The little asshole stuck the pod back in his ear and tried to walk away. If I let him, he would get the last word in again. I put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He thought he was so smart, but I was going to put him in his place right now.
“Shut up,” I said.
“No.”
“I told you the charges were dropped.”
“Who cares? You’ve still got a reputation for something you could’ve controlled.”
“What, are you going to give me that Court of Public Opinion crap?”
“No, I’m just saying it doesn’t matter that the charges were dropped. You still lost your head like an animal. At least that’s the story that’s been going around campus.”
“Well, maybe I should set the record straight.”
“Go ahead.”
“I was out with some friends at Mister Goodbar on Elmwood Avenue one night. I was minding my own business when this punk approached my table. I’m telling you he had more swagger than he knew what to do with. He wanted to fight, and I wouldn’t give him the time of day. For your information, I didn’t just march out there and fight him. I thought the whole thing was stupid. I didn’t even know who he was, we didn’t have a history, nothing like that. No need to get crazy.”
“So, why did you beat his brains in?”
“He just wouldn’t drop it. I just reached a point where I’d had enough. Besides, he’d made it pretty obvious he wasn’t going away without getting his fight, and I just caved. We went outside and threw down.”
“See? That’s really stupid.”
“No, it wasn’t. I made sure I had backup first.”
He rolled his eyes as if to say that wasn’t the point.
Why was I even telling him this? I hadn’t even told my other teammates or friends about what’d happened. Of course, they all knew. Word had spread like crazy, and Larkin University found out before the bars slammed shut. I was in Coach Hardison’s office practically the moment I stepped out of the holding cell, and I’d had some big questions to answer. All at once, I saw my hopes and dreams of being a professional hockey player swirl down the drain. I mean, I technically hadsomehope. I hadn’t started anything, and Coach Hardison seemed way more understanding than I’d expected. He didn’t cut me from the team or rescind my scholarship.
He did make sure I understood that my days as a Larkin Lion would be numbered if I got in trouble again. Believe me, I hung on every word that left his mouth.
When you think about it, Erik hadn’t been wrong. No, no, wait. Fuck that. I couldn’t concede to him, not even privately. The moment I started agreeing with Erik De Ruiter, I would wind up as much of a cream puff as him.
I felt like Ihadto tell Erik, compelled, like his stupid comment had made an explanation necessary. That was bad news too. He’d gotten under my skin just like that punk at Mister Goodbar had. No, I wouldn’t rearrange his face for him like I’d done to that other guy. See? I had a lot more self-control than Erik would ever admit I had.
“Part of being a leader is setting a good example,” he said. “And part of setting a good example is making smart decisions.”
“Where did you get that, dude? Mister Rogers?”
He half-smiled, not shaking his head exactly, but showing enough body language to say he found my comeback stupid…and thatIwas stupid. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if hewouldhave the same fate as the Mister Goodbar punk.
“Look,” Erik said, “it’s obvious we don’t get along. Probably never will.”
I clapped a hand to my cheek. “No kidding.”
“But you’re my teammate. You’re a hothead and a knuckle-dragger, but you’re still my teammate, so I’m going to plug my nose and try to get along with you.”
“Hothead. Knuckle-dragger. Plug your nose. De Ruiter, you’re doing a kickass job at getting along with me, you know that?”
“You’re the one that stopped me off the ice. I didn’t want to talk to you. So, that’s your own fault. From now on…”
I arched my eyebrows at Erik, waiting for him to finish that sentence with some version of how we shouldn’t talk to each other. That or he would push whatever shit he’d learned in some self-help seminar.
“From now on what?”
“From now on, it would be best for us not to bother talking to each other unless it’s on the ice. And when we are on the ice, you make sure your tongue stays nice and civil.”
