Icebound Rivalry

chapter 19-Forced Co-operation

Chapter 19-Forced Co-operation

Coach Langston called Maya into the small office near the video room after the morning skate.

Alex was already standing near the desk with his arms crossed.

The door closed behind her and the space felt smaller than it should have.

“We have a problem with the power play entries,” Coach said without preamble.

“The timing is off and the recovery between failed attempts is too slow.

I want both of you on it together for the next three days. Review the video, adjust the mental reset cues, and present a joint plan before the next game.”

Alex spoke first. “I can handle the on ice timing with the group.”

“You will handle it with Reyes,” Coach answered.

“She sees the lag from a different angle. I want both perspectives in the same plan. No separate notes. One document. One recommendation.”

Maya kept her expression even. “Understood.”

Alex’s jaw tightened but he nodded once. Coach dismissed them with a short wave. The hallway outside the office was empty.

They walked several steps in silence before Alex spoke.

“This is unnecessary.”

“Coach does not agree.”

“We already cover recovery in the private sessions. Adding a joint project only creates more overlap.”

Maya adjusted the strap of her bag.

“Then we finish it cleanly and move on. The faster we produce the plan the faster the overlap ends.”

Alex stopped near the turn toward the locker rooms.

“We use the conference room this afternoon. Bring the last three game clips. I will bring the entry sequences from practice.”

“I will be there at two.”

He walked away without answering. Maya continued toward the exit and kept her pace steady.

The assignment sat in her mind with clear edges. Forced cooperation meant shared space and shared decisions. Neither of them would enjoy it.

She arrived at the conference room at two and set her laptop on the table.

The game clips were already queued.

Alex walked in a minute later with a tablet under one arm and closed the door.

He sat across from her and opened the first sequence without greeting.

“Start with the failed entries from the second period,” he said.

“The lag shows up clearest there.”

Maya played the clip. They watched the same ten seconds twice. Alex pointed to the moment the first forward hesitated. Maya noted the delayed reset in the second wave.

The observations sat side by side on the shared document without either of them claiming ownership.

“The mental cue needs to be shorter,” Maya said.

“Something that triggers the reset before the body slows down.”

Alex typed a line into the document. “One word maximum. No phrases.”

“Agreed.”

They worked through the remaining clips in the same clipped rhythm. Instructions stayed short.

Disagreements stayed limited to the data.

When Alex suggested a different timing mark Maya countered with the recovery numbers from the last private session.

He accepted the adjustment without comment and moved to the next clip.

After ninety minutes the document held a clear sequence of cues and timing adjustments.

Alex leaned back and looked at the screen.

“This is enough for a first draft.”

“We still need to test it against the practice entries you brought.”

“Tomorrow. The group has an optional skate in the morning. We can observe and refine.”

Maya closed her laptop.

“I will be there.”

Alex stood and gathered his tablet. He paused near the door and looked back at her.

“Do not add extra notes on your own. Coach wants one plan.”

“I heard him the first time.”

“I am making sure.”

“Then stop repeating yourself.”

Alex held her stare for a moment.

The air in the room carried the same stubborn resistance it always did when they were forced into closer range. He left without another word.

Maya remained seated until the hallway went quiet. She saved the document and packed her things.

The joint assignment would continue for two more days. Shared video. Shared observations.

Shared final plan. The structure left little room for the distance they had both been protecting.

Maya walked back to the hotel and went straight to her room.

She set the bag down and opened the notebook to a clean page.

She wrote one line under the date.

Forced to work the same problem. Neither of us will make it easy.

She closed the book and stared at the wall.

Tomorrow they would stand along the same stretch of glass and watch the same drills.

The plan would require agreement on every line. Maya turned off the light earlier than usual.

The cooperation had been assigned. The fight underneath it had not been canceled.

She already knew the next three days would test how long either of them could hold the line while sitting on the same side of the table.