Michigan Move pt. 2
This series is going to be more like a TV series than a movie. It’ll have different episodes with different scenarios while the characters develop, but allowing for lots of content. Feel free to send in requests/ideas for this on going series!
~
You raise out of bed abruptly to the sound of a door slamming.
“Luke, shut up! You’re gonna wake her. She’s still sleeping.” An intense whisper muffled outside of your door. After realization of your surroundings, you recognized the voice belonging to Jack. Glancing over at your phone, the clock read 6:58 am. After debate of whether you should get up or not, you decide against and stick with the original plan to wake at 9:15.
Your start to fall back asleep when the sound of a car door closing causes you to shift your attention the window against your bed, looking out the front of the house. You catch Jack and Luke pulling off to school and place your head back on the pillow.
Two hours later, your annoying as ever phone alarm went off. You couldn’t complain with 8 hours of sleep, usually getting much less when working in the industry. You make your way to the connecting bathroom to start your day. You throw on leggings and an active wear top for dance. A crew neck was thrown over for easy ability to take it off when you start dancing.
After your morning routine, you head downstairs with your backpack and phone in hand. Coffee changed the smell of the house as you followed the smell to the kitchen.
Ellen was sitting at the kitchen counter in comfortable clothes, looking at something on her computer.
“Good morning, y/n! Did you sleep okay? I hope the boys didn’t wake you this morning.”
“Good morning, Ellen! I slept great, thank you. It felt like a cloud after sleeping on a couch for the last 3 months.” You smiled and added, “The boys were no trouble.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I made some coffee. Help yourself.”
You direct yourself over to the pot of coffee calling your name on the corner of the counter. You notice donuts with quick handwriting reading “y/n” in sharpie laying next to the pot.
Ellen notices your curiosity and explains,
“The boys noticed you liked Tim Horton’s yesterday and insisted on getting you donuts this morning before they got to school. There’s one right down the road.”
You slightly blushed at the kind act. They had been so good to you.
“Luke wanted to make sure you knew they were for you and wrote your name as Jack was dragging him out the door,” Ellen added as she laughed to herself.
“That was so sweet of them. You guys have made me feel so welcomed, thank you, Ellen.” You walk over to where she was sitting and give her a side hug with a smile.
“It’s our pleasure, sweetheart. You’re not only family to us, but to everyone in the hockey community. Anything you ever need, you come to one of the boys or I.”
“Thank you,” you looked at the generous woman with the most sincere look of gratitude.
Plating up the strawberry frosted donut, you grabbed a glazed and set it next to the motherly figure. You smiled at the first sight of the pink donut, knowing it was Jack’s doing after your conversation last night about your favorite pastry from every donut place you’ve been - on both the east and west coast.
“Are you excited for your first day?”
“Very. I’m a little nervous since this is new to everyone and I don’t exactly fit in a hockey arena, but I think it’ll be a fun new adventure.”
“They’re all going to love you. The coaches are great, but learning everyday from someone 40 years older than you can’t be as effective as working with someone your age. It’ll be really good for the boys. Especially the ones who don’t know how to talk to girls.”
She added the last part with a wink and you laughed a little.
“Yeah, I just hope they don’t hate they’re doing something that isn’t necessarily hockey related. I know it’ll help them with hockey, but it’s probably hard to see the big picture when you’re doing a grand jete in leggings.”
Ellen smiled.
“Don’t worry, honey. They all practically live here with how much they’re hanging out in the basement. They haven’t stopped talking about their excitement since they found out at the beginning of the summer.”
Her words comfort you. You finish conversing and the delicious donut and grab your backpack with your car keys, now with the addition of a house key Jim had given you before you went up to bed. Your car shipped in late last night. With some of your savings from all the gigs you’ve done and a little help from your parents, you were able to buy a white Lexus when you got your permit. You got your license in July.
“Are you going to do school work while you’re there?”
Ellen questioned looking at the black North Face on your back.
“Yeah. In case I have any free time, it’ll be nice to get some things done. Maybe when they’re studying, I can, too.”
“Great idea! Have an amazing day, sweetheart! You have my number if you need anything at all. I mean anything.” The blonde pulled you into a final hug before sending you off with an extra strawberry donut included in the lunch she had kindly packed you.
She waved at the door while you pulled out of the driveway with directions to the rink and your favorite playlist at the moment playing through the car speakers.
About 7 minutes later, you pulled into a slightly busy parking lot. You added your lunch into your backpack and headed towards the entrance.
Immediately, you were greeted by USA honorable decor and a friendly receptionist.
“Hello, can I help you with anything?” The cheery woman asked.
“Hi, yes. My name is y/n. I’m the director of the new Grace and Agility program?”
“Oh, yes! Come right this way.” You followed the stout woman with spunk into the hallway. “I’m Martha. You ever need anything, honey, you let me know.” She looked back at you with a wink and a smile. “Those boys can be rowdy, don’t be afraid to give ‘em some sass back or send ‘em to me. I’ll out sass them real quick.”
You laughed at her suggestion of “out sass”ing the boys you have mostly yet to meet. She stopped outside an office with a plaque labeled, “Y/N L/N USA NTDP HEAD DIRECTOR OF GRACE AND AGILITY”
“Here you are. The room next to you on the left is the dance studio we just installed. Feel free to make it all your own.” She smiled at you and continued, “The boys will be here in about an hour and will start with your stretch class. They’ll warm up under your control then hit the shooting room and film before they head to the ice. After the ice, they’ll study and end the day with dance. I left the full schedule for the day in your office.”
“Thank you so much, Martha. I really appreciate it.”
“Of course, sweetheart. Let me know if you need anything.” She started to walk back, but not before handing you a bundle of keys. One for the dance studio, one for your office, and one emergency key to the entire facility.
You head into your office and quickly notice the red, white, and blue basket sitting on your desk. Your desk was facing the door with two chairs on the other side and a comfortable couch perpendicular to the desk, on the right side of the door as you enter. A large window looking out at the woods on the side of the facility is behind your desk.
You notice a plaque on your desk identical to the one outside of your office. You peer into the welcome basket and notice a note.
“Dear y/n, we’re so grateful to have you on the USA Hockey team! Please accept these gifts as a small act of our joy and gratitude to have you. Feel free to reach out if you ever need help!
USA Hockey”
You smiled at the hand written note and the little heart drawn next to the end of the message. You set the note aside and sat in the plush rolling chair behind your desk. Inside the basket were three USA themed leotards, four leggings colored a solid red, white, blue, and black, four dance shirts, three USA themed sports bras, a keychain - of course it’s USA themed, a yoga mat with y/n and NTDP written on it, a NTDP sweatshirt with your l/n on the side, and an NTDP water bottle.
The clothing were custom made from Lulu. You smiled at the gifts and made a mental note to send a thank you note to Martha for the entire staff.
You placed your bag down after noticing a bulletin board on the wall to the left of the desk, looking from the door. The note was pinned on the board and you headed into the hallway with the keys.
The moment you entered the dance studio, the lights turned on. The facility was brand new and built with plenty of your input - at the NTDP’s request. A sleek, untouched floor, two ballet bars on either side, and three walls of mirrors capturing you. The entrance wall had built in cubbies for the boys’ water and shoes and above it had a long observation window out into the hallway. The NTDP had mentioned a remote controlled tinting system on the window, so you could make it a series of tints from completely transparent to unable for the outside to look in. A compartment clearly for you separate from the others, labeled “Coach Y/n” had the remote for the window and the colored lights they’d installed at the top and bottom of the mirrors. The NTDP made sure to install the best sound system and paid for your Spotify Premium, even though you were already on a family plan.
You decided to spend the 45 minutes you had until the boys arrived to check the roster again, even though you had plenty times to try to familiarize yourself with the team. The U-17s were the guinea pigs. The program decided to start the department with the U-17s since they don’t know much of what the NTDP is like without it. If it was successful, the U-18s would be added into the conversation.
After settling in a little and getting some school work done, you decided to head back to the studio with 15 minutes until the boys were set to arrive. You decided to stretch a little because even though you’d be stretching with the guys, you were sure you’d have to walk around to help. You play your playlist and get carried away into the music, starting to do some leaps, jumps, and turns to the beat of the song. You planned to keep the crew neck on until the afternoon class where you’d actually break a sweat.
As you were mid-turn, you heard muffled voices outside the studio. You turned to look and saw the boys all huddled around the window watching you in awe. You smiled and waved them in.
They had their matching USA Hockey navy blue puffer jackets on with NTDP backpacks. Some were wearing NTDP hats as well.
“You guys can leave your stuff in your compartment, along with your shoes please,” you tell them as you walk over to your station to turn down the music to become background buzz.
After everyone was ready to go, you had them all sit cris-cross in a circle. You made the mistake of calling it “cris-cross applesauce”, which Jack would later tease you about.
“Hi boys! My name is Y/n L/n. You can just call me y/n. I’m so excited for this program and to be working with y’all!” ‘Y’all’ would become another point of attack from Jack and Alex at a later date. “I’m going to start you off with a stretch and then we can go around and say our names.”
You got the boys into a butterfly pose. You let Case McCarthy start, who was to the right of you. As the boys went around and introduced themselves, you corrected some back posture while they stretched. Alex Turcotte was having a bit of trouble, but you realized it was because he was trying to twist his feet in opposite directions and stretch in the butterfly pose at the same time. Jack wasn’t having any trouble, but you took the opportunity to be by someone you know and gently moved his back down more, so he was further into a stretch. Since you already knew their names from studying the roster, you took a moment to whisper in his ear while you stretched him.
“Thank you for the donuts this morning. Come to my office during lunch if you can. I saved one for you.”
His face lit up at your offer, but quickly changed as you slowly pushed him further into the stretch. He clearly wasn’t at the flexibility level yet for it to be easy.
When names were done, you switched them to stretching out to one leg and then eventually swapping sides.
“Trevor, did I hear you’re from New York?” Some of the boys had added where they were from in their introduction.
“Yeah! Are you?”
“I was born in Hartford, Connecticut, but I’ve lived mostly in New York.”
“I’m from Connecticut, too!” Spencer Knight lit up at the mention of his home.
You continued to chat and get to know the boys until you decided to have them warm up through cardio. You had them put their shoes back on.
“Alright, follow me.”
“Yay! Field trip!” You heard Trevor cheer behind you which caused you to smile.
You stopped at the entrance of the rink.
“I wouldn’t get too excited yet, Trevor.” You paused and looked around for dramatic effect as they patiently waited for you to continue. “We’re running today, boys.”
Groans and heads tilted back in disappointment ensued. You evilly laughed to yourself at their despair.
“Alright, up and down the stairs 20 times to start.” They unhappily started their trek up the arena stairs. “Please don’t fall!” You called after them. Your comment made them smile at your motherly-like care for their well being, despite forcing them to do something displeasing.
“Aw, try not to look so happy Caufield!” You teased as he was the first to make his way down. He poked his tongue out at you before he turned around to go back up.
You connected to the sound system and started playing a hype playlist to help them out. Once the music started playing, you got some cheers out of them. You knew it wouldn’t be so bad if “Party Rock Anthem” was keeping them going.
Jack called from the top of the stairs, “Thank you, y/n!” When he heard the music start. You later would find out most coaches don’t let them listen to music because they think it would distract them, so this felt like a treat. It was the least you could do after forcing them do go up and down the steep stairs so many times. Little did they know, this was just the warm up.
About 15 minutes later, the last of the group finished up. Before you was a group of panting, red teenagers crouching over themselves. You felt a little bad, but had to remind yourself they had to have good endurance for their games and they were likely put through worse from other coaches with no mercy or sympathy.
“Good job, boys. Take a breather, it’s alright. You all did great.” Your praise caused a few to look up at you from their tiredness and smile. You believed in bringing them up, rather than pushing them down. Especially as impressionable, and though they wouldn’t admit it, insecure teenage boys. Ballet training was rarely kind to its students and you knew first hand the negative repercussions of having to hear mean things aimed at you each day.
“Don’t hate me, but we’re not done.”
That earned a playful glare from Marshall Warren. You laughed.
“It’s okay because I promise to do it with you. I can’t just sit here and expect you to do it all yourself.”
You took lots of pauses to give them as much time as you could to catch their breath.
“We’re going to run some laps around the rink.”
“More running?!“ An out of breath Henry Thrun questioned. You chuckled to yourself.
“Yes, but it’ll be fun, I promise.”
That earned a lot of skeptical looks. Martha was right, they are sassy. You liked it, it meant they were comfortable with you already.
“Just follow what I do and try not to think about it too much.”
They shrugged their shoulders and followed as you started running around the bottom of the arena. Of course, not before starting up the music again.
After the first lap, you started skipping. Some confused noises were heard behind you, but after a few seconds, the boys got the idea and started skipping, too. You smiled at the boyish giggles you heard behind you.
Next lap, you galloped with your right leg and then the left on the next one.
The lap after, you ran five steps, then spun in a circle. That was harder for the laughing boys. At one point, you caught Cam York spin himself in the boards. The crash was so loud, everyone stopped and toppled over in laughter.
For the last lap, you changed the music to your favorite song and yelled out, “Dance!” You grooved to the beat and saw a bunch of silly improv including the Macarena and disco that almost caused Trevor to poke Alex Vlasic in the eye.
You stopped at the entrance as you waited for the happy boys to meet you. You reminded yourself to check the security cameras later to get the footage of the dancing and Cam crashing into the boards. It was really sweet how they all genuinely tried for you and enjoyed it in the process.
“Alright, boys. Unfortunately, my time with you is done for now.” Whines followed the statement. You felt honored they wanted to stay with you. “If you guys need anything, my office is right across from the studio. Don’t hesitate to come visit. I’ll see you later today!”
You were surprised by the chorus of “thank you”s they gave you as they left the arena with laughs echoing down the hallway.
You decided to head back to your office for a bit to plan out the first dance lesson later today some more. You grabbed a bar Ellen had packed you and got lost in your choreography. When you finally looked up at the clock, it was 1pm. The boys should be heading off the ice around now. You paused the music you had playing through the speakers built into your office and headed out to the ice. You caught the boys picking up pucks. Jack saw you and waved happily while he skated to the exit on the opposite end of you. You smiled and waved back with warmth in your heart at the welcome everyone in Michigan had given you.
You knew they were going to have lunch and study. You decided to do the same, but walked outside for a second to get some fresh air. It was pretty nice out and you were excited to spend some more time outside when you were done.
You went back to your office to find Jack sprawled out, waiting patiently on the couch. He smiled and sat up a little at the sight of you.
“Hey, y/n/n!”
“Y/n/n?”
“Yeah, I just thought of it. Do you like it?”
You laughed and nodded your head.
“How’s your first day so far?” He asked as you sat in a lounge chair in the corner by the door, next to the couch.
“It’s actually been really nice. I’m definitely not nervous anymore and everyone has been so nice. I really appreciate you guys bearing with me and not thinking things are too stupid to do. I’ve taught teens that older than me at the time and pre-teens and the trend was to act ‘too cool’ for anything I had them do.”
“Yeah, I mean we don’t get to do fun stuff like that all the time. We’re just a bunch of kids excited to be here like you, so I don’t think you’ll run into many participation problems. We all want to be here.”
You found yourself smiling at his clear passion for what’s he’s doing and the comfort his statement gave you.
“Before I forget,” you got up and headed over to your desk. “Here is a donut, kind sir.” You handed him the strawberry frosted donut and bowed down in medieval character.
He accepted and played along, “Why thank you, my lady.” You attempted a British accent that definitely needed work. You laughed at his attempts of an accent from over the pond. You watched him split it in half at reached one half out to you.
“No, no. I want you to have it. You’ve been very kind to me. It’s the least I can do. Even though you bought it.”
“I insist. I got it for you. I know it’s your favorite.” He raised his eyebrows. You gave in. He cheered when you finally accepted. You decided to “cheers” with the donut and tapped yours to his.
After the conversation lead into school work and a realization of you having to help Jack with English while he helps you with Math, Alex Turcotte walked in.
“There you are! I was just about to start French and was wondering where my partner was.” Alex looked at Jack then over to you. “Hey, y/n!”
“Hey, Alex! What are you guys doing in French.”
“Conjugations,” Jack answered while licking his fingers of the pink frosting and rolling his eyes.
“As much as I’d love to help, I speak Spanish, not French. But I’d love to learn sometime if you guys wanted to teach me.”
“We’d love to, but Jack and I probably aren’t the best French tutors. Dom Fensore and Cam Rowe would be your guys. TZ and Cole are trying to get to their level, but a safer bet would be Fensore and Rowe. I’m sure they’d be happy to help. They’re the only reason why Jack and I are passing.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Does the NTDP require French? I guess it’s smart since you could go to Canada, but I figured since Spanish is more popular here, you guys would take it.”
“Yeah. Spanish is offered, but French is encouraged for that reason. All of the guys take French, but some also take Spanish to have both under their belt.” Alex answered.
“Hm, that’s cool.” You looked over to see Jack playing with a kinetic sand box on your desk like a child waiting for his mom and her friend to stop talking at the grocery store. “Well, I’ll let you get to it! See you after studying and lunch.”
“See you!”
“Bye, y/n!”
~
I hope you enjoyed! Please know my inbox is open for any conversation or any requests for this series or another fic! I love getting asks from y’all! (Yes I occasionally say “y’all” like our wonderful y/n.) Thank you so so so much for your support and patience <3
