Page 117 of The Alternate Captain
I feel a similar way about Vicky. She’s hard work, and not to mention the whole Liam thing.
In an ideal world, I know Vicky would want to stay put anyway, but I don’t have the spare cash to help her out with her rent, and I really don’t want to ask either of my parents, eventhough I know my mom would probably give it over just to get me off the phone—that’s the sad case of it.
But I park that for now, because Coach strides into the dressing room and puts his hands on his hips, ready to give his pre-game speech.
“Challenge Cup, boys. And we’re getting it done. I’d like to see more presence in front of the net, and it’d be useful to try out a different power play unit. I’ve been considering it for a short time, but I think we’ll give it a whirl tonight.” He looks at me and nods. “Koenig, you’re up.”
I take a few steps towards the front of the room, and I stop next to Coach, giving the guys a once-over before I talk.
“We’ve got something special here, guys. And Bettsy is showing us how strong and adaptable he can be, so please show him your support and create those plays. Remember, our focus is always on the next goal.”
A chorus of applause rings out, and I step back to my cubby to toss my jersey on and finish taping my stick.
Ultimately, I haven’t broken as many as I have done previously at this point in the season, and I don’t know if that’s down to Kelly or...
Shit, Kelly.
I glance over to the door where Bettsy is having a moment with the kid. Heads together. Laughing. I realise I’m actually jealous—not that it makes much sense. Ultimately, I miss being paired with him. And I’m wondering how long it’ll take him to notice how much I’ve been distancing myself from him.
But Kelly.
Is she here tonight to surprise me? Who knows? I spend time looking for her, wondering if I can spot her in the crowd. I’m scanning the rows to see if—
“Johnny, it’s yours!”
I’m checked into the boards, missing the puck entirely because I’m not paying attention. For fuck’s sake. Luckily for me, I chase the puck down and then clear it back to Danny,who receives it in the neutral zone. He presses on with a forward attack, so I change it up with Bettsy, my heart sinking a little when he sails past me towards the point.
I try to push Kelly out of my head, putting all my focus on the game, but it’s harder than I expect. Since I know she won’t be at any home games, this is never usually a problem.
It takes until the end of the second period for me to get a break from the thoughts of Kelly, when Bettsy stops at the end of the bench and waves up into the crowd and I spot not Kelly, but his other sister, Stacey. All that’s similar is the deep shade of auburn hair, but otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have recognised her.
“Who the hell is that?” Danny says, coming to a stop behind Bettsy.
“My sister, and before you ask, no, she’s not available.”
“How many sisters do you have again?” Danny says. “Isn’t there one called Kelly?”
“Again, she’s not available either. In fact, she’s more off-limits than Stacey. And I’ll break anyone’s legs who tries so much as a smile in her direction. She’s nineteen and has potential. She doesn’t need any losers like you sniffing around.”
There’s a lump in my throat that I can’t swallow down. Guilt.
The same guilt that I carry around the rest of the evening that only slips away, temporarily, when I video call Kelly. I’m happy in that bubble. I even go to sleep with a grin on my face after some unexpected phone sex.
But as soon as I see Bettsy the next day, it bubbles to the surface again.
Morning skate, team brunch, video playback. All I can hear is the voice in the back of my head screaming at me, telling me I’m a disgrace and that he’s gearing up to snap my legs in two.
Even a win doesn’t put me back in high spirits.
But there’s a conflicting thought pushing through.
Kelly is supposed to be waiting for me at my apartment. And I can’t fucking wait. I’ve never been this excited to get back from a road trip before.
As I stand next to the coach after helping to load the gear on, I end up texting Kelly back and forth about my impending arrival home and how I plan to show her how much I missed her. I only slip my phone away when I hear the double doors open, and I see my sister approaching me with her bag. She looks upset.
“Are you alright?” I ask as she pulls me into a hug. “What’s going on?” I hug her back, feeling compelled to comfort her. “Is this about Liam? Because I’ll kill him.”
And that makes me feel even fucking worse. I've been so wrapped up in my own little world, I haven't been looking out for Vicky like I usually would.
