Charlie glanced around the locker room silently. For once the room's atmosphere seemed to almost match the level of anxiety that was constantly swirling around his mind. The coaching staff was nowhere in sight which meant that the responsibility of calming the room fell entirely to him. Jamie and Ryan. Jamie, across the room found Charlie's eyes and made questioning eye contact. As far as Charlie could tell, they had about the same amount of ideas of what the do. Ryan, on the other hand was standing, silently surveying the room with an air on power in his stance. Next to him, Justin was trying to disappear into the wall.
"Ok! Listen up, River Otters." Ryan clapped his hands and everyone's attention shifted over to his side of the room. "We have a game to play. This is our first opportunity to play as a team. We are all on this team with positions to play and roles to fill. The coaches have the job of putting a full team on the ice. For now, we have to focus on what we know how to do. If the coaches need our help they will bring it up to us. But for now, the offense needs to get ready to score and the defense get ready to shut down. As for worrying about the rest of it, you voted and you left that responsibility to the three of us."
Charlie watched Ryan hold the attention and respect of all of their teammates and found himself wondering if Jamie was being filled with the same strange combination of pride and failure. Ryan was such a natural at the leadership thing, calm, collected and confident, all natural predecessors to charisma. Charlie and Jamie on the other hand, were shy and quiet, almost afraid to have the attention of the whole room at one time. At times it was nearly impossible to tell why they'd been voted in in the first place. Ryan, for his part hadn't seemed to question it at all and signalled over to Charlie with a gentle nod of his head. Charlie gave a sharp intake of breath and willed himself not to pass out, of course Ryan had had to pass it to him, the junior who was brand new on varsity rather than the other senior with two varsity seasons under his belt.
"You know the coaches believe in us. They believe in our abilities and the work we've put in as a team. I think we owe it to them to do the same and believe in them as well as doing everything we can to prove that we've earned that respect and belief." Silence greeted Charlie as he sank back down into his stall, he'd gotten the same amount Ryan had and now all of the eyes in the room where still trained on him. Jamie nodded in solidarity and appreciation. Ryan, from where he was leaning against Justin's side as he laced his skates beamed with a surprising amount of pride.
"You all heard Charlie. You ready to prove to the coaches that we're a freaking good team? Game focus?" Jamie got a unified cheer peppered with a handful of stick of stick taps in heroic response.
"Team?" The teens all turned as their coaching staff reentered the room. "I'd like to meet our emergency goaltender for the day. This, is Genevieve Vahn."
"Ok! Listen up, River Otters." Ryan clapped his hands and everyone's attention shifted over to his side of the room. "We have a game to play. This is our first opportunity to play as a team. We are all on this team with positions to play and roles to fill. The coaches have the job of putting a full team on the ice. For now, we have to focus on what we know how to do. If the coaches need our help they will bring it up to us. But for now, the offense needs to get ready to score and the defense get ready to shut down. As for worrying about the rest of it, you voted and you left that responsibility to the three of us."
Charlie watched Ryan hold the attention and respect of all of their teammates and found himself wondering if Jamie was being filled with the same strange combination of pride and failure. Ryan was such a natural at the leadership thing, calm, collected and confident, all natural predecessors to charisma. Charlie and Jamie on the other hand, were shy and quiet, almost afraid to have the attention of the whole room at one time. At times it was nearly impossible to tell why they'd been voted in in the first place. Ryan, for his part hadn't seemed to question it at all and signalled over to Charlie with a gentle nod of his head. Charlie gave a sharp intake of breath and willed himself not to pass out, of course Ryan had had to pass it to him, the junior who was brand new on varsity rather than the other senior with two varsity seasons under his belt.
"You know the coaches believe in us. They believe in our abilities and the work we've put in as a team. I think we owe it to them to do the same and believe in them as well as doing everything we can to prove that we've earned that respect and belief." Silence greeted Charlie as he sank back down into his stall, he'd gotten the same amount Ryan had and now all of the eyes in the room where still trained on him. Jamie nodded in solidarity and appreciation. Ryan, from where he was leaning against Justin's side as he laced his skates beamed with a surprising amount of pride.
"You all heard Charlie. You ready to prove to the coaches that we're a freaking good team? Game focus?" Jamie got a unified cheer peppered with a handful of stick of stick taps in heroic response.
"Team?" The teens all turned as their coaching staff reentered the room. "I'd like to meet our emergency goaltender for the day. This, is Genevieve Vahn."
