Page 58 of Furious
She nods. “I had no idea until Scott told me. Look Zara, two years ago I would have warned you off Lev, too. But he and Scott, and your brothers, learned firsthand how dangerous that world is. Lev is pre-law. His parents hope he’ll go to work at their firm and one day take it over. Lev has a solid future ahead, now thathe’s away from races and bikes and all the temptations of the racing circuits.”
Yeah.
I need to talk to Lev and Chance and warn them they are truly playing with fire. We all are.
“I’m glad you like Lev, Mom.” I say cautiously. “But what if he didn’t want to go to law school? Or at least not straight away? What if he wanted to play professional hockey, like Chance? Would you change your mind about him being right for me?”
She considers my words. “It would be hypocritical of me to say that I would. Especially since Scott used to play professional hockey before. I think that the environment is a little different from racing, though. Yes, there are hockey players who party hard and are known playboys. But a lot of teams have a family culture, too. Families go to watch hockey games together. I think it really depends on the individual. You know hockey players can get traded and have to move at the drop of a hat, right? It’s up to you if you want to follow his career. But the point is, I don’t think Lev is a bad boy like your father was.”
A part of me wants to argue with her that professional sports are all similar in terms of the temptations they offer to the athletes. Puck bunnies and jersey chasers are a reality in many sports.
The stereotypical bad boy doesn’t necessarily need to ride a motorcycle. But I know I won’t be able to change her mind. Her experience with Dad has tainted racing forever in her mind. To her, the fact that Scott had a happy family even when he was playing hockey is proof that hockey can be an acceptable career choice. In my mom’s experience, the devil rides on two wheels.
Chapter 16
All My Sins
CHANCE
We win our first away game against San Francisco.
Lev and I get some ice time again and we don’t disappoint. We score one goal each, and this time I give him an assist.
The team bus is quiet on the way back to Star Cove, despite the victory. It’s gonna be late by the time we get back to campus, and I’m pretty sure there’s gonna be a party waiting for us at the Gamma house; so I think my teammates are just using the three-hour trip to recharge their batteries and be ready to party until the wee hours of the morning.
I wish I could say the same. Instead, when I got my phone out of my locker after the game, I found a text message from Cal.
Tonight we’re racing. So there’s no party for me and Lev. A part of me is annoyed because all I wanted was to celebrate our victory with Zara.
On the other hand, I’m rearing to show Fox that last week was a fluke, and he only won the race because I got distracted.
I open my text thread with Zara.
Me: Hey, baby. We’re one hour away from campus. I need to show my face at the party, but I’m tired and I’m not staying long. Where are you?
The three dots that indicate that she’s typing appear on the screen.
Zara:I’m at the party, too. Heather dragged me along with her and her Zeta sisters. But the party is super lame without you guys, and I just called an Uber to go home.
Good. If she saw me there, I would have to lie to her to sneak away long enough to race.
Me:I’m sorry you’re bored. But do you think you might be up when I get back home? I’m going to be as quick as I can at the party. There’s only one person I want to celebrate my victory with.
Zara:Yeah, I’ll wait up for you. Just text me before you come to my room, though. Our parents had dinner at the Country Club tonight and you don’t want to get caught sneaking into my room.
I roll my eyes.
Me:Thanks for the heads up, baby. Hopefully, they’re going to be already home and asleep. But I’ll make sure before I come to see you.
“Hey son, do you have a minute?” Coach Harrison is standing in the aisle between the seats where Lev and I are sitting.
Some of our teammates are squeezed together at the front of the bus to play a video game, so we took the opportunity to spread out in the back.
“Sure, Coach. What’s up?”
Coach Harrison makes me nervous. The expression on his face is always stern. Dad says he has always been like that. In his pro days, his teammates used to call him “Growl.” The name still fits, but I know better than to mention that to my teammates for fear of the repercussions if Coach had someone call him that.
“Can I sit down?” he asks.
