Breakaway (Penalty Kill 1)

Really. He wants to do this now? I sit in the recliner and say, “What’s up?”

“Look, I shouldn’t have said anything in front of the guys.”

“Don’t worry about it, Andrew. Just work on your game. I’m going to bed, it’s been a long day.” I’m almost to my room when I get a thought. “Hey, what do you know about McCarthy’s sister?”

He shrugs, his focus back on the TV. “Why?”

“Just wanted to see if you knew anything about her.”

Andrew turns his head and grins. “You aren’t fooling me, Levi. Admit what you’re up to and I’ll tell you everything I know about her.”

I quickly debate it. With how things have been on the ice lately, I don’t know if I should trust him. But he’s been my friend for three years now so...

“We both know how much I hate McCarthy. I’m just...having a little fun.”

“Thought so.”

“Well?” I ask when he doesn’t say more.

“Sorry, man. I just know that she’s friends with the blonde chick Jere dates, she went to a different high school than McCarthy, and that she sticks to his crowd.”

I wasted my energy for him to tell me something that I already knew? I don’t even answer. I just go to my room and go to bed.

~ ~ ~

I’m thinking about Presley. It’s been two days since I’ve talked to her. I’ve been thinking, maybe if I could convince her to skip any plans she has with Trevor and spend time with me instead, I could get under his skin that way. Do that a couple of times, sweet talk her into thinking it’s all about her, sleep with her and then ditch her. He’ll be pissed that she chose me over him and that I slept with her then left. Yeah, I’ll be playing Presley, but there’s no doubt in my mind that with as hot-blooded as she is, she’ll bounce back in no time. Not too much damage done to her, right? I don’t want to hurt her too badly, but she’s my ticket.

I don’t have anything to do today, so I decide to make a phone call. I haven’t talked to Dad in a month and it’s past time to call.

“Hey, son,” he answers before he begins coughing.

“You alright, Pops? You don’t sound too good to me.”

“Just a little cough. How have you been, Levi?”

“Fine. Staying busy?”

“Fishing for information?” he asks.

I laugh and so does he. “C’mon. Are you going to make me beg to find out what you’ve been up to?”

“Maybe,” he coughs, practically a hack. “You know it’s not much these days. I’ve been hunting by the pond, though.”

“I bet you have.” He loves it so much. He would take me all the time when I was younger. “Kill anything?”

“Of course, you know I do.”

I chuckle. “I know.” A silence looms around me for just a second, but it’s long enough for me. “I’ve got to go, Pops, but I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”

“Alright, Levi. Don’t be such a stranger.”

“Okay. Later.”

“Bye,” he says and I hear the click on the other end.

I’m a sucky son. I know this. First, I let down my mom and then my father. He’s in good spirits, for the most part, but I don’t go around or call as often as I should. He’s retired and living his days back home, fishing or hunting every chance he gets. I need to go see him, but I hate doing that. Going home is hard because Dad has Mom’s things lying around just as they have been since she died. Dad didn’t throw away hardly any of her things.

Any time I step foot in that house, I’m bombarded with the memories of the day before she died and the week afterwards. All of it was hell. Why would I want to revisit that? I don’t know how he can still live there. I shake my head to rid myself of the thoughts. It doesn’t work as effectively as I wish, so I head to the practice rink.