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“Rook is so lucky. I hope he knows better than to fuck this up with you.”
“Yeah, me too.” She felt her heart start to race, and she pulled away from him, pointing towards the bathroom door. “Shower. Shampoo. Now.”
He’d managed to get to the arena on time, avoiding the scratch after some serious ass-kissing, and proceeded to have his most amazing game of the season so far. It was so clutch that the rumors about him being called up to New York had begun to circulate over social media, quickly replacing all talks of the cheating scandal.
She’d been at work when he’d texted her after the game.
T: Thanks for getting my head on straight today.
A: You know I'll always have your back.
T: I know. That's why I love you.
T: I mean that, Amara. I love you.
She quickly put her phone away but continued to pull it out periodically throughout her shift to stare at it.
On about the tenth view, she took a deep breath and pulled the trigger on the words she hadn’t even exchanged with Ryan.
A: I love you. too, Tyler.
Reality Check (14)
“So, Tyler Hayes, amazing game tonight. You posted two goals, three assists, seven shots on goal, just incredible hustle out there. That makes quite a few impressive games for you in a row now. You know, there have been lots of rumors flying lately about how you might get the call up to New York sooner than later. What are your thoughts on that?”
“Listen, you know, I’m just happy to be playing. It’s, uh, been a rough year with my recovery and, uh, I’m just grateful to have the opportunity to play. This is a great bunch of guys, and you know, I’m just lucky to be here and hopefully I can, uh, stay healthy.”
“Well, best of luck to you, Tyler. Thanks for your time.”
“Thanks.”
He hated giving interviews, but he understood that it was part of the deal. Hayes was many things, but articulate wasn’t one of them. He pulled off his helmet, signed a few quick autographs on his way down the tunnel, and headed into the locker room, where 80’s music was blasting. “Fuck, they got Rizz on aux again?” he bitched, having a seat at his stall and loosening his skates.
“You know you love the old shit, kid!” Rizz yelled from across the room.
“Yeah, apparently he’s not the only one who loves the old shit,” Seggy chimed in, pointing at Ryan’s stall. Ryan wasn’t there; he’d already made his way into the shower.
“Yoooo. That’s messed up,” Kasic said. “At least she’s hot though.”
“Eh, leave Rook alone. He’s just trying to get his senior discount,” Dalesy added.
“You know, Hayes, you hang out with her an awful lot.” Seggy threw a roll of tape at him. “You blowin’ those old ass hips out too? You better be careful, man. Brittle bones on those older broads.”
“The fuck you goin’ on about now?” Hayes replied, chucking the tape back at him and beginning to remove the rest of his gear.
“I just don’t know why you guys are wasting your time with some old ass bitch when there’s plenty of young, hot talent in need of proper defiling.”
“Hey, Segorsky: that ‘old ass bitch’ is my cousin, so how ‘bout we calm down with that shit?” Nick yelled, as he came into the locker room and went straight over to Hayes’s stall. “I need to work on your shoulder for a bit.”
“Tonight?” he whined.
“Yes, tonight. They’re really looking at you, kid. We gotta make sure you’re in prime condition. Let’s go.”
He followed Nick into the training room. “We’ll do some external rotation stretches, some pendulums, and then you’re free, OK? Lie down.” He lifted Hayes’s arm up and rotated it, holding it in place. “So: what’s this about you hanging out with my cousin?”
“I, uh, it’s not…I mean, it’s not…like that,” Hayes stammered.
“Calm down, I’m messing with you. I know you guys are friends. She tells me all the damn time.”
