Sounders Hockey 2: Obscene Gestures
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Jade Castle
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CHAPTER 1
Book 2: Obscene Gestures
APOLLO
Apollo nursed his drink as he sprawled in his favorite chair. His apartment felt stifling, despite the large living room. As he stared into nothing, his mind kept circling back to Tess. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her since Toronto.
The devastation that showed so vividly on her beautiful face made him angry at himself. How could he have done that to her?
“Better yet,” he muttered to himself, “how could you not know the girl was in love with you?” His front door crashed open with a loud bang, followed by his twin sister’s angry footsteps.
“I don’t know, Pollo. How could you not know?” Meda was livid. They rarely fought, but that seemed to be all they were doing the past few weeks. “Oh, wait! Because you’re a selfish prick!”
“Now hold on, sis,” he shouted back as he rose from his seat. “I get you’re pissed at me over Tess, and you should be, but you don’t have the right to come barging into my apartment and…”
“Shut the fuck up!” she yelled back. “I just came from Tess. She’s spent the last three days crying over you. I’ve told you a million times she was in love with you, like, truly in love with you. But did you listen? No! You want to be a manwhore and fuck everything with a hole and a heartbeat! I don’t get it, Pollo! Poso vlakas bori na ise (How stupid are you)? And you SHOVED IT IN HER FACE!!”
Apollo threw his glass against the wall, leaving an indentation and shattered glass. “I KNOW, MEDA!!” His fists were balled against his sides as he tried to control his breathing. “I know,” he said with a shaky voice. “Look, I don’t have a good explanation for this. I fucked up. It’s that simple.”
“Why, Pollo? Why didn’t you believe me? I guess the better question is, why didn’t you want to believe me?”
Apollo sighed deeply and sank back into his chair. Meda stood in the same spot with her arms crossed over her chest.
“I don’t know, Sis. I guess I’ve never really seen myself worthy enough for a woman like Tess.” Meda furrowed her brow in confusion.
“What do you mean? You’re the cockiest asshole I know, even cockier than Darius, if such a thing is possible.” Apollo huffed out a breath.
“You should know better than anyone, Meda—that’s all a show. I save that shit for the ice and for the bunnies. That’s what they want, so that’s what I give them.”
“That’s the lamest thing I’ve ever heard,” Meda said, rolling her eyes. She finally sat opposite him on the couch. “I do know you better than anyone, and I know bullshit when I hear it. Try telling me the truth, bro.” Apollo shook his head.
“I’m serious, Meda. The Apollo on the ice and the Apollo sitting in front of you are two different people.”
“That’s not the fucking reason you pissed all over Tess’s heart! Vlákas (Idiot)! You’re not talking to some stupid slut you plan to fuck later after a game. I’m your sister. If you can’t be straight with me, then what’s the fucking point?”
“You want the truth, Sis?” Apollo knew his temper was about to get the best of him, but he couldn’t help himself. Whatever ally he thought he might have in his twin sister was slipping away.
“Yes! I do! We’ve never lied to each other. Hell, we’ve covered for each other so many times I think Baba’s still confused.” Meda sighed and leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “I love you, Pollo, and I love Tess. You’re my brother, and she’s the sister I never got to have. I’m struggling here, bro. I need to know why you hurt the person closest to me other than you.”
“I don’t know, okay? I was drunk when that woman came onto me. I didn’t want to think about Tess anymore, so I did my usual thing. I didn’t know Tess was going to be in that elevator.”
“Wait a minute. You didn’t want to think about Tess anymore? What, does that mean you were thinking about her all along?” Apollo scraped his hand through his unruly dark blond curls.
“Yes, but…”
“Oh, hell no. You were thinking about her this whole time, and you knew she loved you…didn’t you? You believed me every time I said it, but you chose to crush her instead of love her? Am I getting this right?” The fire was flashing in Meda’s eyes again. So much for a peaceful resolution.
“Yes! Okay? Are you happy now?” Apollo stood and began to pace. “I knew she loved me to a certain extent, but I had no idea her feelings went this deep. And for the record, I didn’t choose to crush her! It just happened!”
“Just happened, my ass! It was staged, if you ask me. Maybe not by sober you, but drunk you would have totally done it. You’d do anything to get Tess off your back, and that was what you came up with?”
“Now hold on, Meda. That’s not how it went down, and you know it. I was drunk! All I remember is making out with some fake redhead and landing in the elevator. I wasn’t paying attention to anything else. Do you really think I would pull such a douche move?”
“Based on your history, I’d have to say yes. I just never thought you’d be low enough to do that to Tess.” And there it was. How his twin sister really felt about him. Damn.
“I can’t believe this,” he muttered.
“Pollo, I love you, but you’re a colossal dick when it comes to women. You’re not the worst out of the Dakiedes men, granted, but you’re pretty damn close. I wouldn’t put anything past you to get rid of a woman’s affections.” Meda stood from her spot on the couch, her stance defensive, and her eyes held the truth of her words. “Honestly, if I weren’t your sister, I don’t think I’d like you very much.”
“What the fuck??” He couldn’t believe the words had just left his sister’s mouth. “You love me, but you don’t like me? How does that even work??”
“Simple. I love you because you’re my brother and my twin, but I don’t like the way you treat women, especially Tess.”
“Well, now that’s a fucking laugh!” Apollo huffed. “You never cared what I did with any woman until it came to Tess. Now you want to come barging into my apartment and tell me I’m the worst person on the planet because of Tess? Do you not see how fucked up that is?”
He was right. Meda never liked any of his girlfriends or his hookups, but she never said anything. She minded her business, and he stayed out of hers.
“Yeah, well, none of those bimbos are my best friend. I didn’t care because I didn’t want to be constantly mad at you. As long as you treated Tess with respect, I kept my mouth shut.”
“Ah, so here’s the truth finally coming out. Tess means more to you than your own brother, your flesh and blood.”
Meda rolled her eyes. “Don’t twist my words, Pollo. You both mean the world to me.”
“Mm, no, I think you’re wrong.” Apollo faced his sister. “I think she means more to you. If I meant half as much as Tess, you wouldn’t be coming at me like a wrecking ball. You’d be willing to sit down with me and have an actual conversation instead of throwing accusations.”
“I’m not throwing accusations!” Meda protested. “I’m speaking truth that you don’t want to hear!”
“Well, here’s some truth you don’t want to hear, dear sister. I’m tired of being your shadow.”
“Wait…what?” Meda was confused. “We aren’t talking about us, bro. We’re talking about Tess.”
“No, I’m done talking about her. You wanted hard truth, so here it is. I love you, Meda, but you’re a colossal bitch when it comes to hockey. We always have to play your way. You never listen when I have an idea. You think you’re the shit just because you’re the first woman to make it to the NHL.” Meda was stunned. She’d never heard Apollo talk to her like this.
“Pollo…”
He held up a hand to stop her.
“We’ve played together since we were four years old. We’ve never played apart or been on different teams. I’ve been your shadow since we were little. Even Baba concentrated on you more than me during practices and games.”
“Shadow…what…Pollo, are you crazy?”
“I’M NOT FINISHED!” Meda’s jaw dropped. “When people talk about me, they always talk about you too. I’m never just Apollo Dakiedes, world-class hockey player. I’m Andromeda Dakiedes’ twin brother, the second half of the Demolition Derby. The slower half. The default guy. The one that sets you up to be the superstar but never shines on his own.”
“I’ve never thought of you that way,” Meda said quietly. “Pollo, we are each other’s half. Only together do we make a whole.”
“I used to believe that, Meda. But not anymore. Not after tonight.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I think it’s time I show the world who Apollo Dakiedes really is, that I’m more than my sister’s twin, that I am just as great without her as I am with her.”
“Pollo,” she whispered. “You…you can’t mean that. I’m sorry about all this with Tess. I don’t love her more than I love you. You’re my brother, my womb mate, the other half of me!”
“Not anymore, Sis. After tonight, we are separate. Lock the door on your way out.” Apollo left a stunned Meda standing in his living room.
She didn’t know what to think. She’d come here to give him a thrashing over Tess and to figure out how to get the two together. But things went wrong somewhere.
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