Page 10 of Role Model

Somehow, Ottawa had still managed to defeat the superior Pittsburgh team. Mostly due to Wyatt’s outstanding goaltending, and also because of Rozanov’s two goals. Not only had Troy not contributed to the win, his sloppy play hadn’t prevented it. He didn’t matter at all.

After the game, the dressing room filled with reporters. Of course, they all wanted to talk to Troy after his first game as a Centaur.

He answered them all as blandly as possible. Yes, Ottawa had a different style of play than Toronto and he would need to adjust. No, he wasn’t distracted.

His answers were all variations on the same thing: he was focused on hockey and excited to contribute to his new team. Both statements were lies, but he would like them to be true.

Then some dickbag asked if he regretted what he’d said to Dallas Kent. As if it was a simple question, and not one that would send Troy spiraling. As if he wasn’t asking if Troy wished he hadn’t lost everything that mattered to him within a week.

Was anyone asking Dallas if he regretted what he did? Definitely not.

Troy swallowed down his anger and tried to form words. He glanced up and spotted Harris, obviously standing on a chair or something, snapping photos from behind the media scrum. They locked gazes, and Troy thought he saw sympathy in Harris’s eyes.

“I’m not talking about that anymore,” Troy finally said. He was proud of how flat his tone was, not giving away any of the storm of emotions that were raging inside him. But he also was hit by a fresh pang of guilt and shame. Because he knew in his heart that he should be talking about it. Everyone should be.

The reporters took the hint, and the scrum broke apart as they went to talk to Wyatt instead. Harris lingered behind. He’d lowered himself from the chair he’d been balanced on, and offered Troy a friendly smile.

“Not sure what that guy was expecting you to say.”

Troy could only grunt in response, but Harris kept smiling, and Troy kept looking at him. He had a nice smile, easy and genuine.

“Well, I should—” Harris gestured toward the reporters that were gathered around Wyatt.

“Yep.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow. For the Q and A. If you’re still available?”

Right. That thing. Troy had forgotten, and he really didn’t want to do it. “Look, um. I know your job is to, like, make us seem like fun guys or heroes or whatever, but I’d rather just focus on hockey. The other stuff isn’t for me.”

The light in Harris’s eyes dimmed. “Got it.”

Troy nodded, ready to be done with the conversation. “Okay. I’m gonna...”

“Sure.” Harris gave a forced smile that looked all wrong on his face. “I’ve got other hockey players to bother anyway.”

Troy almost replied. He almost assured Harris that he wasn’t bothering him, even if it wasn’t exactly true.

But he didn’t, because this was as gently as he could possibly let Harris down. In the past he probably would have just sneered at Harris, or let Dallas Kent do it for him. This was growth.

But he still felt like a fucking asshole as he watched Harris walk away.

Chapter Four

“What do you think of Barrett?” Harris asked. It was the morning after Troy’s first game with Ottawa, and for both professional and personal reasons, Harris couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Gen glanced up from her computer. Their desks faced each other in their small office. “According to pretty much everyone in the world of hockey, he’s a dick. And he hasn’t proved otherwise yet.”

“Everyone said Rozanov was a dick,” Harris pointed out. “That turned out to be wrong.”

Gen laughed. “Rozanov is a dick. He’s just a fun one. Troy is the not-fun kind.”

Harris frowned as he scrolled through the replies to his latest Instagram post, not really reading them. “I was thinking that maybe...”

Gen squinted at her screen, then clicked her mouse a few times. “What?”

“I don’t know. That he could use a friend right now? He seems...sad.”

That got Gen’s full attention. She leaned back in her chair, eyebrows raised. “You want to be Barrett’s friend? Wait. Never mind. You want to be everybody’s friend.”

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