11. Tyler

Half the guys on our team are here in the weight room, and majority of them are hangover as fuck. The boys got a little get together for finally reuniting after the break. I, surprisingly isn’t one of them. To be honest, they were even so surprise when I refuse to lift any single bottle of beer at the bar last night considering the fact that I have been burying myself with alcohol for so long.

My system wants to drink but my brain doesn’t want me to. My head is way too occupied thinking about the random girl who approached me few days ago that I got her pregnant.

Fucking hell! I knocked up the girl I hooked up with in the restroom, and the funniest thing? I don’t even know her. The whole hooking up that we did was a huge blur, because if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have assumed that it was Tricia.

Goodness, my whole system is in shocked. I knocked up someone!

Fuck Tyler! You knocked up someone!

Those words have been running in my head for days now. I seriously don’t know how to feel!

Seriously, yes. I want a child, I want to have my own family but with someone that I love and not with someone I fucked on the restroom.

I blow out a breathe as I positioned myself to heave the barbells to do some few reps. My head isn’t straight these days thinking about what if I am really the father of the kid? Thank fuck we’re not on the middle of the game season today or else I’ll be a huge cancer on the ice.

Jezz! I didn’t thought about knocking someone up despite of how active my sex life is. Guess this is what I get for sleeping around way too often but, dude! This is just way too much to bear at the moment.

The next thirty minutes passed and the room empties out with some of the guys hitting the shower. My closest friends in the team are still rocking chin ups and bench presses not too far from me. I walked towards Niko and Martin who are currently heaving weights together on the corner. I sat on the long wooden bench watching them as I fight over whether to tell this fucktards about my situation or not.

Hockey players aren’t known for serious heart-to-heart talks, usually, we just chirp one another, feeding each other with insults and the only serious conversation is always about the game. Girls, relationships and other too serious and personal topics just ends up getting roasted.

However, if I keep this by myself I don’t think I can handle it. I desperately need an advice and as of now the only people I can think of is my two closest friends on the team, because I can’t ask and tell my family about this. I know for a fact that my mom will surely kick my ass for knocking up a stranger but aside from that, I don’t want them to assume right away that there’s going to be an addition to the Hollis family because I haven’t proven yet that the baby is mine.

I know Niko and Martin tend to be an asshole sometimes but they’re good people. They can keep any secrets, they always have my back and I know that they put their heads on good use sometimes if necessary.

“Let’s grab some proper food for brunch later, seriously, I need it to cure this hangover shit.” Niko said as he drops the barbell on the rack after Martin finishes the last rep.

“What’s the point of working out early when you’ll just cheat right after?” Martin said as he stands up to grab a bottle of water and beamed at me. “Sup man! You’re spacing out.”

Shit! Am I?

“How soon can a pregnant woman undergo a paternity test?” I asked Martin out of nowhere while he switch places with Niko who’s already resting on the bench press this time waiting for Martin to put the barbells on his outstretched hands.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” He asked completely surprised on what I have just said and signaled Niko right away to stop what they’re doing.

My question also caught the other two guys Jason and Ben’s attention who are all busy working out. There’s only five of us in the weight room at the moment, all are my closest friends on the team. I need an advice! My head is all over the place so I really need some wisdom on how to deal with this mess. These people can keep any secrets!

“Did you knocked up someone?” Niko immediately asked.

“Let’s please keep this between us.” I warned. “But yeah, I think so.”

“What do you mean you think so?” Martin asked in complete frustration.

“I mean, I don’t know alright?” I answered. “I’m still not sure if I am the father yet.”

“And who’s this chick?” Niko asks again. “Is it Tricia? Or one of your puck bunnies?”

“Is it one of the cheerleaders?” Jason, one of our team defensemen and probably the oldest guy on the team supplied.

“Shut the fuck up!” I replied throwing Jason a piece of towel I used in wiping my sweat off.

“It’s actually none of those girls.” I said because Keya was a complete stranger. “So as I was saying, how soon can I have a paternity test?”

Everyone around me shrugged which surprised me because I thought everybody knows aside from me! Especially the fathers, there’s no one of us here who are exempted, every one of us are all guilty about sleeping around.

“Let’s ask the fathers here.” Martin suggested.

“Well, as far as I know you can already have it during the ninth week.” Ben answered. “How long is she in?”

“I don’t know but based on my own calculations, she’s probably on fifth? Seventh?” I said completely unsure about it.

“You might as well do the procedure once it’s okay right before the baby-mama starts to demand a house and lot or something!” Jason said which sends everyone to laugh.

“Your life will change man once you become a father.” Ben said patting me on my shoulder.

I sighed. I know that, and I was so ready with that when I was with Elise.

But thinking about being a father to the child of Keya? Who is a complete stranger? That is way too much and I don’t think I am genuinely ready yet if ever the baby is indeed mine.

After the guys and I hit the shower, Niko and Martin ride my car to go grab some proper food to feed our starving selves. Niko asked to just buy food at the Steve’s diner, one of the nearest food places in the arena. I used to grab for food in here before when I first got to the team and not that well-known yet, but now I already stopped since there are way too people who comes in the said place and I certainly cannot eat without people asking for photos every time they see me.

I’m not complaining or anything though, I just want to avoid certain circumstances where I might have to act rude to a certain fan, we’re normal people too and we always have our days where we just wanted some privacy and there are people who don’t know how to understand that. So now, as much as possible I already avoid places where I can’t get the kind of peace and privacy I wanted. Especially these days where I am one of those hockey players who are mostly the center of drama. I fucking hated it to be honest!

Martin and Niko hopped out of my car and went to the diner themselves while I on the other hand decided to just stay in the car. Two of them doesn’t have any problems on being recognized on the streets of Texas actually, since Martin is a local here because he is from Dallas while Niko just naturally loves the attention himself. I don’t have any problems with accordance to that part of my pro-hockey life actually, but right after involving myself to a lot of dramas, specifically the drama between me and the Switzerland Bulldogs, I became sick at it.

I already hated doing press, interviews and sometimes meeting fans because they seemed to look like they are just interested with me just so they can get further issues and dramas to sell their stories. It’s not obvious but I have been keeping myself lowkey as much as possible but people just seems to disrespect that.

I decided to park the car across the street as I wait for my friends to get out from the said diner. As I stare at the diner’s door waiting for them, a familiar face went out from the door.

Shit! It’s the girl named Keya.

She sat on the nearest bench rubbing her temples as she closes her eyes, obviously, she doesn’t look good. Based on what I see, she’s wearing a baby-pink dress with a white collar and a white short apron on her waist. She’s probably working here at the diner. I just look at her from my car as she stays on that position for several minutes, there’s no way I’m gonna come near her because seriously she might be lying about me knocking her up or something. If I’ll approach her, surely I’ll give her the satisfaction that I am interested and fell on the kind of trick she’s trying to play on me.

Few minutes ticks by and my friends still haven’t arrived, I saw Keya rush to nearest trash bin. Based on what I see she’s currently heaving and as weird as my reflexes can be I saw myself grabbing the small box of tissue on the glove box and a bottle of water. Without any second I am already standing few inches from Keya waiting for her to stop from puking.

When she’s finally done and covers her mouth, I handed her a bottle of water and tissue.

“Thank you so much.” She said without looking at me.

She washed her mouth using the water I gave her and wiped her mouth off. She grabs another few tissues and wipes her eyes out, I just noticed that she’s currently crying. She clearly doesn’t look okay. She’s on her first months of pregnancy so she’s clearly having this kind of sickness all the time.

Fuck! Why do I have to feel so guilty right now?

“You sure you’re gonna be okay?” I asked her once she calmed down. As soon as I said those words she finally looked up on me and the shock on her face is beyond the roof.

“You!” She voiced out. I expected her to look happy when she sees me but it was the exact opposite. “What are you doing here?”

“Just so you know, I didn’t come here to see you.” I said in complete defense. “My friends just happen to grab food on the diner and I saw you here puking so I ran and helped you.”

She mumbles something in the air that I wasn’t able to catch but I definitely heard the word asshole in there.

“Excuse me what did you just say?”

“Nothing.” She answered.

“So I see that you kept the baby?” I asked in complete hesitation.

I am not a complete dick! I’m willing to take all the responsibilities on her child if it’s proven that it is mine. But as of now that I still don’t know yet, I don’t want her to assume right away that I am already accepting it. Again, I don’t want to be disappointed.

Besides, she’s a complete stranger. I don’t know who the hell she is, if I trust her right away it’ll be a great problem in the future.

“I haven’t decided yet if I’ll get the procedure or not.” She said sighing, she looks way too distressed I can really tell. I have a great feeling that she’s been like this ever since she found out that she’s pregnant. I can still remember how she stressed out in front of me that she doesn’t want to have a baby at the moment. And yet, I’m surprised that she’s still debating on whether she’ll keep the baby or not.

I know it’s selfish to think that I don’t want her to abort the baby because what if it’s mine, but at the same time I’m thinking about I am ruining her life, her plans or something. Unlike her, I’m way too ready to throw myself on fatherhood. I have always been, especially when I was still with Elise. So as much as I want to decide, I want her to do it for herself. If she keeps it and proves that it is mine I’ll take the responsibility but if she’ll get the procedure done then it is better for the both of us.

“Why do you care all of a sudden?” She asked.

“I don’t. I was just asking.” I half-lied because seriously half of me wants to know whether it’s mine or not.

She stared at me and just sighed. I got her annoyed again. “Goodbye Mr. Hollis.”