by purpleatheist
Disclaimer: mine
Summary: Kev talks to Park and Park muses.
Notes: I have part 8 planned out, so it shouldn't be long in coming.
Hopefully. Sorry it's short...
I had been back for about an hour when Kevyn showed up. "Hey, Park. Feeling better?"
"Much," I replied, turning in my chair to look at him. He'd come to see me once at the hospital, with other people. Billy and Dame were there the most, unsurprisingly. Actually, Stormy skipped afternoon workouts one day to stay with me until dinner.
"That's good."
"So how's everyone looking?"
"Lost, without you. I mean - not really. But Billy and Damon play better with you anchoring them, so the first line has been sort of...sketchy. Boring for me, too, I get a lot less action when you're not there."
"And by action you mean getting scored on?"
"Yeah," he said, smiling. "So...I wanted to talk to you."
I wasn't looking forward to this conversation. "Ok."
He sighed and sat down. I guess he wasn't looking forward to it, either. "I guess...I know you like me, Park. I'm...I guess I'm flattered, because I didn't expect you, of all people, to like me. Maybe...if things were different. If Neo hadn't - well, if it was a different situation. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not really ready for that kind of a...relationship. I'm sorry."
"Don't be," I told him. I'd been expecting this, certainly, but it still sort of...hurt. At least he wasn't screaming about how disgusting I was or anything. "I know you can't help it."
He smiled gratefully. "I figured you'd understand...being the captain and all. We can still be friends, though, right? Because if the situation was different, I'd probably have a crush on you, too, so I'd like to keep you around."
"Being roommates would much more difficult if we weren't friends." I was ignoring the 'keep you around' comment. He was trying, but saying things like that didn't help my state of mind.
"True," he shrugged. "Sarah's trying to set me up with one of her friends here. If you want, I can get her to find you somebody."
"No, that's ok. I think...I'm not looking for a relationship now, Kev. Maybe if one finds me, I'll be open, but I really want to concentrate on hockey right now."
"There's more to life than hockey, Parker. We're teenagers. Almost 18. We should have more than hockey."
I smiled at him. "Ah, but see, I don't want more than hockey. It's all I've ever wanted, since I was like 4. Everything I've done since then has been working towards it. I've always wanted to play for the NHL. I mean, I know that's everyone's goal when they're ten years old playing peewee, but I could taste it, feel it, every time I stepped on the ice. I still can. But no one really notices down here."
Kevyn looked at me seriously. "You've gotten no exposure here, Park, I know. But this team will be seen, by scouts, by everybody. And you are the best player I've ever played against. You may not believe me, but you'll see once you start playing against the other elite teams. You are really, really good."
I wanted to believe him, but I figured a wait and see attitude was better. I just smiled. "Thanks."
"You don't believe me, but you'll see. I promise you. They'll be scouts knocking on your door after the first game we play. That's the thing - no one sees you down here, but you don't see anyone else, either. You have no idea how you compare to the other players in the country. When was the last time you played in a national tournament?"
"I played in Quebec when I was 13."
"How'd you do?"
"I scored four goals, but my team lost twice."
He shook his head. "Well, you'll see. You'll see." He looked at his watch and jumped up. "I've gotta go to practice. See you later, Park."
"See you," I replied, laying down on my back on the bed and covering my eyes. Thoughts of relationships flirted through my head, but that was really something I didn't want to think about. What Kevyn said just kept running through my mind. Was I really that good? Did I actually have a chance at being drafted this year? Would a relationship find me? Whoa - how did that one get in there?
Sighing, I sat back up. I really wanted to skate. The doctor had forbade it for another five days, and I knew Coach would kill me if he found me on the ice, but my desire to be on the ice anyway nearly overrode both those things. But not quite. There was a mall a few blocks away from our facility, so I decided to walk there. Maybe being alone would do some good.