7. Hunter
seven
hunter
Last night didn’t go as planned, not at all, but I shouldn’t be surprised. Anytime my father is involved in anything, it always goes to shit.
When I left Stevie to do his bidding, he gave me a long lecture about watching out for gold-digging women.
He’d drilled the whole “women are gold-diggers” bullshit into me since I was a kid, but I didn’t give a fuck about it.
I have so much money in my trust fund, why would I give a shit if a woman wanted some from me? I’d be happy to give it.
Nonetheless, his words had soured my mood, and I’d barely paid attention to Stevie while taking her home. I regret that now. I should’ve kissed her. I should’ve slipped my hand under her dress and made her come. I wanted to hear her moan and fall apart for me.
I put on my running clothes and head out.
It’s still dark. I can run several miles all the way to the pier and watch the sunrise.
Maybe it’ll clear my head. I can’t figure out what’s drawing me to Stevie.
It must be her sweet face, her innocence.
I want to dirty her for some reason. I want to claim her like some primitive beast. Make her mine.
I run faster as thoughts of Stevie cloud my brain.
Her flushed cheeks when I was touching her face, her wide eyes full of curiosity and heat, her glorious tits heaving.
The memory of her telling me she’s in my debt pops into my head.
Last night was supposed to be me taking my payment by fucking her senseless.
I run faster. She better not think she’s out of my debt by accompanying me to the art gallery opening. That was nothing.
My breath comes out harshly as I sprint to get my anger out.
Fuck my dad for ruining everything.
The sky is lightening as I get closer to the pier.
A few stars are still visible. I pump my legs faster, lungs burning.
Besides hockey, running is one of the few things that relaxes me.
It’s usually sex too, until I had a harder and harder time finding partners who liked my rough handling and dirty talk.
I’m not sure innocent princess Stevie will like it, but I’d like to find out.
I reach the pier as the sun’s rays peek out over the horizon.
Wispy cirrus clouds grab the light, weaving it through them, turning yellow into a warm orange.
When I was a kid I was obsessed with the sky.
I studied cloud formations, constellations, and moon phases religiously.
For a while, I wanted to be a meteorologist.
The sky seemed like a perfect escape from the drama of my home life.
My feet tread hard on the boards of the pier.
I sprint as fast as I can all the way to the end and collapse over the railing, looking out at the gray ocean churning below.
A dip would be excellent right now, to wash off my sweat and cleanse my thoughts.
I’m considering it a little too seriously when I feel a hand clap my back.
I turn my head, still leaning against the railing, to find Jamie, one of my best friends and a winger on my team. He’s breathing hard like me, sweat running down his temples. We usually run together around 6am on the weekends, but I didn’t wait for him this time.
“Thanks for the invite,” he says.
“Sorry. I needed to get out of the house.”
“Couldn’t sleep?”
I shake my head. “As usual.”
I’ve had pretty bad insomnia since I was a kid.
It either takes hours for me to fall asleep, or, if I do fall asleep quickly, I wake up at least once or twice throughout the night, unable to fall back asleep.
It’s hell. Sleeping pills don’t help. Meditation doesn’t help.
Deep breathing exercises don’t help. I’ve tried it all.
“Sorry, man,” Jamie says, and I shrug. “How was the gallery opening?”
“Fucking stupid.”
“What about your date? Did you fuck her?”
I bark out a laugh. “Not even close. My dad cockblocked me real good.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. Gave me the whole ‘beware of gold diggers’ speech.”
“Oh, fuck that.”
“I know.” Jamie has generational wealth, the son of a finance tycoon. He spends his money freely. He might even be a little too generous. But he always quips that he’s not going to be able to take the money with him to the grave, so he might as well spend as much as he can while he’s alive.
“Don’t let it get to you, man. Just ask her out again.”
I nod. I was planning on it, under the guise that Stevie still owes me. Maybe once I scratch that itch, she’ll finally get out of my head. Maybe she’ll be a boring ass lay and I’ll lose interest like I always do. There’s only one way to find out.
Jamie nudges me with his shoulder. “I’ll race you back,” he says, and takes off.
JAMIE AND RYDER drag me to Finnegan’s later that night.
We sit at our usual booth. Several girls make a beeline to us as soon as we sit down. One of them puts her hands on my shoulders from behind, massaging them and whispering in my ear that she wants me to fuck her brains out tonight. I shrug her off.
“We shouldn’t be here,” I tell my friends. “We have practice bright and early.”
Jamie shrugs, taking a swig of his beer. “That’s 12 hours from now.”
“Yeah, don’t be such a fucking buzzkill, man,” Ryder adds. “You’ve been acting off all day.”
I suppress a sigh. Yeah, I know I’ve been off all day. I just didn’t realize I was doing such a shit job of hiding it. I sip on my Coke and scan the bar while Jamie and Ryder go over last week’s game.
“You need to get less penalties. Every time you’re in the box, it costs us,” Jamie tells Ryder, who rolls his eyes. Ryder is a defenseman and a hothead. He ends up in the penalty box at least twice per game, and, yeah, it’s cost us the whole game before.
“I don’t give a shit. Play better when I’m not there,” Ryder says.
“That’s what I’m talking about, man,” Jamie counters. “You’re not being a team player lately.” He looks at me for backup. As the captain of the team, it’s up to me to keep other players in line. A role I sometimes resent.
“Can you at least keep it to one penalty per game?” I ask Ryder. He has a lot of shit to deal with at home, and hockey has always been the number one outlet for him. It’s how he gets his anger and aggression out.
Ryder rolls his eyes again. “I’ll try,” he says grudgingly.
“Thanks.”
Jamie throws his hands up. “You better not fuck it up for us on Friday. We’re up against Greenwood.”
Ryder gets up. “I’m gonna get another beer.”
Jamie leans in across the table and glares at me. “You know he’s becoming a liability, right?”
“I’ll talk to him later,” I say. “This isn’t the place or time.”
Jamie slumps back against his seat. “Fine.”
Jamie’s one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met, and that’s really saying something.
He hates to lose. A single loss can put him in a fucked-up mood for days.
He’s one of the best passers in the league.
I don’t know how he does it, but he somehow manages to get the puck through the slimmest of openings.
He also rarely gets aggressive, in direct contrast to Ryder.
I watch as Ryder walks towards us with two bottles of beer, one for him, one for Jamie, and then an unwelcome sight has me clenching my fists and almost rising out of my seat. Jamie turns around to see what’s got my attention. “What the fuck is he doing here?” I snap.
He is Axel Bauer, my former best friend and current biggest rival.
He plays forward for Greenwood U, our rival university.
We’re playing them this week, and he knows better than to encroach on my territory.
I don’t fucking go to his part of town. And he’s not alone either.
Half the players on his team are with him. Motherfucker.
“Hunter,” Jamie says. “Don’t. Don’t react. That’s what he wants. Act like he’s not even here.”
Typical pacifist Jamie. But he’s right. I unclench my fists and take a deep breath, willing myself to relax. Ryder reaches us then and slides into his seat beside me, and immediately clocks Axel’s presence. “What the fuck?!”
“Chill,” I tell him. “Don’t engage.”
“Are you kidding me? They think they can just come to our bar and get away with it?” Ryder rises, looking murderous. I clamp my hand down on his shoulder and push him back down. “I said chill.”
“Hunter, come on, man. You’re gonna let him disrespect you like that?”
“What’s your grand plan, Ryder?” Jamie cuts in. “Beat him up before the game? And then what? Don’t be a fucking idiot.”
Ryder takes a long swig of his beer, eyes never leaving Axel.
I don’t think he heard a word Jamie said.
It’s like a red flag was waved in front of a bull.
Luckily, the Greenwood players move out of our sight after a few minutes, to the other side of the bar.
I’m still pissed as hell, but if I don’t see them, it’s easier to pretend they’re not here.
Jamie starts talking about some new movie he’s seen lately, and I know he’s steering the subject away from any hockey talk. Anger fizzes through me. I sip on my Coke, annoyed as hell.
Axel is a fucking asshole. We were friends from childhood through high school.
It wasn’t until senior year of high school when he fucked my then-girlfriend Alana behind my back that I saw him for who he truly was.
It had shocked me to my core. It’d been a relief when he’d gotten accepted to the University of Greenwood the next town over.
At least I didn’t have to be on the same team as him.
It’s always a heated game when we play against each other, and it looks like he wants this next one to be a massacre.
Half an hour later, I’m ready to leave. I just have to make sure Ryder comes with me or he’s going to start something with the Greenwood players when I’m gone. I’m about to convince him to leave with me when I’m surprised for the second time in less than an hour.
Stevie has just walked into the bar.