Role Model

The fifth installment in Rachel Reid's Game Changers series follows Troy Barrett, a 25-year-old National Hockey League (NHL) forward whose life implodes after he publicly calls out his best friend and teammate, Dallas Kent, as a rapist. When multiple anonymous women post accounts online accusing Kent of sexual assault, Troy believes them immediately and confronts Kent during a Toronto Guardians practice. A leaked video goes viral. The league, media, and most players rally behind Kent, and Toronto trades Troy to the Ottawa Centaurs.

Troy arrives in Ottawa already in crisis. His secret boyfriend of two years, Adrian Dela Cruz, a closeted television actor, recently dumped him and has since come out publicly and gotten engaged to another man. Troy is privately gay and has spent his career hiding behind aggressive, homophobic behavior modeled after his domineering father, Curtis Barrett. In the Ottawa locker room, team captain Ilya Rozanov coldly questions whether Troy deserves respect simply for noticing his friend was a predator. Head coach Brandon Wiebe places Troy on the top line. Troy also meets Harris Drover, the team's openly gay social media manager, who arrives wearing Pride pins and carrying Chiron, a puppy being trained as the team's therapy dog. Troy stares at Harris's pins with longing, but Harris misreads his expression as contempt.

Troy's debut is a disaster, and he declines Harris's request to film a promotional video. The next morning, he visits Harris's office to apologize. Their first conversation reveals unexpected chemistry as Harris tells Troy about growing up on a fourth-generation apple orchard outside Ottawa. Troy agrees to the video, shows flashes of dry humor during filming, and tells Harris plainly that he is not a homophobe. Harris suggests they start over.

The team's western road trip sends Troy spiraling. In Vancouver, his hometown, he drinks alone in his hotel room. Rozanov finds him hungover and warns him it cannot happen again. Troy's father ambushes him in the hotel lobby, dismisses the Kent accusations, and implies Troy should apologize to Dallas. Troy plays terribly, is demoted to the third line, and eventually shoves a referee after a disallowed goal. Rozanov sits with him afterward and urges Troy to think about what he can contribute to the team beyond personal stats. Troy reflects on his years of hiding and remembers Ryan Price, a former Toronto teammate who came out as gay and whom Troy and Kent bullied. He recognizes Price's bravery and resolves to change.

Back in Ottawa, Troy begins visiting Harris's office regularly, bringing coffee, walking Chiron together, and asking probing questions about being openly gay. He bonds with teammates at a barbecue and feels genuine warmth for the first time. Before the team's game in Toronto, Harris drives Troy around to see Christmas lights, and Troy opens up about his family. He aches to kiss Harris but holds back. The Toronto game is brutal: Kent taunts Troy throughout, and when Kent hurls homophobic slurs, Rozanov punches Kent and is ejected. Troy scores his first Ottawa goal and finally feels supported by his teammates.

During a road trip stop in New York, Rozanov takes Troy to the Kingfisher, a gay bar owned by NHL players Scott Hunter and Eric Bennett. Troy notices an enamel pin shaped like an apple with a rainbow heart and asks for one, explaining it is for a friend who is a gay apple farmer. On the walk back, Troy tells Rozanov he is gay. Rozanov reveals he is bisexual and encourages Troy to pursue Harris. Troy gives Harris the pin during a walk with Chiron. Harris hugs him impulsively, and they nearly kiss. Inspired, Troy launches an Instagram account with the bio "I believe victims of sexual assault," posting resources for survivors that Harris promotes through the team's channels.

After a win in Raleigh, the team plane loses an engine mid-flight. Troy grabs Harris's hand during the terrifying descent, and Harris talks about ice cream to distract them both. The plane lands safely in Tampa. That night, Troy brings ice cream to Harris's hotel room, and the evening ends with their first sexual encounter. Afterward, Troy comes out to Harris and reveals his past relationship with Adrian. The next morning, Troy panics and retreats, later insisting the hookup was not a big deal. Harris agrees, visibly hurt.

NHL Commissioner Roger Crowell calls Troy directly, framing Kent's accusers as liars and pressuring him to stop his advocacy. Harris tells Troy firmly that Crowell is wrong and that Troy is helping people who need a voice. Harris then invites Troy to a concert by Fabian Salah, a musician dating Troy's former teammate Ryan Price. Troy reaches for Harris's hand during the show, and they hold hands for the rest of the performance. Troy finds Price in the crowd and apologizes for years of bullying. Price accepts coolly but graciously. Troy returns to Harris and kisses him openly in the club. They go back to Troy's apartment, and their second night together is more emotionally connected.

Troy plans a surprise overnight at a spa retreat in Quebec, booking under both their real names for the first time. Harris reveals his congenital heart condition, truncus arteriosus, which has required multiple surgeries since childhood. Troy asks if they are dating; Harris says he wants to see where things go. Troy agrees but asks for time to figure out coming out publicly, promising not to make Harris hide. Troy meets Harris's family at the Drover farm and is warmly accepted.

Events accelerate. Kent is arrested after five women press charges together. Troy calls his mother and tells her he is gay; she cries with relief. Coach Wiebe reveals the organization refuses Crowell's demand to discipline Troy and fully supports him. Overwhelmed, Troy stands on his locker room bench and announces, "I'm dating Harris. We're together. I'm gay" (Chapter 24). The room erupts in applause.

On Pride Night, Curtis shows up at the arena, sneering at Troy's Pride T-shirt. Troy takes Harris's hand and tells his father he is gay. Curtis goes pale and walks out without a word. Troy tells Harris he loves him; Harris says he loves Troy too. Troy posts the coming-out video Harris produced, captioned "This is me" (Chapter 25).

That night, every Centaurs player wraps rainbow tape on his stick in solidarity. Ottawa defeats Toronto, and Troy scores two goals and is named first star. He kisses Harris in the locker room in front of reporters. His mother, Julia, and her boyfriend, Charlie, surprise him at the arena, having secretly flown home to attend the game. Troy posts a photo of himself and Harris with a declaration of love, tells Harris he wants to find a house in the country big enough for Chiron, whom Harris is adopting, and says there is nowhere else he would rather be.