12. Stefan
12
STEFAN
The last seven days have been a blur.
It’s been a week of booze, bunnies, practice, and playing that one question over and over in my head— Why did you sabotage your relationship with Chelsea?
That’s the million-fucking-dollar question, and even to this day, I still don’t know why I did what I did that weekend. I’d like to blame it on the booze, and yeah, it played a part in it but when I look back, I was at the height of my career but something was missing. Yes, Chelsea Maxwell is the sweetest person ever and I fucked her over in the worst possible way, but she and I were never going to make it. We were never couple goals. We were cliché, the coach’s daughter and his player. I’m just glad Nanna isn’t alive to see what I did to her, but I will never find myself in that situation again. If I bunny hop, feelings won’t get hurt, and I get to enjoy life, one bunny at a time.
Dropping my head back, water hits my face and cascades down my body. I ache all over. I was on fire tonight and together as a team we were seamless, and we deserved the win.
With my towel around my waist, I walk back into the locker room and when I look up I see the Three Stooges—Tania, Leif, and Wren—waiting for me. “Oh, look. It’s Larry, Moe and Curly,” I state as I come to stop in front of my locker and the trio.
“I call dibs on Curly,” Tania shouts, tousling her long curly hair. Then she looks to me with her I-mean-business look. “Get dressed and then we need to talk.”
“Ohhh, goody,” I singsong, earning myself a glare from all three of them.
“Stefan,” Wren says my name with a disappointed tone to it. It’s the first time I’ve seen her in person since the hot tub incident seven days ago. She looks tired and worn out, and for a microsecond, I feel bad, but then I remember her question— Why did you sabotage your relationship with Chelsea?— and any remorse I feel for her dissipates. She should have kept her nose out of my business. Therefore making my antics this week her fault.
“Cut the shit,” Coach Barber hisses when I make no move to heed their request. “Get dressed so we can chat.”
“Fine,” I nonchalantly reply.
Dropping my towel, I stand buck naked before them. Wren’s eyes widen, and her cheeks turn pink. Tania’s mouth drops open while Coach just rolls his eyes and shakes his head. Seeing dicks and balls is par for the course in the locker room.
“Put your junk away,” Coach says. “It’s nothing to be impressed by.”
“That’s not what the ladies have been saying this week,” I taunt as I pull on my sweats and make an exaggerated move to tuck my dick in.
“It is impressive,” Tania mumbles, and when she realizes she said that out loud, she spins on her heel and marches into Leif’s office. Wren follows while Coach waits for me to finish getting dressed. No doubt to make sure I head to his office and not sneak out.
“You really like toeing the line, don’t you, son?” he asks me as I slip my feet into my slides.
“What did I do now?”
He looks at me with a deadpan look on his face. “Really? You have no idea what you might have done?”
“Nope. We won tonight and I was on fire.”
“Yes, you were, and yes we did, but maybe this has something to do with your actions over the last week off the ice.”
“I haven’t missed a practice.”
“No, you haven’t, but you have arrived reeking of booze and sex.” I smile at that because he’s right. This week has been one long extended party.
“I don’t see a problem then.”
“Stefan, the fact you don’t see the problem is the problem. You were doing so well but this past week, you’ve gone off the rails.”
“I’m fine,” I snap at him.
“Fine is a relative term, Stefan.”
“What more do you want from me?”
“I want you to uphold your end of the bargain and stay out of trouble. Yes, you’re coming to practice and, I agree, you played phenomenally tonight but off the ice, you’re a hot mess. Tania has given you this opportunity to turn yourself around and you’re pissing it away. Things need to change or she will terminate your contract early, if she so desires. Th?—”
“You coming?” Tania shouts, interrupting Coach.
“Coming,” he replies.
Not having a choice in the matter, I slam my locker closed and follow Coach into his office where the three of them lay down the law.
“No booze. No bunnies. No sex. You will not eat, sleep, or move without Wren’s say-so.” Tania is looming above me as she lays out the new rules. This feels like déjà vu. Why are people in my life always telling me what I can and cannot do? I’m not doing anything illegal. Well, what I did with that chick last weekend is probably illegal in five countries but at the end of the day no one got hurt, no one died, and no one got arrested.
“Can I shit without checking in?”
“Your bathroom habits are your own, I don’t need an update on that,” Wren unhelpfully adds.
“How nice that you don’t want to follow my bowel movements. Just every other fucking aspect of my life.”
“That’s what they’re paying me to do.”
A silence falls over Coach’s office, and all eyes are on me. Normally I love the spotlight, but not this time. I can see why I need to rein things in, but this is over-the-top. I was hoping Wren would be gone by now, but I guess they mean business. I mean, she’s still here, and now there are more rules in place to keep me in check.
“Look, Stefan,” Tania interrupts my inner thinking. “We’ve said it countless times. You’re a great player, and no one is questioning that. We only want the best for you, and while you’re an employee of the Legends, you will do as I say. The season is nearly over and with the way things are going, we won’t be making the playoffs this year.”
“You keep reminding me,” Coach cries.
“And I will keep reminding you until we bring the Cup home.”
“Next season,” he nonchalantly states and a look passes between the two of them, making me think something is going on between them.
“Hello, I thought this was about me and not the Cup?” I interrupt their eye-fucking.
Tania turns her attention to me, and the look she gives me has me quaking in my boots. “Just think, if you put just as much effort into playing as you do getting laid, we’d have that Cup in our sights.”
Without another word, Tania exits Leif’s office.
“She means business, Stefan.”
“I know that,” I snap, then I lower my tone. “I know that.”
“Show us you know that and we won’t be in this predicament again. See you tomorrow for practice before we head down to San Fran.”
Coach walks out and now it’s just Wren and me left.
“I’m sorry,” she utters, breaking the silence. Turning toward her, I furrow my brows.
“Why are you sorry?” I hiss at her. “You get paid regardless of what happens to me.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the money, Stefan. Yes, I get paid to do this but at the end of the day, I want to see you succeed and Tania is right. You’re a God on the ice but off of it, you’re a…”
“Hot mess,” I finish for her.
She chuckles. “Something like that, but I was apologizing for asking that question. It’s none of my, or anyone’s, business, so I propose we leave the past in the past and focus on the future.”
“It’s not like I have a choice.” The look on her face is defeat, so I quickly add, “But I know I need to buck up. I promise to do better.”
She nods and smiles at me, but I can tell she doesn’t believe me. To be honest, I don’t believe me, but I want to go out on a high so I’m going to try.