Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
I frown. “Why would they be here for me?”
She laughs. “Girl, you’ve been playing for the team for a little better than a month, and you have the fourth-best scoring record. The coaches want you on a college team, and I’m pretty sure they’re looking to get you a sweet deal. I’ll introduce you after the game if our coaches don’t beat me to it.”
“Jeez, talk about pressure,” I mutter.
As we make another lap around the rink, she waves at them. “Just play like you always do, and you’ll be fine.”
I try to keep my head in the game, but by the middle of the second period, there are four sets of scouts from different colleges in the arena.
“Is this even normal? Isn’t it kind of late in the summer to be scouting for players?” I ask Fern when we’re rotated off after scoring another goal. This time I got the assist, and she made the goal, but earlier in the game, I scored our first goal.
“I already told you, they’re here for you. And they probably know another college doesn’t have you yet,” Fern says, her grin wide. “I hope we’re playing together in the fall.”
“We’ll see. They could be here for another reason.”
“They could be, but they aren’t.”
We’re called back onto the ice, ending the conversation. We win the game six-two. My teammates are buzzing because of the scout action, and when I leave the locker room with Fern, Coach Waters and Ballistic are waiting with the scouts from Monarch.
“Fern, great game tonight. Looking forward to seeing you work your magic on our ice in a few weeks,” one of the women says.
She smiles. “I can’t wait. I think we’re on track for an amazing season.”
“No doubt.” The woman turns her attention to me. “And you, Miss Marks, are just magnificent to watch. Your coaches tell me you’re not playing for a college team in the fall yet.”
“Uh, no, I’m not.” I glance at my coaches, and they smile and nod encouragingly. “Not yet.”
“I’ll catch up with you later.” Fern nods to me. “See you in a few weeks.” She joins the other players on their way to Iced Out.
“Winter, this is Maxine Devereaux and Christian Cromwell,” Coach Ballistic says. “Maxine is the head coach for the women’s team at Monarch, and Christian is a scout. They’d love to discuss your plans for the fall.”
“It’s great to meet you. And yeah, that, uh, would be good. Can I just text my mom? She might be waiting in the lobby.”
“We spoke to her, and she’s waiting by the office,” Coach Waters says. “We thought you might want her to be part of the conversation.”
“Right. Yeah. Definitely.” I don’t know what to expect from her, but she’s been a lot more supportive of my hockey ambitions since she made the decision to split with my dad. Clover is helping her with the divorce paperwork.
We find her sitting outside Coach Ballistic’s office with Clover. They switched her to a walking cast, so she can get around with one crutch. Coach Ballistic introduces her to Maxine and Christian.
“Do you want me to be here?” she whispers as we file into the office.
I nod and help her into a chair at the round table.
Maxine smiles. “I know we’re taking you away from the team celebration, so we won’t keep you long. But your coaches made us aware that there are a few other schools looking at you, so we wanted to meet with you personally. Your application essay was quite moving, and after seeing you on the ice, we approached the admissions office regarding a few amendments to the previous offer that we’d like to present to you.”
“Amendments?” I look over at my coaches, and they smile encouragingly.
“Originally you were offered a need-based scholarship for tuition. However, we think we can do better than that. You would have a place on our women’s hockey team, which includes tutors to help you maintain a three-point GPA. Tuition will still be covered in full for the duration of your undergrad degree, but we’ll add a stipend for books, accommodations, and a meal plan, should you choose to live in the dorms. Or alternatively, we can offer a stipend to help with groceries should you decide off-campus life is better for you. We have a few houses off-campus for our players, as well as apartment options.”
My mom, God bless her sweet heart, starts to raise her hand, but I catch it in mine. “It’s okay. You can just ask the question, Mom.”
“What is a three-point GPA?”
“It’s a grade-point average,” I tell her. “I’d need to keep Bs in all my classes to keep my scholarship.”
“Oh. Well, you always get good grades, so that shouldn’t be a problem. Would Winter start this fall? At the end of the month?” she asks.