"Damn, they living good as hell!" Hilton exclaimed as he, Conan, and Kam pulled into the gated neighborhood. Today was the team Sunday dinner after hell week, and each of the young men was excited to eat, and it was not ramen noodles. The three bonded the most because they were coming straight out of high school, and they were the youngest players on the team. Not to mention, they all shared an apartment. They didn't have any family out here in LA. Hilton's mom had passed a month after his school graduation, and he didn't know who his father was. Conan's grandparents had raised him, and they were back in Texas. Kam's parents were living in Ohio. In LA, all they had was each other.
Conan parked the car and each of them reveled at the massive house that stood before them. Along with the cars that they knew belonged to his coach and their wife. The 2024 blacked-out Bronco was their coach; Mrs. Evans had the 2024 Cadillac, and there was an old vintage car, too.
"How r-rich are they?" Conan let out. Conan had a speech impediment that he had been teased about his whole life. He was a man of few words.
"Richer than us, that's for sure?" Kam whistled as they walked to the front door. He knocked on the door, and the cutest little girl opened the door.
"Are you guys my daddy's players?" She asked curiously as she looked at the three of them.
Hilton nodded, "Yep, are your mom and dad home?"
"Hi guys, you three are the first ones here," Sam announced as he came beside his daughter and picked her up. "This is my daughter Infinity. This what you guys keep me from when you guys don't want to condition outside of practice." Sam moved aside and let the three of them. They all couldn't help but stare at the massive house. They all couldn't believe that only three people lived her.
"C-Coach, this house is a-amazing," Conan explained.
"Yeah, maybe I need to get a singer for a wife." Kam joked.
"Seriously," Hilton added.
"And what makes you guys think you can't get this on your own?" Sam asked.
Infinity chimed in, "My daddy has money too." The three boys chuckled.
Hilton spoke, "I don't know, I just never see myself with this kind of life. I don't think it can happen to me."
"It can," Sam assured him as he patted his shoulder. "Infinity, these are daddy's players. This is Hilton, Kam, and Conan." Infinity signaled for her dad to put her down. Once she was on her own feet, she grabbed Conan's hand and led him to the couch where two of her Barbie dolls were. She passed him one.
"Can you play with me?" Infinity asked.
"Sure, I'd l-love to," Conan replied. Sam smiled at his daughter. She could read people like a book. She got that from her mother. She also had a heart of gold, which she got from her mother. He knew that she liked Conan the most if she was asking him to play dolls with her. He led Kam and Hilton to the kitchen, where Mercedes was taking the macaroni and cheese out of the oven.
"Baby, Hilton, and Kam are here. Our daughter has kidnapped Conan to play dolls with her." Sam announced.
Mercedes chuckled, "I figured Conan would be her favorite. Hilton and Kam, how are you guys?"
"We are good, Ms. Evans." They answered as they gave her a hug.
"Alright, good. Since you guys are the first ones here, you guys get first dibs on the food. Coach made ribs, chicken, streak, and hotdogs. I made the mac n cheese, baked beans, potato salad, and corn. Then, for dessert, you guys have strawberry cake and banana pudding. Drinks are in the cooler." Mercedes explained. Immediately, Hilton and Canon dove in for the food and drinks. They were so glad that Sam had mentioned this was going to happen because surviving off of noodles and boxed goods was becoming old. Each of them filled their plates to the brim with food. Conan was lucky Mercedes went and grabbed him so he could make his own plate. After their plates were stacked, Sam was out on the back deck with him while Mercedes and Infinity greeted the other players.
"Coach, thanks again for having us over here for dinner. It sure beats having ramen noodles again for the fifth night in a row." Kam stated that he had a mouthful of mac and cheese in his mouth.
"Y-yeah. I did n-not want that again." Conan agreed.
"Have you guys gone grocery shopping for more than noodles?" Sam asked as he took a sip of his beer.
"We don't have the time. Between pre-season and our side jobs, we don't ever have the time to go grocery shopping. When we do, we get the basic cheap stuff." Hilton spoke.
Sam sat up, "Why did you guys not say anything."
Hilton sighed, "Coach, we are the youngest people on the team. We did not want it to seem like we were begging for something."
"It isn't begging if I am going to make sure you guys get the help. I know how it was as a rookie without the endorsements. I don't want the same thing for you guys." Sam insisted. "Tomorrow, I am going to make sure you guys have all the things you need. And if you ever need anything, my wife and I are here to help you out. Just don't spread it to the rest of the team." All three boys nodded their heads.
"Alright enjoy your food, I am going to check on my wife." Sam excused himself and headed back inside. In the living room, Infinity had all of the players singing and dancing to Princess and The Frog. He chuckled to himself as he found his wife in the kitchen throwing away some trash. He walked over to her and pulled her against his chest.
"They seem to really be enjoying themselves." Mercedes smiled as Sam kissed her neck.
"And it looks like Infinity is enjoying herself too. But I do need to ask you something."
"What's up?"
"How would you feel if I bought Kam, Canon, and Hilton groceries? Just until they get on their feet and they have their endorsements."
"I wouldn't mind it. Besides, as their coach, you have to ensure they have everything they need to be successful."
"Thank you, baby."
"You're welcome. One of the players told your daughter that they have a scrimmage against the San Jose Sharks. Now she is very eager to go to." Mercedes chuckled as she turned in Sam's arms.
"And she and her beautiful mother are more than welcome to come to support the team."
Mercedes and Infinity had taken their seats in the stadium box with the other wives and girlfriends. The scrimmage was open to the public, and Mercedes was glad that Santana, Quinn, and Tina were here with her today. It had been a long time since they all had hung out. Moreover, it had been a while since Infinity had seen her aunts, which is why the young girl was curled up into the side of her aunt Quinn.
"Mercedes, she is so adorable," Tina acknowledged as she flicked one of INinifty's curls.
Mercedes smiled as she rubbed soothing circles on Hudson's back. "And so is baby Hudson. I can't believe that me and Sam missed his birth." Hudson was Tina and Mike's son, who made his grand appearance a week into the tour. While Tina assured her friend that there was nothing to be upset about, Mercedes was still a tad bit sad that she missed the birth of her godchild.
"And I told you not to worry about it." Tina reminded her as Hudson squished Mercedes's cheeks and cooed at her.
"So, do we think that the Kings are going to win?" Santana questioned as she popped a wing into her mouth.
"I think they might. Mike and Sam really made sure their hell week was hell." Tina added.
Mercedes nodded, "I agree. This should be an easy win for them."
Sam and Mike had decided that they wanted Kam, Conan, Hilton, Justin, Pat, and Corey on the ice for the starting lineup. Kam, Conan, and Hilton were the best three players that they had, and it would not have been a smart decision not to play them first. Justin, Pat, and Corey had been on the ice professionally before, so he was only hoping that they could mesh well together. As his players took the ice, Sam looked over to the stadium box, where he saw Mercedes and his daughter. Mercedes caught his eye, and she smiled down at him, mouthing "I love you" before he did the same. When the ref blew the whistle, he looked back on the court, and the game began.
The game turned out to be good for the Kings. Within the first two quarters, they managed to score two points per quarter. Giving them the advantage of having a 4-0 lead against the Sharks. However, during the start of the last quarter, Sam could feel the energy shift amongst the crowd and the players. A lot of the Sharks fans were upset that their team was losing, which was understandable. The Kings fans weren't making it any better by rubbing the win in their faces. However, he needed to focus back on the game at hand.
Hilton had just scored the fifth point, his third overall, with an assist from Conan. As the two skated to each other for a celebratory high-five, one of the defensive players for the Sharks took their stick and whacked it against Conan's knee. Caught off guard, he collapsed forward while Hilton shoved the defensive player to the guard. In an instant, it was a swarm of Shark and King players trying to get their teammates to calm down so they wouldn't get ejected. When that proved to be futile, Sam and Mike skated on the floor with a few of the bigger players to grab their teammates. He managed to grab Hilton and Conan while Mike grabbed Kam. They sat them on the bench and looked at them while the ref came over to them.
"All three of them are ejected, coach." The ref stated.
"What! The fucking shark started it. He fucking cheap-shotted Connan!" Hilton hissed as he stood up, but Mike sat him back down.
Sam sighed, "Marty, if you are going to eject my three boys, then that Shark player has to be ejected too. It is only fair."
"But they were the aggressors," Marty added.
"You are turning them into something they are not just based on their skin alone, Marty. The white Shark player started it. My Black players defended themselves. If you are going to turn this into a race thing, be prepared for a lawsuit on your ass." Sam whispered so only Marty could hear.
Marty sighed, "I'll talk to the other refs."
"You do that," Sam replied as Marty skated to the other side before Sam turned back to his team.
"I'm not mad far from it. You guys have conducted yourselves much better than I have on the ice. But don't let their asses get to you. They are sore losers, nothing more and nothing less. Continue to play the game how you know how to play it." Sam instructed. After a quick deliberation, it was determined that Conan, Kam, and Hilton could continue playing, but the Shark player was under suspension. The Kings were all elated and even more so when they came out with a win of 8-0. They were so rowdy in the locker room that Sam didn't think they could sit through Mike's post-game technique evaluation. However, they managed to do so, and they were even more excited to find out that the practice for the following day was canceled.
Sam had just finished grabbing his things from his office when he headed outside to go find his wife. He saw Mercedes sitting on the bench, playing on her phone. She was wearing one of his old jerseys and a pair of loose-fitted jeans. Her hair was in big curls, and she had minimal makeup. She looked perfect. She stood from the bench when she saw him.
"An eight-to-nothing win isn't bad, Coach Evans." She congratulated him as he hugged her and kissed her on the forehead.
"Not bad at all. Where is Finity?" Sam asked, noticing their missing five-year-old.
Mercedes replied, "Quinn and Santana wanted to take her out for Auntie's time, and they wanted to have a sleepover for her."
"You know, if they want a kid that bad, they can always make one." Sam joked. At the rate that his friends were going, Inifinity was going to start getting mistaken for their daughter and not Sam and Mercedes.
Mercedes chuckled, "Let them have it. You know are alone time is more scarce nowadays anyways." Before Sam could reply, he looked up behind Mercedes and noticed two shark players coming up to him and his wife. He stood in front of Mercedes but kept a firm grasp on her hand.
"Good game, Evans. Is this your wife?" One of them began. Sam knew they were looking for trouble, so he kept his hand on Mercedes and maneuvered around them so he could get them to their car.
"Woah, Evans. Come on, we just wanted an autograph from Evans and his famous wife. The singing tar baby." The other snickered.
"Sam, don't!" Mercedes screamed, but before she could tighten her grip on her husband's hand and before she could get her sentence out of her mouth, Sam was swinging at both individuals. She hadn't seen him this upset since the ordeal with Spencer. Somehow, it was possible that he was even angrier than that. She tried to pull him away, but he was entirely too strong. She was lucky that Mike and Tina hadn't left yet because Mike sprinted to the scene and hauled Sam away from both of the men.
"SAM COME ON MAN PULL IT TOGETHER!" Mike shouted as he looked at his friend.
"DON'T FUCKING TALK TO ME WIFE LIKE THAT!" Sam screamed at the players who were scrambling away.
"Sam, look at me. I need you to calm down, ok." Mike said as he noticed the green eyes on his friend's face were increasingly darker. Mercedes went over to her husband and grabbed his hand and stroked his cheek gently.
"Baby, look at me." She commanded forcefully. "I am fine, ok. Nothing happened. Please, I just want to go home. Please, baby, get in the car." As if those were the magic words to break the spell, Sam walked to his vehicle while Mercedes turned to Mike and told him everything that transpired. Shit was going to hit the fan in a few hours. All three of them were sure of it.