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Tate · 06-07-2019, 05:59 PM

The final buzzer sounds, signalling the end of another Prospect Showcase game and another loss for the Vipers. Knox Booth has been in the net for every one of the Viper’s losses and you can see that the stress of it is starting to wear on him- as the moment Knox is about to exit the ice he slams his goalie stick against the boards, snapping it in two.

“Knox!” The group of reporters call to Knox as he heads towards the bench in a hurry. It is evident that Knox wants to exit without stopping for questions and it’s the first time this sort of behaviour has been witnessed in the tall netminder. “A few questions Knox, please,” the group calls out and it is with the use of the word, ‘please,’ that Knox acknowledges the reporters and comes to a screeching halt. Knox keeps his mask on, telegraphing the shame he feels in this moment and unwilling to show them his face. “You played well out there Knox,” a reporter leads the questioning with a softy, it’s a way to butter him up and ease Knox into the conversation. They want to get as many quotes as they can from him, and the group doesn’t much care about whether or not those quotes will be positive- they want him to pour it all out.

Knox will have none of it, “There’s nothing good about losing. We have to pull one out eventually, we need to push out of this funk. I need to,” Knox is quick to point the finger back at himself, “I’m not used to the shooters in this league but I can’t use that as an excuse. I’ve been playing this game since I can remember and I’ve been working for this moment my entire life.”

“So far we’ve seen quite a number of games from the Vipers, what would you do differently if you could?” A reporter asks as a method to steer the conversation back toward the Vipers, Knox is not entirely to blame for the Vipers recent run and the group is trying to get him to admit it.

“Everything. I’d do everything that I’m doing differently, because clearly what I’m doing now isn’t working,” Knox admits before he finally pulls his mask off, and with that movement the tension within him eases slightly. Knox’s tall frame settles and the once broken stick he was holding has now been released, and left on the cold ice below.

“Do you look for your teammates for more help out there? It seems the Vipers are consistently outshot,” and so begins the true nature of questioning. It’s been obvious to just about anyone that’s been watching the Showcase that the Vipers are one of the weakest teams, now is the time for them to take accountability.

“The only person I’m looking at to perform is me, it’s my job to be there for stability, to make the team know that no matter what happens they can count on me to bail them out. The conversation ends here with me, I need to get back out there and re-group, re-focus, because I don’t want to lose my chance. You only get so many chances in life, and this one’s too good for me to give up on.”

“If the showcase comes to an end and you’re not drafted, what will you do next?” The moment the question leaves the reporter’s mouth the entire group falls silent and all eyes move to Knox’s face.

Knox remains stoic, “I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. Thank you.” Knox hastily moves through the group and begins throwing the remainder of his gear off as he heads towards the Vipers locker room.

Knox continues to fight off his emotions as he reaches his locker room stall and does his best to shake off his recent performance. Before he fully undresses he reaches into his bag and grabs his phone, noticing a missed call and a text from his agent – CALL ME. Knox dials back his agent and in a moment he is speaking with long time agent, good ol’ Jimmy Simpson, “Knox, how ya doing?”

“Not so good Jimmy, how are you?” Knox asks, wondering the reason for the call.

“Not so good Knox,” Jimmy tells him as his voice wavers ever so slightly.

“What’s up Jim?” Knox asks, trying to remain calm.

“Listen,” Jimmy hesitates and Knox can sense that he’s about to have a conversation with Jimmy Simpson that he never thought would happen, “I’m sorry to say this Knox, but I’m dropping my representation of you.”

Knox’s hand that’s holding the phone begins to shake but his voice holds as he mutters the one word question, “Why?”

“Do I really need to answer that Knox?” Jimmy asks him honestly, “I think you know why.”

“But I thought you believed in me?” Knox is hurt and it’s starting to come through, he tries to fight off the shock and anger that is racing through him but it’s hard to do. Knox understands that this is a business, but he thought Jimmy truly cared about him.

“You’re a good person Knox, I do believe in you,” Jimmy tells him sincerely, “There’s a lot of players who don’t make it to the next level. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“The draft hasn’t happened yet,” Knox tells him, as though Jimmy isn’t aware.

“Knox,” Jimmy lets out a slow breath, he’s trying to go easy on the kid. “Don’t get your hopes up. Stay home on Monday.”

“So this is it? This is it between you and me? All these years together and you do this over the phone?”

This time its Jimmy’s tone of voice changes, he is firm and short in his response, “You got to play to win, and I don’t think you’ll be playing too much longer. I wish you all the best, I really do.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“Hey now,” Jimmy tells him, “If you want the truth, you have to be able to take it.”

*Click

Knox stands momentarily in his locker room stall, shaking. He places his phone down and grabs a towel, only hot water can help take this newfound pain away. Tomorrow will be a new day, and Knox will be here- he hasn’t been kicked out of the SMJHL Prospect Showcase just yet.

1064 words x 2 payout