“Bye, Sarah,” Carter says, then he turns and leaves me alone with my cupcake and a whole lot of feelings.
At least when it comes to Carter, it’s probably good I’m about to leave. There are too many reasons why I can’t like him, and I’m pretty sure staying would make me forget what all of them are.
3
CARTER
“So then sheasks me if I know any NBA players because she’s never really been big into ice,” my brother says from the bench beside me. He tugs his practice jersey over his head and tosses it into a laundry bin at the center of the room.
In every locker room, on every team we’ve played for, Theo and I have always been in neighboring stalls, our jerseys hanging side by side, the same last name printed across the back. I can’t complain. I love the guy. But sometimes, I wonder what it might be like to sit opposite him instead. To be friends with my teammates as an individual and not as part of a matched set.
Theo scoffs before continuing. “Like being a pro athlete means I’m supposed to have a bunch ofotherpro athletes programmed into my phone.”
I let out a chuckle and toss a ball of tape into the trash can at the center of the room. “What did you tell her?”
“That the sports world doesn’t work like that,” Theo says. “It’s not like we’re all in one big club.”
“Sure we are,” Fly says from across the room. “Haven’t you gotten your invite yet?”
“I got mine,” I say to Theo. “You didn’t? Sad. Probably because you can’t stop hitting the pole this season.”
“And yet, I’ve still scored more goals than you,” Theo says.
“Onegoal,” I say. “You’ve scoredonemore goal than me. And the season isn’t over yet.”
Theo smirks. “For either of us.” He stands and drops the last of his gear onto the bench of his stall. Once we’ve all cleared out, the equipment managers will be by to collect everything and get it onto drying racks. I have no idea how they manage to deal with how notoriously foul hockey gear smells, but I definitely think the equipment team are the unsung heroes of our sport.
“I’m going to shower,” Theo says. “Don’t talk about anything good without me.”
“Are you coming to the Cave tonight?” Fly asks his retreating form.
“We’ll be there,” Theo says as he walks away.
We.Like it’s a foregone conclusion if one of us goes, the other will too.
I lift my pads over my head, feeling a slight strain just above my left shoulder blade. I shift, trying to stretch out the muscle, and wonder why it irritates me that Theo answered for me.
It’s not that I mind going to the Cave. It’s a great bar with solid food and a chill vibe. And it would honestly be weird if Fly invited one of us but not the other. But the whole scene has been making me tired lately. The pressure of trying to meet people. The expectations connected to my job. The last few times we’ve gone out, I’ve found myself feeling lonelyeven though I’m sitting among friends in a room full of people.
Then there’s the stuff that comes with being a twin.
Most of the time, when women meet us both, it’s Theo they end up preferring. I’m the nice twin, but he’s more fun.
Except, not with Sarah.
When I met Miles’s sister at our team dinner last week, she didn’t seem at all interested in talking to Theo. Despite sitting with us both through all of dinner, it was me she talked to the most.
When I left her in the pantry, I almost asked for her number. And I’ve stopped myself from asking Miles if he’ll give it to me a dozen times since.
But she’s leaving, and that feels like a good reason not to start something.
Then again, I play professional hockey, which means I couldalsobe leaving at any point. At least during trade season. If I never started anything because I might end up having to move, I’d be alone the rest of my life.
My efforts do little to lessen the ache shooting up my trap muscles, so I move into the treatment room and climb into the ice bath to soak before I shower. Theo will have to wait on me, but he’s used to it. We’ve been waiting on each other for years.
We don’t always ride to practice together, depending on what we have planned for the rest of the day, but my car is in the shop, so I caught a ride with him this morning. Easy enough since we live in the same building in Midtown, on opposite sides of the top floor. He’s got a great view of Grant Park, but I think I snagged the better apartment. On a clear day, I can see all the way to Stone Mountain.
Theo and I aren’t the only set of brothers in the NHL. We aren’t even the only brothers on the same team. But as far as I know, we are the only twins.
