Page 16 of Ice-Cold Obsession
His expression darkens, and he pockets his phone. “Yeah. It’s bullshit. I don’t know what happened.”
“Have you talked to Coach about it?”
“He won’t tell me anything, just that it’s his decision and I need to accept it.” He runs a hand through his hair and leans forward. “I’ve been playing well. My stats are good. I don’t get it.”
I watch him for a moment, trying to gauge how much I can ask. “Is there anything else going on? Maybe with your grades or something outside of hockey?”
He shakes his head. “No. My grades are fine. I’m not in any trouble. There’s nothing that would explain this.”
“What about your family? Is everything okay at home?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine. Why would you ask that?” His brow furrows, and he tilts his head slightly.
I shrug, keeping my tone casual. “I don’t know. I’m just trying to figure out why Coach would bench you out of nowhere. Sometimes there are things going on that affect players, and coaches pick up on it. Or a family member calls them and says something.”
“Well, there’s nothing like that. My family’s fine. I talk to them all the time, and they’re supportive. There’s literally no reason for this.”
I nod slowly, watching his face. His voice is tight with frustration, but I don’t see any hesitation, avoidance, or any sign that he’s hiding some personal issue or struggling with something he doesn’t want to talk about, which means Gabriel made the whole thing up.
“Did you talk to Gabriel about it?” I ask. “He might know something.”
“Yeah, I talked to him. He’s my friend, and he said he doesn’t know either. But he thinks it might be some kind of test, like Coach seeing how I handle adversity or whatever.”
“Why would it be a test? Does Coach do that kind of thing?”
Zyair hesitates, and his brow furrows deeper. “Not really. I mean, I’ve never heard of him doing it before. But Gabriel seemed pretty sure about it, so I don’t know. Maybe he knows something I don’t.”
I lean back and cross my arms. “That seems weird, though. If it was a test, wouldn’t Coach at least give you a hint? Or tell you what you’re supposed to be learning from it?”
“Yeah, I guess.” Zyair rubs the back of his neck and stares at the floor. “I don’t know what to think anymore. I just want to get back on the ice.”
“You’re a great player. One of the best on the team. I think people forget that sometimes, because Gabriel gets so much attention.”
He looks up at me, and his expression softens. “Thanks. I appreciate that. Sometimes it feels like no matter how well I play, it’s never enough. Gabriel’s always the most important, and the rest of us are just... there.”
“That’s not fair,” I say. “You work just as hard as he does, or maybe even more. You deserve recognition too.”
“Yeah, well, try telling that to everyone else.” He pulls out his phone again. “I don’t know. It’s just how things are. Gabriel’s the captain, so he gets all the glory.”
“Actually, I’ve been thinking about doing a photo feature on some of the players who don’t get as much spotlight. Would you be interested? We could do a few action shots, or maybe an interview about your game and what you bring to the team.”
His face lights up. “Really? You’d do that?”
“Yeah. I think it would be great. You’re an amazing player, and people should see that.”
“That would be awesome. Yeah, I’d love to do that.” He sits up straighter, and some of the tension in his shoulders eases. “When could we do it?”
“I’ll figure out a schedule and let you know. Maybe after one of the practices this week.”
“Perfect. Thanks, Scarlett. Seriously. This means a lot.”
“No problem. You deserve it.”
I stand up and grab my camera bag, slinging it over my shoulder. Zyair is smiling now, his mood completely improved.
As I walk away, my mind is already working through what I know.
Zyair has no idea why he’s been benched. There’s nothing going on in his life that would explain it. No family drama, no academic issues, and no personal struggles. And Gabriel is the one feeding him the story about it being a test, even though Coach doesn’t do that kind of thing.