"Quincy, have you heard anything?" my dad shouts to me from inside our house. It's easy to hear his booming voice from outside since currently the only thing separating me and him is a thin screen door.
While sitting on our porch swing I shout back, "No! They told me yesterday sometime this week and it's only Tuesday!" I start picking at my mismatching pink and white socks since I'm sitting Indian style on the swing, just taking in the view and thinking-per usual. "
"Okay, just let me know," my dad replies, walking from the kitchen to the door so his face is against the screen separating us.
"You know I will," I tell him with a slight smile. I turn my head from looking at him and face the mountains again. Growing up in the very small town of Acampo, California was defiantly nice, but it was also sometimes almost depressing. The views were breathtaking, we lived on a ranch with horses and cows and chickens-the whole 10 yards- and it was peaceful. But you also knew everybody and everything, and although that was cool and nice it was also so boring. I was ready to go out and explore the world, there was so much I haven't yet seen and I'm already 22 years old. That's why I've been studying my ass off the last 8 years, so I could get into a good college and get a good degree so I can do anything I want when I graduate. And now that I've graduated from The University of San Francisco for sports medicine I'm ready. I'm ready to go see the world. But to do that, I first need a job, which is why my dad was just asking me about if I've heard anything.
Ever since I was little I've always been fascinated with hockey. The way the players move so effortlessly on the ice, the teamwork, the fast pace, and the fans are always incredible. It just makes me so happy watching the sport. Also, it doesn't snow up here in the central mountains of Acampo, and it rarely ever rains either, it's always sunny and nice which is well, nice. But I've always wanted to go somewhere where it's colder and it actually feels like winter in December, I want to know what ice feels like, and snow, and seeing your breath when you blow out air and it's only 20 degrees out. So with my passion for hockey, a real winter, and my sports medicine degree, I applied for the job of athletic trainer for an NHL team. I sent my application and resume to the Blackhawks, Canadiens, Capitals, and Stars, some of my favorite teams in which they actually experience snow in the winter-usually. And I know that being a female me getting a job working with the NHL's elite is very unlikely, I can't even skate!, but with my pretty impressive degree (if I do say so myself) and experience in working with my college sports teams I think I'm as qualified as anybody. Let's just hope one of the teams are thinking the same thing.
"Hi Quincy!!!!" My little brother, Aaron, shouts to me while running up the stairs to the front porch, waving his hands crazily while a gigantic toothless smile is plastered onto his face.
"Hey Aaron, what have you been doing?" I ask as he sits down next to me on the swing. "
"Helping Jack bring the horses into the stall. I even got to help him feed them!" Aaron says excitedly. Jack is another brother of mine, and while Aaron is only 7 Jack is 24 years old, making him only 2 years older than me.
"That's so cool! Did he say if I have to go out and do anything?" I ask, crossing my fingers that the answer is no. Usually my job includes cleaning the tack and the horses, which isn't actually bad at all-I even dare say that I enjoy it- but right now I just want a call from the NHL.
"Jack said within the next hour you need to go do your job," Aaron says with a smirk, "Have fun! I'm going to play Mario kart!" And with that he flies off the swing and bolts inside.
With a sigh I get up and head inside after him, I have to change into clothes I don't care about when I clean the horses and their stuff because it will smell like horses and there will be shit all over me. I jog up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and take a left when I get to the top. My room, and house really, is basically what you'd imagine when you think of a "farmhouse"; wood everything. So with that, my room has wood floors, light blue walls, white furniture, and a walk in closet with a mirror on the front of it. It's a very renovated farmhouse, which is why I love it so much. I walk over to my dresser, which is across from my bed, and pull out a pair of plain black Lulu leggings. I hold the pair of pants in my arm and open up another drawer to pull out a random tshirt. I go into my closest and slip the outfit on, I also grab my Patagonia quarter zip jacket which is hanging up and slip it on over my tshirt. I slip on a pair of old Nike running shoes and then walk over to my vanity mirror to just fix my hair. I look at my reflection in the mirror; hazel eyes with specks of green everywhere, long and wavy brown hair, a full face and naturally red lips. I grab a hair tie and pull my hair up into a high ponytail. I leave my room and head back outside to the front porch, from there I jog down the porch steps and across our 2 acre field to the barn. I enter the open wide double barn doors and immediately start to feel more relaxed. We have a total of 3 horses in our barn but 5 stalls, 1 stall was renovated to a room to hold our tack and the other stall is empty.
"Hey Quincy I'm heading out now," I hear Jack say as he comes out from around a corner.
"Oh okay," I reply as I head to the tack stall, "I'm going to do my job and then I might go for a little ride. But I'll be back in time for dinner".
"Sure I'll let mom and dad know," Jack says
heading out the barn doors.
After 1 hour of cleaning the 3 stalls and horses I decided I needed to go out for a little ride. Whenever I was stressed or needed to think, or unthink I guess, I take one of our houses and go riding in our mountains. I grab the tack labeled for Aspen and walk over to her stall.
"Hey girl," I say while opening her stall door. I pet her nose for a minute before starting to tack her up. When I'm done I lead her outside the barn and mount her and once I'm ready to go I click my heals, urging her forward. We have two trails at our house that go through the mountains but I decided to take the shorter route, a nice quick evening ride.
We finally reach the top after 35 minutes. The sun is just starting to set and the view is breathtaking from the top. If I do get the job I'm hoping for then I'm certainly going to miss this place, but I know I'll be back often and I'm ready to start moving forward with my life. Just as I'm done talking to myself, my phone rings in my back pocket. I stand up in the stirrups and reach to my butt and pull out my phone-the phone wasn't actually in my butt just so you know. I look at the caller ID and see that it's Michel Therrien, head coach for the Montreal Canadiens. I pre-programmed all of the coaches numbers from the four teams I applied to in my phone, so I knew who was calling me when the time came. My hands start to feel clammy and my breathing quickens.
I grab the reins in my left hand and hold my phone with my right, "Hello this is Quincy Anderson," I answer in a professional and confident voice.
"Hi ms. Anderson this is mr. Therrien, head coach for the Canadiens. I wanted to call you regarding your job application for being an athletic trainer for my team. I would like if you came to my office in Montreal on Friday for an in person interview. Your resume was very impressive and I believe you could be a great asset to our organization, as a club we are looking to break boundaries and we think you could help us with that. What do you say?" He finishes.
For a moment I'm stunned with his question but I quickly gather myself and answer, " I would love to come meet you Friday. What time and where?" I ask.
" Great! I'll have my assistant email you further details like time and location. Look for the information by tomorrow."
"Alright I will. Thank you so much," I answer with a grin.
"No, thank you. We're very excited over here for the future. See you soon," and with that the call was over. I was giddy with happiness, my dream could finally be coming true. With this news to share I had to get home quickly so I turn Aspen around and urge her into a run. I grip the reins as we fly down the side of the mountain, feeling the happiest I have felt in a while. This is what I've been waiting for, what I've been working for, now I just can't screw this up.
Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of getting to know Quincy! The next chapter will be of her sharing the news and her travel experience of going to Montreal- aka more interesting. Comment, like, and share! Thanks :)
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No Romance (Brendan Gallagher)
Fanfiction"Alright Quincy," Michele begins, "as you must know you are officially the first female athletic trainer in the NHL. So first of all congratulations... Certainly we need you to be close with our players so you are able to help them when they need it...
