Status: posting
I'll Be Watching You
Chapter 1
Sam Brown was in the locker room getting her gear on. She was ready for another practice with her friends. It was actually more of a tryout to see who'd make the team and who wouldn't. None of them, her friends or her coaches, however, knew she was a girl.
"Hi, Sam," one of her friends, Jacob Sullivan, greeted her as he entered the locker room.
"Hi, Jake! How's it going," she asked from her locker with a smile.
"Not bad. How about you," he asked, taking his place by her.
"Not bad," was Sam's reply. Jacob grinned and messed up his friend's hair.
"Are you ready for another practice," he asked. Sam smirked.
"I'm ready to kick your butt," she replied. Jacob's mouth dropped open.
"Are you sure about that, squirt? It's more like I'm gonna kick your butt," he retorted. Sam shook her head and threw her shoulder pad at him.
"Shut up, Sullivan. You're going down today," she replied. Jacob just grinned and handed her shoulder pad back. "Thanks, Jake," she said, putting on her shoulder pad before throwing her jersey on. Jacob laughed and slapped her butt as she stood up.
"No problem, buddy. See ya on the ice." Sam winked at him before heading out the locker room door.
"C'mon, Brown! You can do better than that." Sam cringed as her coach yelled at her from the center ice circle. She'd been defending against two of her friends and hadn't done an very good job of it.
"Sorry, coach," she mumbled.
"Try harder next time, Brown. Take a break," her coach told her. Sam skated to the bench and sat next to Jacob. She took a drink of her water and slammed the bottle back into it's place, feeling frustrated with herself.
"I think you did a pretty good job out there, Sam," Jacob told her. Sam shrugged.
"It wasn't enough to please coach," she replied. Jacob smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Coach isn't easy to please. Just try it again next time. You'll do fine," he said. Sam finally smiled.
"Thanks, Jake," she said.
"You're welcome, Sam."
"Brown! Are you ready to try that again," coach yelled. Sam glanced at Jacob, who gave her a wink.
"Yes, coach. I'm coming," she called back.
Practice was over, but Sam was still on the ice. She always spent some extra minutes on the ice after practice, stretching and cooling off. She hadn't realized Jacob was watching her.
"Yo, Brown! You coming," he yelled. Sam chuckled and made her way to the bench.
"Yeah, I'm coming. I was just stretching and cooling down," she replied, grinning at her friend. Just then, coach appeared.
"Sam? Can I talk to you for a minute," he asked. Sam nodded and followed her coach into the weight room. Coach placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Sam, you're not on the team. You didn't make it. You're too small. I need big players." Sam felt like someone had punched her in the gut.
"I understand, coach." Coach patted her shoulder and left the room. Sam, after a few minutes, left as well. She made her way to the locker room, where all of her friends were.
"Hey, Brownie! You ready for tomorrow," Luke Allen asked. Sam felt her eyes sting with tears.
"No, Luke, I won't be here tomorrow," she said, her voice cracking. Jacob stared at her.
"What? You won't be here? Why not, Sam," he asked. Sam swallowed hard.
"I-I didn't make the team. Coach said I'm too small," she replied, burying her head in her hands. She felt arms wrap around her.
"Coach is wrong. You should've been on the team. We can't all be big players. Do you want us to talk to him, Sam," Jacob asked. Sam shook her head.
"Don't. I don't want any trouble. I'll accept it, hard as it is," she replied.
Sam smiled when she saw her uncle's car waiting for her.
"Hi, Sammy! How did it go," he asked. Sam threw her bag in the truck.
"I didn't make the team. Coach said I was too small," she replied as she got into the car. Her uncle's face turned red.
"Why, that's the biggest piece of crap I ever heard! Teams need speed and small players too, not just big ones," he said angrily. Sam grinned and touched her uncle's arms.
"It's okay, Uncle Robbie. What's done is done," she said. Rob smiled and messed up his niece's hair.
"That's my girl. What do you say we go home and have some of my special pasta," he asked. Sam nodded in agreement.
"Okay! Let's go", she said.
"Hi, Sam," one of her friends, Jacob Sullivan, greeted her as he entered the locker room.
"Hi, Jake! How's it going," she asked from her locker with a smile.
"Not bad. How about you," he asked, taking his place by her.
"Not bad," was Sam's reply. Jacob grinned and messed up his friend's hair.
"Are you ready for another practice," he asked. Sam smirked.
"I'm ready to kick your butt," she replied. Jacob's mouth dropped open.
"Are you sure about that, squirt? It's more like I'm gonna kick your butt," he retorted. Sam shook her head and threw her shoulder pad at him.
"Shut up, Sullivan. You're going down today," she replied. Jacob just grinned and handed her shoulder pad back. "Thanks, Jake," she said, putting on her shoulder pad before throwing her jersey on. Jacob laughed and slapped her butt as she stood up.
"No problem, buddy. See ya on the ice." Sam winked at him before heading out the locker room door.
"C'mon, Brown! You can do better than that." Sam cringed as her coach yelled at her from the center ice circle. She'd been defending against two of her friends and hadn't done an very good job of it.
"Sorry, coach," she mumbled.
"Try harder next time, Brown. Take a break," her coach told her. Sam skated to the bench and sat next to Jacob. She took a drink of her water and slammed the bottle back into it's place, feeling frustrated with herself.
"I think you did a pretty good job out there, Sam," Jacob told her. Sam shrugged.
"It wasn't enough to please coach," she replied. Jacob smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Coach isn't easy to please. Just try it again next time. You'll do fine," he said. Sam finally smiled.
"Thanks, Jake," she said.
"You're welcome, Sam."
"Brown! Are you ready to try that again," coach yelled. Sam glanced at Jacob, who gave her a wink.
"Yes, coach. I'm coming," she called back.
Practice was over, but Sam was still on the ice. She always spent some extra minutes on the ice after practice, stretching and cooling off. She hadn't realized Jacob was watching her.
"Yo, Brown! You coming," he yelled. Sam chuckled and made her way to the bench.
"Yeah, I'm coming. I was just stretching and cooling down," she replied, grinning at her friend. Just then, coach appeared.
"Sam? Can I talk to you for a minute," he asked. Sam nodded and followed her coach into the weight room. Coach placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Sam, you're not on the team. You didn't make it. You're too small. I need big players." Sam felt like someone had punched her in the gut.
"I understand, coach." Coach patted her shoulder and left the room. Sam, after a few minutes, left as well. She made her way to the locker room, where all of her friends were.
"Hey, Brownie! You ready for tomorrow," Luke Allen asked. Sam felt her eyes sting with tears.
"No, Luke, I won't be here tomorrow," she said, her voice cracking. Jacob stared at her.
"What? You won't be here? Why not, Sam," he asked. Sam swallowed hard.
"I-I didn't make the team. Coach said I'm too small," she replied, burying her head in her hands. She felt arms wrap around her.
"Coach is wrong. You should've been on the team. We can't all be big players. Do you want us to talk to him, Sam," Jacob asked. Sam shook her head.
"Don't. I don't want any trouble. I'll accept it, hard as it is," she replied.
Sam smiled when she saw her uncle's car waiting for her.
"Hi, Sammy! How did it go," he asked. Sam threw her bag in the truck.
"I didn't make the team. Coach said I was too small," she replied as she got into the car. Her uncle's face turned red.
"Why, that's the biggest piece of crap I ever heard! Teams need speed and small players too, not just big ones," he said angrily. Sam grinned and touched her uncle's arms.
"It's okay, Uncle Robbie. What's done is done," she said. Rob smiled and messed up his niece's hair.
"That's my girl. What do you say we go home and have some of my special pasta," he asked. Sam nodded in agreement.
"Okay! Let's go", she said.