“We were both stiff as a board,” I said. “You know why? Because there’s something between us.”
Kayden’s stick made a cracking noise when it struck the ice, smacking a puck into the net. An echo resonated throughout the rink. He moved onto the next puck and the next, and I followed.
“Neither of us planned it,” I said. “It is what it is.”
No answer from Kayden.
“Instead of running away from what happened, we should actually confront it. No fear.”
I heard Kayden mutter something along the line of, “You don’t know when to quit, bro,” under his breath.
“I know what you’re going to say, but I think the best way to deal with this is to not just talk about it but…see if there’s something more.”
Now Kayden looked up, his eyes opened wide. I still didn’t flinch, but for the first time, I sensed that things could turn from ugly to grotesque.
He aimed a finger at me. “That’s the type of shit that’s gonna land us in even more trouble.”
“No, it isn’t. It’ll solve our problems. You’ll see.”
“I don’t even want to hear about it. I just want to pretend like none of this ever happened.”
“You know that’ll never work, right?”
“Why not?”
“Because running from the truth never works.”
“Look, bro. I don’t know about you, but I’m straight as an arrow.”
I tried not to roll my eyes, but judging by Kayden’s response, I must’ve done a crappy job.
“Don’t believe me?”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just that?—”
“I’ll make it simple for you. I know why I’m here. I want to win a championship for Larkin and then get drafted to the NHL. Those are my only goals. I don’t need any complications.”
“In case you missed it, I don’t need complications either. That’s why I’m trying to figure this shit out.”
He kept shooting pucks at the net. That action said the conversation had closed as far as he was concerned, but I knew better. It was the latest example of Kayden’s stubbornness.
“This is going to be awkward,” I said.
He fired another puck at the net but missed. He whispered “fuck” and then took another shot.
“How do we get around this then? We’re on the same team.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“Then you should care about fixing this as much as I do. How do we?—”
“Just don’t talk to me.” He stood straight and tall, puffing his chest out. “It’s that simple. If we don’t talk to each other, if we avoid all contact, if we pretend like each other doesn’t exist, then we won’t have to worry about giving in to anything.”
He slapped another puck hard, like my every word enraged him more and more.
“It’s not as easy as?—”
“Don’t take that as a suggestion, De Ruiter. Take it as an order.”
