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It could be worse, Kevin immediately concludes.
It could’ve been lacrosse. It makes sense as to why it wasn’t, now, that he thinks about it. That boring, try-hard attempt of an irrelevant game. He has never liked lacrosse players, but hockey players aren’t far from his criticisms, either. But neither are exy players on a good day.
“Hey,” Neil says on the ride over there. “At least it’s not baseball.”
Kevin makes a sound of such disgust when looking away that Neil laughs out loud. Kevin ignores him and watches the Maserati’s window. “You shouldn’t even be here,” he ends up saying, which is an unspoken complaint he’s had since he saw Neil standing next to Andrew at the airport. “I know you have practice.”
A few seconds of silence until Neil admits, “I was bored.” No excuse, flies through Kevin’s head immediately, but he’s learned to not make his life more difficult around the two. “And I haven’t been to Canada in a long time. I learned French there.” When Kevin stays quiet, Neil says, “I wonder if they’ll speak any.”
“They won’t,” Kevin shuts down. He doesn’t mention the fact he knows Shane Hollander speaks French, because it is not necessary.
“Have you ever been?” Neil asks. “To Canada, I mean.”
“Of course,” Kevin answers condescendingly. He remembers. Sponsorships, meaningless jobs with Riko. He bites his tongue.
“And you didn’t have to tell me you learned French in Canada,” Kevin then remarks. “You don’t hide it very well.”
“Fuck you,” Neil says immediately, turning around in his seat. “Says the man with a southern accent.”
“It’s not that strong,” Kevin rebuts, because it’s not.
“Right,” Neil says. “Say enfin.”
”Okay,” Kevin says. ”Say brun.”
“Okay,” Neil says. “Neither of us are perfect. No one wins.”
Kevin sighs and looks back out the window. He knows the Maserati must be pushing a hundred, but he doesn’t care. His eyes close, and he tries not to think about being twelve years old.
The real reason Neil is here is because Andrew paid for his plane ticket.
They don’t talk about it at all. Both of them know Neil is officially signing onto Andrew’s team in the summer, but it doesn’t change the present. Doesn’t change the way Andrew cannot stand press, interviews, his idealistic agent. Doesn’t change how Neil is simple, very easy to bribe. How Neil doesn’t ask questions and sits quietly and lets Andrew be himself. Doesn’t change how Neil is the first and sometimes only person Andrew would go back for.
They’re in the hotel room when Andrew’s first words of the day are heard at 9:00 P.M. “Hockey isn’t real.”
Neil is lying on the bed. “Oh?” Neil says, amused.
“Exy isn’t, either,” he elaborates. He doesn’t know what he is saying, either. “Nothing is.”
“Right,” Neil says, now staring at the silent TV.
After rounds of silence, Neil says, “I don’t get it.” Then, as if he needs to elaborate, “Hockey.”
“You don’t get anything.”
Neil looks over with a smile. “I get exy.”
Andrew touches the wood of the TV stand. “I’m done talking about this.”
“Why is Kevin on the other floor?” Neil then ends up asking. Andrew answers his question with an open-mouthed kiss.
When Neil sinks his teeth into his neck, Andrew is content with the fact nothing matters.
“Do you like it,” Ilya asks Shane in bed after they’re done. “Exy.”
Shane shrugs. “It’s okay.” Then, honestly, “I just don’t know much about it.”
“You will be interviewing the Kevin Day,” Ilya reminds, playfully, eyebrows raised. “He is quite hot.”
Shane’s cheeks flush, like they always do when Ilya is shameless. “Shut up.”
“Kinda looks like you, too,” Ilya suggests. “Perhaps we should do more mating calls?”
“Shut the fuck up,” Shane mutters, a genuine irk. He moves to get off the bed, sitting up. “I have to get back.”
Ilya sighs, dramatically. He puts his hand to his forehead. “See you tomorrow, then,” Ilya speaks, accent thick.
Shane looks at him, feels his light eyes. “See you tomorrow.”
They’re early, because Kevin Day is never late.
“Oh,” someone with a professional name-tag says, staring at Neil. “I didn’t know you would be joining us! How is Seattle, Josten?”
“Fine,” Neil answers, completely flat.
The person only smiles. “Right this way.”
They’re lead to an open white room with a large white table sitting in the middle. Other people tell them where to sit. It’s already isolating in its design, ordered like puppets.
“We hope that you did your homework as we asked,” a woman says with a knowing smile. She moves to sit in front of them, staring at Kevin and Andrew until her eyes move to Neil. She smiles, warily. “We appreciate you being here, Neil, but we may ask you to leave during the duration of the interview.”
Awkward silence comes over the room. At the same time Neil says, “That’s fine,” Andrew states, “He’ll stay.”
The woman looks between both of them. More silence, and then Kevin’s coating irritation. “Okay,” she finally says. “It’s really not that big of a deal to me, but, if Ilya and Shane complain, we’ll have to enforce it.”
“He won’t bother anyone,” Kevin states, and then slams his shoe into Neil’s.
Neil smiles, as if nothing happened. “I won’t.”
The woman smiles. “Great.” She clears her throat. “Now, let’s go over what we want to happen here.”
They don’t mean to, but Ilya and Shane end up walking in at the same time.
“Hello!” a woman says from her seat, who Shane remembers to be named Katherine. “Kevin and Andrew were a little early, so we were just chatting. Please, come sit.”
In a row, Shane sees, Ilya’s voice in his head, the Kevin Day sandwiched between Andrew Minyard and someone else familiar. Other people are near them, which Shane guesses are agents and executives. He smiles. Kevin smiles back.
Immediately, Kevin puts his hand out. Shane takes it. “Kevin. Nice to meet you.”
Shane smiles back again. “Shane.” He ignores the seen eye-roll from the person next to him, who Shane knows he’s seen but can’t remember the name.
“Neil Josten will be joining us, but he won’t participate in the interview. It’s by Andrew’s request, as long as it’s okay with you, Ilya,” Katherine says.
“It is okay,” Ilya answers quickly, looking at Neil and then Andrew. “Hello. I am Ilya.” He puts his hand out.
After a moment too long, Andrew takes it. There is a slight smile from a woman in the back when he does.
“Great,” Katherine says. “We’ll be putting the groups in separate rooms for more privacy, but for now, small talk is appreciated. Our group still has a few things to do on our end, so warm up for the next ten minutes.” She begins to stand up. “In the meantime, Stephanie will still be taking notes, as long as that’s okay with you all.” Kevin nods, and that seems to be all the approval she needs before she gets out of her seat, and Shane and Ilya replace her, Shane in front of Kevin and Ilya in front of Andrew.
“Hello,” Ilya speaks. “You are all very good players.”
Kevin smiles, nods. “You too. Both of you.” He nods to Shane as well. “Very impressive.”
Ilya smiles too, less genuine, a tint of sharp playfulness. “Even though it is not as fun or good as hockey.”
“Hockey is ridiculous,” Neil Josten suddenly says. “I couldn’t imagine not running on a court.”
Shane shrugs. “I couldn’t imagine not skating.”
Kevin nods, though there is something not genuine in his eye. “Fair enough.”
“Okay, well,” Ilya says. “I watched some games. I will try and do the best I can, but I think our games are very different.”
Kevin nods. “I agree.”
“But your mom took a lot of inspiration from hockey, right?” Shane suddenly says, looking at Kevin. “I was reading some of her old interviews last night. She was very articulate and treated hockey with a lot of respect. I liked them a lot.”
Something changes in Kevin’s face. To the point Neil looks over at him.
“Yes,” Kevin confirms after a long moment. His voice a little smaller. “She was.”
After another moment of silence, Ilya tries to lighten the mood by saying, “I am jealous of the co-ed part. I always thought that was fun.”
Kevin nods. “My mom loved violence in sports. She loved it even more with men, especially when people called it unfair.” Kevin’s voice sounded different than it usually did, and Neil was still staring at him. “She didn’t care. She believed equality came from a form of negligence from the status quo. It was seen as too radical at first, but eventually everyone saw her vision.”
Shane nods. “I read a lot about that. I was actually really surprised at how ostracized she was at first.”
Kevin shakes his head. “It was sick. People misrepresented her all the time.”
“Yeah, I noticed that,” Shane responds. His face is engaged.
Eventually, Ilya slowly says, “Interesting,” but he stares at the side of Shane’s face.
Thirty seconds later, Katherine comes back into the room. “Alright, we are all ready!” she announces. “Andrew, Ilya, we’re gonna put you guys in another room. Please follow me.”
Andrew, Ilya, and Neil, as well as their agents, begin to get up.
“Alright,” Katherine says, putting down the mic. “It’s on, but we are not starting just yet. Your sample questions are in front of you, as we’ve said. Just be natural. No matter what you say, people will be interested, so don’t be nervous.”
Ilya nods, gives a thumbs up. “Yes.”
“Alright,” Stephanie says. “You may begin.”
HOLLANDER: Hi, Day.
DAY: Hi, Hollander. We are both experiencing a really crazy and intense time in our lives despite the differences. I’m looking forward to talking to you today.
HOLLANDER: Yes, you too!
ROZANOV: Hello, Minyard. I have watched a few of your games. You are a very good goalie, but I do not care about exy.
MINYARD: I don’t either.
ROZANOV: *Laughs* Funny.
DAY: There’s a lot of pressure, especially in the press, by being captain. Have you talked to any former captains and gotten any advice from them?
HOLLANDER: Yes, I have, but I’ve found that no matter what, you must have confidence in your own guidance. No one will lead a team the same way. Sometimes, I think trusting your instincts is more integral than listening to someone else.
DAY: I agree completely.
ROZANOV: Hockey is boring sometimes. I do not understand why everyone cares so much about it.
MINYARD: Stickball.
ROZANOV: Stickball?
MINYARD: Perhaps hockey would be stick-puck.
ROZANOV: *Laughs*
HOLLANDER: I’m glad. Not everyone sees my perceptive on that. Obviously there is value in everyone’s [perspective], but you have to trust your own.
DAY: Your own perspective is all you have.
HOLLANDER: Yes.
ROZANOV: I watched a few of your games before we came here. You are very fast, like you always know where the goal is coming from. You read people, players, very well, yes?
MINYARD: People are simple.
ROZANOV: This is true.
HOLLANDER: What has been your biggest challenge when navigating the spotlight—all eyes on you? I think we can relate a lot on this level, and it’s true that it takes up so much mental energy.
DAY: It most certainly does, but when you remember that the game is all that matters, it’s easy to block most of it out.
HOLLANDER: You’re right, but I do still struggle with it at times.
MINYARD: There’s only so many ways a striker can make a shot. Most of them are not good enough to surprise me.
ROZANOV: What happens when they do surprise you?
MINYARD: I’m faster.
DAY: It’s impossible to not [struggle]. No asks to be a public figure when they play a sport.
HOLLANDER: Yes, and there are so many expectations… I wish more people just focused on the game and realized, like you said, it’s the only thing that matters.
DAY: True fans know what is actually important, as well.
ROZANOV: You sound like me!
MINYARD: I have never watched a hockey game in my life.
“Andrew,” Jessica, his agent, says.
HOLLANDER: You’re right. Thank you.
DAY: I’m not very familiar with hockey, but my mother did take a lot of inspiration from it, particularly in its more violent details. Every brutality should be calculated. I am a firm believer in this; I was a Raven before I was a Fox. Is that an important philosophy for you as well?
HOLLANDER: At times. I’m not a super dirty player. I like to be more fair, but sports is not about fairness. Violence is in its nature. And sports is about calculation. So I don’t know if there is any other way to be.
“No,” Katherine says, looking back at Jessica. “Let him speak. This is good, I promise.”
ROZANOV: You have never watched a hockey game? In your life?
MINYARD: No. Why would I?
ROZANOV: Because we are doing interview.
DAY: Again, I agree completely.
HOLLANDER: Glad we can agree on so much!
DAY: Me too.
MINYARD: Interviews are not interesting.
ROZANOV: They are not, not really.
HOLLANDER: Do you think your upcoming season will go well?
DAY: Certainly. The Royals’ lineup has never been better, and I am more than confident that we will make it to championships.
HOLLANDER: Absolute best of luck to you!
MINYARD: Why do you like hockey?
ROZANOV: Because it is fun. Because I am good at it. Because I like being a troublemaker. Why do you like exy?
MINYARD: I don’t.
ROZANOV: That can’t be true.
MINYARD: I do many things that don’t make sense. All of it has slowly ruined my life.
ROZANOV: *Laughs* Oh, I like you.
DAY: And on your season?
HOLLANDER: I am fairly confident. Davis, a great player, recently got traded, so us and our fans are still struggling with that. But that still doesn’t change my confidence in the season.
DAY: I am sure you will rise above it all.
MINYARD: Are we finished?
Katherine clears her throat. “Just keep going.”
ROZANOV: I do not think he wants to talk to me.
HOLLANDER: Thank you so much. It was a pleasure speaking with you.
DAY: You too.
Katherine presses the button on the mic with a sigh. Jessica stares at Andrew with disapproval; Neil, the opposite. Ilya quietly laughs to himself.
Stephanie pressed the button on the mic. “That was great, guys. Just great.”
Shane holds out his hand again. “I meant that. It really was great speaking with you.”
For a moment, it seems that Kevin hesitates putting his hand out as well, but he eventually does. “Yes.” Then, “It was. It was.”
Quickly, they all meet back up in the hallway.
Ilya continues quietly laughing, even when he meets Shane’s eyes. Shane’s eyebrows scrunch, and it makes him giggle more.
“I’ll tell you later,” he mouths to Shane, ignoring that when he turns, Andrew is staring at him.
Jane: Why did you do that??
Jane: I know that guy saw.
Lily: Lol.
Lily: I do not think he will tell
Lily: Besides is not a big deal.
Lily: We are friends, so what?
They immediately hop back into the car.
“Neil,” Kevin begins as soon as Andrew turns the key. “Was he nice?”
“No.”
Kevin leans his head on the window.
Neil turns to him from the passenger seat. “His reputation doesn’t matter. It has nothing to do with his game, so you shouldn’t be bothered by it.”
“I’m not bothered by it,” Kevin admits, which is his own way of saying Neil is right. “It’s still annoying.”
“Everything about you is annoying,” Neil says. “Yet, here we are.”
After a few minutes, Kevin grabs his phone. On the screen, he sees a notification from a verified account.
[Instagram] shanehollander followed you!
[Instagram] shanehollander: Hi Kevin. Sorry if this is weird. I didn’t get a chance to talk to you before you left. It was great chatting with you. Let me know next time you’re in Canada, maybe we can grab a bite? I’d love to be friendly. Let me know
Kevin opens the message.
kevinday: Hi, Shane. Sure. I don’t go to Canada that much, but when I do, I’ll let you know.
Here’s my number: #
shanehollander: 👍
shanehollander: Just texted you from mine
Kevin saves the contact to his phone. He feels satisfied.
“He just like,” Ilya says from the bathroom door, “did not want to talk to me at all. It was very funny.”
“It was?” Shane asks, weirdly offended on Ilya’s behalf.
“Yes,” Ilya answers, still brushing his teeth. He walks back to the bathroom and spits in the sink. “Because he was funny. I liked him.”
“You did good,” Neil says, head beneath the pillow. Andrew doesn’t respond.
“You did,” Neil reaffirms. “I remember when you wouldn’t talk at all.”
After a long moment, Andrew says stonily, “It is not by choice.”
“I know,” Neil says. “But if it’s not by choice, you still did okay.”
The piece comes out two months later. It’s titled something along the lines of: Exy Vs. Hockey: the Stars Against Each Other.
Surprisingly and also not, Andrew and Ilya’s interview is a lot more popular than Kevin and Shane’s. Jessica texts Andrew a Good Job!!! followed by a bunch of articles entertaining the piece.
Next time, when other interviewers ask Ilya about it, he answers, “I liked it. It was a fun experience, and I think me and him got along in a weirder way.” Andrew refuses to comment on it.
Shane and Kevin’s is more positively received rather than entertained, but also more irrelevant. But, a year and a half later, when Kevin is in Canada, they do get a bite to eat (and order nearly the same thing).