Love in the Shadows ~ Dean Portman x OC

Ch. 7: I've Seen This Before

Pov: Dean July 4th, 1994, Beverly Hills Medical Towers
The whole team was just kinda waiting to hear from the doctors. I was sitting nervously with bruises on my hands, neck, and face. All of that pain was worth it. For the team, for her

It's not fair those Iceland punks get to fuck with our team but we're the ones who had to surrender. No one fucks with the ducks

Ew, why did I just say that?

Doctors come into the waiting room left and right but none of them have news on Morgan. Coach takes this time to lecture us on how this wouldn't have happened if we were better and all that bullshit.

"You're one to talk Mr. Sell Out! Why do you get fancy malibu parties and photo shoots when we're the ones sweating our asses off, getting tossed and turned at every game?!"
The whole team got riled up.
"Portman you were the worst of all. If it weren't for your misconduct we wouldn't have had to surrender"
"But we would've been down 3 players already. Surrender or not we would've lost" Fult has my back
"Maybe if you guys worked as a team we wouldn't be. I mean come on! Morgan was all alone out there no wonder she got tackled"
"So you're blaming us for their attack?!" Charlie got in Coach's face
"Yea I am! I'm the coach, you guys are the players! I tell you what to do and you do it!"

Nothing but the buzzing of the lights could be heard. Coach got a phone call and stormed off
What a bitch

A couple minutes later Mr. Tibbles walks in looking nervous "Where's Gordan?"
"Off talking to that Iceland chick again no doubt" I muttered
"What Iceland chick?" Connie asked
"When me, Fulton, Julie, and Morgan went out we saw Bombay and the teacher for the Iceland team getting ice cream and being all 'OoOoH yOU're sOoOOo HaNdSoMe'"
"Yea and now that I think about it, I saw them talking in the hall right before the match" Dwayne adds
"That's fucking it" "I quit!" The team protests "No because why should we bust our asses for a coach who doesn't care about us AND goes off and eats ice cream with the enemy?!"
"Because you would be nothing without me Portman" Bombay returns
"I brought you here. And I'm sick of your attitude lately. I am an adult who I speak to and what I do is none of your concern. If you quit we will replace you. You are expendable all of you are!"

"Are you saying my daughter is expendable Gordan?" Oh shit
"No I didn't mean it like that-"
"My daughter might have a concussion and possible spinal cord damage. Was she just a means to an end? Huh?"
"Of course not-"
"Maybe your buddy Hans lied about you Gordan. Maybe you aren't the Minnesota Miracle Man I thought you were"
"All of you go home. I'll update you all in the morning but for now, she's off the team" He turns to coach and finishes "And maybe so are you" and walks back to her hospital room.

Ms. Mckay ushers us out of the building but I tell her I wanna hang back because I think I broke my hand. I lied obviously. I'm not leaving her alone. I know how it feels to be alone after a fight and it's scary. Especially when you might have to give up the thing you love most. Fulton and Julie stay back with me.

I go on about how stupid coach is being and they kinda just sit there.
"What crawled up the ass of Captain Blood and died?!" Fulton chuckles at Captain Blood

"Well I mean he was right man. You wouldn't be much without him. None of us would" Fulton interrupts me
"Are you seriously defending the man who called me expendable?!"
"No. Look, I'm just saying- I've known him longer than you. He gets like this when he's stressed but I swear he's a good person at heart"
"Fult- don't" Julie confronts Fulton "I'm with Dean here. He hasn't given me any play time even though I'm the better goalie. All because Goldberg was an original duck. We really are expendable in his eyes"
"Maybe but Portman, you were in juvie before coach got you out" Fulton brings up
"No, Tibbles got me out. Coach did nothing but call me a goon"
"Wait Portman, you were in juvie?" Julie asks switching the conversation
"Yea. I got in a brawl with my coach and he pressed charges. I was sentenced for 2 years but he pulled me out after 5 months. Before that I had a couple misdemeanors under my belt"
"Like what?"
"Stealing, possession of a deadly weapon, and assault and battery"
"Possession of a deadly weapon?!"
"A pocket knife, calm down"
"Why did you have a knife?"
"I live in the slums of Chicago. Who doesn't carry a knife around there?"