Page 46 of Bro Code

Riley stopped, and they stood glaring at each other. Louis was breathless from jogging to catch up, and his eyes searched Riley’s face with earnest intensity.

Riley looked away. “I don’t know what it is. No one does.”

“I think you do.” Louis held up the tablet again. “I just watched you skate perfectly for forty-five solid minutes. And how much do you wanna bet that as soon as you step onto the ice tonight, that all goes to shit?”

“Fuck you. You don’t know that.”

“I do. Because it’s in the fucking data, Riley.”

Riley turned and started walking again. The fury that had come up inside him was congealing into a creeping sense of dread. Because Louis was right. He knew it. He’d known it since game one.

“What about your agent?” said Louis, following. “Does he think it’s an injury?”

Riley scoffed. “He’s too busy worrying about Nic Golden Boy Arsenault to have an opinion.”

“Sounds frustrating. How’s that feel? Stressful? Probably not great for your game?”

“I saw the shrink in New York,” said Riley. “And here.”

“Uh huh, and you told them you feel fine.”

“Yup.” He shouldered open the locker room door.

“So you lied.”

“No. Fuck you. I feel fine.”

Louis caught the door with his palm as it swung shut behind Riley. “Even if that’s true, even if you feel fine, your body is still trying to protect you. I’ve been researching it. This is, like, microseconds we’re talking about here: it’s not up to you. It’s subconscious.”

“Protect me? From what?”

“I don’t know.” Louis stood at the threshold. “You tell me.”

Riley ignored him, stripping off his jersey and throwing it at the hamper. He paused as he reached for a towel from the shelf. “Are you gonna follow me in here now, too? Mining my data isn’t intrusive enough? Why are you so obsessed with me?”

Louis uttered a sound that was half laugh, half disbelief. “I’m trying to help you, Riley! You came out four months ago and now you’re in your head and you’re fucked. Obviously! Obviously that’s what’s happening. You need help!”

“Great! Go tell it to the suits!”

“I tried!” Louis let the door bang shut behind him as he came all the way in. “No one will listen to me! Holly’s too stuck in kinetics to see the data any other way, and the GM’s so far up his own ass he’s probably brushing his teeth from the inside! I can’t–” His voice broke, and Riley looked at him in surprise as he caught a breath. “I can’t lose my job.”

In the silence that followed, Louis’ phone buzzed. He shut his eyes briefly and put his hand in his back pocket to silence it. Riley hadn’t noticed in the tunnel, but in the fluorescent light of the locker room, he looked exhausted. Was that from the flight?

Riley picked up the towel. “You’re not gonna lose your job.”

Louis laughed bitterly. “Right, you would know.” The phone buzzed again and he didn’t break eye contact with Riley as he silenced it.

“You need to get that?” said Riley.

“No.”

The phone buzzed. Louis blew out a long breath and pulled it out. Riley watched him thumb in and send a text, then he shoved it back in his pocket and looked up.

“Everything okay?”

“It’s just a family thing,” said Louis. “Not important.”

They stood there looking at each other. Louis’ eyes were bright and determined: he clearly wasn’t letting this go. Riley wasn’t sure if he should be flattered or freaked out that he apparently cared so much. He turned, flipping the towel onto his shoulder, and heard Louis’ footsteps behind him as he headed for the showers.