Chapter 5
five
Cameron
All good things must come to an end.
By that, I mean my weekend of silence is broken when Ivor Kova?i? calls me yet again.
I’ve been ignoring him since the press conference two days ago. Might as well just get this shit over with.
“Hey, Tata,” I say, bringing the phone up to my ear and speaking with as much confidence as I can muster.
It really isn’t all that much.
“Your league is a goddamn joke,” he bites from the other end.
Cool. We’re just going to get right into it.
I sigh. “It’s still a professional league, and I’m still on the pro team. The team is just different now than it was before.”
“They’re expecting you to play with women.” The last word comes out like it’s physically painful for him to say.
I love my mother dearly, but I do question what the hell she ever saw in my dad.
“Professional women,” I correct him. “They played for the Dragons in the WHL. If we’re looking for women who play as well as the men, they’re the ones who would do it.”
“They’ll never be able to keep up with you,” he replies matter-of-factly. “This league will fold within the year, and your career will be seen as a pathetic disappointment.”
My back hits my living room wall, and I slide down to the ground.
He’s probably right. There are so many men who won’t take this new team seriously because God forbid a woman show her face in a “man’s space.”
All I can really do is perform to the best of my ability. The rest is out of my control. If the league folds and my career is done, I’ll just deal with it.
Yeah, because you’re dealing with your current life really well, my brain reminds me, and I feel the ache of defeat in my chest at how true that is.
I’m well known because of hockey. Without that, I’m literally no one. Just a man trying to keep the darkness from taking him under.
There are a million other men like me. I’m not special.
I’m… nothing.
I huff a breath and try to hide the fact that I’m just a shell of a person. “I’m not going to worry about my career. The Lizards and the Dragons were both great teams. Combining forces as the Comets should go well, and I know Zhuri will help me lead them.”
“Zhuri Hart has no business leading beside you, Cameron,” my dad sneers.
I grow more irritated. “Why is that?”
“You know exactly why,” he affirms, and the only reason I don’t lose my shit is because I hear a knock at my door.
“Gotta go, Tata. My friends just got here.” I hang up before he can reply.
I walk to my front door while taking a steadying breath and swing it open when I feel like I’m actually composed.
“You okay, Cam?” Sid asks seriously as he, Nico, and Wes file inside. Apparently, I don’t hide my emotions well.
“Wonderful,” I reply sarcastically. “Just had a delightful phone call with Ivor.”
Wes plops down on my sofa. “What the hell did he do this time?” he asks, his Southern accent unmistakable as he drawls the words out.
“Just bitching about the new league,” I sigh. “‘Women can’t keep up with men’ shit.”
Nico rolls his eyes as he takes a seat next to Wes. “He and Michael can bitch together then.”
Michael may be our teammate, but none of us here are his biggest fans. He talks down to everyone, and apparently thinks he’s better than the women because he has a fucking dick.
Newsflash: Michael Perry is better than nobody.
Those thoughts just don’t leave this room because even if we don’t like him, we’re still a team.
“I wish your dad would keep his opinions to himself,” Sid says.
“He doesn’t keep a goddamn thing to himself,” I reply harshly. “If he’s thinking it, you’re going to know it. I got to hear all about how pissed he is about Zhuri being my co-captain.”
“Why is he pissed about that?” he asks, looking at me curiously.
I stare at him flatly. “For the exact same reason he doesn’t like that Theo plays on the team.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Wes’s anger is evident. He may be Southern, but he’s not much of a gentleman.
“Deadass.”
Nico looks confused. “Why does your dad care about Theo and Zhuri?”
I start to laugh before I realize he’s seriously asking.
Then I start to laugh harder.
“You get by on your looks, don’t you, Nico?”
“Fuck off, Kovacic,” he chides. “I just don’t know what I’m missing here.”
Sid shakes his head and tries to hide his smile at Nico’s obliviousness. “Nico, can you really not think of any similarities between Zhuri and Theo? Something about them others wouldn’t like?”
Nico thinks it over before the light bulb finally goes off. “Because they’re black?”
“Ding ding ding,” I chime.
“Your dad is a dick,” he replies harshly.
“Preaching to the choir, Bieri,” I chuckle, pulling out my phone when it starts vibrating in my pocket.
I sigh when I see a text from my brother. At least it isn’t my dad again.
Bodhi
Good morning, my favorite brother
Cameron
Half-brother
Also, your only brother
Bodhi
I can still claim you as my favorite
Cameron
…
What do you want, Bode?
Bodhi
Can’t a man text his favorite older brother without wanting something?
Cameron
I’m sure others can
You can’t
Bodhi
You’re annoying
Cameron
Bodhi, what do you want?
Bodhi
An in with the team…
Cameron
What does that mean?
Bodhi
It means I need a job
Cameron
Why do you need my help with that?
You just got your certification
Bodhi
Yes
But I’m hoping you can tell me if the Comets have any open equipment manager positions
Cameron
Why can’t you check yourself?
Bodhi
Can you help me or not?
Cameron
I’ll see what I can do
I think Nils mentioned an opening
Bodhi
I’ll take it!
Cameron
I have no say in that, Bode
Also funny coming from the guy who’s always made it his mission to not get things in life because of me
Bodhi
Yeah well I need a job
I’ll go back to not being a nepo baby after
Cameron
You’re not a nepo baby
Bodhi
Come on, Cam
I’ll love you forever if you put in a good word for me
Cameron
You’ll love me forever, regardless
I’m the best big brother
Bodhi
I really regret saying that…
A Monday morning jog around City Park is always the breath of fresh air I need.
But not today.
Today, I’m still in my fucking head over that phone call with my dad yesterday, and I can’t seem to let it go.
My twenty-nine years on this earth have been like this. My dad has always wanted to live vicariously through me, but I have to do it his way. And when I don’t, he won’t hesitate to let me know how he feels.
He micromanages every game, ready to go over every single mistake I make. Says he wants “the Kovacic name” to mean something.
I’ve spent a decade making a name for myself in this sport, and he seems to have no idea that it won’t reflect on him. We don’t have the same last name… technically.
I’m Cameron Kovacic. He’s Ivor Kova?i?. The same but different. My father kept the Croatian version, and I simplified it once I started college.
I wanted to separate myself from him. Be my own person.
He moved me to Croatia with him when I was twelve, and I was desperate to do anything to get out from under his thumb.
Even then, I’m still just a boy seeking Daddy’s approval. Approval that I’m never going to find.
The wind whips through the hairs peeking out from under my backward hat as I jog down the trail near the lake.
I stop for a moment to catch my breath and take in the scenery, and I don’t notice the person in front of me until she runs into me.
Literally into me.
We both fall to the ground, and she collapses directly on top of me.
It’s only now, with her face inches from mine, that I can finally get a look at the person who just knocked me on my ass.
I can’t help but roll my eyes.
“Can’t watch where you’re going, Hart?”
Zhuri quickly removes herself and stands up, brushing herself off. “You stopped in the middle of the fucking trail, Kovacic.”
“I was catching my breath,” I chide, standing up to join her.
With her now in front of me and not on top of me, I get a look at what she’s wearing, and fuck me, she looks good right now.
Tight black athletic leggings with a bright pink sports bra fitted perfectly to her body, showing off all the definition in her abdomen.
When my eyes land on her face, Zhuri is smirking at me. “Checking me out, Cammy?”
“You wish, Zhuri baby.” I wink at her, and she rolls her eyes.
She moves past me now to continue on down the trail, calling back to me, “Make sure you don’t stop in the middle of the trail, dipshit.”
I chuckle as I turn around, ready to continue on my jog.
And before I can move, Zhuri flies by me, screaming about something.
“What the fuck?” I yell.
“Goose!” she screeches.
I whip my head around and see a goose charging down the trail after her.
“Oh, fuck me…” I groan, heading off in the same direction she went.