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“Hell, yeah’s,” arose from the men.
I nodded, picking up my coffee mug. “Got it. So, who here believes in Molly?”
Molly’s hand shot up, as did the guys.
I took a sip of coffee. “Are there any here who don’t? And don’t be shy guys. We need to know if there are dissenters among us. Don’t pretend to be unanimous due to peer pressure.”
Felix, a forward on the Cavaliers who I knew was a father, stood. “I want to clarify my position. I believe in Molly and her skills, but as a father of a teenager, I wonder whether this is good for her. Whether all this drama with the team is a good reason for her to be done with us.”
I pointed to Felix. “That’s a valid point. Pretty sure Ilya has wondered that from time to time. I know I have.” Molly shot me a glare. “What? I have a right to my opinions, just as you have a right to yours. You’re fourteen? It seems a little young for a person of your age to handle all of this,” I said gesturing to the men in the living room, “and all of your own school stuff, too. So, why take on this extra drama?”
Molly held her coffee mug with both hands like a lifeline. “It used to mean freedom. Time to skate. Time to be me. But if no one cares what I have to say, then it may not be my thing anymore.”
As expected, the guys were in an uproar over that news.
Hank strode forward until Ilya stopped him with a hand on the chest. “Molls, hockey is where you belong!”
She lifted a shoulder. “Maybe, maybe not.”
Kole stood. “We need you to set us straight, to force us to do the stuff we hate but makes us better.”
Molly huffed. “That’s something a coach does. I’m not your coach, guys.”
“Maybe you should be!”
Whether it was the words spoken or the voice who said them, it quieted everyone.
17
RANSOM
Ilya crossed his arms. “Captain? What are you saying?”
Damien, the team’s captain, stepped forward. “I’m saying our coach didn’t do shit when it came to preparing us for the third period last night. Molly did. If we did things Coach’s way, we could all be sitting around one of us in a hospital bed today instead of here eating snacks.”
He was right.
I took a step in front of the island. “So, what are you suggesting?”
He lifted one shoulder, then swiped at his nose. “I’m saying, we get on that ice every day because we trust the staff to train us and take care of us. Last night, the staff didn’t watch out for us; Molly did. If Molly isn’t there to watch out for us, then I won’t be playing until we get some new coaching staff that gives a damn.”
Molly gasped. “Wait, what?”
Damien shook his head. “I won’t play without you.”
Murmurs arose among the guys.
I furrowed my brow. “Won’t that mean a forfeit?”
Damien shrugged. “Depends on how many others join me in this rebellion.”
“I won’t play either,” one voice said. Then another. And another.
“Guys!” Molly shouted. “I’m not asking you to walk away from your contracts. You’ll get traded. Or lose your careers.”
Damien walked right up to the island. “Molls, we’re proud of you for walking away. Now be proud of us walking away too. Coach was wrong. Once he fixes it with you, we’ll play again. But not until that day.”
Molly wove around Phoebe and me, then stood up to Damien. “No! I forbid it! You were meant to play.”
