67. Leo
Leo
Call me. Now.
Istare at the text message on my phone that I just received from Coach Sawyer, my nerves going haywire.
I know exactly what he wants to talk about, even though he didn’t outright say it.
The video of me beating up Jeff has gone viral. In the past twelve hours, it’s had thousands of shares and reposts.
Coach is going to chew me out and then bench me. Maybe even kick me off the team. He’s a straight-laced, by-the-book guy and gets pissed off when one of his players makes headlines for bad behavior.
I toss my phone on the bed, then sit down, rest my elbows on my knees, and cradle my face in my hands.
Dread curdles through my gut. I’m about to lose hockey.
I huff out a breath, wishing Lucy were here so I could hold her and distract myself from this mess for a little while. But she’s at the diner working a shift and won’t be back until the evening.
I pick up my phone and skim the texts that Blake, Nick, and Travis sent me earlier this morning.
They’re all with their families for Christmas break, but when they saw the news about me, they started texting me. They asked what happened, and I told them I defended Zoey from her abusive ex.
Blake: Hey, so I know you’re getting a lot of shit online for what you did, but those people are fucking idiots. They don’t know the situation and are just talking out of their asses.
Travis: Yeah. Ignore them. You did the right thing. You were just protecting your sister.
Nick: If I saw a guy putting their hands on my sister, I would have reacted the same way.
Me: Thanks. That means a lot.
Nick: We’re behind you one hundred percent. If you or Zoey need anything, let us know, okay? Anything at all.
Travis: Seriously. Don’t hesitate to ask.
Blake: Yeah. We’re here for you, man.
Emotion knots through my chest. With all the chaos and uncertainty right now, it’s reassuring to know that my teammates have my back.
Before I call Coach, I call my mom to check on her. She answers on the first ring.
“Leo, honey. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. How’s Zoey?”
“She went out for a drive. She said she wanted to get out for a bit.”
Late last night, after Lucy and I had gone to bed, my mom texted me to tell me that Zoey told her everything that happened between her and Jeff and how I defended her.
She also told me that Zoey was staying with her.
I was relieved. I didn’t want her going back to her place.
Jeff might show up, even though I threatened him to stay away from her.
He’s an abuser, and abusers aren’t known for respecting boundaries.
“Really though. How is she doing?” I ask.
My mom lets out a heavy sigh. “I’m not sure, honey. She’s been really quiet. I can tell she’s been crying a lot.” She sniffles. “I just can’t believe I didn’t know what Jeff was doing to her. How could I have been so blind?”
Her voice breaks, and she starts to cry. My throat is tight. I hate hearing my mom in pain.
“Mom, don’t blame yourself. This isn’t your fault. No one knew.”
“I know, honey, but I can’t help it. I’m your mom. It’s my job to protect you and Zoey. You’re my babies.”
Tears burn my eyes at the guilt that’s so clear in her shaky voice.
“Mom, listen. There’s nothing you could have done.
Jeff put on a convincing front. He came off as polite and nice whenever he was around you and our family.
The only reason I found out is because I walked in on them by accident, and I saw him hurting her.
I don’t know if I would have found out if that hadn’t happened. ”
A sick feeling swirls through my stomach when I think about how long my sister suffered…and how it would have gone on for even longer if I hadn’t seen what I saw last night.
“I just want her to be okay,” Mom says, her voice sad and weak.
“I do too.”
“I want you to know, Leo. I’m so proud of the way you defended your sister.”
My throat tightens with emotion.
“Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
“I know there’s a lot of stuff going around online and on social media about you, but it’s all garbage. Don’t pay attention to any of that.”
“Easier said than done.”
“Oh, honey. I know it’s hard right now, but it’ll get better.”
“I hope you’re right,” I say through a heavy breath.
I ask her to text me when Zoey gets back to her house. We exchange I love yous, then I hang up.
I pull up Coach’s number on my phone and stare at it for a minute, my anxiety building with each passing second.
I can’t put this off. I need to face it head-on.
My nerves are going haywire as I wait for him to answer.
When he does, he doesn’t even bother with “hello.”
“Peretti. You wanna tell me why there’s a video all over social media of you kicking the crap out of some guy in an alley on Christmas like some sort of deranged thug?”
“I can explain, Coach.” But then I stop myself. Because I can’t tell him what happened.
I think about how Zoey hid the abuse she suffered from Jeff for so long. I don’t know exactly when it started, but it’s clear it had gone on for a while.
There’s a reason why she didn’t tell me or our mom or anyone about it. Because she didn’t want anyone to know. And I know she wouldn’t want me telling people what happened to her, especially not my coach.
I clear my throat. “Actually, Coach, I, uh…I can’t tell you why I did what I did.”
“What?” he barks.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t. It’s private, and I don’t want to betray the trust of everyone involved.” I take a breath. “But I swear, I had a good reason. The guy I beat up deserved it.”
He lets out a humorless laugh. “Well, that’s just fantastic,” he says sarcastically. “How wonderful that you’ve suddenly decided to become a vault of secrets.”
“Coach, I swear, it’s not—”
“Listen to me, Peretti,” he says, cutting me off. “You’re in deep shit. We’ve got reporters bombarding the university and the team with questions about you. Everyone’s asking why Hollis U’s star defenseman is behaving like a deranged psycho.”
“Coach, that’s not what happened. I was defending someone.” I bite my tongue so I don’t say more. I can’t betray my sister’s trust. She’s very private, and I know she wouldn’t want me talking about what happened to her with my coach.
“That’s not what it looked like in the video, Peretti,” Coach says. “It looked like you were going on a violent rampage. So unless you’re going to tell me the full truth, I don’t want to hear it.”
I sigh. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
He mutters a curse word. “I haven’t got official word from the Hollis U administrators yet, but it’s looking like you’re facing a suspension at the very least. And that’s if they’re feeling generous. At worst, you could be kicked off the team. Once I get the official word, I’ll let you know.”
He hangs up, leaving me feeling like I’ve been punched in the gut. I can’t be surprised though. This is exactly how I expected this would go.
I tug a hand through my hair and groan. Wally, who’s sleeping on his bed on the floor, looks up at me and starts to whine.
I reach down and pet him. “Rough day, buddy.”
I hear the doorbell ring. I head downstairs and answer the door. It’s Zoey.