charlie
Even though Adam and Guy told me last night that I have nothing to worry about when it comes to who is captain, I still can't help but feel a little nervous.
I feel like I've been nervous a lot recently, but there's a lot to be nervous about. Varsity, the captaincy, a new school year, making sure I don't screw up my friendships or my relationship, among other things. Those are just the biggest ones though.
Although today is only the second day of school, it feels like the one hundredth. My morning couldn't have been any longer, and lunch was the only thing on my mind.
It definitely feels different to me, sitting with Adam at the varsity table rather than the JV one from last year. So many people stare at us.
I mean, that hasn't been uncommon since we won the showdown, but all of the new freshmen stare at us like we're celebrities or something. The other kids our age and all of the upperclassmen stare at us like they expect something from us, which I can assume is to win states.
How embarrassing would it be if we were the team to break the eleven year streak?
There are only five returning players from last year, three seniors and two juniors. The seniors are Justin Bard, Caiden Brown, and Josh Darrow. The juniors are Drew Mullin and Christian Hart. Of all of them, Caiden and Drew are the nicest. Christian and Josh have been pretty friendly, enough to the point where we can get along. Justin on the other hand, has been nothing but an ass.
I'm not sure why, I've haven't even been on the team for an entire day yet. I guess he's just stressed about Orion's captain announcement today too.
I'm the first one from varsity in the dining hall, because I bolt there from algebra. I really couldn't sit in that class any longer.
I grab my lunch out of my bag, watching as all of the kids filter in. After a few seconds, Drew sits down across from me, throwing his lunch bag on the table.
"Man!" he says, almost out of breath. "Those freshmen are slow! Were you that bad last year?"
"No way dude!" I respond, shaking my head. "I wasn't even half as bad as the freshmen this year, this is ridiculous. I gotta ask you a question too. Why were you running?"
He takes a bite of his sandwich and shrugs. "I don't know. I just like to be here before the rush."
"Fair enough." I start to unwrap my sandwich, and Drew seems to read my mind. He starts to talk about the only thing that's been bothering me, the captaincy.
"Listen kid, I know you're stressed about Orion's captain announcement today. It's written all over your face. If you're named captain, don't worry about Justin. He's just mad because there was literally no way he was going to be captain over Rick, so now he wants it for his senior year. Would it be nice if Orion gives it to him? Yes, but he doesn't have to. I think you'd be a great captain, you know how to lead and you've shown it. Besides, Orion knows you're a leader. I don't think you have anything to worry about. If Justin bothers you, come find me and I'll handle it."
"Thanks Drew. Means a lot. I can handle myself though, you don't have to worry about that. But thanks for offering, I really appreciate it."
He smiles and gives me a thumbs up as we both continue to eat. We don't continue the conversation any further, because our teammates are starting to fill up the table.
With Guy now to my left and Adam to my right, I get myself engaged in a much more positive conversation about the NHL and who each of us thinks will win the Stanley Cup this year. I'm actually able to somewhat relax and enjoy myself, letting the stresses of my life disappear for some time.
Once lunch is over, I feel a lot more calm about the afternoon ahead of me. I keep trying to tell myself that my teammates believe in me, because they have for so long and I've never let them down before. I think it's working.
After an afternoon filled with a lecture on the Metric system and an overview of the book we'll be starting in English next week called Odyssey, I'm practically itching to be on the ice.
When the final bell rings, I grab my books, shove them in my locker, and meet up with Dwayne, Fulton, Kenny, and Russ before going to the locker room.
Connie and Julie are already changed and waiting outside of the locker room, because they get to use their free time at the end of the day to change before we all do.
When we walk inside, the older guys and Luis are already in there, talking about girls they think are hot.
Typical.
"There he is!" Luis yells from his locker with a smile. "How are you feeling Cap?"
"Luis, don't say that!" I answer, grabbing my equipment from my locker. "The C is anybody's game. I'm just here to work hard and help the team win."
"Spoken like a true captain Conway." Fulton teases. I don't respond, because I know I have eyes watching me. Specifically ones that belong to Justin.
I quickly get myself changed and out onto the ice. Within a few minutes, all of us are taking warmup shots on Julie and Goldberg.
We hear a whistle and turn our attention to the rink doors, where Orion is making his way onto the ice. "Alright!" he booms. "Let's get started."
We skate to center ice and listen to him make his usual pre-practice remarks. "As you know, I am looking for my captain today. It doesn't matter what you have or haven't done in the past, or what positions you have held. Everyone is being considered. Good luck."
We all clap before breaking off into our first drill, 1v1s. We stick with them for maybe a half hour before starting our shooting drill. After that, we break up into groups for a 3v3 scrimmage. We end with some sprints, before going back to center ice for the long awaited announcement.
Who is the varsity captain.
We all take a knee and turn our attention to Orion. He clears his throat and I take a deep breath, trying to get myself to relax.
"You've all worked very hard. I love the effort you've all shown, and this certainly wasn't an easy decision. But without further ado, I'd like to congratulate the newest Eden Hall varsity hockey captain...
Charlie Conway."
I did it, I actually did it.
Everyone starts tapping their sticks in congrats, and I immediately turn to Adam and dap him up. Orion dismisses us, and all of the other Ducks come over to me with their own form of congratulations. Hugs, hair ruffles, shoulder shakes, you name it. The smile I have won't leave my face, and I don't want it to.
When I get in the locker room, Drew comes over to me and gives me a huge hug. "Congrats kid!!"
"Thanks man!" I start to take my equipment off when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see Justin, who has a sour expression on his face.
"Congrats I guess. We all knew you were going to get picked anyway, so don't act like you had no idea. No way Orion was going to take away the C from his golden boy. Don't screw it up."
The locker room has gone quiet. Everyone is starting at me, waiting to see how I'm going to react. The thought of punching him definitely crosses my mind, but I know I'd get in a hell of a lot of trouble if I did that. So, I decide to take the mature route and not let it bother me.
I throw on a sweatshirt while it's still quiet, because I want to make sure I have the right words to say. Once I find them, I take a deep breath and answer. "Thanks for the congrats, although I know you don't mean it. I didn't get the C because I'm Orion's 'golden boy', I got it because I work hard and care about the team, instead of where I play and how popular I am. But thanks again for the congrats. Means a lot."
He rolls his eyes and walks to his locker. I turn back to my equipment and smirk to myself, because I know that I've gotten under his skin. I have my C, and that's what matters. He can complain if he wants, but at the end of the day, he has to listen to me and Orion.
Once I finish changing, I go back to my house to grab my stuff. My mom cries tears of joy when I tell her, and I promise her I'll come home for the weekend to celebrate. After I'm all packed, I go back to my dorm and crash.
I'm super excited to see where this new journey as varsity captain takes me, and I definitely know that Bombay is really proud of me.