1
CARA
Walking onto the rink feels surreal.
Just two days ago, I was moving into my new apartment, full of excitement about this job, and now I’m here, walking into the Northern BlueHawks’s sporting complex, nerves keeping me warm despite the chill in the building.
Shouts echo through the hallway, and I follow the voices and the sound of the sticks hitting the puck and each other, the sharp scrape of skates on ice. I pause at the entrance to the rink itself, watching a few of the team run drills. The full team isn’t here yet, but it’s clear the three on the ice got here early to get extra practice. I step closer, recognizing who they are from my days of research into every one of the team members. If I’m going to be a decent social media manager and assist the head of public relations, then I need to know as much about every player as possible. The three I watch, Smith, Diaz, and Hill, are the newest BlueHawks recruits, so it makes sense that they’re running extra drills. It’s their first season with the team, and they all have astellar reputation from their college teams, so my job will be to build their presence, not do damage control.
There’s one member in particular who’ll be taking up most of my time. One player who’s always in the headlines, the playboy of the team, the one whose reputation precedes him.
My thoughts are interrupted by someone calling my name.
“Cara! Good to see you, and welcome to the team,” greets Ronald Townsend, the manager of the BlueHawks. I’ve only met him once, at my interview, but I thought he was welcoming and kind, and that impression remains true now.
I smile back at him, extending my hand to grip his and shake. “Excited to be here, thank you for the opportunity,” I say, trying to seem professional and not let on that I’m freaking out inside. Ineedthis job to work. This is exactly where I want to be, and I don’t want anything to jeopardize this, especially not my nerves.
“Would you like to see your office? We can sign the final paperwork, and then the rest of the team will be here, and you can meet them all,” Ronald says, as I nod along. He leads the way through the hall to a small, sparse office.
Despite the fact it’s small and undecorated, I nearly squeal with excitement. My own office. With a few plants, some pictures, and a nice lamp, I’ll have this place looking like mine in no time. Besides, I won’t be spending much time here, since much of my work will involve following the team around, capturing content.
I quickly sign the final piece of paperwork, and then it’s official. I’m the social media manager for the BlueHawks, the best upcoming team in the NHL.
The happiness I feel is a nice contrast to the worry that’s been plaguing me all week, most of which I have to admit doesn’t have anything to do with my new position.
I shake my head, as though I can physically shake the thoughts out of my brain.
The sound of boots and loud male voices breaks me out of my haze, and I find my smile again just as Ronald returns from filing my paperwork in his office across the hall.
“Ah, perfect timing!” he calls out, and the other voices stop. “Come meet our new social media manager before you hit the locker room.”
The hallway quickly feels much smaller than it did a minute ago. It’s easy to forget just by watching them on a screen, but hockey men arebig.I’m not the tallest of women anyway, but next to the muscles and height of the guys, I feel like a pixie or something.
“Hey, nice to meet you. I’m Hawker, captain of the BlueHawks. Good to have you on board,” the captain says, giving me a friendly smile. He has a black eye that weirdly doesn’t manage to take away from the sense I get that he’s a total teddy bear type - huge and lethal on the ice, but obviously a good guy in real life.
“Named perfectly for the job,” I laugh as I greet him, and he nods, still smiling.
The team members take it in turn to introduce themselves on their way to the changing rooms, each of them seeming nice enough, at least for now. I don’t doubt that there’ll be difficult parts of this job, but at least I’m not working with a bunch of total asshats.
Except…
“There’s someone missing,” I hum as the last of the players head off down the hall.
Ronald just sighs next to me, shaking his bald head. “And it’s the member that’s probably going to take up most of your time,” he says, a hint of resignation in his tone. “If he weren’t such a damn good player, he wouldn’t be worth the hassle. Look, why don’t you get set up, and I’ll send him to you when he comes, OK?”
“Sure thing,” I agree, adjusting my bag on my shoulder as I take the keys to my office from him with a shy, but proud smile.
Ronald heads off to what I know must be a very busy schedule, and I inhale deeply as I spin around, taking in my office. I set my bag down and begin unpacking the few things I brought with me, including a notepad and pen, and start a list of things to bring with me tomorrow.
Now that I’m alone, the thoughts that I’d managed to banish creep back in again. Tension knots my shoulders, and a mild headache spreads across my skull.
I’m alone in my office, just like I’m alone in my apartment. Just like I’ve been alone for…how long now? Oh yeah,forever.
My sister’s upcoming wedding has made my loneliness more of an issue for me now than ever before. I have so much to be grateful for, this new job included, but without anybody to come home to at the end of the day, anyone to chat through troubles with or celebrate my wins with…nothing feels as good as I know it could.
I’m happy for my sister, I truly am. She and Joshua were made for each other, and their love story is inspiring. I’m not jealous. At all. Nope. Not one little bit.
Dread fills me as I imagine the pity on my family’s faces when I turn up to the wedding alone. Again.