Page 25 of Pucking Good Girl

The final part of the video shows us unlocking and entering the presidential en-suite bathroom that had turned into a small-scale version of Star Cove’s aquarium.

“Your bathtub was full of water and the tap had been left open.” The Dean bites out, fuming more and more with every detail he adds. “And there was a duck floating in what I could only describe as a habitat.”

Tucker’s hand goes up to the back of his neck. I’ve never seen my best friend blush like this before. He’s usually all confidence and bravado. Our teammates say he gives me a run for my money when it comes to cockiness.

“I swear I closed the tap before I left.” He doesn’t look the Dean in the eye.

“You obviously didn’t, Mr. Prescott.”

The vein bulging on our administrator’s neck should be a deterrent from opening my mouth. But as team captain, I need to support Tucker. I play a contact sport and I’ve faced much scarier opponents on the ice. I doubt the Dean would get into a physical fight with me. Or at least, I hope he wouldn’t.

“There is something I don’t understand.” I begin and continue despite the withering glare Dean Fletcher turns in my direction. “I recall my girlfriend telling me that the Gamma House was built in the mid-nineties. Shouldn’t all the bathtubs and sinks in the house have an overflow? That should prevent them from overflowing if a tap is left running.”

That must have been the wrong question to ask because the Dean’s face reddens and that vein in his neck doubles in size.

“I can explain that, David,” Chief Holland intervenes. “The overflow was completely obstructed by a tarp that lined the entire tub. That’s what ultimately caused the flooding. Without the obstruction, the damage wouldn’t have been so extensive.”

We all turn to look at Tucker, who’s as white as a sheet of paper.

“Did you line the tub with that tarp, son?” The sheriff asks.

“I did.”

The Dean’s face by now is almost purple. “Why in the world would you do that?”

“Baety loves being in the water, sir. At first, I put her in the pool outside, but the chlorine and the chemicals in the water were giving her issues. So I started filling the tub in my bathroom for her, and she loved it. Then I thought about trying to recreate the environment of a pond for her, and I added some plants and moss, and she was so happy…”

“Like a duck in the water?” Chief Holland supplies, earning a glare from the Dean.

Tucker nods. “Yeah. But I soon realized that the water became stagnant after a few days, and I even tried some aquarium supplies, but turns out Baety has sensitive skin or whatever. So I resigned myself to changing the water every week. But that pissed off the cleaner we hired to keep the Gamma House always presentable. She complained about all the muck in my tub. So I thought about using the tarp, and I bought a bucket to empty the tub that way, and the muck stays on the tarp. So when the cleaner comes every Wednesday, the bathtub is clean.”

“That would have worked out if you hadn’t left the faucet running for over eight hours!” The Dean bellows. “This is a disaster.”

Chief Holland sighs. “I’m afraid Dean Fletcher is right. The flooding didn’t just affect the top floor. The water seeped into the floor, and there is extensive damage to the ceilings of the second story. The entire house needs to be vacated until repairs can be carried out.”

“I—what? Vacated?” Tucker babbles.

“I’m sorry. We need to let everything dry, and then everything needs to be treated to avoid mold. Most of the carpet on the two top floors needs to be replaced, and obviously there are the walls and ceilings to consider.”

The Dean’s tone is cutting. “Do you have any idea of how much that’s going to cost, Mr. Prescott? This wasn’t an accident; the insurance won’t cover the repairs.”

“But we could ask the alumni to help, right?” I intervene for the first time. “My father and my godfather, Brett Bergen, are co-presidents of the alumni committee. I’m sure they⁠—”

The Dean cuts me off. “I hope they do, or Mr. Prescott here will have to foot the bill. But that isn’t all. While the house is being repaired, we’re going to need to find somewhere for all your frat brothers to live. And you know how dire the housing situation is on campus after we had plumbing issues in one of our main dorms. How am I going to solve this issue, Mr. Prescott?”

Fuck. This is really bad. I intervene again.

“Sorry for overstepping, sir, but maybe I have an idea. We just spent most of the summer break at the new training facility that the mayor and Mr. Bergen are creating in preparation for the NHL expansion team they hope to bring to Star Cove. The facility had excellent living quarters. We could move in there.”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Shayba.”

I didn’t expect Coach Harrison to be the one to slash my hopes. “Why not, sir? The facility isn’t being used right now as far as I’m aware.”

Coach Harrison’s jaw ticks as he explains. “And it won’t be for a while. After summer training ended and we moved out, construction resumed to add more amenities and some extra housing to the training grounds. Unfortunately, some of the construction crews heard chirping coming from some pine trees that were going to be cut down, and a nest was discovered.”

I don’t understand. “A nest?”

“That’s what I just said, Shayba. It’s a rare little fucker that was thought to be extinct in California. A species that was native to Star Cove, would you believe it? That halted all construction until the spring; the law is clear on the matter. The rare birds have to be protected.”