Page 79 of Unlovable Player

I note the NHL logo embossed in the corner of the page and read quickly.

Dear Austin Donoghue,

We would like to invite you to attend a rookie training camp this summer, starting…

I look up at Coach, he’s grinning at me like a proud parent. I look down again at the letter.

“What is this? They already invited me to a rookie camp when they drafted me. They sent me back to juniors.”

“Did you ever believe you weren’t going to be signed?”

My whole body sighs into the chair. “Actually, yeah.”

He chuckles and shakes his head. “Austin, you are one of the greatest young talents I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. And on top of that, you have a maturity and sportsmanship beyond anyone of your age, you just took a little longer to settle into your confidence, that’s all.”

While he talks, my heart sinks a little, because I haven’t been very mature recently. And I haven’t always displayed good sportsmanship behavior either, especially when it comes to Seb.

“Are you going to call your mom and tell her? Or will you wait until you see her in person tomorrow?”

Usually, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from calling her, but this time, something’s stopping me.

“I might wait until tomorrow. Surprise her.”

Coach smiles and makes a gesture of zipping his lips.

He stands and shakes my hand as I’m leaving. “Congratulations Austin, you deserve this. I imagine we should be expecting a call very soon from a representative-”

He talks about agents and reps and contracts and I nod and smile because fuck, I’ve wanted this for so long, and now it’s actually here, it doesn’t feel the way I thought it would. Being signed to the NHL won’t magically solve every problem in my life. It won’t make anything clearer than it was before.

It’s a relief, of course, but it’s only one part of a bigger picture.

There’s one person I want to tell besides my ma, but they’re the one person who doesn’t want to talk to me right now.

SEBASTIAN

It’s been hell ignoring Austin all week. But it’s the right thing to do.

After the party, my dad called and told me I’d be starting work at the company the day after graduation – no arguments. Either that, or I was cut off, completely.

I throw my bag down at the end of the bed and think about turning the PS5 on, but I don’t have the energy. Somehow, a game is even more draining when we’re un-coordinated and end on a draw.

The doorbell rings as I open my email up on my phone.

I see an email from the Vancouver Canucks as I get up to ask who it is.

I freeze.

Whoever’s there rings the bell again.

“Yeah?”

“It’s me, Austin.”

Fuck.

“Seb? You there?”

“Yeah, uh, come up.”

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