Chapter Forty-Three
MAVERICK
Iwalked into the room and everyone fell silent.
All the guys turned and looked at me.
Some wearing their hockey gear.
Some wearing towels.
Lay stood with his back to me, towel open in the front, looking over his shoulder.
“Making sure it’s still there?” I asked.
“Don’t even get him started,” Reid said.
“Why?” I asked.
“I’m seeing how things are growing,” Lay said.
“It stops growing, brother,” I said.
“I mean the pubes,” Lay said. “I met someone else. But I have someone else’s name kind of cut into my pubes still.”
“That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard,” I said.
“See what you get to miss here?” Remi asked as he folded his tree trunk arms.
“The crazy part is that I do miss it,” I said.
“Are you even supposed to be here?” Riff asked.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Someone can call security to kick me out.”
“Maybe Alonso will drag you out,” Lay said.
“Why don’t you cover your pubes, Lay?” I asked. “I want to talk to you all.”
“No need, man,” Riff said. “We all have our moments.”
“Look at how many times I’ve been fined,” Abel said. “And suspended. And threatened with steeper punishments. This will pass, Mav. It’s not like you, but that’s okay.”
I shook my head. “There’s a lot you guys don’t understand about me.”
“You’re going to do this right now?” Remi asked.
“Do what?” Abel asked.
“Hey,” I said to Abel. “How’s Izzy?”
“Really? Are you trying to change the subject here?” Abel asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I just don’t know if I’ve ever asked that. You’re always shoving a phone in my face with the kid, you know?”
“Can’t help that,” Abel said. “Wait, does that piss you off? Do you have something going ondownstairs?”
“You can’t toss one into a woman’s baby factory?” Lay asked. “Do you want a baby?”