The Hockey Life

PART FIFTY: TRADE OFFS
October was filled with plenty of excitement, but November was equally as fun, it seemed. Since I was now a trainer, I was always with the Hawks, and I knew basically everything that happened to them when they were playing or practicing. In mid-November, there was a trade. Normally, I would be extremely upset about a trade, and I was mad about this one, but when I found out who the team was acquiring, it wasn’t as bad.
If there was anything I remembered from the 2010 Stanley Cup parade and rally, it was Kris Versteeg and his famous rap parody of the LMFAO song Yes. It was by far the most entertaining part of the whole thing, and Tess and I of course memorized it quickly by watching it so many times. We got to know Steeger through Blackhawks TV videos, and he seemed like a super cool guy, plus he was a talent, of course. Naturally, when I found out that he was returning to the Blackhawks in November, I was excited. If anything, I just wanted to get to know him. Luckily for me, it was easy for a trainer to get to know the players.
“Steeger’s going to be at today’s practice, right?” I asked Patrick on the way to a practice one morning.
“Yeah, why?”
“I was just wondering. I’m excited to meet him,” I answered.
“Oh, great,” Patrick rolled his eyes.
“What?”
“You and your Kris Versteeg fangirling,” he sighed.
“I’m pretty positive that I’ve never fangirled over him in my life, actually. I just think he seems like a cool guy. I’ve been wanting to meet him for years. Remember how I was when I met you and the rest of the team for the first time?”
“Hey, if you want to fan girl, that’s fine. Just remember that you’ve already chosen me. You’re stuck with me now,” Patrick smiled.
“I never said I was going to choose Versteeg! I’m never telling you anything ever again if you’re going to make up lies like this,” I grumbled.
“Fine, I’ll stop,” he decided. I grinned. “For now,” he added. I sent a glare his way, but he kept his eyes on the road.
We arrived at practice a few minutes later and sure enough, Kris Versteeg showed up. I didn’t try to talk to him before or even during practice. I didn’t want to seem too eager or even annoying, so I decided I’d wait until I was introduced to him, which happened after practice was over. I was called into the locker room when all of the guys were decent enough and Brad introduced me to him.
“Kris, this is our youngest and newest addition to our trainers, Lena. She’ll be working with you if any injuries occur,” he told Steeger.
“Nice to meet you Lena,” he said as he shook my hand rather professionally. It felt strange to shake a player’s hand. I was so used to being around the rest of the team that my relationship with them was very casual, even during work.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too. You’re my favorite rapper,” I smiled. He seemed to enjoy the last comment.
“I’m just waiting for someone to sign me. I think I’m due for an album,” he chuckled.
“Definitely!”
“If I heard correctly, you’re Kaner’s girl…is that right?” he asked.
“Yeah, she is, so stop flirting Kris,” Patrick interrupted. He tried to sound intimidating, but it was obvious that he was only messing with him.
“Hey man, I can’t always help it. They don’t call me Verbeauty for nothing.”
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When I got home from practice that day, I told Tess about meeting Versteeg and much like she had been when she found out I was talking to THE Jonathan Toews every day, she was crazy-excited and a little jealous.
“I can’t believe Steeger’s back on the Hawks. I can’t believe you get to see him every time you go to work. Did he rap for you?” she asked.
“Not yet, but I’m sure it’ll happen. In fact, he can rap for both of us. I’ll introduce you to him at the next home game,” I promised. Tess and I loved everyone on the team for both their talents on the ice and the way they acted off the ice, but when it came to personalities, Kris Versteeg had been one of our favorites on the 2010 Stanley Cup Champions team.
“Good!” she decided. She walked into the kitchen reciting Glamorous as a reference to when he rapped part of it and I couldn’t help but join in.
After that, I left with the Hawks for an away trip that lasted for about a week. Tess didn’t get the chance to go to away games. If she did, she’d have to travel on her own and she’d also have to purchase her own tickets. The United Center welcomed her, but unfamiliar places for opposing teams did not. Therefore, I always told her not to miss me too much when I had to leave. She told me she wouldn’t miss me a bit, but I knew she did. I missed her antics too, even though I was never away for too long.
This trip was a good one. Three out of the four games were successes, and I got a chance to bond with the newest addition to the team. Of course, I got a little one-on-one time with Patrick as well. It was still weird to look back on our relationship before I got this trainer job and compare it to now. I remembered feeling so lonely and missing him so much when he had away trips or even just a single away game that I couldn’t go to. Now I was almost always with him. I couldn’t decide if that would make me miss him more easily when he was gone or not. I didn’t get tired of being around him, which sometimes amazed me. Although, when I thought about it, it made sense. Tess and I bickered, and we both were ridiculous sometimes, yet we had been living with each other for years and we had been around each other our whole lives. We couldn’t stay mad at each other for too long. That’s how best friends are. I had never once understood why couples could call their partners their best friends. I never understood how someone you had a romantic relationship could ever be referenced to as a friend, but now I got it. Patrick was a best friend to me. I told him everything, and I could trust him with everything. We had inside jokes and we teased each other like friends. We had that kind of relationship as well as a physical and loving one, and it just worked. I had never had such a strong relationship with any other guys before, so that must have been why I never understood the concept. Now that I had a boyfriend of ten months who couldn’t even be compared to my past ones, I was so glad I could understand. I finally, truly felt that I didn’t just love Patrick. I had loved other guys. Everyone feels love for a significant other multiple times in their lives. This was unique, and it was what I had decided falling in love must be like.
With an important, long-term relationship comes consequences, and in this case, family was one of them. Of course, consequences don’t always have to be bad. I loved Pat’s family. They accepted me and I accepted them. By then we had been around each other plenty of times, and Pat had been around my family a few times as well. Our parents knew each other, mostly from game six and the celebrations afterwards. We were all comfortable with each other, but we were also comfortable with traditions, which was why the idea of Thanksgiving became a dilemma. It was coming up soon, so I brought that up to Patrick during the trip.
“Do you have plans for Thanksgiving yet?” I asked him as he flipped through channels in his hotel room. He shared with Jonathan, of course, but he was in the shower.
“Well, I’m supposed to go to Buffalo to spend the day with my family. You’re invited, of course,” he answered. I just laughed.
“I’m supposed to go my parents’ house to spend the day with my family too. And you’re invited to that.”
“Oh…how is this supposed to work?”
“I don’t know. We could go to both places if they were a little closer to each other, but they’re not,” I told him.
“So does that mean we have to choose one?”
“I guess so.” We were both silent for a moment, but Patrick didn’t continue to flip through channels. He sat and thought for a moment instead, his eyes not even on the TV screen, but on his bag sitting the ground a few feet away from his bed, which we were sitting on.
“Are you going to be with any other family other than your parents and Brian on Thanksgiving? I mean, would you normally, if I wasn’t in the picture?” he asked.
“No. On Christmas, yeah, but for Thanksgiving we don’t do any big celebrations with the rest of the family,” I answered.
“Well, why don’t you come to Buffalo, then? Not just you. Brian and your parents too.”
“Really?” I wondered as I pondered the thought in my head.
“Yeah. My parents won’t mind. They’d love it, actually. And my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins will be there, so I can introduce you to more of my family who are dying to meet you.” My suddenly widened eyes must have been obvious when he said that, because he reacted to them. “Don’t worry, not ALL of my family will be there. It won’t be too crazy. You’ll only see a few new faces,” he assured me. I contemplated the idea and decided I would have to meet them all eventually anyways, so why not now?
“My parents and brother have never been to New York before. I’m sure they’d love it just as much as I do,” I decided. “As long as everyone agrees to it, it should work,” I decided.
“I can’t wait, then.” Patrick pulled me into his lap and guided me to his lips. We sat there kissing for a moment until the bathroom door opened and Jonathan came back out in a towel.
“The honeymoon suite is down the hall, guys,” he chirped as he rummaged through his bag, probably searching for clothes to put on.
“Oh, shut up, Johnny. It’s not like you and Tess don’t do anything when you’re alone. Put some clothes on, by the way. I doubt that Lena wants to see all that,” he retorted.
“Yeah, I know. Sorry about that Lena. I’m too used to just being around guys on these trips,” Jonathan apologized.
“It’s okay. I lived with my brother for eighteen years, I’m used to it,” I reminded him. He grabbed some things out of his bag and went back to the bathroom. Once he closed the door behind him, Patrick picked me up and set me down on the bed that Jonathan had claimed. “What are you doing?” I asked, confused.
“Messing with Johnny,” he smirked before he got on top of me and started to kiss me again. I laughed mid kiss a few seconds later when I heard the bathroom door open again.
“Oh god, not on my bed!” he complained. “Get off of my bed,” he demanded.
“Go away, dude. You’re ruining the moment,” Patrick said. A few seconds later a wet towel landed on Patrick. Not me, just him. It was good aim on Jonathan’s part.
“Is this the towel you just used?” Pat asked, and his roommate nodded. “Take it back! That’s disgusting!”
“So are you and Lena. Get off my damn bed, now!” The two of them argued for a minute, trying to push each other farther until Patrick finally returned to his own bed, which I had gone back to already. I had to admit that the two of them going at it like an old married couple was one of the most entertaining parts of the road trip. Their relationship was too cute.

Notes

Hey guys! I know my chapters are always short, so I was glad this one was just a tiny bit longer. I wish could write longer chapters, but then again, this is already the longest story I've ever written and it's not even finished yet...well anyways, I hope you guys liked it! Let me know what you think :)