Title - Coulda Woulda Shoulda
Author name - Soy
Author e-mail - soywon@yahoo.com
Disclaimer - All of the Ducks are owned by Disney. Most of the schools and players I use in this are real and are owned by themselves. Big shout out to Avon Old Farms for unknowingly lending me not only their name but also their captain, coach, and a few random others.
Feedback - Is very much appreciated!
Chapter 3 - First Day
***
Portman's POV
***
It's too early in the morning. Way too early. This is supposed to be spring break, who's the idiot making me get up at six?
Mr. Martin.
He looks pretty stupid standing in front of ice rink bleachers filled with hockey players; all of us dressed in our gear, him wearing a rich suit and tie combo. I don't think he knows how stupid he looks. I yawn as he claps his hands together, as if that's going to get everybody's attention...
"Kids," he says, clapping his hands again. "If I might have your attention please." He pauses and waits until we're silent. Mostly silent. "Thank you. Now, I know most of you are returning players, but for all of the new participants here I would like to run down the schedule for the next two weeks." He's going to tell us all what we're doing for the next two weeks? This is going to take forever. "You have all been assigned into random groups which will be announced in a few moments." Random groups? I won't be with the Ducks? I won't be with Fulton? "For the next week, you will work with your group on different techniques and skills. For the second week, you and your team will regroup and there will be a clinic tournament." Great, so after they split teams apart, they'll force everyone back together in this hokey 'Get along way'. "I remind you, this is all in fun and everybody is here to learn and grow." This sounds so cheesy... Just remember, free trip to Florida, free trip to Florida... "Now, each coach will be taking a different group of players. Please remain seated until all the names of your groups have been called, then proceed to wear ever your group coach wants you to meet. First to announce his group will be Coach Gardner."
Some people start to clap as the coach who spoke last night steps in front of the group. He coaches Avon Old Farms. He must suck.
"Alright," he sounds angry, "My group..." He looks down at the piece of paper he holds in his hand. "Bell, Brendan. Courthouse, Travis. Day, Katharine. Fried, Track. Frogon, Christopher. Gaffney, Julie." One duck down, ten to go. I look over at Julie, she's frowning. I guess she didn't want to be picked this early on. The coach is still reading off names as Julie turns her head towards me and we lock eyes. Weird. "Portman, Dean." What? I was called already? Well, I guess things could be worse. At least I've got Julie. I look over at her again, she's smiling at me. At least I've got Julie... Gardner's still listing people. Maybe I'll get another Duck. Maybe I already got one while I wasn't paying attention. "Tyson, Matthew. Warner, Timothy." He stops. I guess that's the end of the list. "Meet me in-" he looks at his watch "-five minutes in locker room four." He claps his hands once and steps away, another coach is making his way forward.
I look over at Julie again. She's standing, making her way, slowly, off of the bleachers. I follow her.
My group is about fifteen people big. I guess I really wasn't paying attention when names were being called...
I honestly don't know where this locker room seven is. I'm just following the people in front of me, they seem to know where they're going.
We make our way into the room. It's a regular locker room. Gardner isn't here yet.
I take a seat next to Julie.
She looks at me and sighs. "Feels weird to be separated from the group, doesn't it?"
Sort of.
"Yeah, it does," I nod. "It's gonna be strange without Fulton."
She nods back.
We like to nod.
Us Ducks nod together.
No one else in the room is talking. Are Julie and I the only ones from the same team?
Gardner walks into the room. He doesn't sit down.
"Does everyone already know everyone?" I don't like his tone of voice. All of us shake are heads no. "Let's go around the room then. Introduce yourself, your name, your town, your school, your position." He nods towards the boy sitting on the ends of one of the benches.
"I'm Chris," the boy says, his voice shaking. "Chris Frogon from Seattle, Washington. I play center at Burling Academy."
Gardner nods at him. Hockey's a real nodding sport I guess. Hockey players don't like to talk much. Exception of Averman, of course.
The next kid starts off. Name, town, school. This goes on for awhile.
"My name's Julie Gaffney, I'm from Bangor, Maine, I go to Eden Hall and I play goalie." Julie gets some glares as she speaks. I guess some of these boys aren't used to playing with girls.
"Portman, Chicago, Eden Hall, enforcer."
"There must be some mistake," Gardner is talking, looking down at a piece of paper, a scowl on his face. "On my list it says your name is Dean." He's using the 'I'm a Coach, I Have the Control' sarcastic voice.
"Dean Portman, that's my name."
"So your name is Dean. Thank you for clarifying that Dean."
A few of the guys around the room are laughing. Julie has grabbed on to my arm. She must know that I feel like jumping any jerk who calls me by my first name. Only a few people are allowed to call me Dean, and this coach is not one of them.
"I'm Tim Warner-" I'm waiting for Gardner to jump in on this kid and call him 'Timothy', but it doesn't happen "-I'm from Simsbury, Connecticut and I'm freshmen goalie at Avon Old Farms."
Gardner smiles at the kid, Tim. So... There's an AOF guy in my group...
"My name's Brendan Bell and I'm from Avon, Connecticut. I play forward for AOF."
Correction, two AOF guys in my clinic. Oh, this is going to be fun...
***
Guy's POV
***
I've been separated from everyone. Really, everyone.
At least Connie got put in Orion's group, I don't have anybody to talk to in mine.
We're on the ice, supposedly warming up, but nobody's moving. Our 'coach' is late. She told us to meet her here in ten minutes, and it's been more than ten minutes. I look around at my group, they all look as unhappy as I feel. I yawn. It's too early in the morning for this.
One of the guys in my group starts to skate literal circles around the rest of us. He has too much energy for the morning. I can tell by his jersey that he goes to some school called Westminster Academy. They told us not to wear our school jerseys here, said that it would only keep us separated. Apparently, we're all supposed to bond over our coach being ten minutes late. Westminster kid doesn't think so. He just keeps skating in circles.
The girl next to me taps me on the arm.
"Do you know where our coach is?"
Do I look like I know? Why ask me?
I just shake my head.
"My name's Melody," she says in response. Oh, so she was just trying to start a conversation with me... Yeah, I know, I'm a real ladies' man.
"I'm Guy." And my girlfriend's name is Connie.
"Is this your first year at Laernu?" I nod. "This is my second."
"Oh." I'm not sure what to say.
"You seem nervous." I'm not. "Don't worry, nothing bad's going to happen here." Well, you never know... I might get so mad at our coach for not being here that when she shows up I'll tell her off and a whole nasty chain of events will begin. "I had a really good time here last year." And then, because of the domino effect and bad karma, the entire world will become a terrible place to live. "This is a really great place to, you know, meet people from all over the country." And then, once the world is living in misery, it will all be traced back to that one day in a Florida ice rink when a coach showed up - look at watch - fifteen minutes late for the first workshop of a clinic. "So, where are you from?"
"Minnesota. I go to Eden Hall."
"Oh, Eden Hall..." Melody looks like she's trying to find something good to say about the school. "Yeah, your school placed really well in the tournament last year."
"Where are you from?"
"Ohio originally, but I'm playing with Miss Porter's now."
Miss Porter's? Is that supposed to be a school?
"Oh, cool... Neat..." I really can't think of anything to say...
"Yeah, Miss Porter's is great..."
"And Ohio, that must be good..."
"Yeah, Ohio's a great state."
I've never been there. Please won't the coach get here soon so that all of this pleasant chitchat can end?
"Ow!"
Westminster has fallen down. It looks like he landed on his wrist. That must hurt.
Immediately, everyone skates over to where Westminster lays. This would be the perfect moment for the coach to show up. I think she senses this, because right as Westminster starts demanding to be taken to a first aid kit, a woman of about forty skates out onto the ice.
"Alright, who's ready to learn?" She looks at us. It's funny because I can tell the exact moment she notices Westminster. Her eyes get big and she slips a little. "Oh good lord, what happened here..."
***
Connie's POV
***
I nearly fall before I reach the lunch table that the other Ducks have picked out. I am so tired. I never thought a clinic would be so much work. It also doesn't help that this cafeteria doesn't seem to be air conditioned.
I rest my tray on the table and sigh before collapsing into my seat.
"Rough morning?" Julie is sitting across from me, she wears an expression of exhaustion similar to my own.
"Extremely," I nod.
"And just think," Averman starts in, "We get to go right back to work after lunch."
There's a collective grown from everyone at the table. Speaking of which, I look down the table to see who's here. Guy's still not back yet, and neither are Charlie and Russ. Everyone else seems to be here, though. All of us are trying hard not to fall asleep in our food.
I didn't think Coach Orion would work us so hard, but he did. It's like he forgot that hockey season ended a month ago and most of us haven't been training since then. Who am I kidding with most of us? All of us are out of hockey habit! Well, all of the Ducks at least. There were a couple of guys in my clinic who seemed really anxious to work. Weirdoes.
"So, what are we going to do tonight?"
I look up to see Luis smiling down the table at all of us. He seems fairly chipper.
"Well," Goldberg starts in, "I don't know about you guys, but I was planning to go back to our condo, relax, maybe kill myself so that I won't have to relive this training nightmare."
"I'm right there with you, man," Averman nods along.
"Come on!" Luis sounds like he might even have - gasp - energy. "We're in Florida, it's spring break, there's so much night life here, we have to go do something!"
I can see where he's coming from. Even if I don't quite feel like doing anything right at the moment, I can at least see where he's coming from...
"Gregory!"
Gregory? Huh? Oh, Goldberg. Who's calling Goldberg by his first name? I see a man I don't know hovering above Goldberg.
"Yes, Coach Kirson?" Ah, that must be Goldberg's clinic coach. Why does Goldie look so scared?
"What did I say about eating better playing better?"
"Y-You said it was good, sir," Goldberg gives a kind of salute with his hand. "Good eat good play. Eat good play good."
Eat well, play well. Grammar. Please use proper grammar.
Coach Kirson leans in to inspect Goldberg's food. From where I am, I can't really see his tray, but I figure it's got to have the usual stuff on it. Goldberg isn't the biggest fan of eating healthy.
"And you call this piece of pizza healthy?"
"N-No sir, that pizza belongs to-" Goldberg looks around the table "-Averman, my friend Averman. I just brought him the pizza, you know, kind of like a gesture of friendship. I was just about to go get myself a salad." Goldberg stands and smiles at his coach. "See you at afternoon practice, Coach Kirson."
The coach smirks as he walks away. Averman shrugs and reaches across the table to grab the piece of pizza in question. He drops it onto his own plate and looks at the rest of us.
"Hey, no need to waste good pizza." He lifts up and takes a bite and I can't help but laugh.
"What's so funny?"
Guy is standing over me now.
"Oh, Goldberg, pizza, salad," Julie says. "You really had to be there."
"I miss all the funny stuff, don't I?"
Guy takes the empty seat to my right. I look over at him and smile. He smiles back.
"Do you have plans for tonight?" He looks surprised that I've asked him that. He shakes his head.
"No, why?"
"Well, Luis was talking about all of us doing something. I thought maybe you might have some ideas on what to do..." That's right, Connie, make the first move. I always have to be the one to make the first move. Years of hockey have made me a very aggressive person.
Author name - Soy
Author e-mail - soywon@yahoo.com
Disclaimer - All of the Ducks are owned by Disney. Most of the schools and players I use in this are real and are owned by themselves. Big shout out to Avon Old Farms for unknowingly lending me not only their name but also their captain, coach, and a few random others.
Feedback - Is very much appreciated!
Chapter 3 - First Day
***
Portman's POV
***
It's too early in the morning. Way too early. This is supposed to be spring break, who's the idiot making me get up at six?
Mr. Martin.
He looks pretty stupid standing in front of ice rink bleachers filled with hockey players; all of us dressed in our gear, him wearing a rich suit and tie combo. I don't think he knows how stupid he looks. I yawn as he claps his hands together, as if that's going to get everybody's attention...
"Kids," he says, clapping his hands again. "If I might have your attention please." He pauses and waits until we're silent. Mostly silent. "Thank you. Now, I know most of you are returning players, but for all of the new participants here I would like to run down the schedule for the next two weeks." He's going to tell us all what we're doing for the next two weeks? This is going to take forever. "You have all been assigned into random groups which will be announced in a few moments." Random groups? I won't be with the Ducks? I won't be with Fulton? "For the next week, you will work with your group on different techniques and skills. For the second week, you and your team will regroup and there will be a clinic tournament." Great, so after they split teams apart, they'll force everyone back together in this hokey 'Get along way'. "I remind you, this is all in fun and everybody is here to learn and grow." This sounds so cheesy... Just remember, free trip to Florida, free trip to Florida... "Now, each coach will be taking a different group of players. Please remain seated until all the names of your groups have been called, then proceed to wear ever your group coach wants you to meet. First to announce his group will be Coach Gardner."
Some people start to clap as the coach who spoke last night steps in front of the group. He coaches Avon Old Farms. He must suck.
"Alright," he sounds angry, "My group..." He looks down at the piece of paper he holds in his hand. "Bell, Brendan. Courthouse, Travis. Day, Katharine. Fried, Track. Frogon, Christopher. Gaffney, Julie." One duck down, ten to go. I look over at Julie, she's frowning. I guess she didn't want to be picked this early on. The coach is still reading off names as Julie turns her head towards me and we lock eyes. Weird. "Portman, Dean." What? I was called already? Well, I guess things could be worse. At least I've got Julie. I look over at her again, she's smiling at me. At least I've got Julie... Gardner's still listing people. Maybe I'll get another Duck. Maybe I already got one while I wasn't paying attention. "Tyson, Matthew. Warner, Timothy." He stops. I guess that's the end of the list. "Meet me in-" he looks at his watch "-five minutes in locker room four." He claps his hands once and steps away, another coach is making his way forward.
I look over at Julie again. She's standing, making her way, slowly, off of the bleachers. I follow her.
My group is about fifteen people big. I guess I really wasn't paying attention when names were being called...
I honestly don't know where this locker room seven is. I'm just following the people in front of me, they seem to know where they're going.
We make our way into the room. It's a regular locker room. Gardner isn't here yet.
I take a seat next to Julie.
She looks at me and sighs. "Feels weird to be separated from the group, doesn't it?"
Sort of.
"Yeah, it does," I nod. "It's gonna be strange without Fulton."
She nods back.
We like to nod.
Us Ducks nod together.
No one else in the room is talking. Are Julie and I the only ones from the same team?
Gardner walks into the room. He doesn't sit down.
"Does everyone already know everyone?" I don't like his tone of voice. All of us shake are heads no. "Let's go around the room then. Introduce yourself, your name, your town, your school, your position." He nods towards the boy sitting on the ends of one of the benches.
"I'm Chris," the boy says, his voice shaking. "Chris Frogon from Seattle, Washington. I play center at Burling Academy."
Gardner nods at him. Hockey's a real nodding sport I guess. Hockey players don't like to talk much. Exception of Averman, of course.
The next kid starts off. Name, town, school. This goes on for awhile.
"My name's Julie Gaffney, I'm from Bangor, Maine, I go to Eden Hall and I play goalie." Julie gets some glares as she speaks. I guess some of these boys aren't used to playing with girls.
"Portman, Chicago, Eden Hall, enforcer."
"There must be some mistake," Gardner is talking, looking down at a piece of paper, a scowl on his face. "On my list it says your name is Dean." He's using the 'I'm a Coach, I Have the Control' sarcastic voice.
"Dean Portman, that's my name."
"So your name is Dean. Thank you for clarifying that Dean."
A few of the guys around the room are laughing. Julie has grabbed on to my arm. She must know that I feel like jumping any jerk who calls me by my first name. Only a few people are allowed to call me Dean, and this coach is not one of them.
"I'm Tim Warner-" I'm waiting for Gardner to jump in on this kid and call him 'Timothy', but it doesn't happen "-I'm from Simsbury, Connecticut and I'm freshmen goalie at Avon Old Farms."
Gardner smiles at the kid, Tim. So... There's an AOF guy in my group...
"My name's Brendan Bell and I'm from Avon, Connecticut. I play forward for AOF."
Correction, two AOF guys in my clinic. Oh, this is going to be fun...
***
Guy's POV
***
I've been separated from everyone. Really, everyone.
At least Connie got put in Orion's group, I don't have anybody to talk to in mine.
We're on the ice, supposedly warming up, but nobody's moving. Our 'coach' is late. She told us to meet her here in ten minutes, and it's been more than ten minutes. I look around at my group, they all look as unhappy as I feel. I yawn. It's too early in the morning for this.
One of the guys in my group starts to skate literal circles around the rest of us. He has too much energy for the morning. I can tell by his jersey that he goes to some school called Westminster Academy. They told us not to wear our school jerseys here, said that it would only keep us separated. Apparently, we're all supposed to bond over our coach being ten minutes late. Westminster kid doesn't think so. He just keeps skating in circles.
The girl next to me taps me on the arm.
"Do you know where our coach is?"
Do I look like I know? Why ask me?
I just shake my head.
"My name's Melody," she says in response. Oh, so she was just trying to start a conversation with me... Yeah, I know, I'm a real ladies' man.
"I'm Guy." And my girlfriend's name is Connie.
"Is this your first year at Laernu?" I nod. "This is my second."
"Oh." I'm not sure what to say.
"You seem nervous." I'm not. "Don't worry, nothing bad's going to happen here." Well, you never know... I might get so mad at our coach for not being here that when she shows up I'll tell her off and a whole nasty chain of events will begin. "I had a really good time here last year." And then, because of the domino effect and bad karma, the entire world will become a terrible place to live. "This is a really great place to, you know, meet people from all over the country." And then, once the world is living in misery, it will all be traced back to that one day in a Florida ice rink when a coach showed up - look at watch - fifteen minutes late for the first workshop of a clinic. "So, where are you from?"
"Minnesota. I go to Eden Hall."
"Oh, Eden Hall..." Melody looks like she's trying to find something good to say about the school. "Yeah, your school placed really well in the tournament last year."
"Where are you from?"
"Ohio originally, but I'm playing with Miss Porter's now."
Miss Porter's? Is that supposed to be a school?
"Oh, cool... Neat..." I really can't think of anything to say...
"Yeah, Miss Porter's is great..."
"And Ohio, that must be good..."
"Yeah, Ohio's a great state."
I've never been there. Please won't the coach get here soon so that all of this pleasant chitchat can end?
"Ow!"
Westminster has fallen down. It looks like he landed on his wrist. That must hurt.
Immediately, everyone skates over to where Westminster lays. This would be the perfect moment for the coach to show up. I think she senses this, because right as Westminster starts demanding to be taken to a first aid kit, a woman of about forty skates out onto the ice.
"Alright, who's ready to learn?" She looks at us. It's funny because I can tell the exact moment she notices Westminster. Her eyes get big and she slips a little. "Oh good lord, what happened here..."
***
Connie's POV
***
I nearly fall before I reach the lunch table that the other Ducks have picked out. I am so tired. I never thought a clinic would be so much work. It also doesn't help that this cafeteria doesn't seem to be air conditioned.
I rest my tray on the table and sigh before collapsing into my seat.
"Rough morning?" Julie is sitting across from me, she wears an expression of exhaustion similar to my own.
"Extremely," I nod.
"And just think," Averman starts in, "We get to go right back to work after lunch."
There's a collective grown from everyone at the table. Speaking of which, I look down the table to see who's here. Guy's still not back yet, and neither are Charlie and Russ. Everyone else seems to be here, though. All of us are trying hard not to fall asleep in our food.
I didn't think Coach Orion would work us so hard, but he did. It's like he forgot that hockey season ended a month ago and most of us haven't been training since then. Who am I kidding with most of us? All of us are out of hockey habit! Well, all of the Ducks at least. There were a couple of guys in my clinic who seemed really anxious to work. Weirdoes.
"So, what are we going to do tonight?"
I look up to see Luis smiling down the table at all of us. He seems fairly chipper.
"Well," Goldberg starts in, "I don't know about you guys, but I was planning to go back to our condo, relax, maybe kill myself so that I won't have to relive this training nightmare."
"I'm right there with you, man," Averman nods along.
"Come on!" Luis sounds like he might even have - gasp - energy. "We're in Florida, it's spring break, there's so much night life here, we have to go do something!"
I can see where he's coming from. Even if I don't quite feel like doing anything right at the moment, I can at least see where he's coming from...
"Gregory!"
Gregory? Huh? Oh, Goldberg. Who's calling Goldberg by his first name? I see a man I don't know hovering above Goldberg.
"Yes, Coach Kirson?" Ah, that must be Goldberg's clinic coach. Why does Goldie look so scared?
"What did I say about eating better playing better?"
"Y-You said it was good, sir," Goldberg gives a kind of salute with his hand. "Good eat good play. Eat good play good."
Eat well, play well. Grammar. Please use proper grammar.
Coach Kirson leans in to inspect Goldberg's food. From where I am, I can't really see his tray, but I figure it's got to have the usual stuff on it. Goldberg isn't the biggest fan of eating healthy.
"And you call this piece of pizza healthy?"
"N-No sir, that pizza belongs to-" Goldberg looks around the table "-Averman, my friend Averman. I just brought him the pizza, you know, kind of like a gesture of friendship. I was just about to go get myself a salad." Goldberg stands and smiles at his coach. "See you at afternoon practice, Coach Kirson."
The coach smirks as he walks away. Averman shrugs and reaches across the table to grab the piece of pizza in question. He drops it onto his own plate and looks at the rest of us.
"Hey, no need to waste good pizza." He lifts up and takes a bite and I can't help but laugh.
"What's so funny?"
Guy is standing over me now.
"Oh, Goldberg, pizza, salad," Julie says. "You really had to be there."
"I miss all the funny stuff, don't I?"
Guy takes the empty seat to my right. I look over at him and smile. He smiles back.
"Do you have plans for tonight?" He looks surprised that I've asked him that. He shakes his head.
"No, why?"
"Well, Luis was talking about all of us doing something. I thought maybe you might have some ideas on what to do..." That's right, Connie, make the first move. I always have to be the one to make the first move. Years of hockey have made me a very aggressive person.