S C O T T

Coach Monroe was a scary guy.

He was tall and buff, and his green eyes seemed to be consistently narrowed. He tended to yell a lot, and now, whenever I saw him, I could only think about if he actually could murder someone with a hockey stick. I doubted it, but he was still pretty scary.

That was just him at practice, though.

Now I was standing on his porch, with him glaring down at me from the doorway. Elle seemed completely calm next to me, but I was pretty sure my heart was about to pound right out of my chest. And all I could think was: shit he just saw me kissing Elle. The hockey coach - her dad - saw me kissing Elle, and now he looked ready to murder me.

Coach Monroe stepped outside and leaned against the wall next to the doorway. I shoved my hands in my pockets and rocked back-and-forth on my heels, wondering if I'd be able to make it to my car before Monroe could catch me. I didn't get a chance to test it, though, because Monroe started talking.

"Elle, can you go inside?" he asked, and I turned to stare at Elle, wide-eyed. She didn't seem to notice; she just shrugged, "I want to talk to Scott for a minute."

"Sure," Elle agreed, and I wanted to snap. This hard to be the time when she decide not to argue about anything, "Goodnight, Scott."

Elle grinned and I gave her a weak smile back, awkwardly waving as she ascended the stairs. I shot her a helpless look, but Elle just opened the door and slipped inside, leaving me alone with her dad. Her very annoyed looking dad.

I stood there, staring up at Coach Monroe expectantly. He didn't say anything, just stared right back at me. My heart pounded in my chest and I scratched the back of my neck, biting my lip and waiting anxiously. I wanted him to say something - anything. I didn't care, really. I just hated having him stare at me like he was waiting for me to speak.

"Are you dating Elle?" Monroe asked, and my head snapped back in his direction. I stared at him, jaw slack as I processed what he had asked me, "Are you?"

Was I dating Elle? We had been on dates, and I was pretty sure it was obvious that I had feelings for her. But I had never actually asked Elle out, and she never really asked 'what' we were. I guessed - technically - we weren't exactly dating.

"I don't think so," I admitted, clasping my hands in front of me as Monroe just cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowing again.

"All right. Do you like Elle?"

I didn't hesitate when answering him that time. I didn't need to hesitate because I was sure of my answer.

I nodded, unclasping my hands and awkwardly dropping my hands by my sides, "Yeah," I said, a small smile tugging on my lips when I saw Elle move the curtain and wave to me from the window, "I do like Elle."

Coach Monroe sighed in exasperation and shook his head. I frowned and prepared myself for what he was going to say next; I expected a threat, or maybe him even telling me that I wasn't allowed to date Elle since she was his daughter and I was on the team. But he said absolutely none of that - nothing even close.

"If you like her, then why haven't you asked her out?" Monroe demanded, and my jaw dropped. I cocked my head to the side, and he continued, "That's what you do, Scott. When you like a girl, you're supposed to ask her out. Not kiss her in front of her father's house."

"What - "

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" but he didn't look mad. Coach Monroe was smiling at me, "If you like Elle, ask her out. You don't keep a girl waiting, son. Especially when you're always sending her lovey-dovey eyes during practice."

Part of me wanted to deny the fact that I sent Elle 'lovey-dovey eyes' during practice, but I was too preoccupied on the other part of what he said. Coach Monroe was telling me that I should ask Elle out, if I like her. He wasn't telling me that he would cut my balls off with a hockey stick (screw Jay for implanting that in my mind). He was telling me the opposite, actually.

"All right," I agreed, a grin splitting out on my face. I nodded at Coach Monroe and saw that he was still giving me a small smile, "I'll ask her out. I'll do it."

Coach Monroe nodded at me, face morphing into a more serious expression. I looked up at him, eyes wide as he cracked his fingers and leaned back on his heels. I swallowed tightly and just smiled back at him.

"Good, but you do know that if you break my daughter's heart, it won't be good," Monroe stated seriously, and I vigoriously nodded in agreement with you, "Not like cutting your balls off with a hockey stick or anything. But I do have a nice collection of hunting guns in the basement."

"For hunting animals?" I asked hopefully, taking a step back when Coach Monroe just shot me a dry look, "Right. Completely understood. For hunting," lowering my voice, I wiggled my fingers for air quotes, "animals."

"Scott," Monroe sighed, and I frowned, scratching the back of my head, "Go home."

My cheeks flushed and I nodded, backing off the porch. Coach Monroe was still smiling slightly, though, so I just grinned and tried to keep my balance as I backed down the steps. Figuring it was okay, I turned and started walking towards the car. I fished for my keys out of my pocket and pulled them out, cursing when they slipped through my fingers and onto the pavement.

I bent down to pick up my keys, craning my head around to look at Coach Monroe when he called my name. My cheeks were flushed and I snatched my keys up quickly before standing up and dusting off my pants. Monroe sighed again, and I just grimaced.

"Don't make me regret this."

"I won't!" I promised, flashing him a grin before walking over to my car and slipping in the front seat. I leaned my head against the steering wheel, a ridiculous grin on my face.

I was going to ask Elle out.

Plus, I was still going to be able to keep my balls. Everything was perfect.

"Scott!" Connor shouted, and I felt my bed dip. I groaned and burrned my face in my pillow, groaning loudly again when Con swatted the back of my head, "Scott, wake up! You need to wake up, Scotty-bo-botty!"

"What the fuck?" I snapped, lifting my head to glare at Connor. He was grinning wildly, brown eyes wide with excitement, "Call me that again and I'll murder you."

"You wouldn't murder me."

"Connor, I swear if you don't get off my bed, I will murder you," I promised, tugging my arms out from under the comforter. I pushed against Connor's chest and watched in amusement as he tumbled over the edge of the bed, "Now, let me sleep."

"Listen!" Connor demanded, grabbing the edge of my comforter and pulling it off my bed. I glared at him and snatched my sheet, wrapping it around myself, "I have a girlfriend!"

I stopped, then. I pushed the sheet away and shot up in bed, grinning down at Connor. He did it, finally. After months of hearing him crying and whining and saying how Kelly wouldn't say yes, he finally grew a pair and asked her out. And now they were officially dating.

"Good job!" I grinned, hoping off the bed to pull Connor into a hug. I ruffled Connor's hair and he snorted, pushing back. But he was still grinning widely, eyes filled with happiness, cheeks flushed lightly, "I'm proud of you."

"Right," Con agreed, nodding his head, "I mean, you're still single and I'm not! This means I'm the manlier one out of us."

"No it doesn't," I snapped, sighing and dropping back down on my bed. I closed my eyes, prepared to go back to sleep, but Connor's voice stopped me from doing so.

"Oh, Jay and Edi are here," he said, and my eyes flew open. I rolled over in bed to stare up at him, "I called them, since you came home too late and I didn't get to find out about your date! C'mon, Scotty. Up and at 'em, cutie."

As Connor started walking out of my room, I chucked my pillow at the back of his head.

Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting in the living room. It was noon, but I was exhausted. Jay and Edi had brought coffee on their way over, and, so far, I had gone through three cups. (I had taken Connor's and Jay's, since they were too happy and excited for how early it still was).

I yawned and leaned back on the couch, watching their faces. I had given them all a run-down on the story, and now Jay and Connor were high-fiving like mad. Edi grinned at me, and gave me a high-five, which I returned. Honestly, I was still bubbling over with exictement. I had Coach's approval to date Elle, and I was ready to ask her out.

"So, when are you gonna do it?" Jay demanded, ruffling up his brown hair and making it messier than before, "Not, like, it, because then I'm sure her dad would cut off your balls. But ask her out - when's it happening?"

"No idea," I admitted, chewing on the edge of my lip, "I haven't thought about it yet."

Actually, I had thought about it. All last night was spent texting Elle (a lot of me telling her how scary her dad was, and her telling me to man up), and I kept wondering when the right time to ask her out was. We had agreed to hang out again soon, but we didn't make an exact plan and I just didn't know when to ask.

"It should be amazing," Connor stated, leaning forward and clasping his hands together. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared at me, "you know, the whole nine yards. Like using dynamite to blow up, will you go out with me? into the street!"

"Did you do that with Kelly?" I smirked, laughing when Con's cheeks flushed and he ducked his head, mumbling a 'shut up'. I smiled and turned back to the guys, "I'm fine, though. I'll figure something out."

"Probably not," Jay said, waving his hand and dismissing what I had said, "I'm kind of a genius, so I got this," he bit his lip, brown eyes scanning the room before landing back on me, "what if you buy a plane, right. And you can spell out in the sky, 'will you go out with me?'"

"I can fly the plane!" Connor agreed, nodding and fist-bumping Jay's hand.

"Connor would crash the plane," Edi snorted, and Connor leaned over to punch him in the shoulder. Edi just laughed and leaned back in his seat, "really, I would be the one to fly the plane."

"Why do you get to fly the plane?" Con asked, crossing his arms defensively.

"Con, you have the attention span of a four year-old!" Edi said, and I laughed as Connor grabbed a pillow behind him and whacked Edi's head.

"What if I wanted to fly the plane?" Jay demanded, grabbing his own pillow to whack Connor in the back of the head. Connor and Edi whipped towards Jay, who pouted at them, "I mean, it was my plan to even get the plane."

"Nobody's getting or flying a plane," I groaned, and all three heads turned in my direction. I held up my hand at their defensive looks, "plus, if anything, it would be me flying the plane," Jay and Connor started saying something quickly, and I just shook my head, "If you're gonna help me think of a way to ask her out, think of something we can actually do!"

Connor scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Clearly you can't win her over with your charm and nice attitude."

"Con, that hurts."

"Still love you," Connor nodded, pressing a hand to his heart, making me scoff, "all right. Why don't you carve, 'oh Elle, I like you so much. Date me because I'm a lonely shit' into the rink?"

I shot Connor a dry look, "Next idea."

Edi drummed his fingers on the couch and turned to me, blue eyes wide, "Why don't you buy a band and have them sing it to her!"

It went on like that for the next half-hour: Edi, Jay, and Connor giving me ridiculous ideas to use to ask Elle out, and me shooting down them all. So of them weren't that bad - like when Edi said I could take her out to a nice dinner and asked her, but then Jay added that I should sing it to her, and that's when the idea got shot-down.

I rolled my eyes as Jay started going on a rant about how asking something out while singing was the best method. I knew the guys were honestly trying to help, but all their ideas and suggestions were just making me more nervous for when I would actually ask Elle out.

What if Elle said no? I knew she liked me, but what if she had something against actually properly dating guys on her team? Or what if she didn't like the way I asked her out, and decided that I wouldn't actually make a good boyfriend? A thousand horrible scenarious ran through my head, and Connor's declaration of me declaring my feelings over the loud-speaker at a game just heightened them.

"No," I said, cutting off his suggestion.

"What?" he asked, shaking his head lightly. He tugged on the collar of his gray shirt and groaned, leaning back in his seat, "You shot down every single great idea, Scott."

"You suggested that I buy a plane to ask her out!"

"Cheap bastard," Connor sighed, shaking his head at me again. I glared at him and he just shrugged, shooting me a playful smile, and I couldn't help but grin back at him, "I mean, what do you want to do? How do you want to ask her out?"

It was a good question, but I didn't get time to think it over. Someone knocked on the door and I frowned, contemplating just not getting up and waiting until they left. But the sound of their voice made me completely stop.

"Scott?" Elle called, knocking again.