“Yes.”
He nods resignedly. “I’ve been trying so hard.”
I hesitate, then ask, “What happened?”
“Sarcnet and his fucking ego happened.” He shrugs. “And my stupid puberty. He’s always been quick to lose his temper, and he hates being shown up. I knew he would be mad that I stole the puck, but that’s the point of the drill, right? I’m not gonna fuck up my career to spare his feelings.” He sighs. “It would have been fine, but when he checked me, the rage took over, and I… You saw what I did. And now my career’s probably over.” He turns his head slightly away, and his hand comes up to discreetly swipe at his eyes.
I have to take a second to shove my own rage down at the sight of his distress. He might have overreacted a little to the situation, but given that he was provokedandthe extenuating circumstances of his current volatility, it seems completely unfair that this could end his hockey career. Sarcnet isn’t going to suffer lasting consequences from this—community species naturally heal faster than humans, and the team has both sorcerer and elf healers on staff. He’ll be fine in a few minutes, if he isn’t already.
“Is that what Coach said? That you’re… fired?” Is that the right word for a hockey player? I’m aware that their employment doesn’t work the same way as most other industries, but I don’t know all the terminology yet.
“He said to wait in his office for him to deal with me.”
I wince, because that doesn’t sound promising. “This isn’t right. They can’t punish you for something you can’t do anything about, like hormonal surges. That has to be illegal. Who would know about your rights in this kind of situation?”
He shrugs again and opens his mouth, but before he can reply I pull out my phone and say, “I’m going to call a friend at CSG. He’s a hellhound, and if he doesn’t know what your legal rights are, he’ll know somebody who does and who can advocate for you. You should shower and change so you can meet Coach on a more level playing field, and I’ll have information by the time?—”
A hand closes over my mouth, and Felix smiles at me. It’s a weak smile, but it’s better than his tears.
“Ari, stop. It’s not… I mean, I haven’t told Coach about my puberty.”
I blink, then reach up to pull his hand away. “Why not? It’s something that impacts your career. He should know that allowances and accommodations need to be made.”
He grimaces. “I told Coach Franks, and he?—”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I can guess how that went.” I clench my teeth, then deliberately relax my jaw. I was extremely unimpressed with Coach Franks from the moment I first met him, and this just reinforces that impression. At least the Warhammers had the foresight to fire him. “Do you think Locke would react the same way?” My opinion of Coach Locke is a lot higher than that of Franks, but that’s not saying much, and I still barely know him.
“I don’t know.”
We sit there in silence for a moment, and then Felix sighs.
“Delaying isn’t going to achieve anything. You’re right; I should shower. And… I guess I should tell Locke everything. Even if he still cancels my contract, at least I’ll have done all I can.”
“Yes, that’s a good idea.” And while he’s showering, I’m going to call Alistair Smythe and see what he can tell me about the law in this area.
Felix stands, and I follow suit, but I’m not prepared for him to turn to me and smile with soft, grateful eyes. “Thank you, Ari. I know we haven’t always got along, but it really helped to have your support right now. I hope we can be friends.”
My throat is tight, but I manage a nod and an “Of course.”
He wants friendship? No problem. I’m pretty sure I’d level mountains to have him look at me that way again.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Felix
I’mnervous as I approach Coach’s office, but worse than that, I’m horny, and that makes me even more nervous. I don’t have a fetish for being yelled at; it’s just that my system is overloaded with hormones right now, and Ari was so nice to me, so fierce and ready to defend me, and he lookedso goodwhile he was doing it. I couldn’t stop thinking about him while I was in the shower, but I didn’t want to take the time to jerk it and maybe keep Coach waiting, so now I’m sick with nerves but also half hard. It’s times like this I really hate my life.
The door to Coach’s office is half open, and he’s not here yet, so I sit in the visitor chair to wait. Then immediately get up and start pacing, too nervous to sit still. Over the past week, Coach Locke has been focused on getting the best out of us that we’ve got, but he hasn’t been mean or abusive. That’s got to be a good sign, right? Maybe he’ll hear what I’ve got to say and understand why I’m sometimes touchy.
Or maybe he’ll use it as an excuse to get rid of me immediately. It might not be my fault, but Iambeating up on my own teammates—not to mention, there’s a risk that I’ll be uncontrollably violent with another team. Nobody would blame him if he acted to protect his players and the league.
His heavy step followed by the door closing drag me away from my horror-filled thoughts, and I turn as he rounds the desk and drops into his chair. For a long moment, he just looks at me, his demon face unreadable, and then he gestures toward the visitor chair.
“Sit.”
I sit.
“Your actions today were unacceptable and inexcusable.”
