The second interview happened three days later, which felt both too soon and somehow overdue. I would have happily pretended the first one counted as a complete piece of journalism, but Melissa had taken one look at my draft and shut that idea down immediately. Apparently, an article composed of Dean Mercer answering in single-syllable words did not qualify as compelling content. She said it with a straight face, which made it worse. I tried to argue. I lost. So I went back. Practice had already wrapped up by the time I got to the rink, which was the only reason I didn’t turn around and leave. The place still smelled faintly like ice and sweat, and players were drifting out in loose clusters, laughing, arguing, already halfway into whatever came next for them. Ryan was in the middle of it all, talking to three different people as he had cloned himself. Dean, on the other hand, was exactly where I expected him to be, sitting off to the side on a bench near the entrance, phone in
最後更新 : 2026-06-25
