Page 25 of False Play
True to her word,Kennedy only had two small boxes. I struggled for a good thirty minutes to get in her tiny car and move it to the parking spot I rented for her. Her parking at a meter didn’t sit right with me. The deeper we got into the season, the more I was going to travel, and I needed to make sure she was safe for my peace of mind.
Kennedy spent the rest of the day in her room, so I took up the living room to watch some game tapes. We were going up against some pretty strong teams, and I was ready to combust after two and a half weeks without playing. But bench or no bench, I always studied my opponents. It was fun for me to try to find their weak spots.
This season was too important to us, and I was desperate to get back on the ice as soon as possible to help us get another chance at The Cup. I trusted my teammates, and I knew they would fight tooth and nail, but I also knew they needed me. We all complemented each other on the ice, like a puzzle. And every time a piece was missing, it inevitably messed with the flow of the team.
I wanted, more than anything, to find a way to control my anger. But there was a part of me that believed it was easier tofall into these bad habits people expected from me. This bullshit media persona I had perfected was an armor to protect the true scars I carried.
I knew better than anyone that no one ever expected me to make it this far. Most people thought I only made it because of my father’s legacy.
It was a big, disgusting lie.
I fought for a chance with everything I had. I poured blood, sweat, and tears to get to where I was. But that didn’t stop people from discrediting my work. The pressure of it all got to me at the worst of times.
Sometimes I wished I had changed my last name. Maybe even erased part of my DNA. Anything to forget the fact I came from…him. But God forbid people let me forget I was Vincent Anderson’s son, the legendary hockey star from the ’90s who was stilllovedby many. It was as shitty as it was frustrating. If they knew what their favorite former center from Vancouver was really like, I was sure they would have been singing a different tune real fucking quick.
The words from one of my former therapists rang loudly in the back of my head.You’re responsible to love and believe in yourself. You can’t blame people when they don’t know the full truth. You can’t blame yourself for things that are out of your control.
I’d repeated those words more times than I could count, and it worked, for the most part. But little by little, they started to lose their strength. It pissed me off knowing people didn’t know the truth. It was unfair.
But out of your control. Always remember that.
As if thinking of him summoned the man himself from the depths of hell, my phone pinged with a few texts.
Deadbeat (DO NOT ANSWER)
When are you getting back on the ice? Seriously, son, what the fuck was that? I taught you better than that.
I snorted a disbelieving laugh at the text. The delusion of this man held no bounds.Taught me better, my ass.And the audacity to call me son when I couldn’t remember the last time he’d acted like an actual father.
Deadbeat (DO NOT ANSWER)
Staining our name? What are you even thinking? And for your sister, no less. Don’t think I don’t know Olivia was dating Jack Holt.
Deadbeat (DO NOT ANSWER)
Are you ever going to answer me?
“Nope,” I murmured to myself and placed the phone upside down on the coffee table with a little more force than necessary.
My father had always been the type of man who wanted to have the last word. He’d do just about anything to have it. But my mind wasn’t in the right place, and I didn’t have the energy to talk to him.
Captain Sushi purred as he got comfortable against one of my thighs and closed his eyes to take his late afternoon nap. He was settling fairly well. The cat, strangely, acted too much like a dog sometimes. He was weird, but the companionship was surprisingly nice.
I heard keys rattle on my front door, and a second later, Hayes shouted, “Anderson, you in here?”
“Of course, I’m in here. It’s my fucking house.” I stood from the couch, and Captain Sushi let out an irritated meow because I took his made-up pillow away. “Do you ever knock?”
He rolled his eyes. “Since when do I gotta knock?”
I lowered my voice. “Thanks to you, I have a roommate now. So, you know what?” Before he could react to my question, I grabbed my apartment key from his hands. “You’ve lost your key privileges.”
He gave me a cheeky, knowing grin. “You love having her here, don’t lie to yourself.”
Before I could give Hayes a retort, the door to Kennedy’s room cracked open, and she slowly came out.
“Hey, Kenny,” Hayes said as he strode over to her to give her a side hug.
The move, unsurprisingly, instantly pissed me the fuck off.
