“I wouldn’t leave the house if my brother gunned down a bunch of children.”
“The NHL has gone downhill since they got WOKE and let a bunch of gays on the ice.”
“He should just kill himself.”
“Put the phone down,” said Harrison, and Jett had no time to react before his phone was shoved onto the bed and hidden under the pillow. “You can’t read that shit. They’re all a bunch of crazy assholes.”
Jett didn’t see it that way. It was his fault for trying to keep his past a secret, and now the mask he had worn for years was crumbling into shards too sharp to catch. People were allowed to be angry at him. He had made too much of a fuss this season, and while he would never regret that kiss on live TV, it had put a target on his back.
Mike had escalated his texts after that kiss. For whatever reason—probably because he was a homophobic asshole—seeing it had set him off.
It wasn’t Mike’s fault he was suffering now. Jett should have known that he couldn’t hide his past forever, and now it was coming back to haunt him. Like he wasn’t haunted by his brother’s face enough, but now he was seeing Chase wherever he went.
It could be from the lack of sleep or the dissociation, but he had almost started talking to him at some points. He hadn’t fallen that far yet, but the crash-out was coming—he could feel it.
“Danny will be here in an hour to work on your shoulder,” said Harrison.
They were lying in bed because that’s as far as Jett could make it most days. He had missed the rest of their away games and one home game already. He hated letting his team down, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave his home.
Not with all of them waiting out there.
“Is this you telling me to get out of bed?” Jett asked, holding tighter to the arm that Harrison had wrapped around him when they started spooning.
“Maybe, but only because your dad is out there making breakfast, and you need to eat.”
His father was still there and wouldn’t go home. Jett begged him to go back, but he refused to listen. He knew he was retired, and it wasn’t cold enough for ice fishing yet, but he felt like he was wasting his dad’s time when nothing was happening.
“I’m not hungry,” said Jett. And he buried his face into his blankets and closed his eyes.
Harrison sighed against his neck, but he didn’t say anything else.
“Who cares about his brother? Let him play hockey.”
“Every asshole is just using this as an excuse to go after Fraser because they all hate the fact that he’s the best in the leagueandhe has a boyfriend.”
“Leave Jett alone! Don’t any of you know how to fact-check? He was in Canada, and his brother was in America. He had absolutely nothing to do with this.”
“He’s already missing games. I know this is a shitty situation, but we need you number 25! Get on the ice and we’ll have your back!”
“Prove to these assholes that they’re wasting their time hating. Let’s get that Stanley Cup!”
“Jett, I know you’re probably not going to read this because you have more important things to worry about. On the off-hand chance that you do, just know that people love you and we miss seeing you do what you do best, and that’s playing fucking hockey!”
“Get back in the game, Jett Fraser.”
“Get the fuck up.”
Jett opened his eyes and blinked at Fenwick. The dragon stared back at him with sad eyes, but he wasn’t the one who had spoken.
“Harrison said you haven’t showered in three days, and that’s not a thing that’s going to happen. I don’t care how depressed you are, we’re washing the stank off you.”
It was Arlo who was talking, but his voice sounded much louder than one coming from a phone speaker.
Arms gripped him and started dragging him to the edge of the bed. Jett shouted and struggled, but he was lying on his bad shoulder and tangled in too many blankets. He toppled over the edge of the bed, cursing when his bruised body got jostled too hard.
“What thefuck, Killinger?” Jett glared up into Arlo’s blue eyes. “I’m injured, you dickhead!”
“Don’t be a bitch.” Arlo hauled him to the bathroom, blankets and all. He looked pissed, but Jett was just as fucking angry. “I have one fucking day off, and I have to fly over here because my dumb cousin is too soft to deal with your shit.”
