Chapter Fourteen
SOREN
The view of Boston outside my hotel room window is gray and rainy and too much like the world is reflecting my worries. I turn away from it and toward the laughter and banter from Sage, Morgan, and Remy, sprawled on my bed.
Morgan and Remy have controllers in hand, elbowing each other as they battle in Gargoyles Gateway. Sage sits at Morgan’s side, a fidget spinner in his hand, cheering for both of them.
I check my phone for messages from my guys. It’s been four weeks since Tyler got hurt and he has a follow-up X-ray today. He said he’d check in after the visit, and I’m anxious for the results, but there are no new texts or missed calls.
My sigh is as heavy as the weight that’s been around my shoulders for the entire week we’ve been on this road trip. I collapse into the chair near the bed.
Sage nudges his socked foot into my calf. “I felt that from here. Any word from Tyler and Bax?”
“Not yet. I hope he gets good news. He was having a rough day.”
Remy slams the button on his controller, the move capturing all the coins on the screen, ruining Morgan’s chances of collecting any of the bonus points. “Why? What happened?”
“Stephens sent him screenshots of bullshit comments fans made after the injury.” I pause while they all swivel toward me in various stages of disbelief.
“Ones that said Ty was made of glass, needed to be kept in bubble wrap for his own protection, and questioned why the Metros would want someone so injury-prone.”
Sage bats at his fidget spinner, watching it rotate. “Stephens is a shit-stirrer.”
My head drops back, and I stare at the water stain that looks a lot like the profile of a raven on the ceiling. “I want to put my fist through the guy’s face. Tyler’s upset, feeling really low about it.”
“Tell Gio and Phil, and they’ll find a way to subtly get revenge on him at practice.” His thumbs smashing the buttons, Remy’s gaze is glued to the screen, navigating his character through a hedge maze mere steps ahead of Morgan’s character. “It’s good Tyler has Bax there to cheer him up.”
“I don’t think much cheering up is happening.
Bax is dealing with some drama in his band, so he’s feeling low too.
I can’t do anything to fix either of those situations, and that sucks.
” I grab my water bottle from the bedside table and down a mouthful.
Bax said this was the longest he’d ever gone in a stand-off with Layne.
Their interactions at practices and gigs are stilted and short, not friendly.
“It seems kind of unfair that things are going so great for me when sections of their worlds are far from happy.”
Morgan leaps his character over Remy’s. I know from playing this level with Bax and Tyler that they’re stuck in a dead end. He purses his lips as he makes another wrong turn, then pauses the game. “You’ve worked hard for years and have earned and deserve all the good you’re getting.”
Remy tosses his controller onto the bed. “Losing Pierre was a tough break, but everyone is pulling together, playing hard for each other, and you’re really stepping up for us. The team, from the players to the front office, appreciates that.”
“When I got called up, I never expected I’d be the starter, not the backup.” But that’s what happened. In the six games since my call up, I’ve started five.
Morgan sets the controller aside. “Quinn said Camden’s not happy about that, but Coach puts in whoever is playing better, so he only has himself to blame.”
“He better not be a dick to you about it. If he is, let us know.” Sage may be smaller than the rest of us, but he’s feisty and fierce when it comes to someone hurting his friends.
I grab the water bottle again, twist it open, then chug the contents. Backups play about twenty percent of games while the starters play about eighty, so it’s not like he played much when Pierre was here. “He’s been okay to me so far. He’s probably as hungry to play as I am.”
There’s only eight games left in the regular season, followed by however far we get in the playoffs. With each game and practice, I intend to prove that I deserve to be guarding the net for the team.
“His contract is done after this season and you’re the better goalie. The organization invested a lot in you, so you’re not going anywhere.” Sage bats at the spinner again and again, not giving it time to slow down. “I think you’ll be a Metro full-time next season, backing up Pierre.”
Nils essentially told me the same thing when we had lunch today, and he’s privy to conversations us players aren’t.
While I’m happy I’ve reached my dream, it’s not the fireworks, confetti, and parade kind of feeling I thought it would be.
It’s downright anticlimactic. I press the heel of my hand to my chest. And I’m okay with that.
Hockey, still a very important thing, isn’t the most important thing anymore.
My relationship with Bax and Tyler takes that spot.
Morgan tosses me a controller. “Play. I miss our road trip battles.”
We get the game started, and I take Remy’s place on the bed, laughing and doing whatever I can to get in Morgan’s way. My orange gargoyle faces off against his neon green goblin. Goofing off and unloading with these guys is what I needed.
As I unleash a fireball at Morgan’s goblin, my phone rings.
Clamoring to get to it, I drop the controller, and Morgan takes advantage of that, hitting my gargoyle with a blast that knocks him off course so his goblin can capture the treasure.
“It’s Tyler.” Remy grabs the phone from the table. He hits the button to open the video call as he passes the phone to me and somehow screencasts the call to the TV. “Oops, well it’s a group chat now. Hey guys.”
On the screen, Bax and Tyler sit together on the couch in Tyler’s room.
They both look worn out. With his messy hair and lines on his face, Bax looks as distressed as the Metros tee stretching across his chest. Tyler huddles beside him wearing a zippered hoodie I stuck in his room the day he arrived.
His sling is missing. My fingers itch to reach through the screen and touch them.
Tyler’s eyes widen as he takes us in. The dark circles under his eyes aren’t any better today. The only comfortable position for sleep is sitting up, but being in that position keeps waking him up. “Hey, all of you. I wasn’t expecting to see everyone.”
Everyone waves and says hello, and I raise my hand to hush them. “How was the X-ray?”
“My shoulder’s healing well. The doctor gave me some gentle rehab exercises, but I won’t be cleared for anything more strenuous for at least a few more weeks. He said I can ditch the sling, and just wear it when I need extra support, so that’s good. What are you all doing?”
“We’re playing Gargoyles Gateway.” Morgan waves his controller. “Your new controller came, right? Get on and play with us. Bax, you can use his old one.”
Tyler opens his mouth then closes it, and I’m afraid he’s going to say no. Then he sends a sideways glance to Bax. “You up for it?”
“Why not?” He stifles a yawn, the shadows under his eyes nearly as dark as Tyler’s. I’m glad we’re heading home tomorrow so I can be there for both of them.
I want to ask if he’s heard anything resembling an apology from Layne, but he’d tell me if he had. “Let’s play. Watch out for Morgan. And Remy.”
“Not Sage?” Bax’s lips lift in a genuine smile.
Sage shakes his head. “I’m only here to cheer people on, and cause mischief for the right price. You want me to take one of these guys out?” He mimes pushing Remy to dislodge the controller. “It’ll cost you a trip to the music store with me.”
Bax sits up straighter, looking more alert. “Oh, that’s easy. I’ll take you up on that.”
Laughing, I grab my controller and settle between Morgan and Remy. Sage being a menace, not at all his usual role, to make my guys smile means a lot, and I’ll happily sign on for a trip to the music store and buy him whatever vintage record he wants as a thank you.
As we wait for Bax and Tyler log in to the game, I move the call back to my phone so I can see them as we play.
Nils said opening up my world to Bax and Tyler helped elevate my game. I’m happier, more relaxed, and with hockey, I finally have what I’ve wanted. Outside of hockey, I do too. I only wish I could do for them what they’ve done for me.