The Hockey Life
Lovestruck
PART FIVE: LOVESTRUCK
Once again, my alarm woke me up earlier than I wanted to be up. It took a lot of strength for me to stop myself from pressing the snooze button. I reluctantly stood up and went to my closet, rubbing my eyes as I went.
I remembered what Brad had told us at the end of the day yesterday: for the rest of the internship, unless told otherwise, we could dress casually. Jeans, hoodies, t-shirts, whatever. He hinted that Hawks colors would be appreciated, so I knew I would be wearing every Hawks item I owned throughout the next few days. I went to my closet and found a cute black Hawks zip up sweatshirt. I grabbed a white tank for underneath and some comfy jeans. It seemed good enough to me.
After a shower I got dressed and did my hair and makeup. I put on some socks and my favorite black and red sneakers and I was ready to go. Nobody was awake yet when I left this time, but I did leave a little earlier. I picked up breakfast from McDonalds on the way and I ate it quickly before I went inside the United Center for the second day in a row. I was glad to be back, especially now that I was in comfier clothes. I almost felt like I was there for a game, wearing my team’s gear, but when I got to where all of us interns were supposed to meet up, I remembered I was there for practice.
“Good morning everyone. It’s nice to see you all in more normal clothes,” Brad greeted us. “Well, the team has just arrived for practice, so I’ll let you get acquainted with them before they get changed and then we’ll get ready.” I didn’t really know what he meant by “get acquainted with them” at first, but I didn’t really expect much. However, I realized that we were being led to the locker room.
“Nice sweatshirt,” Dylan told me on the way there. I had almost forgotten that we had talked a little the day before.
“Thanks. Nice shirt,” I told him, noticing his red, long sleeved Hawks shirt. I couldn’t help but check to see what Puck Bunny was wearing. Her outfit of the day consisted of jeans and a revealing v-neck that she had pulled down lower than it had probably been intended to be worn. Sure, she was wearing her Blackhawks pride, but it was clear that she wanted to be noticed for the wrong reasons. There I was, judging her again. I couldn’t help it though. I really didn’t like her.
When we got into the locker room, I was star struck. The whole team was in there already, getting their padding out of their bags and grabbing their uniforms. I felt rude, but I couldn’t help but stare at them. Every member of the hockey team I absolutely loved was right in front of me. I was in lalaland.
I scanned the locker room, taking in every single player. And then I saw him. My favorite player. Patrick Kane. Once I saw him, I couldn’t stop looking at him. He looked even better in person, with his golden curls, his beautiful blue eyes, and his million dollar smile. I felt ridiculous. I had told everyone millions of times that the reason he was my favorite player was because he was great at hockey, not because he was attractive. And yet there I was, focusing on how good I thought he looked. Luckily, after I looked at him for a while, his gaze shifted over to me and I made myself snap out of it so he wouldn’t notice that I had been staring.
“Hello boys,” Brad said. I was startled by his voice. I had forgotten he was even there until he started to talk to the team. “I just wanted to introduce you all to our newest interns.” We were lined up so he went down the line naming us off. When my name was called out, I did an extremely awkward little wave to the guys. Once we had all been introduced, the guys welcomed us.
“Hey guys!” the Hawks chanted. Then Brad continued.
“These young men and women are all here today to help you guys out with your practice. They’ll be in charge of water and equipment, so if any of you need anything at any time during practice today, feel free to come to any one of these guys or girls,” he said. Not wanting to bother the guys anymore, he motioned for me and the other interns to move out so they could get changed.
“So, Kane’s your favorite, huh?” Dylan asked.
“What?”
“I saw you staring at him,” he explained.
“Oh. Yeah, he’s my favorite player.”
We got everything ready for the guys and when they got out of the locker room, we got to hang out on the bench. I had never imagined that I would ever be able to watch a practice from the Hawks bench before. It was such a cool experience. I was so mesmerized by the guys whizzing past me on the ice that I almost forgot that I had a job to do until Duncan Keith came up to me wanting a new stick.
After a while, I got switched to water duty with Dylan. We filled up everyone’s water bottles and organized Gatorades and Powerades. Everything was going great, honestly. By then I had grown a little more accustomed to having the Hawks skating around and stopping right in front of us to get stuff. I was a little less star struck and I was able to focus on my actual job. Well, at least until a certain someone came to me wanting something himself.
One second I was looking down at the bottles I was organizing. The next second, I was looking up into a pair of gorgeous blue eyes.
“Hey. Can I have a water?” Patrick Kane asked, his smile making me melt.
“Uh… um, yeah,” I stuttered, fumbling with the drinks and handing one to him.
“Thanks,” he said, taking a huge drink from the bottle before putting it down and skating away.
“That was really smooth,” Dylan laughed.
“Shut up!” I retorted, waiting for my heart rate to slow down to its normal pace.
“You like him, don’t you?” he asked.
“I’ve only known you for a day. Why would I tell you even if I did?”
“Because it really wouldn’t change anything. A million girls like him, so what? Puck bunny over there likes three fourths of the team. Your crush is nothing,” Dylan said. I looked over at her and saw her attempting to flirt with Niklas Hjalmarsson.
“Just don’t say anything about it to anyone, okay? Going into this, I really didn’t think it would be a problem. I didn’t realize I’d be so nervous,” I confessed.
“Hey, I don’t have anyone to tell anyways. I don’t really know any of the other interns very well and it’s not like I’m besties with Kane himself.” He had a good point. For only knowing him for a little over a day, I actually felt like I trusted him, maybe even a little too much. There was something about him that just seemed genuinely good.
When practice ended, Captain Serious himself came up to me and the other interns. I figured he needed water or something, but he actually just wanted to talk to us.
“Hey guys, I just wanted to thank you all for being at practice today. You all helped out a lot and I speak for the whole team when I say that we really appreciated it.”
“Hey, it’s what we’re here for. We’re just lucky to be here,” one intern said. His name was Alex. He was definitely the most outspoken person in the group. I think the rest of us were too amazed and in awe to even answer.
“Well, we’re glad you guys are here. Oh, and by the way, welcome to the United Center,” Toews said with a smile before heading to the locker room. Wow. I had just been spoken to by the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks.
*******************************************************************
The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. Once practice was over, us interns didn’t have much to do. We were told that we were going to be working with the media/publicity side of things the next day, but we weren’t told exactly what that meant.
When I got home, I was really excited to tell my family about my day. They would be so pumped to hear that I had been up close and personal with the team. Or at least that was what I expected. My expectations weren’t let down.
“You actually got to help the team out at practice? Like, you got to give them new sticks if they broke and drinks if they were thirsty and all of that?!” Brian asked me, clearly very jealous of my day.
“Yes, Brian. I gave Keith a new stick and I repaired Seabrook’s helmet. I even gave Kane a water.”
“Whoa, now that’s something to talk about,” my dad said, knowing that he was my inspiration.
“So did you confess your love for him?” Brian asked.
“No, Brian, I did not. Thanks for asking,” I answered, shoving him into the kitchen counter.
I finished telling everyone about my day as we ate dinner, and after dinner I decided to video chat with Tess. She would have to know about my awesome second day. As I had expected, she answered the Skype call within seconds.
“So how was your second day?” she asked.
“Oh, ya know, it was okay. Pretty uneventful. We just helped out at practice and I was up close and personal with most of the players, no big deal,” I told her, acting very nonchalant about it.
“WHAT?! So you mean you were inches away from THE Jonathan Toews?”
“Yep. He actually talked to us interns, too,” I said, giggling at how excited Tess was getting.
“Are you serious?!”
“Yes! He thanked us for helping out at practice and welcomed us to the UC. He’s really nice. And yes, he’s just as cute in person,” I said before she could ask any more questions.
“That’s not fair at all. Why didn’t you take me with?” she whined.
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because Brad probably wouldn’t appreciate me bringing friends along when I’m supposed to be working,” I answered.
We talked for a while and then I hung out with Brian. We played video games until we realized how late it was and I decided I had to get to bed. He, of course, stayed up to play some more. I would never understand how boys could stay up all night playing games. I mean, wasn’t Brian tired yet? I was exhausted by the time I finally got to bed, and I certainly had no problem falling asleep and reliving the practice in my dreams all night…
Once again, my alarm woke me up earlier than I wanted to be up. It took a lot of strength for me to stop myself from pressing the snooze button. I reluctantly stood up and went to my closet, rubbing my eyes as I went.
I remembered what Brad had told us at the end of the day yesterday: for the rest of the internship, unless told otherwise, we could dress casually. Jeans, hoodies, t-shirts, whatever. He hinted that Hawks colors would be appreciated, so I knew I would be wearing every Hawks item I owned throughout the next few days. I went to my closet and found a cute black Hawks zip up sweatshirt. I grabbed a white tank for underneath and some comfy jeans. It seemed good enough to me.
After a shower I got dressed and did my hair and makeup. I put on some socks and my favorite black and red sneakers and I was ready to go. Nobody was awake yet when I left this time, but I did leave a little earlier. I picked up breakfast from McDonalds on the way and I ate it quickly before I went inside the United Center for the second day in a row. I was glad to be back, especially now that I was in comfier clothes. I almost felt like I was there for a game, wearing my team’s gear, but when I got to where all of us interns were supposed to meet up, I remembered I was there for practice.
“Good morning everyone. It’s nice to see you all in more normal clothes,” Brad greeted us. “Well, the team has just arrived for practice, so I’ll let you get acquainted with them before they get changed and then we’ll get ready.” I didn’t really know what he meant by “get acquainted with them” at first, but I didn’t really expect much. However, I realized that we were being led to the locker room.
“Nice sweatshirt,” Dylan told me on the way there. I had almost forgotten that we had talked a little the day before.
“Thanks. Nice shirt,” I told him, noticing his red, long sleeved Hawks shirt. I couldn’t help but check to see what Puck Bunny was wearing. Her outfit of the day consisted of jeans and a revealing v-neck that she had pulled down lower than it had probably been intended to be worn. Sure, she was wearing her Blackhawks pride, but it was clear that she wanted to be noticed for the wrong reasons. There I was, judging her again. I couldn’t help it though. I really didn’t like her.
When we got into the locker room, I was star struck. The whole team was in there already, getting their padding out of their bags and grabbing their uniforms. I felt rude, but I couldn’t help but stare at them. Every member of the hockey team I absolutely loved was right in front of me. I was in lalaland.
I scanned the locker room, taking in every single player. And then I saw him. My favorite player. Patrick Kane. Once I saw him, I couldn’t stop looking at him. He looked even better in person, with his golden curls, his beautiful blue eyes, and his million dollar smile. I felt ridiculous. I had told everyone millions of times that the reason he was my favorite player was because he was great at hockey, not because he was attractive. And yet there I was, focusing on how good I thought he looked. Luckily, after I looked at him for a while, his gaze shifted over to me and I made myself snap out of it so he wouldn’t notice that I had been staring.
“Hello boys,” Brad said. I was startled by his voice. I had forgotten he was even there until he started to talk to the team. “I just wanted to introduce you all to our newest interns.” We were lined up so he went down the line naming us off. When my name was called out, I did an extremely awkward little wave to the guys. Once we had all been introduced, the guys welcomed us.
“Hey guys!” the Hawks chanted. Then Brad continued.
“These young men and women are all here today to help you guys out with your practice. They’ll be in charge of water and equipment, so if any of you need anything at any time during practice today, feel free to come to any one of these guys or girls,” he said. Not wanting to bother the guys anymore, he motioned for me and the other interns to move out so they could get changed.
“So, Kane’s your favorite, huh?” Dylan asked.
“What?”
“I saw you staring at him,” he explained.
“Oh. Yeah, he’s my favorite player.”
We got everything ready for the guys and when they got out of the locker room, we got to hang out on the bench. I had never imagined that I would ever be able to watch a practice from the Hawks bench before. It was such a cool experience. I was so mesmerized by the guys whizzing past me on the ice that I almost forgot that I had a job to do until Duncan Keith came up to me wanting a new stick.
After a while, I got switched to water duty with Dylan. We filled up everyone’s water bottles and organized Gatorades and Powerades. Everything was going great, honestly. By then I had grown a little more accustomed to having the Hawks skating around and stopping right in front of us to get stuff. I was a little less star struck and I was able to focus on my actual job. Well, at least until a certain someone came to me wanting something himself.
One second I was looking down at the bottles I was organizing. The next second, I was looking up into a pair of gorgeous blue eyes.
“Hey. Can I have a water?” Patrick Kane asked, his smile making me melt.
“Uh… um, yeah,” I stuttered, fumbling with the drinks and handing one to him.
“Thanks,” he said, taking a huge drink from the bottle before putting it down and skating away.
“That was really smooth,” Dylan laughed.
“Shut up!” I retorted, waiting for my heart rate to slow down to its normal pace.
“You like him, don’t you?” he asked.
“I’ve only known you for a day. Why would I tell you even if I did?”
“Because it really wouldn’t change anything. A million girls like him, so what? Puck bunny over there likes three fourths of the team. Your crush is nothing,” Dylan said. I looked over at her and saw her attempting to flirt with Niklas Hjalmarsson.
“Just don’t say anything about it to anyone, okay? Going into this, I really didn’t think it would be a problem. I didn’t realize I’d be so nervous,” I confessed.
“Hey, I don’t have anyone to tell anyways. I don’t really know any of the other interns very well and it’s not like I’m besties with Kane himself.” He had a good point. For only knowing him for a little over a day, I actually felt like I trusted him, maybe even a little too much. There was something about him that just seemed genuinely good.
When practice ended, Captain Serious himself came up to me and the other interns. I figured he needed water or something, but he actually just wanted to talk to us.
“Hey guys, I just wanted to thank you all for being at practice today. You all helped out a lot and I speak for the whole team when I say that we really appreciated it.”
“Hey, it’s what we’re here for. We’re just lucky to be here,” one intern said. His name was Alex. He was definitely the most outspoken person in the group. I think the rest of us were too amazed and in awe to even answer.
“Well, we’re glad you guys are here. Oh, and by the way, welcome to the United Center,” Toews said with a smile before heading to the locker room. Wow. I had just been spoken to by the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks.
*******************************************************************
The rest of the day was relatively uneventful. Once practice was over, us interns didn’t have much to do. We were told that we were going to be working with the media/publicity side of things the next day, but we weren’t told exactly what that meant.
When I got home, I was really excited to tell my family about my day. They would be so pumped to hear that I had been up close and personal with the team. Or at least that was what I expected. My expectations weren’t let down.
“You actually got to help the team out at practice? Like, you got to give them new sticks if they broke and drinks if they were thirsty and all of that?!” Brian asked me, clearly very jealous of my day.
“Yes, Brian. I gave Keith a new stick and I repaired Seabrook’s helmet. I even gave Kane a water.”
“Whoa, now that’s something to talk about,” my dad said, knowing that he was my inspiration.
“So did you confess your love for him?” Brian asked.
“No, Brian, I did not. Thanks for asking,” I answered, shoving him into the kitchen counter.
I finished telling everyone about my day as we ate dinner, and after dinner I decided to video chat with Tess. She would have to know about my awesome second day. As I had expected, she answered the Skype call within seconds.
“So how was your second day?” she asked.
“Oh, ya know, it was okay. Pretty uneventful. We just helped out at practice and I was up close and personal with most of the players, no big deal,” I told her, acting very nonchalant about it.
“WHAT?! So you mean you were inches away from THE Jonathan Toews?”
“Yep. He actually talked to us interns, too,” I said, giggling at how excited Tess was getting.
“Are you serious?!”
“Yes! He thanked us for helping out at practice and welcomed us to the UC. He’s really nice. And yes, he’s just as cute in person,” I said before she could ask any more questions.
“That’s not fair at all. Why didn’t you take me with?” she whined.
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because Brad probably wouldn’t appreciate me bringing friends along when I’m supposed to be working,” I answered.
We talked for a while and then I hung out with Brian. We played video games until we realized how late it was and I decided I had to get to bed. He, of course, stayed up to play some more. I would never understand how boys could stay up all night playing games. I mean, wasn’t Brian tired yet? I was exhausted by the time I finally got to bed, and I certainly had no problem falling asleep and reliving the practice in my dreams all night…
@hockeygirl07
Thank you so much! :)
11/1/14