She-Wolf

Said the Spider to the Fly

Assistant Coach Scott McCall preps the Lacrosse field for a nighttime pre-season practice. He calls out several players with praise as they run plays on the wet field. He specifically mentions Diaz (Cory Smoot) and Nolan.

Coach Bobby Finstock berates Scott for heaping praise on the players and giving them hope. He points out that he never once gave Scott hope during the entire time he was on the team. Scott agrees that he never did and Coach suggests that nothing motivates more than withering criticism. Liam is not on the field yet. Scott promises Liam will be there saying he is the "backbone" of the team. He describes Liam as a born leader who can handle anything Coach throws at him.

~~~

In the locker room Liam is in his underwear, lying face-down on a bench with a devastated expression while Corey (who is in his lacrosse uniform and pads) and Mason (who is there for moral support) try their best to coax Liam into getting dressed.

"I can't handle this..." Liam complains. Mason sighs in exasperation as he and Corey give up and decide to just start dressing Liam themselves.

"Yes, you can!" Mason protests. He grabs Liam under the arms and pulls him into a seated position so he can help Liam into a long-sleeved shirt. "And you've handled so much worse than this! You're practically the Alpha now!"

"I'm nothing without her..." Corey sighs impatiently as he tries to put Liam's lacrosse shoulder pads on him.

"Liam, can you help me with this, please?" He asks.

"Oh my god! Is he still in his underwear?" Liz's voice sounds from outside the room.

"No!" Mason yells back skeptically. Liz barges into the room and walks over to crouch in front of Liam.

"Hayden left me," Liam whimpers.

"She moved," Liz corrects him. "To protect her sister. And it's not like she dumped you or anything."

Corey struggles to put Liam's jersey on over his pads and groans from the effort. "Liam, why is your arm so heavy?"

Suddenly, Mason's phone buzzes, and he checks it to find a text message from Scott. "Okay, Scott says Coach is losing it."

"You would for less," Liz mumbles under her breath.

Liam's lip sticks out as he pouts "Scott's leaving, too. As well as Selene." Liam leans forward as though he's about to lay face-down on the bench again, but Liz pushes his shoulders back into a seated position. 

"Going to college is not leaving, okay? It's called "growing up!" And we're all going to be going to different colleges eventually." Mason points out.

Corey jerks upright and looks at Mason with an offended expression. "I thought we were both applying to UCLA...?" Mason shoots Corey a look and uses a flat palm to gesture across his neck to stop Corey from talking. Liam, too, looks at Mason with an appalled expression.

"You're going to the same college, too?" he asks pitifully. Liz rolls her eyes. 

"That is not the point!"

"Then what is the point?"

"My God, Liam! She moved away, it's not the end of the world and you'll fall in love again! You didn't see mee sulking when y-" Suddenly her eyes grow wide at the realization of what she was about to say. Mason and Corey look at her alarmed while Liam just looks confused. 

"When what?" Liam asks, confused because he didn't know she was in love with someone.

"It doesn't matter. Now get off your ass and be the captain this godforsaken team needs!" Mason and Corey each take one of Liam's arms and lift him to his feet, though he does nothing to bear any of the weight of his body, causing Mason and Corey to stumble in their effort to drag him out of the room. While Liz sighs in defeat. When Corey and Mason attempt to drag Liam backward out the locker room door, they trip on Liam's feet and all three of them tumble to the floor.