MidReal Story

Caleb, a rebellious hockey pla

Anonymous

Mar 29

Scenario:Caleb, a rebellious hockey player trying to clean up his image, meets a single mom named Alexandra and her son Ethan at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America organization, and despite Alexandra's initial reservations, there is a connection between them.

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Caleb, a rebellious hockey player trying to clean up his image, meets a single mom named Alexandra and her son Ethan at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America organization, and despite Alexandra's initial reservations, there is a connection between them.

It’s hot as hell out here, and I’m feeling impatient.

I’m also feeling like this whole thing is a giant waste of time, but I keep all of that off of my face.

My coach likes to call me a loose cannon, and I know he’d have a fit if he saw me looking like I’d rather be anywhere else but here.

I guess, in a way, that’s true.

I’m the kind of guy that does what he wants, when he wants, and I don’t give a shit about who gets hurt in the process, but I’m realizing that that’s not always the best way to be.

And honestly, it gets old.

I’ve been skating by on my talent for a long time, but I’m starting to see that I need to change my ways if I want to make my dreams come true.

I want to be a part of the NHL.

If I keep going the way that I have been, that’s never going to happen.

And to be honest, I’m sick of being known as the bad boy of the Phoenix Fury team.

I want more than that.

So when Coach Reynolds told us that we’d all be volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, he didn’t have to ask me twice.

I was actually a little excited about the idea.

When I was growing up in the foster care system, I had a big brother who had been assigned to me through this very organization.

Because of him, I know what it’s like to look up to someone who cares about you and has your back.

Even though we lost touch after I was adopted by my new family, I never forgot about him.

He was the first person to ever make me feel like I mattered—and not just because he had to look out for me as part of his job as a big brother.

He genuinely cared about me as a person.

Now that I’m on the other side, I get why he did it.

Being a big brother is a great thing to do and something most kids could benefit from.

But that doesn’t mean that our hearts are all in the right place while we’re here today.

The rest of my teammates are inside of the building, laughing with little kids and signing autographs.

We’re all wearing our team jerseys, which I think is supposed to make us look more intimidating or something while we’re doing this whole charity thing.

Our coach made us come straight from practice, so we still have our pads on too, even though they look ridiculous with our jerseys.

I can tell that some of the guys aren’t happy about it either because they keep tugging and pulling at their clothes like they’re trying to get them to fit better.

I stay outside because I prefer being alone to making small talk with kids that I don’t know.

I’m standing against one of the large concrete pillars that hold up the roof of the building when Shane comes up behind me with a smile plastered on his face.

“Hey man.” He nudges me with his elbow and I sigh heavily before I turn my head to look at him.

Shane is one of the younger players on our team—and probably one of the most immature too—but he has a good heart.