Page 53 of Blindside Me
“No! Not like that. I just meant…” I pause, swallowing past the lump of despair that’s been my life. “Everyone who’s ever been close to me has left. My dad died when I was seven. It’s not his fault, but Mom checked out after that. I already told you how she chases the next guy. She’s never around. Once, she was gone so long that I stayed with my uncle. But when he got the head hockey job at Cessna, he left.”He didn’t want me either.
“Coach left you?” Anger laces his tone, but I shake my head. I have to be careful. I don’t want him to hate his coach. That’s bad for the team. And as much as I’d like to stick it to my uncle, I can’t have the team fall apart.
“It’s complicated.”
“How?”
“He didn’t have legal guardianship and couldn’t pass up the coaching job.” That’s mostly true. He didn’t have custody of me. The living arrangement was temporary. Mom was always in and out.
“That sounds selfish.”
I brush it off like it doesn’t matter. “It was a long time ago. Don’t let it get to you.”
“I still don’t like it.”
“Thanks, but I’m handling things with my uncle.”
Drew’s mouth tightens, but I keep going. “I accused Roman of cheating once. He denied it and threw my past in my face. Said, ‘No wonder you don’t know what a healthy relationship looks like.’ That wrecked me.”
My voice cracks. Drew’s fists clench tighter.
“I should’ve ended it then, but I believed him. Up until I caught him with my roommate.”
“Fuck. That’s … I don’t know what to say. I’ve always hated that guy. I’m glad I got a few punches in.”
“I’m not one to advocate for violence, but I’m not sorry you did.” A thought hits me. They’ll meet again on the ice. They have a home game against them soon. “Just don’t do it again.”
His lips twitch. “Make no promises, Trouble.”
“Seriously. Don’t do anything stupid. He’s not worth losing a career over.”
That sobers him. “So, you left after you caught him?”
“Not right away. But I went a little off the rails.”
“What’d you do?”
“I threw red paint all over a mural that the art class spent a semester on. Something about eternity and forever love.” I laugh, but it’s brittle. “The paint never came off. I’m a campus legend.”
I abandon the paintbrush and press my palms to my thighs, bracing myself for his judgment. Or worse, say nothing.
His face softens. “You got kicked out for that?”
“Not technically. But I burned too many bridges. Made it easier to leave.”
“Then, your uncle got you into Cessna?”
I nod. “Pulled strings. Promised I’d keep my head down.”
He is quiet for a moment. Then, he picks up his brush again and begins swirling a deep green into his painting. I think the conversation is over, but then he clears his throat.
“My brother used to be the one everyone talked about. The true campus legend.”
I blink, startled by the shift in his voice.
“Jake Klaas. He was faster. Flashier. My dad thought he’d be the one in the family to go pro.”
I glance at him, surprised. “You said he had an accident. Did that end his career?”
