Chapter 3: Boys Only
The mess hall had more food options than any school they'd ever gone to, and it was nicer than any cafeteria they'd ever stepped foot in. They first noticed marble tabletops, glossy wooden floors, and gleaming cases filled with varieties of lunch foods. As they entered the lunch line, Teddi contemplated between a turkey club sandwich and the salad bar, before finally settling on picking from the salad bar, loading up a bowl filled with greens, chickpeas, cucumber, hardboiled egg, tuna, red onions, and sesame salad dressing; she grabbed a bottled protein shake as well before going off to take her seat with the other Ducks, looking for a table that wasn't occupied.
As far as she could tell, the tables were mostly occupied by various cliques: the Varsity ice hockey team, the J.V. ice hockey team, the cheer squad, the boys and girls soccer teams, the boys and girls swim teams, the figure skating team, the football team, the girls and boys tennis teams, the girls' beach volleyball team, the boys' water polo team, the softball team, the baseball team, the AV club, the mathletes, the art club, the theater club, student council, the comic book club, the fashion club, the mock trial team, student podcasting, the school newspaper, the school television station, the marching band, the glee club, the chess club, and the ballroom dance team.
But it was easy to see the Varsity ice hockey team and the football team's power over the environment, how the Kentinsworth siblings dominated everyone along with Alec Kentinsworth's enforcer, Stone, and a few other Varsity ice hockey players. Teddi couldn't help wincing as she noticed Alec snatching a chocolate milk carton off the table of the AV club and one of the AV club members begging him to let it go while Stone grabbed another kid's notebook, holding it above his head while a short, scrawny kid made a leap for it, jumping up and down.
"What assholes," commented Logan, a shiver going down his spine; seeing them reminded him far too much of every school bully he'd ever had who'd picked on him back at District Five Middle School.
"I don't blame girls for not trying out for the hockey team if that's how they behave," Maya said shrewdly as she grabbed a soda, a cheeseburger with all the fixings, and a side of onion rings.
"They're Neanderthals," Lauren said in agreement, wincing as one of the ice hockey players grabbed a comic book one of the kids in the comic book club had been reading and tore it to shreds right in front of him.
"And those Kentinsworth twins are a whole other level of douchebaggery," added Nick in disgust. "All because Mommy and Daddy are the heads of the school; they think they can get away with this."
"Look, you guys, let's not let them get to us," Billy interjected, his voice filled with determination.
"Billy's right," Evan said. "When we go to try-outs today for the hockey team, we'll show those guys what we're made of. Then we'll earn their respect once they see us play."
"Somehow, I doubt it," sighed Maya, remembering the sexist remarks she'd always get from the old Ducks, the ones that came before them, who would always make fun of her and Lauren for being on defense.
Finally, they found an unoccupied table and could house all of them. They all took their seats and proceeded to eat their lunch, wondering if they should consider stepping in and stopping the Kentinsworths' harassment of the other cliques that would otherwise be considered . . . dorky; Lauren and Logan looked especially contemplative, considering that if they did make the J.V. hockey team, they'd have a chance to set a better example by not being bullies to the other students. But on the other hand, they wanted to remain somewhat in the shadows before they actually tried out for the team and got in, because they didn't need Varsity gunning for them before they hit the ice. Still, they couldn't help sitting there and feeling like hypocrites, as they knew what it was like to be bullied for being different from everyone else, and when they'd gotten accepted into this school, they all promised themselves they'd be different. Still, what Alec Kentinsworth said to them earlier about promising to make it clear that they don't belong there . . .
"Maybe we should do something," said Lauren.
"And risk these guys gunning for us even harder on the first day? No way!" Logan said, shaking his head frantically.
"Logan, what they're doing isn't right," agreed Evan, ever the leader, the "A" to Teddi's "C."
"We've already pissed those guys off by accepting our scholarships," said Sam. "They're gonna make tryouts hell for us."
"But we're in the same league as those kids; I think that the underdogs need to stick together. It wasn't that long ago that we were a bunch of losers who couldn't skate or score a goal," Lauren piped up.
"And I agree with that," said Nick. "But let's wait until after tryouts are over; after that, we'll make it clear we won't put up with their crap."
Teddi shuddered as she started eating her salad, suddenly not feeling so hungry. But she ate the food without tasting it, knowing she needed to eat something to keep her strength up for tryouts later. Still, as they ate, Varsity passed them, wearing ugly sneers on their faces. Kentinsworth, Stone, and a few others by the names of Miller, Janson, Torres, Smith, and Phillips (they could tell who they were by the names on their letterman jackets) grinned at them wickedly, well, maybe not Phillips; he had it in him to be a little sympathetic and as far as Teddi could tell, didn't take part in any of the bullying his friends were doing and from the looks of it, seemed to be looking at Maya, not that Maya noticed; lots of boys watched her from the moment she arrived at District Five Middle School, and after she hit puberty and grew boobs and hips, Maya looked like a goddess with her long, shiny dark hair and hazel eyes. Torres gave Lauren's shoulder a deceitful shove, and Miller stroked Sofi's hair, twirling it around his fingers, which triggered Evan to get territorial.
"Hey, quit touching her!" he spat.
"Oh, I'm sorry, is this your girlfriend?" sneered Miller.
Sofi nodded, latching herself onto Evan possessively, who wrapped his arm around her and kissed her, letting these guys know crystal clear that she was his, and he wouldn't have any of these upperclassmen touching her like that.
"Oh, I'm shaking in my boots!" laughed Miller.
"Look, come on, Miller, just lay off them," said Phillips.
"Oh, really, Tommy? You're gonna get smart with me, junior?" Miller demanded, grabbing Phillips – whose first name was Tommy – by the collar of his jacket.
"Get your hands off of me," spat Tommy, shoving Miller's hand away. "Touch me again, you're done!"
"Oh, you'll have Daddy sue my sorry ass?"
"You use that card all the time; I don't feel a need to parade my money around. So why don't you just shut up?"
"You're lucky you're on Varsity, man. Otherwise, I'd kick your ass."
"Oh, screw you!" Tommy walked off to the Varsity ice hockey table, rolling his eyes at Miller as the other guys followed him to their seats.
"At least we've got someone on our side," commented Maya, her hazel eyes softening enough. "And he sure is pretty." Her eyes traveled after Tommy Phillips; he was good-looking, with his spiky, light brown hair, tan skin, hazelnut-colored eyes, and strong shoulders that indicated he was a defenseman. As a person who played defense, she could pick out a defenseman from a mile away.
Teddi rolled her eyes. Ever since Maya went through puberty over the summer, she'd gotten more and more boy-crazy; she'd even stolen a few kisses from a couple of boys at graduation. "Don't go trying to date an older guy, Kasper."
"He seems like a gentleman," Maya reasoned.
"Yeah, all boys seem sweet at first," said Lauren, rolling her eyes at her best friend. "And then they get their claws in. And they attack." At that, the boys shot her a look; it wasn't like any of them would take advantage of girls because they were raised by their parents to be respectful. "You guys know what I mean!"
"She's right. Just keep your guard up," said Sofi reasonably.
"You seem to have forgotten I can take care of myself," Maya said, grinning. "Remember? I'm Wonder Woman." She punched her chest proudly; she still took pride in the nicknames Charlie had given her and Lauren when they'd all been the Don't Bothers.
Teddi couldn't help smiling at the defense woman. "Yeah, yeah, you're right." But she went back to her position as captain and said, "But at the same time, I don't want you getting hurt. I know that you like the attention of boys, and you know what? You're a beautiful girl who deserves a really good guy. Still, you don't have to worry about being boy-crazy. I think you should give it some time, and until you're ready, focus on being 'you'-crazy and love yourself first."
Maya smiled at her, clear gratitude in her eyes as she reached across the table and grabbed Teddi's hand, squeezing it. And Teddi squeezed back. She was glad that Maya seemed to be considering her advice.
The rest of the day went on. Teddi had her last three periods with Logan; together, she and Logan went to their Spanish class and were greeted by Seniora Gutierrez, who had them all introduce themselves in fluent Spanish. After Spanish, Evan, Lauren, and Sam had history class with Dr. Van Der Beek with them; Dr. Van Der Beek stood at the front of the room in his tweed jacket and khaki pants, watching them all behind his glasses as he explained the outline of what they would be studying. And finally, they had gym class, where they were separated into the boys' and girls' locker rooms and met their gym coach, Coach Casen, who assigned them their lockers.
After the final bell of the day rang, Teddi raced to her locker and grabbed her books, shoving them into her bag; together, she and the girls took the shuttle back to the dorms, where they unloaded their bookbags and tucked their books away into the bookshelves before they willingly stripped off their school uniforms and swapped them for their jerseys; Teddi proudly wore her Ducks jersey that had her "C" stamped across it, while Sofi wore a Minnesota Wild jersey. They also put on their pads and hockey shorts and grabbed their skates, along with their bags that contained their sticks and helmets. They met with Maya and Lauren. Maya was decked out in her New York Rangers pride, Lauren wore her Ducks jersey, and her warrior princess cape was proudly draped over her back.
The girls walked across the campus to the ice rink and saw the boys were already there, waiting for them. Grinning, Teddi linked arms with her co-captain, and they led the Ducks into the rink. Upon opening up the doors, they were bombarded with the familiar iciness of the rink and saw the various kids lined up for tryouts. There were girls practicing figure skating maneuvers, dancing across the ice. The Varsity team, or what was made up of it, was lined up, and they quickly noticed the J.V. team's sophomores. They also noticed a boy who had similar features to Katie Vargas, the Varsity cheerleader who'd stood up for them earlier and who also happened to be the daughter of Hal Vargas; it was safe to assume that was her twin brother, Spencer, whose photograph Teddi had seen hung on the walls in the hallway, as last year, he'd been named Boy of the Year, a rarity for an underclassman. But one thing that did stand out to them was that, for the most part, boys were present; the girls that were there were dressed in tights and figure-skating dresses, but Teddi chalked it up to the girls just not being willing to play hockey.
As they skated onto the ice and kneeled around the other freshman boys trying out for the hockey team, Teddi felt excited as she noticed Hal "The Hammer" Vargas standing right there.
Hal Vargas was a legend. He'd played with the North Stars before they moved to Dallas, long before he even finished college; he'd started playing pro when he was nineteen years old, and had gone to school with Gordon Bombay and Ted Orion – according to Ted, when he and Gordon had been seniors, Hal was a freshman, and he was such a good defenseman that he got bumped up to the Varsity team at only fourteen years old. Also, Hal was one of the few who decided not to follow the Stars when they moved to Texas and stayed in Minnesota, wanting to play for the newly formed Wild; he only retired after he had children, though he'd kept that part of his life very private, as far as Teddi could tell. Looking at Hal Vargas, tall, strong, and dark-haired with hazel eyes that matched his daughter's, Teddi couldn't help feeling starstruck. In fact, her words got stuck in her throat as she knelt there on the ice. She also noticed the Varsity coach, Coach Chase.
Coach Vargas blew his whistle, silencing the chatter around them instantly. They all sharply turned their heads to look at him.
"Welcome to Junior Varsity ice hockey tryouts. My name is Coach Hal Vargas. As most of you may know, high school-level hockey is hard work. That means if you want your spot on either my team or the Varsity team, you need to be willing to work. And forget everything you think you might know from the Peewees; now that you're at this level, you need to adapt to the new standards that you will be held to. Now, I want us to start off with some drills, so Coach Chase and I can determine your skill level." His eyes raked over the group of freshmen that knelt around the ice, but something shifted when he settled on Teddi, Sofi, Lauren, and Maya. He almost seemed tense as he said, "What are you girls doing here?" He seemed genuinely confused that they were with the boys and not sitting near the figure skaters.
"Um, we're here to try out for the ice hockey team," said Teddi. "I'm Teddi Conway, Coach Charlie Conway's daughter?"
At this, the Varsity players howled with laughter; Vargas's son, Spencer, the only one not laughing apart from the other Ducks, looked down at the ice uncomfortably. Even the figure-skating girls were snickering.
Coach Vargas looked as though it pained him, but he gestured for Maya, Lauren, Teddi, and Sofi to follow him off to another corner of the ice. The girls, stupefied, followed him and circled him.
"Look, there's no easy way for me to say this," Coach Vargas said reluctantly. "This team that we have, it isn't co-ed. It's boys only."
"Okay, um, is there a girls' hockey team?" asked Maya.
"There isn't one."
"Yet?" said Lauren hopefully.
"Not ever," Coach Vargas said.
Teddi was rendered speechless. This was news to her. Nobody ever told her that the hockey team was only for boys, or that co-ed leniency was impossible. The color drained from her face as she said, "Well, what are we supposed to do?" She heard her voice break as her eyes burned, threatening to fill up.
"There's the figure skating team," suggested Coach Vargas. "Or you can join soccer. Even cheerleading. Or the swim team. There are plenty of other sports you can pick from here. And in the spring semester, there's tennis, beach volleyball, and softball."
"But we don't play any other sports; we play hockey!" Teddi argued.
"Can't you make an exception?" pleaded Sofi. "We've been playing together since Peewees. You can't just cut us like this."
"I'm sorry," Coach Vargas said, a hint of sympathy in his voice.
"But . . . But why can't you form a girls' hockey team if it's such an issue?" Lauren demanded.
"There's only so much funding the school has," said Vargas.
"That's such bullshit!" Teddi said, stunning Coach Vargas, who looked at her incredulously. "Pardon my French, but . . . but this school has doners that give millions to keep it going! Who says there isn't enough money? And don't say there aren't enough girls' teams in the state for us to compete! Minnesota is the leading state in the country for female hockey teams! Eden Hall has one!"
"But we're not Eden Hall," Vargas said, his voice growing a little firmer. "I understand this is frustrating –"
"No, you don't! You're a guy! You'll never get it!" Maya snapped angrily. "You've never had to deal with this crap! You've never had to hear boys mocking you for 'being sent in to do a man's job.'"
"And you have a daughter," Teddi said angrily. "If she wanted to join the team, I guess you'd find a way to let her join."
Coach Vargas flinched harshly at this but said, "No, I wouldn't. The rules need to be followed."
Teddi gnashed her teeth down and said, "I can't believe someone like you, who has a daughter, has such antiquated viewpoints on girls playing hockey! That's not fair!"
"Life isn't fair, Conway. Now, it's time to grow up. This is real life."
"Really? Grow up? Like you? A former pro with obsolete views on women's rights?" Teddi spat, glowering at him in disgust. She couldn't believe that a former player, one whom she had so much respect for, was making her and her friends feel less than because they were girls. She thought someone like him would for sure be more evolved than that. While what she said might've been unfair, she didn't care. She was just so hurt and so angry.
Vargas stood his ground, though, crossing his arms over his chest. "Again. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, sure." Lauren glowered at him, and together, the girls skated off the ice and headed toward the bleachers, deciding that since they clearly weren't welcome to try out for the hockey team, they might as well support the boys. They took their seats in the stands, removing their skates and swapping them for their shoes, watching as Vargas and Chase separated the boys into smaller groups. Billy went into the goalpost, smacking his stick against the metal bars to warm up as Evan, Logan, and the others lined up to take their shots against him. Teddi watched as Evan skated up, handling the puck and doing his triple deke before he took his shot; the puck was caught in Billy's glove.
"Good save, Billy!" Lauren applauded as she watched Billy block shot after shot, never letting up.
On the other hand, Teddi sat there surly with her arms crossed over her chest, watching enviously as her friends and boyfriend did drill after drill, showing off their skills to the coaches and clearly impressing them. Tears stung in her eyes and rolled down her face; it was clear to her that Vargas was no Duck. If he were, he wouldn't leave the girls out and have them disempowered. At the start of their season as the Don't Bothers, her dad said that if she could play hockey, she should go play hockey regardless of gender. Knowing she was viewed as less than and wasn't valued by the coach hurt worse than any insult that ever got hurled her way by any school bully.
Tears stung her cheeks as she continued watching the tryouts, wanting nothing more than to grab her stick and join in. Part of her wanted to really show Vargas that he was making a mistake not valuing her talent. But she also knew that if she misbehaved any more than she already did, there was a chance she could get into such severe trouble that her scholarship could be revoked. Her dad made it explicitly clear that he didn't want her ruining any shots she might have at something better; he wanted her to get a good education to have a shot at a good future. However, part of the future that Teddi really wanted was to play hockey professionally; she had dreams at night about playing pro, and she knew Sofi felt the same way. But how was she supposed to have any shot at that if this sexist coach wouldn't even allow her to play?
Finally, Coach Vargas called it over and told the boys to gather around. Teddi could hear him saying that the roster would be posted on the bulletin board near the quad after lunch, but she could hardly bring herself to care who made it and who didn't. If she couldn't play, what was the point? But part of her also wanted to be happy for Logan, Evan, and the others. Even though she and the girls couldn't play with them, Ducks still flew together, and she knew that as long as she and the girls had the boys, they would be okay.
Teddi took the bus to Minneapolis, deciding she needed to clear her head. The only place she could think to go was the Ice Palace, where she knew her step-grandpa would be. For the past few years, the Ice Palace became known as the new pond for the District Five Mighty Ducks, and after the horrible day she'd had, she wanted so badly to skate it off.
Once the bus parked at the bus stop in Minneapolis, she walked to the Ice Palace, the evening air gently nipping at her skin as she trudged along, her hockey back slung over her shoulder. When she arrived at the Ice Palace, she saw it was still open, so she yanked the front door open and stepped inside, greeted by the air conditioning. She went into the rink, the briskness of the air welcoming as she sat down on the bench. She kicked off her shoes, pulled on her skates, and went out to the ice, skating around a few times to warm up.
As she skated, everything felt right in the world. In fact, she almost forgot how angry she felt as she allowed herself to fly, extending her arms outward and doing a few spins, her skates cutting into the white underneath her. She inhaled and exhaled, breathing in the icy air of the rink and almost tasting the cleanness of it all, when she heard someone talking to her.
"I see you've picked up your dad's habits, sneaking in silently, just like he and I did."
She opened her eyes to see Gordon had joined her on the ice, skating alongside her and joining in at a gentle pace.
"I needed to clear my head."
"How was your first day?"
"Okay. The teachers aren't too bad. You've got your regular school bullies. But the hockey coach is a sexist pig."
"Who? Vargas?" Gordon looked at her quizzically. "How so?"
She hated how he sounded so confused, but then again, Gordon had gone to high school with Hal Vargas; maybe that was giving him some sort of bias toward the man even though it was clear that Coach Vargas didn't value girls despite having a daughter. Although it was probably unfair, and she was probably misjudging Vargas, a part of Teddi couldn't help feeling angry and hurt, and as a result, she was allowing those feelings to cloud her vision like a red haze.
"There's no girls' hockey team," Teddi said angrily. "And nobody told me the sport is a boys-only club. What am I supposed to do? I don't play any other sports. I play hockey!"
Gordon just looked at her in sympathy. She knew that he knew of all the struggles she'd gone through as a female hockey player, the snide comments she'd get growing up from boys like Dalton Riley, who would tell her that hockey wasn't for someone so delicate and that she should stick to figure skating or ballet classes. She was the complete opposite of delicate. She was tougher than most boys and, for most of her childhood, hung out with only boys; for years, her father treated her like a boy, having her and her brother play street hockey in their driveway, and he'd encourage them to wrestle around and would spend summer days with them playing catch and whiffle ball. And it was because of her father that she was hockey-obsessed. For someone to prevent her from playing the sport that was her first love because of her gender was the biggest insult.
"Look, Teddi," Gordon said. "I understand it's frustrating. High school isn't easy. But there are just some things that you need to adapt to. And Vargas isn't a bad guy. And he's not a chauvinist, either. He's between a rock and a hard place, and if he could start a girls' hockey team for the school, he would. Really."
"Then what's stopping him?"
"It's complicated."
"Actually, it's not. Can't you do something? Can't you get Maya, Lauren, Sofi, and me some kind of deal to let us play?"
"I'm not a lawyer, Teddi; I haven't renewed my license to practice in years. But I can give you this advice: Just because there are certain limitations, that doesn't mean you should limit yourself. If you believe the school should start a girls' hockey team, and that's something that you really want, you should fight for it."
Teddi laughed sardonically. "Yeah, that'll go over well. The kids at that school are a bunch of cake-eating snobs with views as obsolete as dinosaurs. Like they'll listen to us and take us seriously!"
"You never know unless you try." Gordon shrugged. "But you have to stand up for what you believe in. If you show them that you're not giving up, they'll respect you because they'll see in you that passion and that will to succeed. They'll see what I saw, what your dad has always seen; it's why he made you the captain in the first place. You don't need that 'C' stamped across your chest to lead; what's underneath it is much more important."
Teddi sighed. While part of her seriously doubted that she could make much of a difference, another part of her supposed that Gordon was right. After all, her dad had chosen to start the Don't Bothers for a reason: to give her a shot at something, and even when everyone doubted him, he proved them otherwise when he and Alex coached the Don't Bothers and pushed them to never, ever give up.
Finally, she managed a weak smile. She supposed Gordon's idea wasn't the worst one. In fact, maybe if she took that initiative, she could make a positive change at Minnetonka Prep and pave the way for many more girls like her who wanted to play hockey.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," she said.
"I always am."
"I guess it comes with wisdom from being old, right?"
Gordon mock glared at her before gently grabbing her in a side headlock, messing up her hair. "Take that back!"
"Never!" Teddi giggled as he kissed her on the top of the head.