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I roll my eyes. “You’ve been moody since breakfast, so spill.”
“Fuck, I don’t know.” He rubs a hand down his face. “I guess it’s just hitting me that I won’t be starting the season with you guys. It fucking sucks, man. All because of my own stupidity.”
“Shit happens,” I tell him. “You’ll be back on the ice in no time.”
“Dude, we have the charity game coming up next week. It’ll be the first one I haven’t played in since I signed with Boston.”
I frown. “Charity game?”
“Don’t tell me you forgot. We always get together during the last week of training camp.”
“Shit, I really did forget.” I feel nerves flutter in my stomach. “I don’t know if I should go to that.”
“What? Why the fuck wouldn’t you?”
“I mean…It’s not just our guys that play in that. I assume Logan and Oscar still come? Lyle?”
“Yeah, but you know those guys.”
“I knew those guys. Outside of playing against them during the season, we haven’t exactly hung out much.”
“Oh, fuck off. They’ll be ecstatic to play with you again.”
I can feel myself frowning, not so sure about that. It’s been years, after all. I’m practically an outsider.
“Dude, wipe that look off your face,” Jack chides. “You’re going to play, and it’s going to be a great time. Everyone will be stoked to see you, okay?”
I feel my ears heat. “This was supposed to be a pick-me-up for you, not me.”
“Yeah, well. Stop being a baby then. Let me do the wallowing.”
“You don’t have to wallow,” I tell him reassuringly. “You’re going to be back killing it before you know it.”
“We don’t know that,” he says quietly. “I just…What if this is my last year? What if I end up wasting part of it because I was fucking dumb?”
“You decide when you’re done,” I say calmly. “You finish when you’re ready. Just because I’m thinking this might be my last year, it doesn’t mean it has to be yours.”
“I guess.” He nods morosely. “It just sucks.”
“Hey.” I reach over and tap the toe of his shoe again, waiting for him to tilt his head up to meet my eyes. “I hate that you won’t be out there with us that first game too. It’s going to suck without you, man.”
“Because I complete you, right?”
His more Jack-worthy shit-eating grin spreads then, and I almost sigh in relief to see him coming out of his mood. Seeing Jack down is like watching a puppy cry or something. “Practically my better half,” I say seriously.
“I knew it,” he sighs. “My sister will be so heartbroken when she finds out you’re in love with me instead.”
“We’ll have to let her down easy,” I chuckle.
“Thanks, man,” he says more quietly. “I guess I was kind of in a funk today.”
“I get it,” I tell him. “I’d be the same way.”
“Don’t you get in a funk about the charity game. It’s going to be a blast. All right?”
“Fine,” I grumble.
He nods again, taking a deep breath before blowing it out. “Okay. Enough of this feelings shit. I’m going to go tell Rankin he was slower than your old ass.”
