She Makes Me Wanna

“Thanks guys…uh, well, welcome to the team first off. I’m Sidney, but you can just call me Sid. I’m just here to show you the ropes really, and get a good feel for who is who on the team. Uh…like Dan said, try your hardest, and have some fun. Let’s get this show on the road,” I said, stammering over the words. Dan was a much better motivational speaker than I was, and I could tell that the guys on the ice were getting restless. I hopped over the boards and grabbed my stick off the bench before Dan handed me two enormous buckets of pucks.

“Alright, so first things first, we’re going to get you guys started on some shootout drills. Now, if you’ve ever heard anything about this team, you’ll know that our shootout drills are more than just a drill. The player at the end with the least amount of goals receives a penalty for losing. The first shootout loser of the month, who we’ll discover today, is always Moustache Boy. If you lose, you have to grow a moustache and keep it for the entire month to remind everyone of why we work hard. Now, can I get the two goalies to hit their nets?” I said, dumping the buckets onto the ice.

“What if we lose and we can’t grow a moustache?” one of the guys called out, and I made a face. A few of the guys began to crack up, and I ran a hand through my hair.

“Well…um…if you’re eighteen and you can’t grow a moustache…I don’t know what to say to you there,” I said, trying to think of a reasonable comeback.

“Well I’m just asking because some of us are lacking in the testosterone department,” the guy smirked, and I finally realized that he was standing next someone wearing the number 36.

“Howdy Captain,” she said, giving me a salute. A smirk danced over her face, and I laughed, shaking my head.

“Well, can we think of a punishment that would be just as effective for Miss Vance?” I asked, opening the question up to the team.

“Don’t shave your legs the entire month!” one guy screamed immediately. Emily made a disgusted face, and I grinned evilly.

“Well then, Miss Vance, don’t lose, or it looks like we’ll be calling you Chewbacca,” I chuckled before beginning the drill.

An hour and twenty minutes later the guys were panting, dripping with sweat, and they looked as if they hadn’t had such a hard workout in their entire lives. I was a little tired too, but I had kept up with my workout regiment and was still almost 100 percent in shape. The only person who seemed to be doing better off than me was Emily.

“Alright boys, gather ‘round,” Dan said, blowing his whistle. We all skated over to the bench and I opened the door before taking my place next to Dan.

“So, this was a very good practice, and I saw a lot of things that I liked out there. However, everyone on that ice today aside from Sidney and Emily looked like they were a little bit out of shape. You may have passed the combine boys, but that doesn’t mean that you can let yourselves slip, even a little bit. Hit the showers, and I’ll see you all tomorrow bright and early!” Dan said, dismissing the team.

“So they seem to be pretty good for rookies, huh?” I asked, leaning against the boards.

“Yeah, they’re all pretty talented kids. I don’t like some of their attitudes however, so we’ll need to work on that,” Dan said, adjusting his glasses.

“Who do you think you’re going to keep up?” I asked, having made a list in my own mind already.

“Well the tall, husky one…Evan McGregor, he’s definitely got some promise as a grade A defenseman. Stephen Marx, the left winger, he’s got a lot of potential too. The goalies need a lot of work, but they’re good kids. But the one person I am almost one hundred percent sure on is Emily Vance. That girl knows how to play some hockey,” Dan said, shuffling through his notes.

“Yeah she definitely does. I’m curious to see how she takes hits though,” I said, resting my chin against the blade of my stick.

“We’ll see how she copes tomorrow. If she can’t take a hit, she’s not going to be able to play,” Dan said quietly.

I walked into the locker room an hour later to find it abandoned. I was a little surprised, but I didn’t mind the peace and quiet as I put my stick away and headed towards my locker stall. I quickly shed my gear, and once I was stripped down to my shorts and my yellow Crocs, I grabbed my shower bag and headed towards the showers. I stopped when I heard the sound of running water though.

“Hello?” I asked, peeking into the shower room. One of the shower stalls had the curtain drawn, and white bubbles were rushing towards the drain in the center of the room.

“Hey Captain,” I heard someone say, and it took me a second to register that it was Emily in the shower.

“Uh…I’m sorry. I’ll come back later,” I stammered, my face immediately flushing.

“Dude, there’s a shower curtain for a reason. Don’t worry about it,” she said, and I could practically hear her shrugging. I hovered for a minute before walking into the shower room and occupying my usual shower, which was coincidentally next to the shower that Emily was in.

“So did you have fun today?” I asked, trying to think of what I could possibly say. I heard Emily chuckle and turn off the water.

“Yeah I did. This was probably the best day of my life. It’s nice to finally play with a group of guys who are going to play against me just as hard as the next person,” Emily said.

“What do you mean?” I asked, squirting some shampoo into my hair.

“I mean that before today, every guy I ever played against was afraid to play their hardest against me. They were afraid of hurting me or some bullshit, so I was always the one who slammed them into the boards first,” she explained, and I frowned, scrubbing my hair clean.

“I hope that isn’t a problem here. I mean, if you made it to the draft you can obviously play,” I said quietly. However, the more I thought about it, the more it made me wonder if I would hit her just as hard as I would hit Geno or Gronk. Was I willing to give up my chivalry to play hockey with a woman?