CHAPTER SIX
LEVI
Spotting Gigi's caller ID on my phone, I know I have no choice but to pick it up – she’s relentless.
Whether she interrupted me when I was gaming, or while I was trying to study, she never really gives me a break.
Even when we were growing up, but still, it’s one of my sister's quirks that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Throughout our childhood, we only really had each other.
Our mom left when Gigi was just a baby. I think our dad honestly became too much for her to deal with.
I don’t believe that she would have left if she felt that she had any other choice.
And when she left, I was the one that took the brunt of his outbursts.
Sighing, I press the answer button before placing it on speakerphone, leaning back on the couch to get comfortable.
I don’t even have the chance to get a word in before she starts.
“How was Pilates, superstar?” She laughs, “Find your inner Zen? God knows you need it.”
I scoff. “Zen? I just used muscles I didn’t even know I had – and they all hate me now. I’m in so much pain.”
Gigi snorts. “That bad, huh?”
“Worse. I can’t believe I have to do this for, like, two months. It might actually be the death of me.” I mutter. Because… Seriously, this may actually kill me.
“Sounds like someone’s being a little dramatic.”
I’m not though. I swear I’m not.
“You try contorting into these random positions while she stands over you saying dumb shit like “belly button to spine” and whatever else. I swear, it’s torture.”
Gigi is silent for a beat. “She?”
Fuck. I should have fucking known she would home in on that.
“Uh… yeah. The instructor – Scarlett – she’s uh… really committed, I guess. To my form and all that. Yeah.” Why am I acting like a schoolboy with a crush? I don’t even like her.
“Uh-huh…” Gigi starts, “So you think she’s hot, don’t you?” Fuck.
“Well, maybe. I mean she’s easy on the eyes, though she’s way too pushy. So, take that as you’d like.”
“Hmmm. So, you hated the workout but liked the view, huh?” I need this conversation to be over, I can’t deal with this shit.
“Stop it, Gige. I’m not in the mood.” I snap.
“Alright. Just take it easy there, Romeo.” She teases. God, she’s irritating.
We’re silent for a moment before I decide to break it.
“Have you spoken to dad recently?" I ask cautiously.
Dad hasn’t reached out since the injury – it's the radio silence that concerns me.
“Uh, yeah. Yeah, he called.” My heart skips a beat. Why would he have called Gigi and not me? I’m the one that got injured.
“Yeah? What’d he say this time?”
Gigi is silent. Long enough that I have to check if the call dropped.
Eventually, she responds with a sigh. “Just that you should’ve seen that hit coming. That you should’ve played through the rest of the game.”
I laugh sarcastically. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
I would have expected nothing less, to be honest.
“I’m sure he doesn’t mean it like that.”
I scoff. “Gigi, of course he means it like that. Don’t stay down, don’t let them see you in pain. He’s been saying it forever, why would he stop now?”
“I’m sorry, Lev. You’re allowed to hurt, you know.”
I’m quieter when I say, “Not in his world, apparently.”
Silence encompasses us before I decide it’s time to wrap this conversation up for now.
“Alright, Gige, I’ve got to get going but I love you. Talk to you soon.”
“Love you too. Have fun at Pilates.” Her knowing tone saying it all, making me grin as I hang up the phone and place it on my kitchen counter.
I tip my head back, close my eyes and let out a controlled exhale.
My mind flicks back to the studio – replaying the session in my mind.
Scarlett’s soft, soothing voice. Her hands on me, correcting my form in a way that made my heart race.
So distracting. If I could just stop having this reaction to her, I could get on with my recovery slightly easier.
My mind then shifts to my dad. Since my mom left and never looked back, it’s just been the three of us.
Him, Gigi and I. And I don’t necessarily feel like that’s a good thing.
I feel we would be better off without him.
Maybe he even blames us for her walking out, though it could never be anyone but my dad’s fault.
I rub my hand over my jaw. I’m frustrated, I just feel so fucking helpless. My dad’s an asshole, I’m not allowed on the ice, I feel like I’m crumbling. How has my life completely fallen apart in six short months?
I can’t shake off the guilt that creeps in every single time I do anything that’s not spending time with Gige, especially during off-season.
She needs me on the ice, though. The NHL is good money, I need to be able to help support her. She’s all I have. She is worth it. I need to get healthy, there’s no other option.