Club Assistant

The room was nice. Spacious and bright.

Adrian put his bag on the floor and approached the bed, feeling the soft, clean cream-colored sheets.

His eyes continued to look around the room.

There was a study desk complete with a study lamp and a plush chair, bookshelves beside the desk, a large wardrobe, and even a round carpet with the university logo in the center of the room.

His mother's words rang in his mind.

"Hang in there, son. No matter how bad things get, it's still much better than here."

Well, this wasn't bad at all.

At least he no longer had to live in a former warehouse converted into a bedroom, simply by adding a thin mattress to the cement floor and installing dim lights that often went out.

This room was part of Adrian's scholarship, but he would have to cover his living expenses by himself while studying.

Adrian quickly packed up his few belongings, then sat down at his study desk and checked his bank account.

He had to find a job.  The small sums printed on his bank account couldn't possibly last him a month, even if he only ate once a day.

Adrian opened his laptop and logged into the campus website. It mostly contained announcements related to academic activities, a few articles about specific courses, department profiles and extracurricular promotions, as well as various campus activities and documentation.

A small article in the right-hand corner of the page caught Adrian's attention.

"The hockey club is looking for an assistant. The work starts after 7 p.m. The salary is good if you work hard. Apply now. Contact Coach Joe."

Adrian thought for a moment. The job seemed quite good for now. He could find another job during the day or evening, after class, and work at the hockey club in the evenings.

Adrian decided to call Coach Joe's number, which was listed in the advertisement.

"Hello," a deep voice said. "Who is this?"

"Hello, sir. My name is Adrian," Adrian introduced himself. "I'm interested in the hockey club advertisement on the campus website. Is that job still—"

"Can you do laundry in the washing machine? Operate the vacuum cleaner?"  The deep voice interrupted.

"Y-yes," Adrian replied quickly. Everything the man had mentioned was his daily work.

"Great! Come to the field at 7 tonight and meet me. Don't be late!"

Before Adrian could reply, the call was disconnected.

Adrian shrugged and decided to take a shower. He had a few more hours before 7.

After showering, Adrian decided to look over his class schedule for the first semester and do some calculations about when he could take a part-time job.

A little past six, Adrian left his room and, carrying a floor plan, began searching for the hockey stadium.

It didn't take long for Adrian to spot the magnificent stadium behind the main buildings of the St. Dominic University complex.

Hockey is one of St. Dominic University's proudest clubs. Of course, they have their own stadium, with complete and luxurious facilities.

Loud voices could be heard a few meters before Adrian reached the stadium door.

Adrian's hand was cold but sweaty as he reached the door handle and pushed it open.

The burly men, sweating in the frigid air off the ice covering the hockey rink, shouted taunts or cheered each other on.

Some heads turned toward Adrian and grinned under their helmets, while others tapped their sticks on the ice.

"The Omega is here! Is he going to sign up for the team?"

"With his slender frame, he'd be more suited to cheerleading."

"I'd win three games in a row if he'd just cheer for me personally."

"Sooo handsome... He looks even more attractive in that oversized jersey."

Adrian walked straight along the edge of the court, toward a man sitting on the sidelines with a board in his hand and a whistle hanging from his chest.

The man turned as Adrian approached. "Were you the one who called me earlier?"

Adrian nodded. "Yes, sir."

Coach Joe, his name clearly embroidered on his jersey, looked Adrian up and down, then back up at his face.

"Omega, huh? Aren't you afraid? My players, they're all Alphas," Coach Joe said, narrowing his eyes. "Well, actually they are all alpha, in this university."

"Do they bite?" Adrian asked calmly.

Coach Joe's eyebrows furrowed. "Of course not. Biting is prohibited in hockey."

"Then it's no problem," Adrian replied. "Even if they do, I can bite back."

Coach Joe grinned.  "You've got guts. Good! You're hired. Your job is to clean up this field and do everything my players need after practice. Work until before curfew, and tell me the day before if someday you need permission, so I can deduct your salary."

"Yes, sir," Adrian nodded.

From that night on, Adrian officially became the club's assistant.

However, after three consecutive nights, Adrian realized that the role of club assistant wasn't as glamorous as its name suggested.

He was really just a maid. Mopping the field, carrying equipment. Washing shoes. Cleaning up players' vomit. Getting food and buying coffee.

He accepted and did it all without complaint. The salary was quite substantial, and after a week, the annoying Alphas stopped bothering him.

"Handsome, but like a dead fish," said Rex Connor, the right winger. "You're not as attractive as you look."

Adrian shrugged. "I never try to be attractive."

"Are you scentless?" asked Bryan Denzel, the first-team goalkeeper. "Is that why you dared to come to this campus, right?"

Adrian smirked. "I came because I got perfect grades. You already know that, right?"

"Even a Beta can still smell from a few meters away," mocked right defenseman Leland Barton.

Gareth Wilde lightly poked Adrian's chin. "But you're beautiful. At least your presence and sharp tongue can brighten up the training atmosphere."

The other players laughed and high-fived each other. Adrian's courage in responding to all the taunts always amused them.

Adrian said nothing, just picked up their sweaty socks to wash.

Coach Joe entered the locker room, his face solemn. He clapped his hands to draw the attention of his noisy players.

"What's wrong, Coach?" Leland asked. "Is there a new game scheduled yet?"

Coach Joe shook his head. "The Captain will be back tomorrow."

The locker room fell silent.

Adrian stared at the players, who were frozen in their seats. Their faces looked tense.

"Is he... finished?" Gareth asked quietly.

Coach Joe nodded. "Prepare yourselves. Don't drink or smoke, or he'll kill you on the first lap."

After saying that, Coach Joe left, followed by his players one by one.

Rex was the last to leave. He closed the locker door and turned to Adrian, who had just started mopping.

"Hey, Adrian," Rex said.

Adrian looked up.

"You get ready too," Rex said.

Adrian's eyebrows furrowed. "Why? Because the captain's coming? Who the hell is he?"

"Monster," Rex replied, then left the locker room.

Adrian noticed that this time Rex didn't whistle like he usually did when leaving the locker room.

Adrian felt goosebumps rise up his spine.