He glanced at them, but neither one looked back at him. He realized this was not the time or place to even exchange glances. Coach Gordon had left the locker room, presumably to talk to the media, while everyone got dressed. No one showered—there were only four showers in the entire locker room—so everyone just changed into dry clothes for the bus ride home. As soon as they walked through the door, Alex felt the TV lights on them and he heard several voices shouting Matt’s name. “Matt, give us a minute!” “One question, Matt!” “I feel like the president,” Matt said to Alex and Jake without cracking a smile. Alex noticed Christine Whitford and Steve Garland standing with a clump of other media people who were separated from the players by yellow-jacketed security guards. On the bus, Alex sat next to Jonas and they both pointedly said nothing. The bus was quieter than Alex expected after a win. He suspected everyone was exhausted—and relieved that Garland-gate was apparently over.
