Status: posting
I'll Be Watching You
Chapter three
It was around 7:15 the next morning when Sam's alarm went off. She groaned and rolled over, stopping it. Then, her tiredness vanished and she hopped up. Today was one of the most exciting days of her life. - If only daddy was here to see it- she thought. Sam smiled and glanced up at her ceiling.
"He's watching, girly. He's always watching," a voice from her doorway said. The girl jumped and turned around, only to start laughing to see her Uncle Rob standing in the doorway.
"I know. I just miss him," Sam said, tears coming to her eyes. Rob came into the room and hugged his niece. Sam's tears soaked his shirt but he didn't notice or, if he did, he didn't care.
"He's watching, you know he is. Let's go make him proud." Sam pushed herself off her uncle's chest and looked him in the eyes.
"Let's go then. All my stuff is packed, I'm just gonna go shower and dress," she said. Rob agreed and left the room. Sam wiped the tears from her eyes and prepared to go to training camp.
It was about three hours later that Rob pulled up in front of the arena. Daniel was standing in front of the arena on the sidewalk, waiting for someone. Rob got out of the car first, followed by Sam, who went to the truck to get her bag out.
"It's good to see you, Danny," Rob said, shaking his old friend's hand.
"Nice to see you too, Rob. And this must be Sam," Daniel said. Sam smiled and shook the scout's hand.
"Please to meet you, Mr. Miller," she said, turning on her "hockey voice". Daniel looked Sam up and down for a minute.
"You look like a forward, right?" Sam nodded. Daniel grinned and wrapped an arm around Sam's shoulders. "Well, we're gonna start training camp in a few minutes. Let's go inside so you can meet the guys," he said. Sam said goodbye to her uncle, who told her he'd pick her up afterwards. Sam followed Daniel inside. "How long have you been playing for, Sam?"
"I've wanted to be an NHL player for as long as I can remember. Whenever I watched NHL teams win the cup, I've thought to myself 'I want to be a part of that'. I started playing when I was four and I've been playing ever since," was Sam's reply. She took a deep breath outside the locker room door.
"You nervous?" Sam shrugged.
"A little. I'm probably more excited than anything." Daniel opened the door and inside both of them went.
Niklas Kronwall was sitting next to Henrik Zetterberg, his captain. He was excited to be at training camp again- this, he felt, was where he belonged. He heard the door opening again and he saw one of the scouts and a new player who looked nervous. The scout put his arm around the player and whispered to him. He nudged his teammate.
"He looks extermly nervous," he whispered.
"I know," Hank whispered back. Niklas stood up and went to introduce himself.
"Hi, my name is Niklas Kronwall. What's yours," he asked, extending his hand. Sam took his hand and shook it.
"Sam Brown," she replied.
"You look nervous. Don't worry, none of these guys bite." Niklas watched as the new player smiled a bit.
"Oh, good. I don't want any bite marks on my first day here. That wouldn't be good," Sam said. She soon dropped back into her nervous state. Niklas noticed most of his teammates smiling at the new player, probably remembering their first time at training camp. He noticed Jacab Kindle, one of their young defenseman, staring at Sam.
"Nervousness has no place in this league, kid. If you're nervous, get out of here. We don't need any wimps on this team." Niklas's jaw dropped and he noticed Sam's face turning red. He realized the scout had left. Hank gave Jacab a hard stare as did most of the other guys in the locker room.
"Shut your mouth, Kindle. He has every right to be nervous. Almost everyone is nervous the first time they come to a team," Hank said. Jacab rolled his eyes.
"Oh come on, Hank. We don't need wimps on this team. If he's a wimp, we're gonna lose for sure." Niklas noticed tears in Sam's eyes and his heart went out to him. He gave Kindle a dirty look and turned back to Sam, only to see him walking out the door. Angry and upset, he turned on his friend.
"What the hell was that for, Kindle? You just make him leave and you broke his heart! He worked hard to get her I'm guessing and you crushed his dream. Nice, Kindle, that does a lot for our team," he snapped.
Sam leaned against the wall, her head in her hands. She felt like crying but willed herself not too-what good would that do her? She wasn't sure what she would do if she wasn't accepted by her teammates. Why was he so mean to her? She hadn't done anything to him. Sighing, she started when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Looking up, she noticed Coach Babcock standing over her.
"You're Sam Brown, correct?" Sam nodded. "Then why aren't you in the locker room with the team?" Sam shuttered.
"It seems that one of your players, Jacab Kindle, isn't very welcoming to new players," she explained, telling him what had happened. She noticed the angry look on her coach's face and couldn't help but smirk a bit.
"You can change in the weight room, Sam. I'll wait for you." Sam got up and went to the weight room and quickly changed before coming out and following her coach into the locker room.
Niklas was back at his locker, angrily biting down on his lip. He felt sorry for Sam and beyond angry at his younger teammate. - I don't know what Sam did to him that made him yell like that. He's been nice to other rookies before -he thought. The door opened and coach came in, following by Sam. He watched Jacab giving her a glare as she sat down next to him. The room became quiet and everyone turned their attention to their coach. Coach started off by giving Jacab a glare.
"I say the same thing every year, don't I? I say the same thing every year about respecting your teammates," he said. Jacab looked uncomfortable, much to Niklas's amusement. "This year is no different and rookies are no different. They are just as much a part of this team as the veterans." Coach now turned to look at Jacab. "The way that Kindle teached our rookie forward, Sam Brown, is not what I want to see in this locker room. In this locker room, we respect each other and help each other. Treating him like Kindle did was not only disrespectful, but it is mean and hurtful." Jacab met his coaches eyes. "If you, Kindle, can't start acting like a good teammate and act like the adult you should be, you will be off the team. I don't tolerate players who are going to disrespect their fellow teammates." Jacab paled a bit. "Alright, now let's get out on the ice and start training camp."
"He's watching, girly. He's always watching," a voice from her doorway said. The girl jumped and turned around, only to start laughing to see her Uncle Rob standing in the doorway.
"I know. I just miss him," Sam said, tears coming to her eyes. Rob came into the room and hugged his niece. Sam's tears soaked his shirt but he didn't notice or, if he did, he didn't care.
"He's watching, you know he is. Let's go make him proud." Sam pushed herself off her uncle's chest and looked him in the eyes.
"Let's go then. All my stuff is packed, I'm just gonna go shower and dress," she said. Rob agreed and left the room. Sam wiped the tears from her eyes and prepared to go to training camp.
It was about three hours later that Rob pulled up in front of the arena. Daniel was standing in front of the arena on the sidewalk, waiting for someone. Rob got out of the car first, followed by Sam, who went to the truck to get her bag out.
"It's good to see you, Danny," Rob said, shaking his old friend's hand.
"Nice to see you too, Rob. And this must be Sam," Daniel said. Sam smiled and shook the scout's hand.
"Please to meet you, Mr. Miller," she said, turning on her "hockey voice". Daniel looked Sam up and down for a minute.
"You look like a forward, right?" Sam nodded. Daniel grinned and wrapped an arm around Sam's shoulders. "Well, we're gonna start training camp in a few minutes. Let's go inside so you can meet the guys," he said. Sam said goodbye to her uncle, who told her he'd pick her up afterwards. Sam followed Daniel inside. "How long have you been playing for, Sam?"
"I've wanted to be an NHL player for as long as I can remember. Whenever I watched NHL teams win the cup, I've thought to myself 'I want to be a part of that'. I started playing when I was four and I've been playing ever since," was Sam's reply. She took a deep breath outside the locker room door.
"You nervous?" Sam shrugged.
"A little. I'm probably more excited than anything." Daniel opened the door and inside both of them went.
Niklas Kronwall was sitting next to Henrik Zetterberg, his captain. He was excited to be at training camp again- this, he felt, was where he belonged. He heard the door opening again and he saw one of the scouts and a new player who looked nervous. The scout put his arm around the player and whispered to him. He nudged his teammate.
"He looks extermly nervous," he whispered.
"I know," Hank whispered back. Niklas stood up and went to introduce himself.
"Hi, my name is Niklas Kronwall. What's yours," he asked, extending his hand. Sam took his hand and shook it.
"Sam Brown," she replied.
"You look nervous. Don't worry, none of these guys bite." Niklas watched as the new player smiled a bit.
"Oh, good. I don't want any bite marks on my first day here. That wouldn't be good," Sam said. She soon dropped back into her nervous state. Niklas noticed most of his teammates smiling at the new player, probably remembering their first time at training camp. He noticed Jacab Kindle, one of their young defenseman, staring at Sam.
"Nervousness has no place in this league, kid. If you're nervous, get out of here. We don't need any wimps on this team." Niklas's jaw dropped and he noticed Sam's face turning red. He realized the scout had left. Hank gave Jacab a hard stare as did most of the other guys in the locker room.
"Shut your mouth, Kindle. He has every right to be nervous. Almost everyone is nervous the first time they come to a team," Hank said. Jacab rolled his eyes.
"Oh come on, Hank. We don't need wimps on this team. If he's a wimp, we're gonna lose for sure." Niklas noticed tears in Sam's eyes and his heart went out to him. He gave Kindle a dirty look and turned back to Sam, only to see him walking out the door. Angry and upset, he turned on his friend.
"What the hell was that for, Kindle? You just make him leave and you broke his heart! He worked hard to get her I'm guessing and you crushed his dream. Nice, Kindle, that does a lot for our team," he snapped.
Sam leaned against the wall, her head in her hands. She felt like crying but willed herself not too-what good would that do her? She wasn't sure what she would do if she wasn't accepted by her teammates. Why was he so mean to her? She hadn't done anything to him. Sighing, she started when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Looking up, she noticed Coach Babcock standing over her.
"You're Sam Brown, correct?" Sam nodded. "Then why aren't you in the locker room with the team?" Sam shuttered.
"It seems that one of your players, Jacab Kindle, isn't very welcoming to new players," she explained, telling him what had happened. She noticed the angry look on her coach's face and couldn't help but smirk a bit.
"You can change in the weight room, Sam. I'll wait for you." Sam got up and went to the weight room and quickly changed before coming out and following her coach into the locker room.
Niklas was back at his locker, angrily biting down on his lip. He felt sorry for Sam and beyond angry at his younger teammate. - I don't know what Sam did to him that made him yell like that. He's been nice to other rookies before -he thought. The door opened and coach came in, following by Sam. He watched Jacab giving her a glare as she sat down next to him. The room became quiet and everyone turned their attention to their coach. Coach started off by giving Jacab a glare.
"I say the same thing every year, don't I? I say the same thing every year about respecting your teammates," he said. Jacab looked uncomfortable, much to Niklas's amusement. "This year is no different and rookies are no different. They are just as much a part of this team as the veterans." Coach now turned to look at Jacab. "The way that Kindle teached our rookie forward, Sam Brown, is not what I want to see in this locker room. In this locker room, we respect each other and help each other. Treating him like Kindle did was not only disrespectful, but it is mean and hurtful." Jacab met his coaches eyes. "If you, Kindle, can't start acting like a good teammate and act like the adult you should be, you will be off the team. I don't tolerate players who are going to disrespect their fellow teammates." Jacab paled a bit. "Alright, now let's get out on the ice and start training camp."