In net, there are several goaltenders who are strong candidates. Our own Ares de la Peña (UCR) is well on his way to glory, leading the pack with a .943 save percentage and a second-place goals against average of 1.57.
Cincinnati’s Thomas Joseph (grandson of ‘CuJo’ Curtis Joseph formerly of the Toronto Maple Leafs) is second in that category with a 1.50 GAA to go along with a .939 SV% coming in behind only de la Peña. Perhaps the two most valuable goaltenders thus far though are not even drafted prospects. Beskorowany is back in the starter’s net for Kalamazoo and keeping the Kings in games with his third-ranked .927 SV% and top-ten GAA. Recent standout Dexter Holden of the Minnesota Snow Pirates unsurprisingly holds a top-five GAA and top-ten SV% as well. Both could draw interest from NHL clubs later this spring, a nice consolation if they aren’t Hobey Baker finalists.
That’s it for this week, hockey fans, don’t forget to...
Dish the deets
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CHAPTER11
Apollo
(JANUARY 14TH – DAY 18 POST OP)
The weight of the world on my shoulders is fucking heavy.
Since the accident, Papá has taken a greater interest in me for all the wrong reasons. Not because his son was injured and could have died, not because his business partner’s daughter really almost died, but because I’m fucking up.
Or at least he says I am.
Coach seems pretty happy with the wins we’ve been racking up since the team came back from Belfast, but considering he’s acabrónat the best of times, it’s hard to tell. He hasn’t yelled at me in a while. That’s as good as it gets.
I haven’t dropped the ball on school work either. International business isn’t an “easy” degree by any means, it’s also not what I would have chosen for myself, but it is what it is, and I’m maintaining a decent grade point average in my sophomore year.
Papá’s problem has been that I’ve stepped back from the family business. And that would never do.
I almost pull a muscle rolling my eyes as I lace up my skates. Tate Myers slaps me on the shoulder. “You okay?”
My eyes meet his, and he doesn’t look away. Why wouldn’t I be okay? Or more to the point, how does he know I might not be?
Nodding, I grunt, pulling the laces tighter. “I’m fine. Just tired.”
“If you need more recovery time...”
Canting my head, I start lacing up the other skate. “I’m good, thanks though.”
He hesitates. “I’ve been in a wreck like that, man.” He scratches the back of his neck. “Fucked me up pretty bad. I’m just saying...” He winces. We’re teammates, sure, but Tate and I aren’t what I’d consider close.
“I appreciate it.” I finish lacing up the second skate. “But I’m okay. Tired and worried about Edith.”
Something flickers across his face as he nods. “I get that. Recovery is shit. If you need to talk, I’m here. Also... I have the number of a great therapist if that’s your jam.” He holds up both hands. “Sorry if that’s an overstep.”
It’s actually refreshing, warming even that he cares so much he’s going out of his comfort zone to talk to me about something so personal. Especially when my siblings don’t know what to say.
Myers lingers for a long moment before nodding, as though he’s done what he came over to do, and now he can leave. It’s on the tip of my tongue to unload on him, to tell him how tight my muscles are with tension, how heavy Papá’s expectations weigh on me every morning when I wake up.
How desperate the need to set myself apart from my family is. How badly I wish to take Edith’s pain from her. How much I blame myself for her injuries, for the accident.
Edith’s right and has been right for some time. I don’t want to inherit my father’s business. I thought admitting that to myself would make things easier, that things would feel lighter, but it made the walls close in further.
I can’ttellPapá I don’t want to inherit his business baby when he dies, because from the day and hour I was born, I was the chosen one.
It was fun at first, sticking it to my siblings that Papá loved me most like a smug little asshole, but I didn’t realize that love didn’t come unconditionally. It came with a price tag that in retrospect, I wouldn’t have willingly paid. The price was, and continues to be, far too high.
Being groomed for corporate life from the age of fourteen hasn’t been easy, especially since no one asked me if I even wanted it in the first place.
I thought I did. And some days I think I want to play a role in the business. But taking over? That’s not for me. And if Papá bothered to pay closer attention, he’d not only know that, but he’d also know that it’s Artemis who’s not only hungry for the business, but he’s so fucking talented, he could run Papá’s affairs with his eyes closed.
