Page 46

Chapter 46

Mikey

I was back in my room, mindlessly scrolling my phone after morning skate. Everyone else was headed out to do tourist-y shit. I just wasn’t feeling it.

A knock came at the door. “Mikeyyyyyyy,” came a raspy voice.

“Fuck off!” I yelled.

“You jerkin’ it?”

“I said fuck off!”

“I’m not leaving,” the voice taunted.

I scrunched my eyes shut and took a deep breath. I was willing to put money on it being Obi, being his annoying weirdass goalie self as usual. I opened the door to find that I was correct.

“What?”

He slung his arm around my neck and walked into my room. “Get some fun clothes on. We’re going sightseeing. Stelle wants to take us to his favorite pizza place from when he used to live here.”

“I don’t want to go on Kitty and Guy’s sightseeing extravaganza to see all the places they’ve fucked in New York,” I grumbled.

“I heard that,” came Stelle’s voice from down the hall. He approached, along with Sorrento. “Come on, Mike. We’re not letting you waste the day.”

With the three of them crowding into my hotel room, I caved. They’d drag me out by my legs if I didn’t go willingly.

The thing is, I ended up having fun. Guy fucked with me by pointing out places he and Kitty had allegedly fucked. We ate pizza. We walked around. We took stupid pictures in Times Square. We drank beers in a dive bar and played darts. My stomach tolerated everything. We ribbed each other constantly about anything and everything, though no one mentioned Jessie. Obi made us go to some bizarre-ass museum about magicians. Okay, fine, the magic museum was actually kind of cool.

We settled in for dinner at some sushi place Guy liked.

“Kitty says hi,” Guy announced after sending off our stupid selfie with a giant M&M in Times Square. My stomach sank, wondering if Jessie was with her. I thought of her in almost everything I saw. That would get easier with time, right? One day it wouldn’t hurt so bad to know that I couldn’t have her.

We drank too much sake at dinner, in addition to the beers we took in throughout the day while being ridiculous tourists. I was a little buzzed, reflecting on the good times. I had my phone under the table, scrolling through my camera roll. All pictures of Jessie. My beautiful Jessie Girl. Her smile. Her dimple. Her—

“Are those your girlfriend’s tits?” Obi shrieked. “Jesus, why are you breaking up with her?”

“Stop looking at my phone!”

“When are you going to make up with her?” Obi asked.

I clicked my phone screen off. “I’m not.”

“You can’t take my mommy from me like that,” he giggled.

“Someone cut this kid off,” I growled.

“It’s really not a big deal, man. You had one fight,” Guy said. “You’ve made it up to her before.”

Thankfully, our waiter came through at the right moment with our sushi boats (yes plural), and when she left, no one seemed inclined to pick the topic back up.

We found some bar with Skeeball and took turns trying to dominate each other. We got back to the hotel around midnight. I almost wished we were staying in New York longer. Going home and facing the reality of not having Jessie anymore was going to be torture.

A few minutes after I settled in my hotel room, there was a knock. Guy. “Can I come in?”

“This a booty call?”

“You wish,” he said, pushing past me. “It’s an intervention.”

I busied myself with popping some microwave popcorn from the minibar.

“Why did you really break up with Jessie? Was it something she did?”

“No. She’s perfect,” I said. “She’s just too good for me.”

“Because of Sydney?”

I grumbled. “It’s not just Sydney. One of my other old flings showed up at our apartment while I was gone. These people from my past just keep making her feel like shit. She wouldn’t feel bad about herself if I weren’t in the picture.”

Guy shrugged. “So move.”

“What?”

“Your exes won’t be able to find you anymore if you move. So move.”

I snorted, morose. “Sydney will still be around.”

“Sydney sucks. I heard Leroy say he’s not that happy with her right now either. I guess she got pretty irrational with him that night.”

I blew out a breath. “Not surprised. She’s something. I can’t believe I fucked her. But I fucked a lot of people I shouldn’t have.”

Guy tossed a hand. “We all did. That doesn’t mean you should give up on Jessie. She probably regrets being with Cole.”

He had a point.

“Is that the only reason you dumped her? Your mom texted me today to ask if you were alright.”

I rubbed my temples. “That’s rich.”

“Why? What does that mean?” Guy asked.

I explained what happened with my parents, and Laura.

“That’s fucked up, man. I’m sorry. Like real sorry,” he said.

“Don’t exactly feel qualified to love anyone after that. My own family doesn’t trust me.”

Guy pulled the steaming popcorn bag out of the microwave, kicking it around like a hackeysack. “Gah! Hot!” Butter was flinging everywhere. I had to laugh. “Look, there was a time when I thought I couldn’t be good enough for Kitty. I thought that because my dad sucks, and I’m just a shitty hockey player like he was, that I’d never be able to give her the love she deserved.”

“Seriously?” It was hard for me to picture him, the most loving partner I’d ever seen, feeling inadequate. “But your mom loved you, right? Like a lot?”

Guy cocked his head to the side. “Yours loves you, too, Mike.”

I stared at the floor between us.

“It’s gonna be alright, bud.” He patted me on the back.

“They fucking betrayed me. Every one of them. Even Aunt Lori.”

“I know it hurts, man. But don’t turn away from a good thing with Jessie just because you got hurt.”

“Every single one of them is a piece of shit.”

“Maybe. But you’re not.” He looked at his watch. “It’s late and we’ve got an early game. But just promise me you’ll think about it. Let Jessie decide if you’re good enough. Don’t make that decision for her.”

When I got up the next morning, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. But I needed to at least start the conversation again.

I miss you