“Are you going to leave me the fuck alone now?” I asked.
“No way. I know that something in you seriously changed and that’s all I can trace it back to.”
You know what the worst part of all was? He was one hundred and ten percent right, if such a thing was possible. But I wouldn’t hand him that much credit.
“I told you before,” Jax continued, “that guy’s really gotten into your head. That’s the worst possible thing for any hockey player.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“I still don’t see how that has made your libido go in the toilet. And don’t tell me it hasn’t. Before, you would’ve been the one showingmepictures of hot babes.”
That was true, but it didn’t concern me at this moment. I cared about the fact that he hadn’t figured it out. If he had, he would’ve come right out and said it. No one ever accused JaxEchlin of having tact, or a personality, or more than a handful of brain cells.
Problem was, he would find out about my true feelings eventually. And no, I couldn’t simply strike them down or pretend they didn’t exist. If I could then we wouldn’t have had that conversation in the first place.
We zipped up our equipment bags, hefted the straps over our shoulders, and marched out of the locker room. I wanted to get the hell away from Jax, but you all know how my luck has been since my face ran into Jakob Martin’s fist.
“We’re going to The Government this weekend.” Jax referred to the nightclub on West Chippawa Street. “It’s a total pussy emporium. No way on earth you won’t be going home with someone.”
That piqued my interest, and it must’ve showed, because Jax’s face lit up. Even the club scene had fallen off my radar in the midst of everything that’d happened to me. Initially, I wondered if I would run into Jakob there, too. That would be just my luck. If by some miracle he laid me out again, there would be a club teeming with beautiful and available girls to witness it.
“You down?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“Awesome. I’ll let the guys know you’re coming. Gotta fly. Got a paper to finish.”
He offered a small wave as he headed off to the right. Thank God. I honestly thought I would never get rid of that guy.
Jax’s temporary absence wouldn’t solve my problems, though. I knew a trip to The Government, or the pussy emporium as Jax had so poetically called it, wouldn’t change a thing. Jakob Martin had gotten into my head. Some would say he was living there rent-free. The worst part was, I couldn’t do anything about it.
Sure, I could go to The Government with the guys, and I could take a girl home, but it wouldn’t matter. I would think about Jakob Martin the entire time.
God, help me…
14
JAKOB
Levi Dunn was one of those guys that crushed beer cans on his forehead and consumed one hundred chicken wings in a sitting if it involved competition. I felt lucky he didn’t go cow-tipping or light his own farts. Then again, I didn’t spend every waking moment with him. Either way, the guy really was that much of a stereotype.
He also dated Quinn Standish, which stunned all of us for more reasons than one. The whole thing came out last year, and none of us could believe it. Levi Dunn, Mister Macho himself, was gay.
Only, he’d never used the word gay. Or bisexual. Or anything else for that matter. He was an item with a ginger nerd who couldn’t have been more his opposite. He had a penis, and that was all that mattered.
We cruised down Main Street toward the Scajaquada Expressway in Levi’s car. As he blew through a red light, I finally summoned the nerve to ask the big question.
“So, how are things with you and Quinn?” I asked
“Quinn? Oh, he’s doing great.”
“No, no, I mean, how are thingsgoingwith Quinn? Like, you and Quinn?”
He paused, but not like the question bothered or frightened him. If anything, I would’ve called that a surprised look. After all, it wasn’t every day that someone on the Larkin Lions asked about his relationship with another guy. Everyone knew but pretended like they didn’t. No, that doesn’t sound right. We all knew but treated his relationship the same as anyone else’s.
“It’s great,” he said. “Never been better.”
Levi served up an enormous burp, the kind that you could mistake for a minor earthquake and only covered his mouth at the tail end. That once again challenged my belief that Levi could really be a gay or bisexual man.
