Status: Contest entry, let me know what you think!
Family Is All It Takes
Chapter 10
It was a long game. A game that ended in a loss for the Penguins and no one was in the mood for talking in the locker room that night.
After speaking with a few players and staff, Mac looked around the room. It was quiet, almost silent. Too quiet, in her opinion. She quickly formulated a plan.
*****
“Okay,” she said coming to stand in the center of the room. “You guys are depressing. I don’t like it.”
“We just lost,” Kris stated.
“Thanks for that, Captain Obvious,” Brandon sighed.
“My son’s going to walk through that door in a few minutes and I don’t want him to see his heroes sitting around like a bunch of logs,” she said as she placed her iPhone on the docking system in the corner. Pressing play, Maroon 5’s Moves Like Jagger began blasting through the speakers. “I refuse to spend time with you guys if I have to deal with all this every time you guys lose a game.”
“What are you doing?” Brandon asked.
“What I did in 2009 when these guys would lose. Come on, Disco Dan. Time to dance,” Mac grinned.
Slowly, the married players took their wives hands and began dancing. Eventually, others began to dance in their own fashions. Kris and James were doing some version of the robot that required them to juggle pucks. Tyler and Geno were bouncing around doing… well; Mac wasn’t quite sure what they were doing.
Only two players remained in their stalls. Sidney and Brandon.
Mac sighed. “C’mon, Captain Kid. Ease up and join your team.”
“I don’t dance,” Sidney shrugged.
Mac snorted with laughter. “And you think the rest of these buffoons do? Get up off your big ass and shake it, Sidders.”
Sidney looked at her for a long moment. Mac just stood there with her hands on her hips and an eyebrow raised towards her forehead.
He pursed his lips to say something else, but thought better of it. “Okay.”
Mac grinned. She had won. Now, on to Sutter.
*****
She took his hands and attempted to pull him up. “Let’s go, Sutter.”
“Back to last names then?” he mused.
“Shut up and dance, you ass,” she smirked.
He looked up at her. Mac had pulled her long hair up into a knot on the top of her head, held together by her pen. Her dress shirt sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and she had kicked off her heels while turning on the music. Mac’s eyes were bright and she exuded a feel-good vibe.
“You’re family is dancing,” she reminded him.
“My family?” he asked.
Mac cocked her head to the side. “You’ve played your first game as a Penguin. You’re officially family.”
Brandon grinned a little. “Well, if you can’t be ‘em, join ‘em, right?”
Mac beamed. “Absolutely. Let’s go Brandon.”
He allowed her to pull him up from his seat and into the mix of teammates, family, and staff that was now dancing to Fun.’s We Are Young.
Looking around, it really hit Brandon. This was his family, his team.
After speaking with a few players and staff, Mac looked around the room. It was quiet, almost silent. Too quiet, in her opinion. She quickly formulated a plan.
*****
“Okay,” she said coming to stand in the center of the room. “You guys are depressing. I don’t like it.”
“We just lost,” Kris stated.
“Thanks for that, Captain Obvious,” Brandon sighed.
“My son’s going to walk through that door in a few minutes and I don’t want him to see his heroes sitting around like a bunch of logs,” she said as she placed her iPhone on the docking system in the corner. Pressing play, Maroon 5’s Moves Like Jagger began blasting through the speakers. “I refuse to spend time with you guys if I have to deal with all this every time you guys lose a game.”
“What are you doing?” Brandon asked.
“What I did in 2009 when these guys would lose. Come on, Disco Dan. Time to dance,” Mac grinned.
Slowly, the married players took their wives hands and began dancing. Eventually, others began to dance in their own fashions. Kris and James were doing some version of the robot that required them to juggle pucks. Tyler and Geno were bouncing around doing… well; Mac wasn’t quite sure what they were doing.
Only two players remained in their stalls. Sidney and Brandon.
Mac sighed. “C’mon, Captain Kid. Ease up and join your team.”
“I don’t dance,” Sidney shrugged.
Mac snorted with laughter. “And you think the rest of these buffoons do? Get up off your big ass and shake it, Sidders.”
Sidney looked at her for a long moment. Mac just stood there with her hands on her hips and an eyebrow raised towards her forehead.
He pursed his lips to say something else, but thought better of it. “Okay.”
Mac grinned. She had won. Now, on to Sutter.
*****
She took his hands and attempted to pull him up. “Let’s go, Sutter.”
“Back to last names then?” he mused.
“Shut up and dance, you ass,” she smirked.
He looked up at her. Mac had pulled her long hair up into a knot on the top of her head, held together by her pen. Her dress shirt sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and she had kicked off her heels while turning on the music. Mac’s eyes were bright and she exuded a feel-good vibe.
“You’re family is dancing,” she reminded him.
“My family?” he asked.
Mac cocked her head to the side. “You’ve played your first game as a Penguin. You’re officially family.”
Brandon grinned a little. “Well, if you can’t be ‘em, join ‘em, right?”
Mac beamed. “Absolutely. Let’s go Brandon.”
He allowed her to pull him up from his seat and into the mix of teammates, family, and staff that was now dancing to Fun.’s We Are Young.
Looking around, it really hit Brandon. This was his family, his team.
♠ ♠ ♠
So? What do you think? I'd really appreciate some more feedback, especially considering that this is for a contest entry. Do you love it? Hate it? Somewhere in between? Let me know what's on your minds, lovelies!