Page 20 of The Chemistry Coach
“Ooo, what are you hiding from ten years ago?”
Connor rolled his eyes.He should have known Lover wouldn’t take anything he said seriously.“I’m not hiding anything.This should be a ten-minute task.Not a ten-hour task.”
Hazy nodded.“Good idea.Should we do it now?Or on our own?It’s weird to watch it in front of you.But it’s also weird to research you guys without you.”
Lover pulled out his phone and scrolled to one of the main social apps.“Dude.You’re overthinking it.Watch the fucking videos and we can talk about it later.”
Connor didn’t have the mental strength to deal with them.He got dressed and escaped, going in search of Dylan.
Chapter 7
Daisy
Daisyshiftedonthebleachers, trying to find a comfortable position.Roxie sat next to her, hat pulled low over her eyes to avoid being spotted by Connor.She took meticulous notes about how the players were performing.Attending open practices was fun, despite the criticism adult fans often faced for their enthusiasm.Some gatekeepers-of-joy on the internet claimed open practices were ‘for the kids.’Daisy disagreed.
It was for the kids, yes.But it was also for the friends and families of the players to come see them in their element.It allowed superfans to connect with the team.The players would have a lot more scary stalker situations if they didn’t hold these types of events.At least this venue was public and well lit, rather than someone showing up at a player’s house in the dead of night demanding autographs.(It had happened to Patrick.)
Open practices were especially important to her, since their podcast hadn’t gained status as official press.The last couple of episodes had decent analytics—better than expected—but they wouldn’t get approval for a media spot any time soon.Seeing the players when they were available to the public let them gather information.They didn’t get interviews, but they could listen to conversations other fans had, and record dynamics on the ice.
Daisy had researched for hours on how to become press.It seemed easy but time-consuming.They needed to prove they’d be consistent with their posting schedules and that they had a reasonable number of active listeners.The team PR ensured anyone claiming to be press was a reliable source fans went to for information about the team, league, or players.It would take more to get season press box passes, but they could either pay to get into games or use the information they did have access to for their reporting.
Which is why they were spending a Tuesday morning at the ice rink surrounded by a hundred other fans.Watching the players go through their normal warm-ups and skill drills was entertaining, but Daisy was ready to see the scrimmage.She hoped the Connors would be playing together.There wouldn’t be a lot of progress this soon, but their interactions during drills had seemed more relaxed.
The teams faced off at center ice.Roxie nudged her with an elbow.
“Your boys are paired.Let’s hope they don’t flop again.The podcast is getting more and more painful every time we report on them.”
“They’ll get better.They want it more than we do.At least Valentine and Hazy seem to be putting in the effort.Jury’s still out on Beanie.I’m pretty sure he can’t stand me.It’s like pulling teeth to get him to interact.”
The woman in front of them whipped around.“Are you the new person they hired for team-building?Daisy, right?”
Alarm bells rang through Daisy’s head.She didn’t recognize this woman, and her NDA didn’t allow her to talk about her sessions with the Connors.Her fingers fiddled with the edge of her skirt as she tried to remain polite and aloof.“I’m not at liberty to discuss that.”
The woman turned in her seat, her face lighting up.She stuck out her hand, and Daisy grasped it.
“I’m Sarah, Connor’s sister.”
Roxie shook Sarah’s hand.“Which Connor?”
This pulled a giggle from the little boy Sarah sat next to, and he abandoned his game to swirl around and face them.
“Dylan, be careful!”Sarah said as she dodged the foot that came way too close to her face.
“Our Connor is the real Connor.Connor Greene.Beanie is what everyone calls him now.”
“Oh,” Sarah interrupted with what must have been a reminder for her kid, since he amended his statement.
“Sorry.Mom says we can’t tell people the other Connors are fake.It’s rude.”
Daisy beamed at the boy.“I agree; your Connor is the real Connor.Don’t tell him though, okay?”
The boy furrowed his brow.“Why can’t I tell him?”
Daisy ignored the flutters in her belly at the thought of Connor overhearing this conversation.He’d be obnoxious about it.From the looks of it, Sarah thought so too.
“Because I know all the Connors, and it wouldn’t be fair.”
“But my Connor is your favorite, right?”
