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“Thanks, Mac. But I’m pretty sure they expected me to be better? And, you know, I don’t want to be the one to bring the team down.”
“I know how that goes,” said Petey. “And look, I get why you aren’t totally happy with your play so far.”
“Dude.” McBride elbowed Petey and got whacked on the arm in return. “This is supposed to be motivational.”
“It doesn’t work if you say it out loud like that! And I’ve known Lads a long time, right?”
“Right,” agreed Remy, not exactly sure where this was going and disturbed by the idea that Petey had apparently invited him over for some kind of intervention. Because that meant he really was playing as badly as he thought, and the whole team was noticing, and the next thing he knew, he’d be back in the AHL.
“BS isn’t gonna make him feel better,” Petey continued, oblivious to where Remy’s thoughts were heading. “And if I’m not playing my best game, I don’t wanna pretend everything’s gonna be fine. I wanna figure out what’s wrong and fix it. So, Lads, what d’you think is wrong? Like, what’s got you playing scared? Because that’s how you’ve been playing most games.”
“Huh,” McBride said. “That was actually insightful.”
“You know I’m insightful, like, all the time.” Petey sounded genuinely indignant. “That’s why girls like me better than they like you.”
Remy couldn’t help but laugh at that, which made Petey and McBride remember he was there and look at him expectantly.
“Just, I guess Montreal trading me made me doubt myself.”
“Makes sense.” Petey scored a goal, threw up his arms, and shouted, “I am the GOAT,” earning an eye roll from McBride. “So, what you need is a reminder that you’re awesome.”
“A reminder that I’m awesome?”
“Yeah, like, people want you. Come out with us tomorrow after the game. I’ll wingman you. I’m the best at that. We’ll get you hooked up in no time.”
“How’s that supposed to help with hockey?” McBride gave Petey a look that said something like “you’re such a dumbass, but we love you anyway.”
“It helps because he’ll feel awesome hooking up with a hot girl. Or a hot whoever.” Petey gave Remy a ridiculous wink. “And you’ll carry that onto the ice. I guarantee you.”
“Uh, thanks?” Remy looked at McBride for help, but McBride was looking curious now, like he wanted to hear Remy’s reaction. “I’m just really not sure that would work for me the same way it works for you.”
“Why not?”
“Dude.” McBride whacked Petey on the arm again. “Not everyone is like you. We’ve talked about this, too.”
“And also,” Remy said, a little apologetically, because Petey was really trying, “I was just dumped? Or at least I wasn’t with the guy the way I thought I was.”
He was leaving out some important stuff—like everything relating to Jed—but he was hardly going to admit to two of his teammates that he had a crush on the goalie, even if Petey was basically family. And he was doing what he needed to do in order to deal with the crush. Or at least, he could start doing that right now.
“You know what?” he added. “I’ll think about it.
“Good.” Petey paused the game to give Remy his full attention. “I respect that you might need a little time if you just broke up with someone. But I gotta be honest. Playing video games with me and Jake isn’t gonna help you feel awesome enough.”
“Hey, now you’re underselling us.” McBride leaned over and unpaused the game. “Anyway, he’s heard you out. Let’s move on.”
Somewhat to Remy’s surprise, Petey let it go, and the rest of the evening was actually fun. Petey and McBride—or Jake, as Remy started calling him at Petey’s insistence—kept Remy entertained with their mix of trash talk and gossip about New York, who they were playing the next night, and by the time Remy took a car back to his hotel, he was almost looking forward to the game.
When the sun hit Remy’s face the next morning, he felt relaxed enough to lounge in bed for a few minutes. He didn’t get to enjoy it for long, though. He’d only been scrolling through the news for a few minutes when Mike texted him.
M
Hey
U have a minute
Remy did technically have a minute. He just wasn’t sure he wanted to spend it letting Mike get in his head again.
M
