Page 8 of Puck with Karma
No sooner I say the word, and the door finally opens. A large shadow looms over me, making me shrink back against the wall. The phone is still in my hand, pointing toward the person in front of me.
“Oh my god.”
Riley’s words are the last thing I hear before I slide down to the floor.
Chapter 4
Xander
“That’s some bullshit, and you know it, dad,” I snap at my father who also happens to be my agent.
I slow down on the treadmill until it comes to a complete stop. We’ve been on the phone for close to an hour now, going back and forth about my contract. I have two more years on it, but he feels I should start looking now, be proactive.
I just don’t even know what the fuck I want to do. I don’t know if hockey is what I want to do anymore. I am tired.
At the ripe old age of twenty-eight, I am exhausted.
Deep down, I believe that this is mostly mental. I have been programmed from a very young age to live and breathe hockey. My father has always been very involved in my career. Despite the fact that he is a controlling asshole, he did keep me motivated and also got me some good contracts. But… I am tired. I don’t feel this as much as I used to.
“There is no excuse for this behavior, Xander,” he now raises his voice at me. He always does that when I piss him off. “You need to stay on top of this before they push you out. Do you knowhow many younger players are chomping at the bit to take over your position?”
“A lot,” I quip in amusement.
I know it pisses him off, but since I can’t fire him, I give him as much shit as I can. His contract as my agent is up at the same time as my contract with the Cats. I foolishly signed on the dotted line for both, locking myself in for a full decade.
“After everything I’ve done for you over the years, Xander,” my father’s voice snaps at me. “I would think you’d be more appreciative.”
Instead of responding, I just stare at the wall in front of me. I am inside the gym that is located in my apartment building. I live right across the street from the arena, making it really easy to get to and from practice and any home games.
“Anyway,” he continues, completely taking my silence as an apology. “We are having dinner tomorrow night to go over everything. I have a few things that I need you to…”
“Wait a damn minute,” I cut him off. “Tomorrow is Janie’s birthday.”
Janie is my little sister. I feel very overprotective of her despite the fact that we’ve never been very close. We can both thank our parents for it. The older I got, the more I realized that they were neglecting my sister in favor of my training, then my games, then everything that had anything to do with hockey. I’ve been working hard to get closer to her. She is my only sibling after all.
“Janie’s fine,” my father now assures me. “Your mother is taking her shopping, then to a spa. That’ll make everybody happy.”
“I want to take her out to dinner,” I growl. My jaw feels tight enough to crack my teeth in my mouth. My hand clenches on the bar of the treadmill, squeezing until I feel it loosening in my grip.
“You can do that when time is not as critical, Xander,” our father snaps at me. “This is about your future…”
My brain refuses to listen to anything he says anymore. He’s been controlling my life for as long as I can remember. I can’t deal with it much longer.
“It is a special day for Janie.” I try to reason with him, even though I know he won’t listen.
“Not as special as it’ll be when you can’t afford to pay for that ridiculous job she has because you lost your contract with the Cats.”
His voice raises with each word, amplifying the tension in my body. Without even thinking, my hand pulls back, yanking the arm of the treadmill from its hinges.
“Fuck,” I mumble to myself when I find myself holding the damn thing. “I’m gonna hang up now.” I don’t give my father time to respond. Instead, I just press on the red circle on the screen of my phone before stashing it in the pocket of my workout shorts.
I stick my fingers inside the hollow pipe I am holding, wondering if there’s a pin lost in there somewhere. A few minutes into it, and I am not any closer to fixing this thing.
“That’s just great.”
I throw the bar to the ground, watching it roll until it hits the wall. I bring my hands to my face, rubbing them up and down before pushing my hair back. I’m not sure if I should laugh or cry. The look on my father’s face when he’ll get the bill to replace this piece of equipment will be priceless. He hates spending money on unnecessary things. This is also a reminder of the fact that he controls every aspect of my life, monetary side included.
With a sigh, I turn around and make my way out of the gym room, glad that there’s no one around to witness my internal meltdown.
