The first real practice day of camp is always chaotic. It pushes kids to the limits. I've seen kids throw up and run out of practice on the first day. Every year, there's always one kid that looks like they'll fail but actually come back and surprise you. I think the Nick kid could definitely be that one this year. I've been watching all the practices and Jace is right, hockey is not his thing anymore. It's like since the glitch, he hasn't been able to do anything right anymore and is completely okay with that. He has this whole 'I don't care' attitude now, something I've never seen before. I hope he's okay.
I know that Jace skipped out of the afternoon run. He started doing that a few years ago, even when hockey was his whole life. He never cared about being first or last on the board, he just went with the flow. And he that usually involved no running, no matter how much his dad yelled at him for missing the runs.
I'm walking into the common area when I see him talking to the new employee Alex, who also coaches the Mighty Ducks, and I slow down a bit, not trying to eavesdrop but also definitely doing so at the same time.
"But what if I have a stomach ache?" I hear Jace ask.
"Then cool with me," Alex says with a little chuckle. "You're not worried about being at the bottom of the big board?"
"Nah, I mean, hockey's not really my thing. I mean, I'm only here because my dad makes me come." He sits down and looks up and I think he sees me.
"Oh really?" Alex says, sounding sorry for him. I roll my eyes.
"Yeah, but I mean, this place is kinda crazy anyways. I mean, the camp director? He's a little nuts." I stifle a laugh, knowing he's talking about his dad and the Alex lady has no idea that Jace is his son.
"OK, thank you," Alex says, setting her guitar down. "I mean, I get it, we all like sports, but he's over the top. And the things he makes you guys wear that measure everything?!"
"They're like prison monitors, right?" Jace asks, raising his eyebrows. I think he has definitely seen me at this point and is just entertaining both Alex and I.
"It's literally like a prison monitor. I just feel like he takes himself too seriously."
"Very, very, intense guy," Jace agrees, nodding along.
"He's like, 'I've got great hair and a five o'clock shadow and a lot of rules'," Alex says in a gruff voice, causing Jace and I to laugh, but me quietly so she doesn't see me. "I would just think he gets tired of listening to himself talk at a certain point."
"Yet somehow, I keep going," Coach Cole says, walking into the room.
My eyes lock with Jace's and I quietly slink away, mouthing to him "Good luck, and see you later."
He winces as his dad starts berating him for missing the run. I shake my head and once I get far enough away, I break into a run, laughing.
A half hour later, Jace and I are walking through camp.
"So, how bad did your dad react to the little scene with Alex?" I ask, smiling.
Jace snorts. "Please, he told me I missed the run and I left. He expects that from me now I think. I haven't done the run in years."
"Well, this is the first time you almost got one of the employees fired because you missed the run."
Jace puts his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, maybe I did take it a little too far with Alex, but c'mon, it was funny! She literally roasted my dad in all the ways I wish I could but if I did, I would get killed."
"You almost got her fired in the process, though!" I exclaim, laughing.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think he let her off the hook though because 'his son knows how to rile people up'. His words, not mine."
"Oh my gosh, that's bad, Jace!" I say, laughing again.
He laughs along this time. "Alright, Evelyn, I get it, I'm a bad boy. But if you weren't there laughing, I wouldn't have kept going."
"Oh, of course, go ahead and find a way to blame it on me."
"I will," Jace says, smiling.
We pass the board and I look up at it, seeing Jace's name near the bottom. "So you're not making it to Coach Cole's special clinic for the top twenty, are you?"
Jace scoffs. "Obviously not. Not like I would show up if I did make it anyway."
I roll my eyes and continue walking. "You just love to make things harder between you and your dad, don't you?"
Jace shrugs. "I admit, it's a bad hobby of mine."
"You need to get a new hobby then."
