Page 41 of Game Misconduct

That was one of the lessons I learned on my last team. Most people had a very clear idea of what they thought a professional athlete should be. I usually let them down, so they tried to change me. I didn’t resist because that would mean speaking up and possibly losing the few friends I had.

It was wrong. I knew that even in the moment, but I didn’t fight it. It was easier to learn the lines and play the role.

The Fury wasn’t that way. The guys didn’t expect me to act a certain way or have one type of personality. They wanted me to be at my best and encouraged me to push myself, but it never crossed a line.

That was it.

That was how Viv made me feel too. Like it was okay to be me, quiet, unsure, and usually saying the wrong thing. She didn’t mock me or make me feel less than. She was patient, giving me the extra time I needed to organize my thoughts or examine and understand my feelings before I responded to things.

With her, I didn’t worry about my flaws or doubt myself.

“Are you listening?” she asked.

“No,” I admitted. I’d been completely lost in my thoughts of her and didn’t realize she’d spoken.

She slapped my knee. “Parker, I realized tonight that I don’t really know you. I get you’re more reserved, but I want to know what goes on inside that head of yours.”

I nearly cringed. She really didn’t want to know.

“Like what?”

“You mentioned your parents, but I don’t even know if you have siblings.”

Well, that was easy enough. “An older brother. He lives in Toronto too. He played hockey like most kids do but never really liked it. He’s a math teacher now.”

She leaned in. “Are you two close?”

I shrugged. “We text every few weeks, but we’re both pretty busy.”

“And your parents? Are you close to them?”

“I love my family, and wish we were closer, but since I moved out at sixteen I had to grow up fast. I’ve moved around a lot since then, and it’s forced me to be independent. I guess that’s why I tend to be quiet and kind of closed off. I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to form lasting connections, like other kids in high school, so relationships are harder for me.”

Her lips tipped up in a barely-there smile. “That makes a lot of sense. You want to though, right? You want those relationships?”

I dropped my eyes and nodded. “It didn’t bother me very much until I moved here. But yeah, now I do.”

“Good, ’cause I think you’re stuck with all of us for a while.”

I chuckled. “I’m okay with that.”

Her eyes sparkled as she laughed with me. “Me too.”

“And what about you?” I asked, eager to know more about her. “I don’t even know where you’re from or anything about your family.”

“I grew up in Arizona. My mom went to the university up here so that’s why I chose it. I accidentally fell in love with the four seasons and the city, so I decided to stay. My parents still live just outside of Phoenix, and two of my three brothers stayed in the area. The oldest, Will, lives in Oregon.”

“Three brothers? Wow.” No wonder she could handle herself with all the guys on the team.

“Yeah, they’re all older, too, so they loved to gang up on me and make sure I never forgot where I fell in the pecking order.”

I let out a bark of laughter. “No wonder you’re so tough.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think I’m very tough.”

I just smiled. I thought that was the end, that I somehow lucked out with those easy questions, but she continued.

“So I know you don’t have any hobbies, we’ve covered that, but what’s your one thing. Like, what else do you like besides hockey?”