Page 129 of The New Guy
I grip the contract in my hand, and I’m literally speechless. I can’t believe I’ve finally gotten exactly what I’ve always wanted.
And I still want to howl.
He’s watching me, too. I think he can read the struggle right off my face. He turns away for a second, swiveling his leather chair to open a mini fridge that’s built into the shelving on the wall. He pulls out two cans of flavored seltzer water, and passes me one without comment.
I sort of snap out of my trance when he passes me the cold drink. I pop the top and take a deep gulp. “Thank you,” I say stupidly. It’s not clear whether I’m thanking him for the soda, or for the twelve million dollars.
He decides it’s the latter, I guess. “You think on that. Meanwhile, we need to go back to the last time you sat in this office. There are some things that need clearing up.”
I actually chuckle, although it hurts my throat. “No need to discussthat, right? Some things are meant to be brushed under the rug.”
He doesn’t even crack a smile. “I disagree. You are under no obligation to discuss your private life with me. But I’m going to tell you what I think, and you can do whatever you want with that information. Okay?”
I only nod.
He takes a sip of his soda and then sets the can on the desk. “Five and a half years ago, you sat here in this office and did something incredibly courageous. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Startled, I swallow hard.
“I admired the hell out of you, Hudson. Still do. But timing is everything, and I can only assume that you felt burned by that experience. That must be why I never heard another word about it.”
People say that time heals, but right this second I know they’re wrong. Even after all these years, I just don’t want to talk about this. At all.
“Like I said, it’s none of my business. But I need you to know you could still do that. If the timing was right again for you to—”
“Timing?” It comes out angry. “It wasn’ttimingthat fucked me over, sir.”
He blinks. “Why do you think that?”
“Iknowthat.” Rage boils inside me. “It wasn’t a coincidence that I got traded right after my big,courageousrevelation. This team did not want to deal with me, and they wouldn’t even say it to my face.”
He’s already shaking his head. “That’s not true. Although the thought crossed my mind when I heard about your trade. I went right into the GM’s office, demanding to know what happened.”
“And?” I spit.
“And,” he says quietly. “The manager showed me that the trade predated your announcement by about two hours.”
“What?” I snap. “That can’t be true.”
“Sure it can. The terms were finalized, but they were waiting on the call with the league. It was rescheduled after the league’s attorney got into a fender bender. Took ’em another day and a half to finalize.”
“But my father said…” I brace my hands on my knees and try to think.
“He said what?” Powers presses. “Hudson, breathe.”
I gulp air. “He and I need to have a chat. Like immediately.”
“Okay.” He looks concerned. “Let’s take a walk first.”
“Why?”
“Because you look like you’re going to pass out. Come on.” He rises from his desk. “Bring your drink. Let’s go outside. It’s a beautiful night, and you can see the new track we put in. Besides, it’s hard to feel stress when you can see the sky.”
Whatever, dude. Still, I follow him out of the office and down another corridor, because it’s easier than talking. We pass a glass wall with views down onto an expansive weight room. There are a couple of players down there right now. I recognize my old roommate, Davey Stoneman seated on the bench. He’s talking to a younger guy I’ve never met.
They don’t look up. But I can picture how the next week will go—with me trying to learn everybody’s names. Trying to figure out their style of play, and the vibe in the dressing room.
In exchange, I’ll get to skate hard and fast and win games.
