Be There | A Dwayne Robertson Fanfic ✔️

"You're Out"

I barely spoke to Connie and Julie for the rest of the day, feeling guilty and terrible for what happened with Dwayne. I didn't eat anything, I just went straight to bed.

The sun shines through the window, and I peel my eyes open, stretching as I sit up. I look around the room, and Connie and Julie have already gone to breakfast. I throw my legs over the side of the bed, stepping into the bathroom where I quickly brush my teeth and hair, then change into ripped skinny jeans and a black V-neck shirt. Throwing my hair into a bun, I head towards the cafeteria, stomach growling.

After grabbing a banana, a chocolate chip muffin, and a water bottle, I walk to the USA table, where everyone is crowding around something. I set the tray down on the wooden table, asking, "What's going on?"

Luis glances up at me, smiling, then motions for me to lean in and look. "Look what's in the newspaper, Meg."

I flick my eyes over the paper, reading two bold titles. "USA Downs Canada: Marx Bros.? No, Bash Bros.!" with a picture of Dean and Fulton, then below it is "Iceland upset by Russians; now tied with USA".

I roll my eyes at the picture, but give a happy smile at the article about how Iceland lost. "This is great, guys!" I exclaim. "We're going to do amazing in the championship, I know it!" Not that I'm one hundred percent sure we're going to make it there, but I don't mention that part.

"Not without a full roster, we can't," Jesse interjects. I raise an eyebrow, requiring further explanation. "Banks is out with his wrist, and we don't have a full bench of players. Charlie's been trying to figure something out, but nothing's coming."

I tap my foot, thinking deeply. "Well, I have an idea," I start, everyone's eyes turning towards me. "It has to be someone who lives nearby, and can play hockey," I hint, hoping they'll figure out who I'm suggesting. "And we have to know them."

Charlie's eyes light up, figuring out my clues. "Meg! You're a genius!" He leaps from his seat, pulling me by the arm away from the table. I signal Luis, who tosses me the muffin like a baseball, surprisingly well. I may allow myself to be dragged by Charlie, but I refuse to go anywhere on an empty stomach.

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After an hour and a half of being pulled around through the city, Charlie and I run into Coach's office. "Coach," I say, rounding the corner. Coach's eyes flick up, glancing from Charlie to me, then back again. "Coach, I know with Adam out we've got a roster spot open."

Coach nods, answering with a quiet, "yeah".

"Well, you know how I always told you I'd make a better coach than a player?" Charlie asks. "We," he continues, motioning between him and myself. "did some scouting for us." He turns around, calling, "C'mon in!"

Russ steps into the office, a big smile on his face. It had gotten smaller as we brought him here, considering when we first told him, I thought he was going to break his face with an enormous toothy smile. "Russ Tyler meet Coach Bombay," I introduce him.

"Hiya, Coach," Russ greets while Coach rolls his eyes, a small laugh escaping his mouth.

Coach grins, looking up from the desk. "Russ Tyler, huh?" Russ nods, and Coach continues. "Well, Russ, what can you do for the team?"

"You've never heard of my knuckle puck?" asks Russ, mouth open in shock.

"Knuckle puck? No?" Coach frowns, crossing his arms, eyes filled with curiosity. The three of us (Charlie, Russ, and I) glance at each other, grinning mischievously.

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The next game starts a two hours later, at twelve, and we have Russ in a uniform. The game is almost over, Team USA winning two to one against Russia, one of those points by me. Russ is in, a few yards from the other team's goal. "Over here, over here! Give me the puck!" he calls.