The next day at the arena, I was standing over Max, disinfecting his new cut.
“I can’t believe I already have to give you stitches, Max. The season hasn’t even started yet!” I said, and he just chuckled. The guys had been playing some sort of indoor shinny during lunch and Max had ended up getting slashed by Kris’ high stick, giving him a nasty gash under his right eye.
Once I was done with his stitches, I began working on some long put-off paperwork from last season. I was about half-way through when I heard a knock on my door.
“It’s open!” I called, not looking up from my desk.
“Hey,” someone said as the door opened, and I looked up to see Jordan leaning against the doorframe.
“Hey! I didn’t know you were coming to see me,” I said, smiling.
“I just thought I’d stop by to see how you were doing.” He said.
“I’m good; I’ve got a shit-load of work to do though. Why?”
“Well you left kind of suddenly last night; I just wanted to know if everything was okay.” He asked me with concern in his voice and written all over his face.
“Oh, yeah everything’s fine, I was just tired.” I lied coolly.
“Oh, okay,” Jordan said, obviously not convinced. He just stood there, looking at me. I racked my brain for something to say.
“So…how was practice?”
“It was okay, I’m feeling more out of shape than I’ve felt in a long time though, and this new rookie guy gave me a nasty check that I’m sure I’ll feel tomorrow morning,” he replied, rubbing his arm. I laughed.
“I can’t believe you let a rookie hit you,” I laughed, and he frowned defensively.
“Hey, it’s not my fault that the new guys have been training all summer and I’ve been sitting around like a bum on the beach,” he said, before smiling slightly. “Okay, I guess it is kind of my fault.”
“Well, you’ve never been known for thinking ahead,” I said, moving my eyes back to the paperwork on my desk. After a few seconds, I heard his footsteps come across the room and he took the pen out of my hand. I looked up at him, confused.
“How about we go to dinner tonight,” he said. “Just you and me, to catch up and stuff.” I smiled.
“Sure. Just like we used to,” I responded.
“Great. I’ll pick you up at seven?” he asked as he backed away to the door.
“Sounds good,” I answered, “See you then.” He smiled and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. After about three seconds, the door peaked open again. Jordan face popped through.
“Forgot this,” he said sheepishly, tossing the pen in my direction.
“Thanks,” I said, and he shot me a lopsided grin before disappearing behind the door. I chuckled to myself. I loved how much of an airhead he could be. I set my attention back to work so I could finish it in time to go home and get ready. I hated having un-finished work hanging over my head when I went out.
I managed to get out by six and hurried home to take a shower. Showers were my favorite part of the day. It was always easiest to think when I had the warm spray falling over me. I spend a bit too long day dreaming and had to throw on the first pair of jeans I saw in my closet before I heard Jordan’s car pull up in the driveway. I almost tripped down the stairs in my attempt to get to the door. I yanked it open and Jordan laughed.
“Why are you always out of breath when you open the door?” he asked.
“Lost track of time.” I answered, and he nodded.
“What else is new?” I heard him mutter as he walked in.
“Can you give me like five minutes?” I asked, already on my way back up the stairs. He nodded and sat down on the edge of the couch in the living room.
I threw on some light makeup and brushed out my tangled hair until it was straight. I stood for a moment admiring myself in front of the mirror.
“Hey, where’s Gil?” Jordan called from downstairs, referring to my dog.
“I brought him to my parents’ for the week.” I said, walking back downstairs. He stood up, fixing the collar of his shirt.
“Open or closed?” he asked me. I took a step back to take in his whole look.
“Definitely open,” I said. He smiled and undid the top button.
“You look great, let’s go.” He said, and held the door open for me.
“Where are we going?” I asked him once we stepped into his flashy silver car.
“I thought we’d try that new Chinese place on Bleeker.” He said.
“Sounds good.” I nodded, and turned on the radio to my favorite station.
“Oh no, not in my car,” he said, turning the dial.
“What’s wrong with country?” I asked, offended.
“Nothing, in moderation. But I get way too much of it from hanging out with you. I’m afraid for my health.” He responded. I scoffed.
“Music won’t kill you.”
“Country music will,” he contradicted. “It’ll kill us all.” I sighed and rolled my eyes at him.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Chapter 2
I watched the boys train for a few more hours before we had to leave. I walked to my car alongside Max and Geno, who had decided to come along with us instead of riding with some of the other boys. I was happy that it was only the pre-season and we didn’t have to face the usual hustle and bustle of autograph signing. I chuckled as I watched Max try to open the door on the passenger side before remembering that you had to get in through the back seat, and he kicked the side of the car in frustration.
“Piece of shit car…” he muttered to himself before getting in the back and crawling up to the seat next to me. He shot me a glare, and I gave him a puppy-dog look. He just shook his head at me. I batted my eyelashes at him, and stuck out my bottom lip further. He gave me an angry look, but then patted his cheek. I grinned and kissed his cheek lightly. I then pulled away, and his frown was replaced by a smirk.
“Works every time,” he stated smugly. I just laughed, before I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Geno looking at us.
“I no want interrupt, but we get going now? I hungry,” he said, while rubbing his stomach to make his point. Max and I both laughed, and I started the car. Max rolled his eyes at the incredibly loud noise it made, but I just ignored him. I was used to being mocked by these guys about my car, and I’m sure they had all offered to buy me a new one at one point or another, Jordan especially. They didn’t understand why I loved it so much; but it was like family to me. I couldn’t get rid of it; it would be like getting rid of one of my brothers.
Max, Geno and I all caught up as much as we could during the short ride to Diesel. I learned that Geno had made himself a pact that he would no longer date Russian girls; he figured they were bad news. I tried to convince him they weren’t all bad; he just had really bad taste. He then vowed to ignore me for the rest of the night.
Once we arrived, we automatically made our way to the VIP section in the back. Most of the team was already there, including some of the girlfriends. When I first started hanging out with the team like this I felt a little awkward because normally the only people present would be the hockey players and their girlfriends or wives, and I didn’t fit into either category. After a while though, I began to become a part of both categories; a friend with the girls and a friend with the guys.
I made my way over to the bar and sat down next to Geno. He already had seven vodka shots lined up in front of him, and seemed to be studying them intently. When he noticed me sitting there, he lifted one up in front of my face questioningly.
“No thanks,” I said, waving it away.
“Oh yeah, I forget you no drink.” He laughed in that thick accent of his (the ignoring thing never lasts very long) and downed the shot himself. It never ceased to amaze me the amount of alcohol this man could consume in one sitting. It also never ceased to amaze me how after almost five years in this country his accent still remained almost incomprehensible. What can I say? Russians are amazing guys. Most of them, anyway. The Washington Capitals possessed two Russian individuals who didn’t quite take the cake. The two Alexanders; Ovechkin and Semin, were much too cocky for my taste.
“Liv? You hear what I say?” Geno’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Hmmm?”
“I ask if you meet Staalsy’s brother yet.” My head immediately snapped up to attention.
“Uh, Eric? Yeah, I met him. Why?”
“He keep looking at you.” My eyes grew wide. I turned my head to look behind me and, indeed, there was Eric, sitting by himself in a booth in the corner of the room, looking straight in my direction. The moment he saw me looking back his eyes immediately diverted to his drink on the table. I glanced back at Geno, who just shrugged and downed another shot. I smiled at him before getting up off of my seat and walking to where Eric was sitting, his eyes still glued on his drink.
“Do you mind?” I asked, gesturing to the seat across from him.
“Uh…no, go ahead.” He answered, before taking a sip of his beer.
“So Jordan’s abandoned you already, huh?” I said as I sat down. I saw the side of Eric’s mouth twitch upwards.
“Yeah, almost immediately after we got here.” He responded, looking over at the bar to where Jordan was standing, surrounded by three giggling blonds. “I’m used to it though; he’s always been the flirt of the family.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah; Jared’s the ditz, Marc’s the goon, and Jordan’s the flirt. It’s been that way ever since we were young.” He chuckled to himself, probably remembering some old family memories.
“So…what would you be then?” I asked him, raising an eyebrow.
“Me?” I nodded. “Well…I guess I’d be the charming one.” He said, smiling. I was beginning to notice that he had a really cute smile. Wait, no. Cute isn’t the right word. Adorable. Yeah, that seems a lot more suitable.
“You’re charming, are you?” I grinned at him. I guess it was infectious.
“Well, I try. Maybe some time you’ll find out for yourself.” Eric said, taking another sip of his beer. Wait, what? Was he flirting? This was definitely getting weird. I felt my face grow warm with embarrassment. What was going on? Why was I blushing?! It was then that he noticed I didn’t have a glass of my own.
“Do you want me to buy you something?” he asked me, pointing to the bar. I shook my head, and chuckled for what I knew was coming next.
“I don’t drink.”
“Oh, okay.” Oh? Okay? That was it? When I had told the rest of the guys a few years ago they had all flipped out and called me a freak at every opportunity they got. And when I tell this guy, all I get is a nonchalant, “oh, okay”? He didn’t even ask me why! He was definitely a different kind of hockey player than the ones I had grown accustomed to, that was for sure. There were a couple moments of silence, before he asked me, “So how did you get to be friends with Jordan and the rest of the guys?”
“Oh, well I work for the team, actually.”
“Really?” he asked, eyebrows raised. “As what?”
“I’m the head medic.” I answered; kind of surprised Jordan hadn’t told him earlier. The shock was apparent of Eric’s face. “Is that so hard to believe?”
“No, no! Of course not, I mean…well, I guess I just wasn’t expecting it.” He said stuttering, his face turning pink. “Wow, that’s pretty cool.” He added, regaining his composure. I smirked at him, amused. Even though he hadn’t said anything, I knew what he had thought when I had told him I worked for the Pens. He wasn’t the first to misjudge me as one of those puck bunny whores who only tried to get a job with the team to ogle at the players. I hated those girls. They didn’t like hockey for the sport; they just liked the guys who played it. It made me sick to watch them throw themselves all over the players; I mean, had they no self-pride?
“Yeah, it’s a lot of fun. I’ve wanted to do something medical ever since I was young, so I guess I’m really lucky.” I smiled at him, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable or anything; he was my best friend’s brother after all, and it was his first day with a new team.
“Wait, how old are you?” he asked me suddenly.
“Almost 24 now, why?” I answered, confused.
“Well there’s one thing I don’t understand,” he began, but trailed off, trying to find the right words.
“Shoot,” I said. He gave me a lopsided grin before continuing.
“Jordan told me he’s known you for about three years, so I’m guessing that’s when you started working with the team, right?” I nodded. “So that made you, what, 21 years old at the time?” I nodded again slowly, wondering where this was going. “How did you manage to get a medical degree in just three years of college?” I laughed at him, relieved that his question had somewhat of an easy answer.
“Well I skipped the third grade, so that gave me an extra year, and I did the IB program all throughout high school, and that gave me a free pass through all four years of pre-med, so that just left me med school. I started when I was 17, and ended when I was 20, then came straight here.”
“Wow, you must have had to work pretty hard your entire life to get that many shortcuts and stuff.”
“Yeah, but I figured it would all be worth it in the end.” I chuckled remembering my mom stressing when I was in high school at the amount of time I spent working.
“So how did you manage to become head medic in only three years?” Eric asked me. Wow, this guy sure had a lot of questions.
“Uh, I dunno, it just kind of worked out that way I guess.” I answered, now thinking back, wondering how I had gotten so lucky as to be offered the top job after only a few years. My thoughts were interrupted by a loud commotion behind me.
“Arm wrestling competition!” Max yelled, which was followed by many whoops and hollers. I noticed all the guys and some of the blond Barbies crowded around one booth, so Eric and I stood up and made our way over there. I laughed when I saw who the challengers were. There sat Max, and across from him a very small looking Marc-Andre Fleury. Poor guy, I wonder what bet he had lost.
Just as I had speculated, in a little over seven seconds, Flower’s skinny arm was slammed down on the table, and Max let out a triumphant howl, pumping his fist in the air. Flower pretended to be devastated, but then stood up and wrapped his arm around Vero, his extremely pregnant recent fiancé. He gave Max a look that said ‘you know you wish you were me’, but Max just continued to bask in his own glory and winked at a group of girls with fake tans standing next to me, and they giggled like crazy. I scoffed at him, but he just grinned at me deviously. I knew he was up to no good.
“What, Liv? You think you can beat me?” He asked, one eyebrow raised, the devilish grin still spread across his lips. I laughed out loud at him.
“Max, you know I never turn down a challenge, but I wouldn’t want to embarrass you in front of all these girls you’re trying to impress.” I threw back at him, grinning now as well. A chorus of ‘ooohs’ erupted throughout the room, but Max just shook his head at me, and pointed to the seat across from him, gesturing for me to sit down.
“I hope your walk is as big as your talk, sweetie,” he said as I sat down. He put his arm up on the table, and I put my hand in his much bigger one.
“You ready for this, Frenchie?” I asked him, laughing.
“You’re kidding, right?” he said, shaking his head at me again.
“One…”
“Two, three…go!” He didn’t start pushing right away. He actually started pulling his own hand down, just for the fun of the game. He smirked at me, and then started exerting some force. Just as my hand was about to hit the table, I felt a larger hand cover my own. Now it was my turn to smirk at Max.
“I think you forgot about my secret weapon,” I told him as I looked at Jordan standing over me, smiling. He smiled back, and with both of our strengths together, we managed to pin Max’s hand to the table.
“No fair! You two cheated!” Max whined, but Jordan just put his arm around my waist and pulled me up off the seat.
“All’s fair in love and war,” I laughed as Jordan and I both stuck our tongues out at him and walked away to the bar.
“Thanks for that, Jord,” I told him as we sat down.
“Hey, no problem. You know I always got your back, and I couldn’t just let you lose to Max like that. Besides, the look on his face was priceless!” he laughed, and I laughed along with him before I caught Eric looking at us. He didn’t seem too happy.
“I think I’m gonna head home,” I told Jordan, my eyes still locked with Eric’s.
“Uh, okay,” Jordan answered with disappointment. “Do you need a ride?”
“No, I got my car,” I answered, tearing my gaze away from Eric. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I got up and gave Jordan a hug before heading outside. I could still feel Eric’s eyes on me as I left the club.
“Piece of shit car…” he muttered to himself before getting in the back and crawling up to the seat next to me. He shot me a glare, and I gave him a puppy-dog look. He just shook his head at me. I batted my eyelashes at him, and stuck out my bottom lip further. He gave me an angry look, but then patted his cheek. I grinned and kissed his cheek lightly. I then pulled away, and his frown was replaced by a smirk.
“Works every time,” he stated smugly. I just laughed, before I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Geno looking at us.
“I no want interrupt, but we get going now? I hungry,” he said, while rubbing his stomach to make his point. Max and I both laughed, and I started the car. Max rolled his eyes at the incredibly loud noise it made, but I just ignored him. I was used to being mocked by these guys about my car, and I’m sure they had all offered to buy me a new one at one point or another, Jordan especially. They didn’t understand why I loved it so much; but it was like family to me. I couldn’t get rid of it; it would be like getting rid of one of my brothers.
Max, Geno and I all caught up as much as we could during the short ride to Diesel. I learned that Geno had made himself a pact that he would no longer date Russian girls; he figured they were bad news. I tried to convince him they weren’t all bad; he just had really bad taste. He then vowed to ignore me for the rest of the night.
Once we arrived, we automatically made our way to the VIP section in the back. Most of the team was already there, including some of the girlfriends. When I first started hanging out with the team like this I felt a little awkward because normally the only people present would be the hockey players and their girlfriends or wives, and I didn’t fit into either category. After a while though, I began to become a part of both categories; a friend with the girls and a friend with the guys.
I made my way over to the bar and sat down next to Geno. He already had seven vodka shots lined up in front of him, and seemed to be studying them intently. When he noticed me sitting there, he lifted one up in front of my face questioningly.
“No thanks,” I said, waving it away.
“Oh yeah, I forget you no drink.” He laughed in that thick accent of his (the ignoring thing never lasts very long) and downed the shot himself. It never ceased to amaze me the amount of alcohol this man could consume in one sitting. It also never ceased to amaze me how after almost five years in this country his accent still remained almost incomprehensible. What can I say? Russians are amazing guys. Most of them, anyway. The Washington Capitals possessed two Russian individuals who didn’t quite take the cake. The two Alexanders; Ovechkin and Semin, were much too cocky for my taste.
“Liv? You hear what I say?” Geno’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Hmmm?”
“I ask if you meet Staalsy’s brother yet.” My head immediately snapped up to attention.
“Uh, Eric? Yeah, I met him. Why?”
“He keep looking at you.” My eyes grew wide. I turned my head to look behind me and, indeed, there was Eric, sitting by himself in a booth in the corner of the room, looking straight in my direction. The moment he saw me looking back his eyes immediately diverted to his drink on the table. I glanced back at Geno, who just shrugged and downed another shot. I smiled at him before getting up off of my seat and walking to where Eric was sitting, his eyes still glued on his drink.
“Do you mind?” I asked, gesturing to the seat across from him.
“Uh…no, go ahead.” He answered, before taking a sip of his beer.
“So Jordan’s abandoned you already, huh?” I said as I sat down. I saw the side of Eric’s mouth twitch upwards.
“Yeah, almost immediately after we got here.” He responded, looking over at the bar to where Jordan was standing, surrounded by three giggling blonds. “I’m used to it though; he’s always been the flirt of the family.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah; Jared’s the ditz, Marc’s the goon, and Jordan’s the flirt. It’s been that way ever since we were young.” He chuckled to himself, probably remembering some old family memories.
“So…what would you be then?” I asked him, raising an eyebrow.
“Me?” I nodded. “Well…I guess I’d be the charming one.” He said, smiling. I was beginning to notice that he had a really cute smile. Wait, no. Cute isn’t the right word. Adorable. Yeah, that seems a lot more suitable.
“You’re charming, are you?” I grinned at him. I guess it was infectious.
“Well, I try. Maybe some time you’ll find out for yourself.” Eric said, taking another sip of his beer. Wait, what? Was he flirting? This was definitely getting weird. I felt my face grow warm with embarrassment. What was going on? Why was I blushing?! It was then that he noticed I didn’t have a glass of my own.
“Do you want me to buy you something?” he asked me, pointing to the bar. I shook my head, and chuckled for what I knew was coming next.
“I don’t drink.”
“Oh, okay.” Oh? Okay? That was it? When I had told the rest of the guys a few years ago they had all flipped out and called me a freak at every opportunity they got. And when I tell this guy, all I get is a nonchalant, “oh, okay”? He didn’t even ask me why! He was definitely a different kind of hockey player than the ones I had grown accustomed to, that was for sure. There were a couple moments of silence, before he asked me, “So how did you get to be friends with Jordan and the rest of the guys?”
“Oh, well I work for the team, actually.”
“Really?” he asked, eyebrows raised. “As what?”
“I’m the head medic.” I answered; kind of surprised Jordan hadn’t told him earlier. The shock was apparent of Eric’s face. “Is that so hard to believe?”
“No, no! Of course not, I mean…well, I guess I just wasn’t expecting it.” He said stuttering, his face turning pink. “Wow, that’s pretty cool.” He added, regaining his composure. I smirked at him, amused. Even though he hadn’t said anything, I knew what he had thought when I had told him I worked for the Pens. He wasn’t the first to misjudge me as one of those puck bunny whores who only tried to get a job with the team to ogle at the players. I hated those girls. They didn’t like hockey for the sport; they just liked the guys who played it. It made me sick to watch them throw themselves all over the players; I mean, had they no self-pride?
“Yeah, it’s a lot of fun. I’ve wanted to do something medical ever since I was young, so I guess I’m really lucky.” I smiled at him, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable or anything; he was my best friend’s brother after all, and it was his first day with a new team.
“Wait, how old are you?” he asked me suddenly.
“Almost 24 now, why?” I answered, confused.
“Well there’s one thing I don’t understand,” he began, but trailed off, trying to find the right words.
“Shoot,” I said. He gave me a lopsided grin before continuing.
“Jordan told me he’s known you for about three years, so I’m guessing that’s when you started working with the team, right?” I nodded. “So that made you, what, 21 years old at the time?” I nodded again slowly, wondering where this was going. “How did you manage to get a medical degree in just three years of college?” I laughed at him, relieved that his question had somewhat of an easy answer.
“Well I skipped the third grade, so that gave me an extra year, and I did the IB program all throughout high school, and that gave me a free pass through all four years of pre-med, so that just left me med school. I started when I was 17, and ended when I was 20, then came straight here.”
“Wow, you must have had to work pretty hard your entire life to get that many shortcuts and stuff.”
“Yeah, but I figured it would all be worth it in the end.” I chuckled remembering my mom stressing when I was in high school at the amount of time I spent working.
“So how did you manage to become head medic in only three years?” Eric asked me. Wow, this guy sure had a lot of questions.
“Uh, I dunno, it just kind of worked out that way I guess.” I answered, now thinking back, wondering how I had gotten so lucky as to be offered the top job after only a few years. My thoughts were interrupted by a loud commotion behind me.
“Arm wrestling competition!” Max yelled, which was followed by many whoops and hollers. I noticed all the guys and some of the blond Barbies crowded around one booth, so Eric and I stood up and made our way over there. I laughed when I saw who the challengers were. There sat Max, and across from him a very small looking Marc-Andre Fleury. Poor guy, I wonder what bet he had lost.
Just as I had speculated, in a little over seven seconds, Flower’s skinny arm was slammed down on the table, and Max let out a triumphant howl, pumping his fist in the air. Flower pretended to be devastated, but then stood up and wrapped his arm around Vero, his extremely pregnant recent fiancé. He gave Max a look that said ‘you know you wish you were me’, but Max just continued to bask in his own glory and winked at a group of girls with fake tans standing next to me, and they giggled like crazy. I scoffed at him, but he just grinned at me deviously. I knew he was up to no good.
“What, Liv? You think you can beat me?” He asked, one eyebrow raised, the devilish grin still spread across his lips. I laughed out loud at him.
“Max, you know I never turn down a challenge, but I wouldn’t want to embarrass you in front of all these girls you’re trying to impress.” I threw back at him, grinning now as well. A chorus of ‘ooohs’ erupted throughout the room, but Max just shook his head at me, and pointed to the seat across from him, gesturing for me to sit down.
“I hope your walk is as big as your talk, sweetie,” he said as I sat down. He put his arm up on the table, and I put my hand in his much bigger one.
“You ready for this, Frenchie?” I asked him, laughing.
“You’re kidding, right?” he said, shaking his head at me again.
“One…”
“Two, three…go!” He didn’t start pushing right away. He actually started pulling his own hand down, just for the fun of the game. He smirked at me, and then started exerting some force. Just as my hand was about to hit the table, I felt a larger hand cover my own. Now it was my turn to smirk at Max.
“I think you forgot about my secret weapon,” I told him as I looked at Jordan standing over me, smiling. He smiled back, and with both of our strengths together, we managed to pin Max’s hand to the table.
“No fair! You two cheated!” Max whined, but Jordan just put his arm around my waist and pulled me up off the seat.
“All’s fair in love and war,” I laughed as Jordan and I both stuck our tongues out at him and walked away to the bar.
“Thanks for that, Jord,” I told him as we sat down.
“Hey, no problem. You know I always got your back, and I couldn’t just let you lose to Max like that. Besides, the look on his face was priceless!” he laughed, and I laughed along with him before I caught Eric looking at us. He didn’t seem too happy.
“I think I’m gonna head home,” I told Jordan, my eyes still locked with Eric’s.
“Uh, okay,” Jordan answered with disappointment. “Do you need a ride?”
“No, I got my car,” I answered, tearing my gaze away from Eric. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I got up and gave Jordan a hug before heading outside. I could still feel Eric’s eyes on me as I left the club.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Chapter 1
After many days of tabulation, the Pittsburgh Penguins have finally managed to obtain a second Staal brother. Eric Staal, who was brought over for the sole purpose of playing on the same line as his brother, Jordan, was just traded from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for the 1st and 3rd round picks of the 2011 NHL draft, along with Penguin forward, Jay McKee. The two Staal brothers playing together are expected to make great offensive opportunities for the Penguins, perhaps even more so then the Sedin twins of Vancouver. There were some doubts early on in the 2010 season for Eric Staal, after just divorcing his wife. But, surprisingly, there were no signs whatsoever of falter in the forward’s play. If anything, this little incident has made him better. Last season, he reached a career-high number of goals, assists, penalty minutes and points over-all, making him a huge threat in the league. Now that the Pittsburgh Penguins have attained him there are strong speculations that they might go on to win their second Stanley Cup victory in three years, after being beaten to it last year by the Chicago Blackhawks and former teammate Marian Hossa. The Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup in 49 years against Philedelphia last season…
I put down the newspaper, shocked beyond words. I didn’t think; I just grabbed my keys off the kitchen counter and ran to my truck. The door of my Chevy made a horrible creaking sound as I opened it, and I just laughed to myself. Jordan kept trying to convince me to let him buy me a new car, but I wouldn’t have it. I loved my old navy truck. I’d had it since I was 16, and had inherited it from my father, who’d had it since the early 70’s. He’d been a mechanic, and he’d taught me how to fix it up, and I’d been trying my best for six years since I’d gotten it to keep it in ship-shape. It may look bad on the outside and only go up to 60 m/h on the inside, but I loved it.
I jumped in and waited patiently for a few minutes while the car started up. I then sped down the well-known neighborhood as fast as I could until I reached the new CONSOL Energy Center. I quickly sprinted towards the back entrance of the arena.
“Hey, Jimmy,” I said to the big, well-built security guard standing in front of the door.
“In a rush, Liv?” he laughed, stepping aside. I smiled at him but didn’t respond, already through the door. I made my way towards the weight-room, knowing they wouldn’t be on the ice yet; this was only the first day of camp. I barged through the door, not bothering to knock. As soon as I entered the room, my nose was filled with the smell of sweat. It might sound rather weird, but I didn’t mind the smell that much. It was the smell of hockey, and I had grown up around it. Before I could look around, I was engulfed in a huge bear hug. I didn’t even have to ask who it was.
“Max!” I yelled happily, hugging him back. Maxime Talbot pulled away and looked me in the face, smiling widely.
“I missed you, Livy.” he said.
“I missed you too, Maxy.” I responded, and hugged him again. “I haven’t seen you since…” I pondered for a moment.
“End-of-year party, remember? At Sid’s new place.” He finished for me.
“Right, right. I’m gonna really miss that hobo beard of yours. So how were your holidays? Meet any new girls?” I asked him, wiggling my eyebrows up and down, grinning.
“Oh, yeah…tons. None were that significant though, I don’t think I can remember any of their names.” I gave him a disapproving look. He laughed at me at said, “Kidding!” before picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.
“Is this ever gonna get old?” I asked him, groaning. He laughed again and put me down, wiping sweat from his brow.
“I better get back to um…” he pointed at a strange looking machine in the corner of the room. “…yeah. But you’ll come out with us tonight, right?” he asked hopefully, giving me puppy-dog eyes. I pretended to think about this for a minute.
“Well, how could I resist that? You have to drive with me, though.” He grimaced as I said that.
“I’m taking that to mean you still haven’t gotten rid of that pile of junk you call a ride.” I shook my head no, smiling. “I have a rep to keep up, you know,” he yelled at me from over his shoulder as he made his way over to the other side of the room. “What’ll the media think if they see me riding around in that…thing? I could get front-paged!” He gasped dramatically, and I laughed at his exaggerations. Just then, I heard someone say my name. I turned around, face to face with a gorgeous boy with beautiful brown eyes.
“You forget about me?” Kris Letang said, a fake hurt plastered on his face. I grinned once again and threw my arms around him.
“How could I ever forget you?” I said.
“How’ve you been?” He asked me slowly. I chuckled at his shyness. We had known each other for, what? Three years? And still he had trouble getting out a sentence without feeling self-conscious. I knew it wouldn’t last, though. Once we had a chance to catch up, he would be back to the old Kris in no time.
“I’ve been great. Except I missed you guys like hell. Why’d you all have to go on freaking holidays and leave me here to my lonesome?” He laughed at me.
“We all missed you too, Liv. We worked our asses off all season though, so I think we deserved a little break.” He winked at me.
“Yeah, I guess…” I responded, faking stubbornness. We laughed for a bit, then he said, “Well, I can see when it comes to talking to you, I’m gonna have to wait in line.” He told me, and then kissed me on the cheek and disappeared behind a huge weight machine. I stood there, confused for a moment, before I felt huge hands covering my eyes.
“Guess who?” a thick accented voice said. When he spoke, it sounded as if he had peanut butter stuck to the roof of his mouth. I smiled to myself, realizing how much I truly missed every single one of these guys.
“Hmmm…let me guess. Is it…a cute Russian?”
“Mmhmm…” he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. I was amazed at how easily amused he was.
“Okay…Geno?” I asked as I turned around, and saw him grinning from ear to ear.
“How you know?” he asked me as he pulled me into my third hug in the last five minutes. I laughed.
“How was Russia? How’s the girlfriend?” I grimaced at my last question. We all despised Geno’s taste in female companions, and his latest one just took the cake. He grinned at me, though.
“Russia good, and,” he paused, “there no more girlfriend.” I raised my eyebrow at him, so he continued. “She only like me for my money. You tell me, but I no listen. You right. I sorry.” He told me sincerely, putting his big hand on my shoulder. My heart melted.
“You don’t have to be sorry, Geno. It’s okay.” I answered, pulling him into another hug. As you might have already guessed, I’m a really big hug person.
“I miss your hug,” Geno murmured. If it was possible, my heart melted even more. There was just something about this guy that made me want to squeeze him until he burst. He was the kind of person that made you want to say “awwww” every time he spoke. We stayed like that for a bit longer, before he had to return to his training, like the two before him. Once he left, I remembered my original purpose for coming here. I looked around the room, but I couldn’t see Jordan anywhere. I said hello to all the other guys and asked them if they had seen him, but none of them knew where he was. I left the room, wondering what could have become of my best friend. As I turned the corner, I crashed into a brick wall. Or, at least that’s what it felt like. As I backed up a couple of paces, I saw that it was the chest of a very big hockey player.
“Oh…sorry about that,” Eric Staal said sheepishly, looking down at me. I was about to answer when I heard footsteps running up behind him.
“Geez, Eric, if you want me to show you around you’re gonna have to slow down a bit and wait for me,” Jordan yelped as he skidded to a stop next to his older brother. He took a minute to catch his breath before he finally realized Eric wasn’t looking at him. He followed his gaze to me. His eyes widened in surprise.
“Liv!” he yelled, and picked me up and twirled me around in a hug. I giggled and yelled back, “Jordy!” He quickly set me down and looked at me sternly in the face.
“What did I tell you about calling me Jordy?” he asked me seriously, before erupting into a fit of giggles, and hugging me again. “It’s so awesome to see you! I missed you soooooo much!”
“I missed you too! I can’t believe you left me alone for so long,” I pouted.
“Hey, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do,” he answered, smiling. Then we heard someone clearing their throat loudly behind us. Jordan’s face turned a bright pink color. He turned me around to face Eric, and said, “Liv, this is my older brother, Eric, he just got traded here from-”
“Carolina, yeah, I know who he is.” I interrupted and extended my hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Jordan’s told me a lot about you. Although it must have slipped his mind to tell me you were coming here, because the first I hear of it is in the paper this morning. Wow, they had to give away the 1st and 3rd round picks, and Jay just to get you? You must be some pretty hot stuff, Eric Staal.” Jordan blushed again, and this time Eric did too. He chuckled lightly and released my hand. I noticed he had a strong, firm handshake. I hated it when guys’ handshakes were all floppy, you know? I mean, way to be manly! Jeez. Just then I noticed both Jordan and Eric looking at me intently. I cleared my throat, and racked my brain for something to say.
“So, uh, Eric…are you the oldest of the bunch?”
“Yeah,” he answered, “It’s kind of my job to keep these little kiddies in line.” He added as he ruffled Jordan’s hair. Jordan squirmed out of his reach and punched him in the shoulder.
“Yeah, sure, whatever.” He mumbled, and then winked at me. Eric looked between him and me inquisitively, one eyebrow raised.
“Jordan, you didn’t tell me you were dating again,” he said, still looking at me. Jordan’s eyes widened in panic and his face once again turned ten shades of red, but I just chuckled.
“We’re not dating. We’re just really close. Trust me, people ask us that all the time.” I answered calmly. I was pleasantly surprised to see a look of relief pass over Eric’s face, but I swear I saw something happen with Jordan as well. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was definitely something between uneasiness and…desire. Well. That was strange. But Jordan then shook his head quickly and turned to his brother.
“Well, we’re gonna have to get going if you wanna see the whole place before we gotta leave.” Eric nodded and turned to me, smiling.
“Are you coming out with us tonight?” he asked hopefully.
“Yeah, definitely,” I answered.
“Good, it’ll be nice to have someone to talk to once little brother here goes off to flirt with the ladies,” He joked, patting Jordan on the shoulder. Jordan smacked his hand away, and began walking past me, muttering to himself. Eric stood in front of me for a few seconds, before I heard Jordan calling him from down the hall. He gave me a sideways grin, and said,
“I’ll see you later then, Liv,” I nodded, and he made his way past me to where Jordan was waiting for him. As he walked past me, his arm brushed mine. This could be interesting.
I put down the newspaper, shocked beyond words. I didn’t think; I just grabbed my keys off the kitchen counter and ran to my truck. The door of my Chevy made a horrible creaking sound as I opened it, and I just laughed to myself. Jordan kept trying to convince me to let him buy me a new car, but I wouldn’t have it. I loved my old navy truck. I’d had it since I was 16, and had inherited it from my father, who’d had it since the early 70’s. He’d been a mechanic, and he’d taught me how to fix it up, and I’d been trying my best for six years since I’d gotten it to keep it in ship-shape. It may look bad on the outside and only go up to 60 m/h on the inside, but I loved it.
I jumped in and waited patiently for a few minutes while the car started up. I then sped down the well-known neighborhood as fast as I could until I reached the new CONSOL Energy Center. I quickly sprinted towards the back entrance of the arena.
“Hey, Jimmy,” I said to the big, well-built security guard standing in front of the door.
“In a rush, Liv?” he laughed, stepping aside. I smiled at him but didn’t respond, already through the door. I made my way towards the weight-room, knowing they wouldn’t be on the ice yet; this was only the first day of camp. I barged through the door, not bothering to knock. As soon as I entered the room, my nose was filled with the smell of sweat. It might sound rather weird, but I didn’t mind the smell that much. It was the smell of hockey, and I had grown up around it. Before I could look around, I was engulfed in a huge bear hug. I didn’t even have to ask who it was.
“Max!” I yelled happily, hugging him back. Maxime Talbot pulled away and looked me in the face, smiling widely.
“I missed you, Livy.” he said.
“I missed you too, Maxy.” I responded, and hugged him again. “I haven’t seen you since…” I pondered for a moment.
“End-of-year party, remember? At Sid’s new place.” He finished for me.
“Right, right. I’m gonna really miss that hobo beard of yours. So how were your holidays? Meet any new girls?” I asked him, wiggling my eyebrows up and down, grinning.
“Oh, yeah…tons. None were that significant though, I don’t think I can remember any of their names.” I gave him a disapproving look. He laughed at me at said, “Kidding!” before picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.
“Is this ever gonna get old?” I asked him, groaning. He laughed again and put me down, wiping sweat from his brow.
“I better get back to um…” he pointed at a strange looking machine in the corner of the room. “…yeah. But you’ll come out with us tonight, right?” he asked hopefully, giving me puppy-dog eyes. I pretended to think about this for a minute.
“Well, how could I resist that? You have to drive with me, though.” He grimaced as I said that.
“I’m taking that to mean you still haven’t gotten rid of that pile of junk you call a ride.” I shook my head no, smiling. “I have a rep to keep up, you know,” he yelled at me from over his shoulder as he made his way over to the other side of the room. “What’ll the media think if they see me riding around in that…thing? I could get front-paged!” He gasped dramatically, and I laughed at his exaggerations. Just then, I heard someone say my name. I turned around, face to face with a gorgeous boy with beautiful brown eyes.
“You forget about me?” Kris Letang said, a fake hurt plastered on his face. I grinned once again and threw my arms around him.
“How could I ever forget you?” I said.
“How’ve you been?” He asked me slowly. I chuckled at his shyness. We had known each other for, what? Three years? And still he had trouble getting out a sentence without feeling self-conscious. I knew it wouldn’t last, though. Once we had a chance to catch up, he would be back to the old Kris in no time.
“I’ve been great. Except I missed you guys like hell. Why’d you all have to go on freaking holidays and leave me here to my lonesome?” He laughed at me.
“We all missed you too, Liv. We worked our asses off all season though, so I think we deserved a little break.” He winked at me.
“Yeah, I guess…” I responded, faking stubbornness. We laughed for a bit, then he said, “Well, I can see when it comes to talking to you, I’m gonna have to wait in line.” He told me, and then kissed me on the cheek and disappeared behind a huge weight machine. I stood there, confused for a moment, before I felt huge hands covering my eyes.
“Guess who?” a thick accented voice said. When he spoke, it sounded as if he had peanut butter stuck to the roof of his mouth. I smiled to myself, realizing how much I truly missed every single one of these guys.
“Hmmm…let me guess. Is it…a cute Russian?”
“Mmhmm…” he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. I was amazed at how easily amused he was.
“Okay…Geno?” I asked as I turned around, and saw him grinning from ear to ear.
“How you know?” he asked me as he pulled me into my third hug in the last five minutes. I laughed.
“How was Russia? How’s the girlfriend?” I grimaced at my last question. We all despised Geno’s taste in female companions, and his latest one just took the cake. He grinned at me, though.
“Russia good, and,” he paused, “there no more girlfriend.” I raised my eyebrow at him, so he continued. “She only like me for my money. You tell me, but I no listen. You right. I sorry.” He told me sincerely, putting his big hand on my shoulder. My heart melted.
“You don’t have to be sorry, Geno. It’s okay.” I answered, pulling him into another hug. As you might have already guessed, I’m a really big hug person.
“I miss your hug,” Geno murmured. If it was possible, my heart melted even more. There was just something about this guy that made me want to squeeze him until he burst. He was the kind of person that made you want to say “awwww” every time he spoke. We stayed like that for a bit longer, before he had to return to his training, like the two before him. Once he left, I remembered my original purpose for coming here. I looked around the room, but I couldn’t see Jordan anywhere. I said hello to all the other guys and asked them if they had seen him, but none of them knew where he was. I left the room, wondering what could have become of my best friend. As I turned the corner, I crashed into a brick wall. Or, at least that’s what it felt like. As I backed up a couple of paces, I saw that it was the chest of a very big hockey player.
“Oh…sorry about that,” Eric Staal said sheepishly, looking down at me. I was about to answer when I heard footsteps running up behind him.
“Geez, Eric, if you want me to show you around you’re gonna have to slow down a bit and wait for me,” Jordan yelped as he skidded to a stop next to his older brother. He took a minute to catch his breath before he finally realized Eric wasn’t looking at him. He followed his gaze to me. His eyes widened in surprise.
“Liv!” he yelled, and picked me up and twirled me around in a hug. I giggled and yelled back, “Jordy!” He quickly set me down and looked at me sternly in the face.
“What did I tell you about calling me Jordy?” he asked me seriously, before erupting into a fit of giggles, and hugging me again. “It’s so awesome to see you! I missed you soooooo much!”
“I missed you too! I can’t believe you left me alone for so long,” I pouted.
“Hey, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do,” he answered, smiling. Then we heard someone clearing their throat loudly behind us. Jordan’s face turned a bright pink color. He turned me around to face Eric, and said, “Liv, this is my older brother, Eric, he just got traded here from-”
“Carolina, yeah, I know who he is.” I interrupted and extended my hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Jordan’s told me a lot about you. Although it must have slipped his mind to tell me you were coming here, because the first I hear of it is in the paper this morning. Wow, they had to give away the 1st and 3rd round picks, and Jay just to get you? You must be some pretty hot stuff, Eric Staal.” Jordan blushed again, and this time Eric did too. He chuckled lightly and released my hand. I noticed he had a strong, firm handshake. I hated it when guys’ handshakes were all floppy, you know? I mean, way to be manly! Jeez. Just then I noticed both Jordan and Eric looking at me intently. I cleared my throat, and racked my brain for something to say.
“So, uh, Eric…are you the oldest of the bunch?”
“Yeah,” he answered, “It’s kind of my job to keep these little kiddies in line.” He added as he ruffled Jordan’s hair. Jordan squirmed out of his reach and punched him in the shoulder.
“Yeah, sure, whatever.” He mumbled, and then winked at me. Eric looked between him and me inquisitively, one eyebrow raised.
“Jordan, you didn’t tell me you were dating again,” he said, still looking at me. Jordan’s eyes widened in panic and his face once again turned ten shades of red, but I just chuckled.
“We’re not dating. We’re just really close. Trust me, people ask us that all the time.” I answered calmly. I was pleasantly surprised to see a look of relief pass over Eric’s face, but I swear I saw something happen with Jordan as well. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was definitely something between uneasiness and…desire. Well. That was strange. But Jordan then shook his head quickly and turned to his brother.
“Well, we’re gonna have to get going if you wanna see the whole place before we gotta leave.” Eric nodded and turned to me, smiling.
“Are you coming out with us tonight?” he asked hopefully.
“Yeah, definitely,” I answered.
“Good, it’ll be nice to have someone to talk to once little brother here goes off to flirt with the ladies,” He joked, patting Jordan on the shoulder. Jordan smacked his hand away, and began walking past me, muttering to himself. Eric stood in front of me for a few seconds, before I heard Jordan calling him from down the hall. He gave me a sideways grin, and said,
“I’ll see you later then, Liv,” I nodded, and he made his way past me to where Jordan was waiting for him. As he walked past me, his arm brushed mine. This could be interesting.
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