71. Leo
Leo
“Leo, wake up. You have to see this.”
I jolt from a dead sleep, struggling to peel my eyes open.
When I finally do, Lucy is sitting up in bed next to me, holding up her phone.
She turns the screen to me. “Your sister just posted about you on her Instagram.”
I sit up and grab her phone. It takes a few moments for my eyes to adjust.
“What are you…”
I trail off when I see the image. It’s not a photo though, like all of her other posts. Just a white box with a bunch of black text.
I read it.
I’m sure most of you have seen the video of that fight involving my brother, Leo. I’ve seen too many people spreading lies about him, so I’m going to set the record straight.
The guy Leo was fighting is my ex-boyfriend. What you don’t see in that video is what happened seconds before. My ex had just grabbed my face and shoved me into a brick wall. My brother reacted to protect me.
It might seem like his reaction was excessive, but it wasn’t. He was trying to defend me against my abuser.
Leo is my hero for what he did. I’d hate to think what would have happened if he hadn’t walked out at that moment.
I almost didn’t post this. I’m a very private person, and I don’t like talking about my personal life in such a public way. But I want to do this for my brother. He defended me, and now it’s my turn to defend him.
Now you know the truth about Leo. You know the kind of person he is. Please show him the support he deserves.
I stare at the post, stunned. Zoey put aside her need for privacy to publicly support me. To help me.
“I can’t believe she did this,” I say softly, my throat tight with emotion.
I look at Lucy, who’s misty-eyed as she looks at me. “Look how many people have read it. Look at the support you’re getting.”
Her post has gotten tens of thousands of likes and shares. “Holy shit.”
I skim some of the comments.
Your brother is a hero.
Way to protect your sister.
If anyone put their hands on my sister, I’d react the same way.
Leo Peretti is a stand-up guy!!!
I had no idea this was the cause of that fight. I’m sorry for what you went through with your ex. I’m glad your brother was there to help you.
Your ex deserved that beating. Never put your hands on a woman, ever.
I stare at the phone screen, blown away by the support I’m getting from total strangers. Zoey’s getting support too, which is comforting to see. She’s been through so much.
You’re so brave for sharing your experience as a DV survivor, Zoey.
From one survivor to another, you’re amazing, and you’ll get through this.
Thank you for sharing your story.
Sending love and support to you and your brother.
I hand Lucy back her phone, then grab mine from the side table and call my sister.
“Hey. I saw your Instagram post.” My throat tightens. “Zoey, you didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to, Leo. It wasn’t fair that you were getting so much hate for doing the right thing.”
“Yeah, but I know how private you are. I know it must have been really hard to talk about what Jeff did to you.”
She’s quiet for a second. “Honestly, it felt kind of good to put it out there. Freeing. I’m done hiding. I’m done feeling ashamed. You’re right. This wasn’t my fault.”
Relief courses through me hearing my sister say that.
“I’ve been getting a lot of nice comments,” she says. “It’s been really encouraging to feel supported by total strangers.”
“I’m glad, Zoey.” I swallow. “Thank you for standing up for me.”
“Thank you for protecting me. For everything that you did.” She sniffles.
“I’m your brother. I’ll always look out for you.”
When we hang up, Lucy and I head downstairs to feed Wally and make breakfast. We’re in the kitchen when the front door opens. Nick, Blake, and Travis walk in.
I look over at them, confused. “What are you guys doing back? I thought you’d be gone for the rest of Christmas Break?”
They drop their bags on the floor.
“We couldn’t stay away while you’re going through all this,” Nick says.
“Yeah. You think we were really going to let you deal with this alone?” Blake says.
Travis shakes his head. “We’re in this with you, man.”
I look at my teammates—my best friends. It’s two days after Christmas, and they cut their time with their families short so they could support me.
“We saw what your sister posted on Instagram,” Nick says. “We all reposted it to our accounts.”
“We started a hashtag too,” Blake says. “#IStandWithLP”
He shows me his phone screen. I see his post and the hashtag. That overwhelmed feeling inside of me grows.
I notice Nick is on the phone. “Hey, Coach Sawyer. This is St. George. I’m gonna put you on speaker.”
I look at him, confused. What is he doing?
“Hey, Coach. Morrissey here.”
“And Maxton.”
“Okay…” Coach says, clearly confused. That makes two of us
“We just wanted to let you know that if you bench or kick Peretti off the team because of the fight he got into, we’ll refuse to play,” Nick says.
My eyes go wide as I look at them. “What the hell are you guys doing?” I say.
They don’t answer me. They just stand there, looking at Nick’s phone, the calmest, steadiest expressions on their faces.
“Excuse me?” Coach Sawyer says.
“Look, we know that you’re mad about Peretti getting into a fight and the video of it going viral, but do you know why he did it?” Nick says.
“He was defending his sister from her abusive ex,” Travis says.
“Seriously?” Coach says.
“Yeah. And he shouldn’t be punished for protecting her. That was the right thing to do,” Blake says. “Any of us would have done the same.”
I stand there, stunned at how my teammates are defending me. At how they’re willing to put themselves on the line for me.
After a moment, Coach Sawyer finally speaks.
“I didn’t realize that was the cause of the fight,” he says. “You there, Peretti?”
I clear my throat. “Yeah. Hey, Coach.”
“I take back everything I said. You don’t have to worry about your place on the team. I’ll explain the situation to the administration. They’ll back off once they know what really happened.”
I exhale quietly, relieved. “Thank you, Coach.”
“I suppose I should have known that there was a good reason for you of all people to be in a fight. You’re a level-headed young man. You don’t lose your cool.” He sighs. “I’m sorry to hear about what happened with your sister. Is she okay?”
“Yeah. She’s safe now.”
“Glad to hear it.” He exhales sharply. “Well, gentleman. Anything else you want to talk to me about before I rejoin my family?”
“That’s it, Coach. Thanks for taking our call,” Nick says, then hangs up.
I look at my teammates, shaking my head at what they just did for me.
“I can’t believe you guys. I can’t believe you just did that.”
“You stuck your neck out for us countless times,” Nick says.
“Yeah. It’s about time we did the same for you,” Blake says.
Travis claps a hand on my shoulder. I swallow hard, overwhelmed and heartened by what my teammates have done for me.
They head to their bedrooms with their bags. I turn to Lucy, who’s standing in the kitchen.
I walk over to her, my hands on top of my head. “I can’t believe that just happened.”
A big grin spreads across her beautiful face. She reaches up and kisses me.
“I can believe it. You’re such a good person, Leo. Of course your friends and family would rally around you.”
I cup her face and kiss her mouth. “I wouldn’t have made it through all this without you,” I say.
Emotion flickers in her sapphire eyes. “You supported me through so much, Leo. I’ll always be here for you.”
Warmth burrows around my heart, making everything intense in the best way.
I wrap my arms around her, pulling her against me. Wally walks up to us and settles at our feet, wagging his tail.
All the uncertainty, all the stress from the past few days are gone in an instant.
All I feel right now is comfort. Contentment. Overwhelming joy.
I cup Lucy’s cheek in my hand and gaze down at her. That happy feeling coursing through me multiplies by a million. Through everything, she stayed with me. Grounding me, supporting me, defending me, loving me.
“It’s all gonna be okay,” Lucy says.
For the first time in a long time, it feels like it will.
* * *
I race across the ice, trailing the player from San Jose College who has the puck.
He passes to his teammate, who’s close to our net.
He winds up to take a shot, but Nick checks him, then races off with the puck.
I speed ahead so I can clear space in front of the San Jose College net. I want Nick to have as clear a shot as possible if he gets the opportunity to score.
It’s our first game of the new year, and the Hollis U home crowd is going wild. It’s the second period, and we’re tied two-to-two.
I watch as Nick focuses on the goalie. One of their defensemen is standing in the way of a clear shot, so I shift my position so I’m in front of him. I push back, throwing him off balance.
A second later, Nick shoots the puck. It sails past the goalie’s glove, sinking into the net.
The cheers in the arena are deafening as we huddle around Nick to celebrate his goal.
“Fuck yeah, dude. Way to break the tie,” I say.
He grins and points at me. “All because of you, man. You made it a clean shot for me. Best defenseman ever.”
When we break apart, the fans are going crazy, smacking the glass as they holler at us. But there’s only one person I see.
I zero in on Lucy. She’s on her feet, smiling and cheering, wearing my jersey.
I stare at her, grinning like an idiot.
I skate over to her. “You look damn good in my jersey.”
She giggles. “This is the third time you’ve said that to me tonight. You told me that twice during warmup, remember?”
“Can’t help it. I love seeing my girlfriend wear my name and my number.”
That pretty rosy blush spreads across her cheeks. She lifts an eyebrow at me, and the look in her eyes turns playful. “You sure I’m not distracting you?”
“No way. Having you here, seeing you in the stands, is helping me play better than ever.”
She beams. “You’re lucky you’re not easily distracted then.”
“Lucky to have you as my girlfriend.”
Emotion flickers in her sparkling blue eyes. Her lush mouth curves up into a heart-stopping smile.
Fireworks blast off in my chest. I still can’t believe she’s mine.
I look at her, at the woman who owns my whole heart. I really am the luckiest.