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I climbed on the team bus ready to head to our hotel for the night. Some of the guys were talking about celebrating, and as much as I wanted to lift a glass to how well O’Rourke and Novek performed in their first NHL game, not knowing who pulled those shit pranks on Olivia put a bad taste in my mouth about this team.
We’d won tonight but it hadn’t been pretty. The team was splintered and I didn’t care.
Which wasn’t cool. That wasn’t leadership. It was part of my job to bring us together.
I just didn’t know how to change it. I looked at some of these guys and all I saw was Liv curled up in the fetal position on the ice.
“What the fuck was that tonight?”
I looked up at Ron who was standing in the bus aisle looming over me. I didn’t need any clarification. I knew exactly what he was talking about.
“We won, didn’t we?” I asked him. Wasn’t that all that mattered?
“No thanks to you. Outside of that first goal, you played like shit.”
“Bad night. Players have them.”
“You don’t. Shit. This is still about her, isn’t it?” Ron said, shaking his head. “I’ve never seen anyone so fucking pussy-whipped in my life.”
I didn’t think. I didn’t pause or consider my actions or the ramifications on the team. I leapt from my bus seat and tackled him into the aisle. I landed three solid punches to his face before the guys pulled me off him.
“It was you, wasn’t it? The shit in her office drawer, the video. You did it to push her out.”
Morgan wiped his nose and smiled. “I’m only sorry I didn’t do it sooner.”
I lunged towards him again, and it was only O’Rourke’s strength keeping me back.
Coach McKay raised his hands. “For fucks sake. I need this like I need a hole in the head. Do you know what kind of exposure you opened us up to with that little stunt?”
“It was a prank. Like all the other pranks,” Ron said. “Ask Novek.”
Novek, who had been holding Morgan back, scowled. “Nah, man. The gloves in her office was a prank. The video. That shit was messed up. She was helping us.”
“Were you fucking her too, Novek?” Morgan asked. “Le Coeur one night, and you the-”
Novek spun him and punched him in the face and then shoved him down in a seat. “Don’t move,” he said, and followed it up with a string of low muttered threats.
“What is he talking about?” Coach asked me. “Tell me you didnothave a relationship with her, Dillon.”
I nodded.
“Goddamn it! Are you asking for a lawsuit? Is that what all of you want? Enough of this. Olivia is gone. If she chooses to sue, then I’ll testify on her behalf as to what a bunch of assholes you all are. Other than that, I don’t want to hear her name mentioned again. We’re moving forward. As a team. Without her.”
“As long as that piece of shit is on the team,” I pointed at Morgan. “Then I am not on this team.”
“Dillon,” Coach said, carefully like I was a bomb about to go off.
“Him or me, Coach,” I said.
“You know that’s not how it works. There are contracts-”
I shook my head. “Don’t give a shit. I’m not taking the ice with him again.”
“You’re a team captain,” McKay said tightly. “Get your head straight. We all liked Olivia, but you need to let her go and focus on what’s important.”
It was almost funny. Almost. It took losing her to figure out what mattered most. She couldn’t see me doing this, and would probably never know, but someone needed to fight for her. Choose her.
“This team never deserved her,” I said.
