Page 20 of Walk the Line
“Really? Because I don’t need a co-captain?”
“Sometimes you don’t know you need something until you have it.”
“No, I know what I need and don’t need.”
“It’s also not just about that,” Coach Campbell says. “I think the team will perform better under the guidance of both of you, especially with it being newly formed.”
“No one even knows who she is.”
“She has a name.”
“Then they’ll get to know who she is through this.”
“Do you even know who she is?”
“Of course.”
I’m fine with him just knowing the basics. I played Hockey, I was expelled and now I’m here. I reached out to the Women’s Hockey coach instantly asking for an opportunity to play for the team, and he directed me to Coach Campbell, who I decided to be honest with about my expulsion.
He said as long as the reason for my expulsion didn’t fit his non-negotiables he would be happy to potentially have me on the team, as long as I don’t make it a topic of conversation. It didn’t seem as if he was actually checking to verify the information I gave him, but the reason didn’t fit his non-negotiables anyway.
He definitely doesn’t have to worry about that.
“I don’t want this,” Julius continues.
With a sigh, Coach says to him, “I thought I had already decided against a certain conversation I wanted to have with you, but now I’m starting to see its relevancy again.” What does that mean? “Come see me in my office after this, Julius.”
He finally exits through the door, leaving the two of us rolling our eyes at each other.
“I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that. I’m not the one who came up with the idea,” I say.
“You could have said no.”
“I have no idea why I would do that.”
“So it wasn’t enough that you take over my house you want to take over my Captain duties too?”
I let out a breath. “Wow, you’re dramatic. No one’s taking over anything, calm down. You quite literally saw me be asked,” I finish, my head still trying to wrap around the fact I’m a Captain again. In an ideal world I wouldn’t be doing this with him, but I learnt that this isn’t an ideal world a long time ago.
“Tell him you’re not gonna do it.”
“Yeah, I’ll just go and do that right now, shall I?”
“I’m captain. Just me,” he says with a firm tone. “You weren’t even here last year.”
I ignore his last words and respond with, “I would prefer to do this by myself too.”
“That’s not gonna happen.”
“But Coach clearly has a plan.”
He walks out of the room.
Tough crowd, I guess.
CHAPTER EIGHT
JULIUS
