Page 93 of Puck Love

“He’s bisexual. It’s the headline on my newsfeed. ‘NHL star comes out as bi.’ It says he’s known for a while, but it’s something he feels ready to share.” My mom blinked in dismay. “Did you know?”

“I…uh. Huh. Um…I didn’t know he was coming out.” I licked my lips and added, “Now.”

“I just think it’s amazing. He’s so brave.”

“Yeah. That’s cool.”Okay, what the actual fuck? That little shit.I mean…sure, he’d mentioned coming out…eventually. I didn’t think he’d intended to do it so soon.

“Did you know he was bi?” she prodded.

“Uh…” I was reeling here.

I fixed my gaze on the sunset, hoping to slow the whirlwind of my thoughts. What was he doing? Did this mean something? I didn’t fucking know. I was leaving for Denver tomorrow and this was…Wow.

“Are you okay, Mase?” Eddie asked, his eyes narrowed.

“I—I’m fine,” I assured him.

“Can I go in the water? I’m s-sandy and I want to be a merman.”

“Yeah. Yeah, good idea.” I should have gone with him, but I wasn’t operating on all cylinders.

“Mason. Mason.Mason!”

“Sorry. Did you say something?”

“Honey…” Mom pointed at the chair I’d abandoned earlier, wordlessly motioning for me to join her. “Are you worried about your friend?”

“My friend. My…Jake?”

She nodded. “Do you think it’ll be a problem for him?”

I shook my head, mumbling my response. “No, I don’t. He’s a legend…a great player, a great role model. He’ll be fine.”

“Will his team support him?”

“Definitely. They love him.”

“Hmm. What about his family?” she pressed.

I kept my eyes fixed on Eddie frolicking in the water. “Yeah, of course.”

“Good. I’m happy for him.”

“Me too. He’s…he’s lucky,” I said distractedly, heart pounding in my ears. Or was that the ocean? Fuck, it was loud.

“So are you. Lucky, I mean.”

“Uh-huh…yeah.”

“I mean it. You have a lot of people who love you. Me, Eddie, your friends, your family. I just hope you know that.”

“I…sure, I do.”

“Good. Because I think you’re used to being the one who takes care of people, and you’re good at it. Like with Eddie.” Mom smiled serenely at the teen bouncing in the water. “I hope you know that we’re here for you too, Mase.”

I squinted. “Okay. Where is this coming from?”

She thumped her heart, her eyes still on Eddie. “Here. You’ve been home for a week, and I can’t help noticing that you’ve been a little blue.”