closed starter for @disapprove
Following that moment with Sophia in his office things seemed to move quickly yet slowly at the same time for Calvin. Now in what felt like the blink of an eye he's seated amongst the top university officials at the fall sports banquet. Although the hockey season didn't start until the spring term he had a reason to be here beyond his official duties. Already Sophia had been a tempting sight in her dress. After tonight things would be different for them in the best way. First he had to reveal not only his future but also a piece of his past which led him back here in the first place. While lost in his own thoughts he heard the dean call his name from the podium on the stage.
As he approached, he cleared his throat knowing what he had to say was bound to create conversation amongst the people in the room. "Thank you Dean, good evening everyone. I asked to speak to you tonight to share some personal and professional news. Firstly, effective midnight tonight I'm resigning from my position as head coach of the university men's hockey program." Immediately he heard an outburst from his own players which he silenced with a stern look. "That's because I'm moving onto a bigger playing field by becoming the new head coach of Boston Bruins. Yet, my role at the university was never just as a coach but a condition of keeping the women's skating program alive." At this he met Sophia's eyes knowing she could have found this out by doing a deep dive on his personal history online yet he wanted her to hear it from him, even if it meant other people were also part of the audience. "During my time as a student and athlete here I was involved in a serious relationship with arguably one of the best skaters in history. Natasha excelled beyond belief on and off the ice. I considered myself the luckiest person to have her in my life. Even if we started off as enemies when I was forced to become her partner for a few months, I learned so much more about skating it made me a better player. Here's part of the story most of you may know. After I graduated I played professionally while Natasha finished her senior year. Unfortunately, she never got to do that." It's here where Calvin starts to become emotional, and sighs deeply looking up to the ceiling for strength before continuing. "A blood clot went undetected and led to a brain aneurysm that ended her life prematurely. There was no one to blame or anything to done except grief the life she could have had. Which led me back to hear," he breathed deeply raising his head to meet the eyes of others before settling on Sophia. "The university wanted to end the women's skating program. I couldn't let that happen. Natasha would have fought like hell to prevent it from happening. So I did it on her behalf. I agreed to become the coach on a lower salary so those funds could be used to fund the program. Along with using some of my earnings from my professional playing to create a scholarship in her memory. With my departure from the university this could create concern about the program's future. Thankfully the dean assured me the program will continue as long as I continue to fund the scholarship, which is something I promised to do without question. I want to thank everyone here who has turned coaching into a passion and I hope to see some of my men on the professional ice. And to those who have made me believe in a future beyond this campus," he looks to Sophia again feeling himself smile. "I'm sorry to my team who I won't be able to lead this upcoming season, give 'em hell boys. I'm already making sure my replacement won't soften you up whatsoever. Thank you." He nods before stepping away feeling a wave of relief wash over him as he steps off the stage and begins looking for Sophia.
