The Hockey Lie

Chapter 15

EASTON

November 10

"Well you look like you're in rough shape," laughed Ryan as he walked into my apartment.

"There's this thing called knocking. You know, it's what you do to an unopened door to state your presence. It's the polite thing to do," I muttered.

"Oh, get over it, sourpuss. I figured you could use some company while watching the game tonight," Ryan said, seating himself in my black leather chair.

"I don't wanna watch the game. It hurts too much," I whined.

"You are seriously the biggest baby I've ever met," Ryan rolled his eyes. "You should've manned up and visited her days ago. Instead, you're sitting here dragging around your apartment while you're moping about a fight you had with your girlfriend."

"It's not as easy as you make it sound," I argued.

"No, talking about a fight isn't easy, but it's necessary to keep a relationship going. You've waited a really long time, Easton. I'd be surprised if Ty will take you back at this point," Ryan said plainly.

"Wow, aren't you full of positive statements this evening," I grumbled, shoving my face into a pillow. I could almost feel Suter rolling his eyes at me from the chair.

"Talk. To. Her. Before. It's. Too. Late. Do I have to spell it out for you?" huffed Ryan.

"No," I snapped. "I'll talk to her soon, I promise."

"Well, you'd better or else you'll lose her," Ryan stated.

"You've said that, like, three times already," I pointed out.

"Yeah, I've said it that many times because you were too stupid to listen to me the first two times," Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Shut up," I whined, flopping back down on the couch.

"You are the biggest baby I've ever met," Ryan said disgustedly, turning the TV to the channel the hockey game was on.

"That's not very nice," I harrumphed.

"Well, it's true, so I can say it," Ryan shot back. "Looks like it's time for the opening face-off."

"And Ty won the face-off. Again," I said, watching the TV.

"She's amazing at face-offs. She could maybe be as good as Koivu one day," Ryan speculated.

"We don't speak of that name in my apartment," I said, shooting Suter a look.

Ryan rolled his eyes and replied, "He's our captain. You really need to stop acting like a five-year-old. It makes me wonder if you should even be allowed to live alone. What kind of cereal do you have here? Trix?"

"I do not have Trix cereal," I protested. "Lucky Charms are way better." Ryan slapped a palm to his face and shook his head while I turned my attention back to the game.

"You know, I honestly have to ask myself why Ty puts up with you, and I can't seem to come up with an answer," Ryan said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I questioned.

"Well, half the time you act like a perfect guy that any girl would want to date, and the other half you act like a selfish jerk. I just don't get it. After what you said to Ty this last time, I'll be surprised if she'll be able to forgive you."

"Don't remind me. I know I messed up, and I'm just praying that she'll take me back. I don't understand myself, either. I don't get why I said those things to her. I haven't acted that selfish since high school," I said, appalled at myself.

"Since your rookie training camp," Ryan corrected. "You were a complete asshole until Parise and I cleaned you up. Just be thankful that we got to you before Koivu."

"I suppose you're right. I might not be alive if Koivu had gotten to me," I said, only halfway joking.

"Well, Zach and I didn't want our "rookie sensation" getting murdered before he even got started, so we did the dirty work," Ryan explained.

"And I'll be forever grateful for that. If you hadn't guided me through training camp, we wouldn't be as good of friends as we are."

"I should've let you crash and burn," Suter joked. "Then I wouldn't have to put up with your crap."

"Oh, you love putting up with my crap, don't deny it," I prodded.

"I suppose," sighed Suter. "But again, I don't think Ty'll put up with your crap for much longer. When she met you, she thought you only cared about yourself, and you proved her wrong, supposedly. Lately you've been acting like the person she thought you were before she got to know you, and I'm sure that's scary for her. She doesn't know which one is the real you, and I'm not sure you know which one is the real you, either."

"I hate it when you're right," I muttered.

"This is just a suggestion, but you should probably figure out who you are before you go talk to Ty. If you don't know who you want to be, how will she know? Just saying," Suter shrugged.

"I know I have issues, but so does she!" I protested. "She never seems to be able to make time for me."

"Easton, she's a college student athlete. She doesn't have time! Don't you remember how hard it was going to class and practice and games? If anything, you should be the one making time for her since you have a more flexible schedule than she does."

"I'm a selfish i***t," I groaned, flopping back on the couch.

"I'm glad you've finally realized it," Ryan rolled his eyes.

"I told Ty that my schedule was more important than hers."

"I know, you told me."

"Why would I do that?" I sighed.

"Because you're a selfish i***t. We went over this."

"What do I do?" I asked. "Why would Ty ever want to take me back after I was such a jerk?"

"I honestly don't know why she would take you back. I know I wouldn't if I was in her shoes." After I shot him a look, he continued, "Hey, I'm just being honest, but then again, I'm not in love with you so I don't know what's going through her head. You just need to be there for Ty. You need to start being more considerate of her rather than yourself. When you talk to her, you just need to tell her how you feel. Apologize, promise to change, and follow through with it. That's all you can do, I guess, and if she won't forgive you, I don't know what you'll do."

"All right, enough with my problems. I'll talk to Ty as soon as possible, and that is that."

"Don't screw this up, Easton. Ty's good for you. She makes you a better person," Ryan said sincerely.

"I know. That's why I'm so afraid of losing her. I don't want to know who I'll be without her," I confessed.

"Let's hope we won't need to find out," Ryan replied.

"Oh my gosh!" I shouted, jumping up from the couch around the middle of the third period. "Ty just scored! She scored her first college hockey goal!"

"Good for her," smiled Suter. "That was a tough shot, too."

"I'm so proud of her. I still remember my first goal in college. That was a great day," I reminisced.

"I remember my first goal, too. It was on a power play," Ryan said.

"It's crazy to think that I was in college two years ago. It feels like months ago."

"Time really flies in the NHL," Ryan stated.

"That year I spent in college was one of the best years of my life," I smiled in memory.

"Hmm, I wonder why," Suter teased.

"I didn't party that much!" I groused.

"Sure," Ryan said, obviously not believing my mostly-truthful statement.

"Okay, I'll correct myself. I didn't drink at parties very often."

"That sounds a little more believable," laughed Suter. I rolled my eyes at Suter and didn't reply.

A few minutes later, the game ended with the Gophers coming out on top. "Well, looks like they got another win," I said happily.

"That team is going to go places when playoffs come around," Ryan speculated.

"I think they're going to win the national title. I'm calling it right now," I stated.

"I wouldn't doubt it. If they keep playing like they have been, they're a shoe-in for the Frozen Four," Ryan predicted. "Well, I should probably head home. I'll see you tomorrow at practice. Don't forget to talk to Ty."

"How could I forget to given the fact that you lectured me for hours?" I scoffed. "I'll talk to her, don't worry."

"If she dumps you, I'm betting that she goes for that Andrews kid. Those two have good chemistry on the ice," Suter joked.

"You're not funny," I said flatly.

Suter chucked and said, "Yes I am. You just don't have enough of a sense of humor to understand the hilarity."

"Rude," I grumbled.

"See you tomorrow," Suter laughed, leaving my apartment and shutting the door behind him.

I figured that Ty would be heading to the locker room to change pretty quickly, so I decided to text her. Congrats on your first college goal. I was watching on TV. We need to talk.

I hoped that Ty would respond, but I wasn't going to get my hopes up. I knew she was furious with me, and I didn't blame her. I'd be mad too if she had treated me the way I had treated her. I guess all I could do was wait.

A few hours later, I checked my phone and saw that she had read my message about a half hour after I had sent it. She hadn't replied, either.

"Gretzky, what do I do?" I asked my dog. She barked in reply. "All right, I'll text her again."

I sighed before typing, I'm sorry.

Almost immediately, I got a reply. I sure hope you are. I could feel her scoffing at me through the text.

I need to see you. I'll pick you up at 10 on Saturday. Make sure you bring your hockey gear. Wear comfortable clothes, too, I texted.

What? Ty asked.

I'll explain when I pick you up. I'll talk to you Friday. I love you.

I waited for a response once Ty read the text but didn't get one. I sighed and figured that I should go to bed. It'd be a waste of time waiting for a reply that wasn't going to come.

I needed to come up with a solid plan for Friday. I knew what Ty and I were going to do, but I had no idea what to say. I needed to come up with a good plan, and I needed to come up with it quickly.