Chapter 7 #2
“Alexei’s got some suits inside. If you want.” I am surprised by the voice behind me — especially since it’s Tremblay’s. I turn around and raise an eyebrow at him.
“I could show you where they are. If you want.” For a moment, I consider it. Even though it’s September, the air is surprisingly warm.
But then I remember that would put me alone in a room — a bedroom? — with Tremblay.
“No thanks. I’m good.”
He nods at this and seems unsure of what to do, standing and looking around at the pool deck.
He's taken off his hoodie in deference to the weather, and I see his broad shoulders stretching the Huskies t-shirt underneath.
Even though there are guys in the pool, we are essentially alone here for the moment.
“You, uh. You’ll want to be careful in the Dallas game.”
It comes as no surprise that Tremblay can’t let hockey go, even for a moment.
“I try to be careful at every game.”
“Yeah. Definitely. But Dallas can be really physical.”
I roll my eyes at him.
“Yes, Cap. I’ve watched the sport once or twice.”
He’s clearly getting frustrated, with me or with himself.
“No, I’m trying to tell you they’ll be bad with you in particular.”
“Are you saying they’re gonna have a problem with me being gay?”
He pauses before saying, “Yeah. I think so.”
It occurs to me that this is the first time Tremblay has ever admitted to homophobia existing in the hockey world. Before, he’s always been dismissive of it — but for a moment, he seems actually concerned.
Still, the anger inside me simmers. Who exactly does he think he is?
"Exactly how condescending are you trying to be right now? Because you're really nailing it."
A look of shock mixes with anger in his glare.
"Condescending? I'm trying to help you! You haven't been in this league as long as I have. You don't know what these guys are like."
Is he kidding me? As though I haven't been dealing with hockey players for almost my entire life?
"I've played hockey for seventeen years. I’ve been openly gay for five of them. I think I know a thing or two about homophobia.”
I push past him, eager to away from his sudden concern for my wellbeing.
I manage to stick around at the party for another hour or two, but every time I see Tremblay out of the corner of my eye, I can feel my blood pressure rise. As nice as it is to feel part of the team, I'm thrilled once I see people starting to head out, knowing that I can finally head home, too.
At first, I plan to catch an Uber, but when Mac and Hailey see me saying goodbye, they volunteer to drive me back into the city.
As we pull onto the interstate, Hailey turns in her seat.
“How are things going, Jamie? You settling in okay?”
Now I'm wishing I'd taken the Uber.
“It's, uh, it's been okay.”
Her forehead wrinkles and she bends over the center console, nearly in the back seat with me.
“Just okay? What's going on? Is someone being a dickhead about you being gay?”
My eyes widen and I catch Mac's gaze in the rearview. Is there a polite way to tell someone their girlfriend is absolutely terrifying?
He clears his throat.
“Honey, you're scaring the rookie.”
She turns to him, her face no happier
“You know who should be scared? Whoever's making his rookie season just ‘okay’. The only way this team is going anywhere is on his fucking back, Johnny. What the fuck is going on?”
I look out the window and consider whether I'm likely to survive an escape attempt.
“Um, it's fine. Really. Just, uh, a lot higher pressure than I'm used to.”
She seems skeptical, but she also seems to realize how strong she's come on. Her sweet smile is back and she reaches a hand out to pat my leg.
“It's definitely a bit of a pressure cooker. We bounced around in the AHL for a bit, which of course wasn't the goal at the time. But now, looking back, I realize it gave us a chance to get used to it all.”
I appreciate the perspective. There are no other true rookies on the team this year – they all went back to Des Moines. It's Matthews' first year of his ELC, but he's had the benefit of a couple of callups from Iowa already.
“But, listen, if there is someone giving you shit, just tell Johnny. It'll be taken care of.”
Honestly, I'm a little surprised to hear this. Mac is pretty quiet in the locker room, but he's Tremblay's d-partner and I've never seen him break ranks with Tremblay. I'm surprised to find he's such a vocal ally – or, at least, his girlfriend thinks he is.
As we pull up outside my hotel, I say my goodnights quickly and head to the lobby. But before I can get to the elevator, I hear my name shouted behind me.
“Hey, Carter! Hold up!”
Clearly, I'm not going to escape that easily. All six foot three of Johnny MacKenzie stands in front of me with a plate of cookies.
“I, uh, told Hailey we should give you these.”
“Uh...thanks?”
“But I, uh, wanted you to know...she's right. If you need someone to step in with anyone, you should come to me. Anyone, okay Rook?”
My eyes must give away my surprise.
“I'm sorry I haven't, uh, spoken up more. But can you not tell Hailey? We really don't have time to find a new Captain after she takes out a hit on Tremblay.”
I laugh at that, but I'm only half sure he's joking.
“Uh, thanks Mac. I don't think you need to do anything, but I appreciate the offer.”
“Well, let me know if that changes, okay?”
I look down at the plate, then back up at the defenseman in front of me.
“Thanks, man. For the cookies and...the other stuff.”
He nods his head and walks back out the door, leaving me in his wake.