I had an email from AO3 today alerting me that somebody is reading and kudosing their way through Back Up There, and that reminded me that I do enjoy writing this series and also that I have a WIP ongoing at the moment, so here's a scene that doesn't fit my outline and might not even make it to the final draft:
The thing about “living the dream” is that dreams end, right? You wake up. The alarm goes, or your brain just moves on and the dream stops or changes or something.
Charlie’s dream, since he was, like, eight, was to play in goal for the Iron Wolves. Playing for the senior team was obviously a one-day thing, he’d got years of growing to do, he’d have to work his way up through the age groups and the lower leagues, but it was always what he wanted to do. There was a period of a couple of months when it felt like the dream was much closer, watching the starter from the U18s sitting on the bench as the flu ripped through the team. Charlie insisted that his gear had to be in the car when they went to watch Iron Wolves games, just in case things got really bad and they needed the U12 backup to step in, he’d be ready - until Matt managed to give him a reality check from his lofty position as a third line forward on the U14s, in the way only an older brother could do.
The dream did come true, though. Charlie was sixteen when the call came to dress for the seniors, after Jamie Gardner’s girlfriend went into labour on a weekend when the lower league seniors also had games, and Charlie was the best bet to keep the bench warm.
He did it again three weeks later, when Kyle Davenport contracted food poisoning, and on the second game of the weekend Gardner ended up twisted between the post and 220 pounds of opposing player, and Charlie had to play the third period.
They didn’t win, but his save percentage was better than Gardner’s, so. The dream.
And then he went back to the U18s, and six weeks into the next season Gardner had a screaming row with Coach about ice time, and Charlie was suddenly the official back up to Kyle Davenport.
But that was two years ago, and he’s still here.
Backing up Kyle, who almost never missed a game.
Not exactly the dream any more.