Page 3 of Offensive Edge
“Has Rowan ever talked about shit like that?”
His mom had a point. “Well, no. But God, that first year, all I heard about was NHL this NHL that.”
His mom put a hand on his. “I don’t think he did that to hurt you.”
“Nothing has ever hurt more.” Maybe other men in their 20s wouldn’t talk to their moms about their ex-non-boyfriend, but Michelle and Theo had always been close. Only child to a young, single mom. The two of them had been through some shit together, including Theo’s years-long broken heart. It made Theo a little sad that he was stuck with his asshole dad’s last name and not hers. He thought of changing it along with her when she legally changed it back to her maiden name a few years prior, but Theo already had LANE on the back of so many hockey jerseys.
“Maybe he’ll surprise you.”
“I don’t want to be surprised.” Theo was already grumpy about it. The anger he used to protect himself from the pain of the situation was flaring up again. He could feel the rolling boil of it in his chest. He didn’t know how he was going to be professional about this.
“You’re going to have to figure something out.”
“I’m going to ignore him.”
She raised her eyebrows at him. They both knew that ignoring Rowan wasn’t an option.
Theo was fucked.
SEPTEMBER 9, 2022
From theSan Jose Times
Superstar to Reunite with Childhood Friend on the Ice
By Mandy Caplin
By now, we know that the city of San Jose is a hockey town, and there’s nothing more exciting to a hockey town than landing one of the greatest players in the league. With Rowan Foley’s seven-year contract with the San Jose Serpents freshly inked—which at an $11.25 million cap hit a year is a steal for a player of his caliber—it brings hope to the people of San Jose that their team will finally bring home the big trophy.
The Serpents have spent years in a careful rebuild, from acquiring a superstar goalie-to-be, Samuel Rasker, at the exact right moment for his career to skyrocket, to signing a late-blooming Theo Lane only a couple seasons ago. The Serpents are showing the league they mean business.
Speaking of Theo Lane, he’ll be getting his best friend back. OHL teammates from 2012–2014, the two were attached at the hip all the way through draft day proceedings. “It’s special to get a player like Rowan on this team. He’s the kind of guy who always shoots when he has an opportunity, and is uncannily great at making sure he finds those opportunities. I’d be dumb not to be excited to play with the best player in the league,” said Lane, who is projected to have Foley on his wing as they man the top line.
The countdown to the preseason is on, Serpents fans.
CHAPTER2
ROWAN
Rowan Foley anticipated spendinghis entire career in Texas. When the Texas Victory drafted him first overall, they hadn’t seen the playoffs in ten years. In the eight years he had spent in Dallas, they had made it to the playoffs once. And it was a first-round exit.
His confidence through his first several years in the league never wavered. The Victory was committed to him—and put their money where their mouth was—and in turn, he wanted to win in Texas. But he and Felix Becker could put up a thousand points each, and their team would still find a way to miss the playoffs.
When their twin contract extensions were up, he and Felix had a come-to-Jesus, and decided not to re-sign. They wanted to win, and it was clear that wasn’t happening in Texas. It was clear it wasn’t happening together. Rowan didn’t want to leave another best friend behind, but they both deserved a chance at the Cup.
Felix had ended up in New Jersey, and Rowan had landed in San Jose, playing for the promising Serpents. They’d made it to the conference finals the year before. Rowan’s excitement at being on a winning team zipped through him.
His excitement at being on a team with Theo Lane again was a little more nerve-wracking. It had been a while since he had been Theo’s favorite person, but the years that had passed would have surely smoothed the sharp edges that splintered as they grew apart and broke away from each other.
Right?
* * *
Finding housing in San Jose was difficult. Rowan chose a hotel for development camp and preseason while his real estate agent worked on finding him something permanent. Nothing felt right. Houses that were too small, condos that were too big. He was anxious about putting roots down, even though he had signed a big contract. Even though he knew that Rowan Foley, Generational Talent™didn’t need to worry about stability in this league. He got to choose the team he signed with, and he knew they wanted him.
Still, he hesitated. He should get to know the area first before buying something, surely. Especially when he was going to be putting down Silicon Valley money for whatever he chose.
The Serpents were elated to have him, but while he felt appreciated, and technically he felt welcome, there was a sticky distance between him and his other teammates. He could hear them whisper behind his back, recalling highlight-reel goals he’d scored, and discussing how nervous Rowan made them. He didn’t know what to do about that, but with time he was sure it would get better as the younger guys let their hero worship wear off.
