks, Coach. That means a lot."

"You earned it, Van. And you know I'm not one to say shit I don't mean." Coach clears his throat. "All right, send Booker in, would you?"

I nod and do what he asks, but all day, I keep replaying Coach's words in my head. Never in my life has anyone wanted me for my brain. But I do love every part of this game. I spend hours watching tape or watching my team scrimmage and figuring out ways we can get just a little tighter or play just a little harder. It's those minor tweaks that make a big difference. I tell the younger guys that all the time and they roll their eyes at me, but they play better when they take my advice.

I head over to the weight room where most of the guys are gathered. It's state-of-the-art and it was renovated using some donor money that came in after we made it to the Frozen Four last year. Booker's on the treadmill, while Santos and Ollie are doing mirror runs. I grab a jump rope and start warming up, letting my body get into that good mental and physical place.

We shoot the shit as we work out, like always. Santos tells stories about the high school team he helps out with, Booker talks about the date he went on with Ian to the aquarium, and Ollie shares more than we want to know about his sex life.

"Wait—what the fuck do you need a spoon for?" Will asks, as we all collectively shake our heads.

"Shut up, Will! Do not ask that question," Norris calls out from the mat where he's doing his magical goalie slide squats. "Trust me, Franconetti, you do not want to know the answer or watch the video."

Will's jaw almost hits the gym floor. "There's a video?!"

"Yeah, it's on her MyFans account. We're not just friends with benefits. We're coworkers." Ollie says all this with a totally straight face and I'm just glad I'm not bench pressing anything right now.

I move to the floor, grab a medicine ball, and start doing sit-ups. "When you guys are done talking about the many ways to incorporate silverware into your sex lives, I need some advice. And don't even start with the ‘how to have sex' jokes. I don't have a MyFans account or anything, but I know how to fuck."

"Fully aware of that," Norris chimes in again. "We share a very thin wall."

He's one to talk. I shoot him a glare that says, "the fuck?" as I sit forward and extend my arms out and then tuck them back to my chest.

There's a look of momentary panic on his face, but I'd never betray his trust. He's got his reasons for keeping his relationship a secret and I'm a loyal guy, so I'll continue to keep my mouth shut. Norris must feel bad about ribbing me though, because he's totally aiming for casual and missing by a mile when he says, "You know what? You should take Josie on a date. Like, a real one, not at Drip or the hockey house, but somewhere you don't already hang out."

"That's what I need advice about. Where should we go? I've planned exactly one date in my life, so I'm no expert. And my schedule's packed, so I don't even know when we could go, but I should probably start figuring it out." I love every second I spend with Josie, and I will never get over the sight of her perfect, naked body lying next to mine. But even I know that there's more to a relationship than sex. I need to take Josie on a proper date.

And afterwards, we'll probably go back to her place and have sex. But the key word here is afterwards .

Pete's doing deadlifts, and when he drops the barbell, he looks at me. "We're home this weekend. Take her out after the game on Friday. She usually leaves for Silver Creek on Saturday morning, right?"

"Yeah, but my mom's coming up for the game Friday night. She's excited to meet Josie, so we'll probably grab dinner with her after. I want something that's just the two of us, you know. But between my schedule and hers, I'm not sure it's gonna work. Sometimes we hang out in her room on Thursday afternoons, but it's my week to volunteer at Community Cleanup, and as much as I'd have fun doing anything with Josie, trash pickup is probably not a great date idea."

The rest of the guys are tossing date ideas around when Norris joins me on the floor and starts doing scorpions. At first, it looks like he's a restless toddler at naptime, but I know better. He's got all these crazy moves and he does them religiously. It's what keeps teams from scoring on us. The guy's fast as hell and limber as a damn gymnast.

"I'll take your trash duty," he says, extending one leg over the back of his body and touching it to the ground. "I owe you one, after all. Hell, I probably owe you twenty. Besides, I shouldn't have run my mouth like that."

"It's all good," I assure him. "But if you're serious about taking my spot, I'll accept."

"Done," he agrees, slipping into some new pretzel-like stance.

Since all the guys are occupied, I lean forward and keep my voice low. "You really think it'd be that bad if the team found out who you're with?"

Norris shrugs. "I don't, but she does. She's sure it'll make things awkward at best and catastrophic at worst. I don't really agree, but I'm taking no chances. This is our year, right? So, if keeping things quiet for a few more months keeps the peace on the team, and keeps my girl happy, then yeah, you'll still be seeing me sneak in at six a.m."

"Fair enough," I say. I don't think I could keep things with Josie under wraps like that. Hell, I think I did a shit job of hiding my true feelings for her the past three years, but everybody's different, I guess, and I'm definitely not in the business of giving out relationship advice.

"What're you two talking about over there?" Ollie asks. There's a reason this guy likes to help Mel at the senior center. He's a busybody.

"I'm helping him brainstorm," Norris answers. "You know, since you all came up with shitty ideas."

I know he's just saying that to deflect, but it does the trick. Ollie's offended. "Shitty ideas? Smitty's Crab Shack is a culinary triumph."

Even Santos looks a little sour. "Hey, a walk through the botanical gardens is like 10/10 for dates. Even the internet says so. And they're all decked out for the holidays. It's a damn fine suggestion."

"Eh, it's okay," Kaden Kersey pipes up. He's our back-up goalie, and he's been with his girlfriend for a couple years. "I mean, does she like that kinda stuff? Because that's the key. You find out what she's into and you do it with her."

Ollie's cracking up. "Are you kidding me right now? That's the worst advice ever. She doesn't just wanna hang out with you. She wants to feel special. You gotta woo her and shit."

Kersey's rolling his eyes. "Ok, Spoonboy…Listen, Van, I'm totally serious and I'm right. Sophie's an art history major, so I started taking her to museums. Three years ago, I didn't give a shit about art, but I'm into it now because I love watching her get all excited about it. When we had last weekend off, we went to an art show in D.C., and trust me when I tell you I wasn't the asshole sitting on a bench waiting for my girlfriend to be done looking at paintings. Fuck, no. I spent my day listening to Soph tell me all about brushstrokes and color theory. It makes her happy, and that makes me happy. Find Josie's happy and take her there."

Kaden might be onto something. I mean, he and Sophie are solid. Last week, he showed me the ring he's proposing with over Christmas, so he must really like following her around to art shows. I get what he's saying, but Josie's thing is reading, and since we literally spend four or five nights in the library each week, I think I need to come up with something else.

"Rosco, c'mere," Ollie calls as our second-line center walks in.

"What's up? You need a spotter?" Rosco's a good guy and a good friend, but he's had a shit time of it lately. He took a nasty hit to the hand minutes before our first game and was out for six weeks. Injuries suck. But the rest of his semester hasn't been much better.

"Nah. I need you to help me prove a point. You've been with Maya for almost a year now. So if you had to plan the perfect date, what would you do?"

It occurs to me that I'm the guy a lot of other guys confide in. And that's great. But it also means that not everybody knows all the stuff I know.

Rosco shakes his head. "Don't ask me, Olls. Maya and I are over. She came back from her mini-mester in Italy and didn't call or message me for two days. When I went over to visit, I found her in bed with a guy from her study abroad program. So…I am definitely not the guy to ask for dating advice."

As the guys wince at Rosco's announcement, Booker hops off the treadmill and jogs over to me. He grabs a spare mat and starts doing planks. I figure the conversation's over, but then he turns to me and says, "If you had told me a year ago that I'd be giving out dating advice, I'd have laughed my butt off. For what it's worth, I think Kersey's right. But since Josie's always at the library and always has a book in her hand, maybe you need to get creative? Maybe do something to show how much you care? Since she's busy taking care of her siblings all the time, maybe do something that's just for her? I don't know. Ian took me to an arcade once. It wasn't our first official date—I hadn't even admitted to myself how much I liked him. But I'd had a crappy day and he knew I needed to get out of my head, so he fed me carbs and we played a bunch of games. It was just what I needed."

The guys keep talking around me, consoling Rosco even though he looks like he'd rather forget the whole thing. Ollie's still convinced I need to rent a stretch limo and take Josie to a five-star restaurant, but I'm not so sure. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that Booker's boyfriend Ian had the right idea.