Let’s just say… it hasn’t helped my reputation.
“Yes, sir… I’m aware.”
How could I not be? My mom made sure of it.
She forwarded me every single news article for a solid week, one painful headline after another, until the hypefinallydied down. That’s just her, though. She raised me and my brothers alone after we lost Dad in our teens. We’re all three professional athletes now, and she refuses to let any of us throw away what we’ve worked for over some stupid mistake.
As overbearing as she can be, she’s not wrong. Lately, I’ve been getting into more trouble than I should because of my damn teammates. And I have no one to blame but myself for that.
“I want to apologize… again… for how that’s negatively impacted the team’s reputation.”
Coach nods but Caleb doesn’t even blink. “The photos were… scathing, to say the least,” Steele continues, his voice firm.
“It wasn’t what it looked like.”
Caleb folds his arms across his chest. “We know. We reviewed the footage and saw the truth of what happened, but by the time that occurred, the damage was already done. Even YMT got their hands on it, and you know how they are. They splashed the photos everywhere before we could intervene.”
I nod, resisting the urge to sigh. Yeah, I know exactly how they are. And now I’ve got two very serious men looking at me like I’m a bomb that they’re trying to defuse.
It's never a good thing to be the problem person on a team full of reckless ass holes. In fact, it shouldn’t be me having this conversation with them.
Fucking YMT, the biggest gossip channel on social media. Why they care about an NHL player, I’ll never fully understand—except I do get it. Considering who my ex is and how I got thrust into accidental stardom a few years ago, it’s not that surprising that they’ve latched onto this story and run with it.
“It won’t happen again,” I say.
Caleb sighs and rubs his temples. “That’s what you said after the charity incident last December.”
I wince, because, okay, that one was my fault. The team threw its’ annual charity fundraiser for the children’s hospital, and I ended up a little too drunk on the dance floor, dancing with the mayor of New York City’s daughter.
But that wasn’t my mistake. When she asked if I was going to get her phone number at the end of the night, I told her I didn’t date blondes.
It was a joke and a way for me to avoid getting attached considering I’ve been intentionally celibate and avoiding women for the sake of repairing my reputation. And it completely backfired on me.
Let’s just say accidentally snubbing the mayor’s daughter is not a good look when you’re trying to convince people that you’re stable.
“I had no idea who she was.”
Caleb shakes his head like I’m a disappointment. “And what about the social media incident in the fall?"
Okay, you’ve made your fucking point now.
Accidentally going live on Instagram and streaming myself singing Mariah Carey’sAll I Want for Christmas is Youwhile taking back-to-back shots of whiskey made everyone in the city think I had a problem. And maybe I did. But I don’t anymore.
I haven’t touched alcohol since. But something tells me Caleb won’t care about that little detail.
“And unfortunately,” Caleb continues, his tone clipped, “because of the backlash over this recent bar fight, the law firm that represents the team and all its players has decided to drop you, along with their sister PR firm.”
“What? Can they even do that?”
Coach Steele leans forward, nodding somberly. “Unfortunately, they can. Which means you’re out of legal representation and PR support during a crucial time in the season and in your career.”
Read between the lines, idiot. You screwed yourself with your own decisions, and now there’s no fixing your reputation in the media because even the people paid to represent you see you as a lost cause.
“Okay…” I say slowly, trying to process this mess.
Caleb moves to the chair next to me, crossing his legs in a way that feels too casual for what is most definitely not a casual conversation. This whole situation freaks me out. I’m not some screw-up.
I’m not a bad guy. Hell, I’m probably the most chill, drama-free player on this whole team.
