Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
What I did not do was think about Arco or the article that Vernicki released. I ignored all requests for interviews. I had my publicist deliver a standing “no comment” to anyone who reached out. I ignored reporters who waited for me outside the arena, and in game press conferences I ignored questions lobbed at me about Arco. My teammates stood strong and tall behind me, and the management issued an amazingly supportive statement on my behalf. It was all the validation I needed and never got when I was a kid. Not one fucking person in the organization thought badly of me or judged me based on my secret.
But with all that said, I knew I couldn’t just keep quiet. I knew that I would need to tell my side of the story and why I had become a different person. My fans deserved it. Those people who aren’t my fans but were titillated by the story deserved the truth as well. And hell…if Arco ever got access to a newspaper or magazine, he deserved to know how I felt about him too.
That’s where Xander comes into play. He’s the senior hockey reporter for Sports World magazine. He’s not a freelance hack like this Vernicki, who just capitalized on my tragedy. He agreed to sit down with me for an interview.
Well, with Simone and me for an interview.
She just doesn’t know that yet.
When I reach the porch, I trot up first, Xander coming to a stop just behind me. I give a sharp rap on the door and listen intently. I’m relieved when I hear soft footsteps coming through the house, and then the door is opening.
Simone stands there without a hint of surprise on her face. I’m guessing she looked through the peephole before opening the door, because no one knew I was coming here except me, Xander, Etta, and Lucas, and they all promised to keep it secret.
“What are you doing here?” she asks in what is actually a polite tone filled with a little awe over my appearance.
“You didn’t respond to my text yesterday,” I tell her.
And there it is…an eye roll. I fucking missed that.
“You’re not here because of that,” she says, not budging to open the door any further. Her eyes then slide to Xander. “And who is this?”
“Xander Cline,” he says as he pushes past me to put his hand out. She takes it tentatively as he explains, “I’m from Sports World magazine.”
Simone’s eyes come back to me, filled with complete bewilderment as she continues to shake Xander’s hand.
“He’s going to interview us.” I tell her. Her eyebrows rise. “About how we fell in love.”
Simone drops Xander’s hand like a hot potato so she can put her hands on her hips. She narrows her eyes and asks, “Are you fucking high, Van Turner?”
Xander snickers and I nudge him in the shoulder, giving him an apologetic smile. “She’s got a potty mouth. But feel free to put that in the article. I think it’s indicative of the intensity of our relationship.”
“Seriously, Van,” Simone snarls, and I look back to her innocently. “What the hell is going on?”
“Simone,” I say calmly. “I’m ready to give an interview to the press. I want to do it now. I want to do it here with you by my side. I don’t only want to talk about Arco. I want to talk about the woman who helped me realize that Arco has no power over me. I don’t want this story to be about how Arco fucked up my life; I want it to be about the way you unfucked it up, okay?”
“I don’t understand,” she murmurs almost dumbly, and I have a moment of pity for her. I’ve said some deep shit to her, standing on her porch in front of a perfect stranger, who is probably going to print every bit of this exchange.
“Simone,” I say softly, and I take her hand. “Let us in the house. Put some tea or coffee on. Let’s get comfortable and talk to Xander here about our side of the story.”
“Our side?” she repeats, and I can tell she’s in overload.
“Yes, silly,” I say with a crooked grin, and I use her discombobulation to push my way past her into the house. I wave Xander in behind me. Taking Simone by the shoulder, I spin her around toward what I see is the living room and I walk her in there. “There is no story just about me. It’s about us. About how you bullied your way into my life, and found out my secret, and then how we romantically fell for each other—”
“You kicked me out of your life,” she snaps at me, and then looks to Xander. “You can print that part. Van was a complete dick to me.”