Page 135 of Wrong Pucking Jersey

Conflicted? Sympathy?

I can’t figure it out.

With a sigh, I let my hands go through the massive holes of the sleeves, and here I am, wearing his jersey.

“Sorry.”

I frown and slowly turn around to face the hockey player before me. He can’t meet my eyes, but I can see a sort of defeat in them as they look anywhere but at me.

“Jayce,” I whisper. It grabs his attention enough to meet my studying gaze. “Did you cause that accident?”

He bites his bottom lip before he curses.

“I can’t answer that, Mickey.”

“Don’t call me Mickey,” I remind him. “Were you on that road looking for a thrill or something?”

“You just like blaming me,” he concludes with a huff. He’s angry again.

“Were you doing donuts? Those spins in the middle of the road that you used to enjoy when we were younger.”

“I didn’t do shit!” he snaps in my face.

“Why are you lying to me, Jayce?!” I snap back. “Just tell me!”

“Everything is at risk, Johnson!” He shouts, the sound echoing around us. “My career. My reputation. My life is in the hands of how the world sees me. How Strattonville portrays me! I don’t have any fucking control over it. It’s not like I’m in Saskatchewan, which is the home turf for our team. I’m lucky to even have connections here because Strattonville is my hometown! Everything is on the line with this hockey shit, and I, the Captain of Saskatchewan Pincers, need to be on my best behavior.”

“Yet you’re doing silly shit on the road, endangering the very citizens you want nothing but praise from, and almost got a child killed,” I summarize and don’t even hide my disappointment. “Jayce, you almost killed that girl.”

“I didn’t kill anyone!” he spits in my face.

This is my sign to move away, so I do.

“Where are you going, Johnson?”

“To the wall right here,” I announce as I lean back against the wall. “When you’re ready to not scream in my face, we can have this conversation.

“You’re the one antagonizing me, accusing me of shit I didn’t do,” he snaps and stomps over to me.

I don’t budge. I just cross my arms over my chest and zone him out.

He knows I’m not listening to his next set of words, which is why his hands slam next to my head, blocking me off completely, so I’m now staring up at the towering hockey captain whose face is red and eyes even more enraged.

I don’t say a word, though, because I know better.

I’m the more mature one in this situation.

Behind those eyes of fury, I see the true emotion he’s desperate to hide.

Fear.

So much fear that wants to be acknowledged and be set free in this judgmental world. The only problem is, Jayce would never submit to it. There’s too much at risk for him to let it go and be true to himself.

I get that… but what he did was wrong.

“You never pick my side,” he snarls. “Why?”

I keep my mouth shut, unable to answer him, as I’m forced to remain exactly where I am. It reminds me of being in an elevator. The metal walls surround you until you reach your destination. Only I’m stuck being confronted by my ex, who can’t comprehend why we don’t work.

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