Tongue Tied

"What?" Alex furrowed her brows when she pulled open her door.

Tyson, Gabe, and Matt were standing in front of her. They all smiled before they filed in. They all found spots to sit, leaving Alex's spot, surrounded by books, for her. She walked back to her spot and sat down. She looked around at the three guys. This was some girl's fantasy and right now, Alex was living it. She didn't want to be though. She wanted to do her homework in peace. She took a deep breath.

"Why are you here?" She asked, her eyes squeezed shut.

"We had some off time and wanted to hang out." Tyson shrugged.

"With me?" She quizzed. They nodded. "For what reason?"

"You're the only girl we know who can handle our shit. We need that." Gabe frowned.

"Because I was surrounded by a team of boys for two years of my life." She growled.

"Exactly!" He exclaimed.

"Which means I don't want to be again." She stated.

All their faces fell. Alex started laughing. Truth be told, they were a fun team. She didn't mind being around them, so long as she avoided Nathan. She didn't have much luck with that. He was always around, he didn't necessarily approach her or try and chat with her, but he was around which still brought her discomfort. Once, Tyson even brought him to Kya's and told him that across the hall was Alex's room. Not what she wanted.

"You're so mean. I am so sick of your dry ass humour." Tyson whined.

"I love it." Matt shrugged.

"Example A of why Matt is my favourite." She said as she pointed to him.

"Don't act like you have more than one reason for it!" Gabe yelped.

"I can give you two more right now." She spat.

"Do it, right now." He challenged.

"He went third overall,"

"I went second!" Gabe cried.

"I went third round." Tyson defended.

"Fine, he's actually Canadian,"

"So am I!" Tyson shouted.

"His birthday is the same month as mine," She smirked.

"You aren't even the same zodiac sign." Gabe crossed his arms.

"He doesn't act like a child like either of you." She finished. "Oh, look, five reasons."

"First of all, two didn't count. Second of all, I," Tyson stopped.

"Good one." She mocked.

For the next few weeks, the three, or sometimes just two, or just one, but sadly, never just Matt, would come to Alex's to hang out. They worked around their preseason schedule. She even agreed to come to one of them. She was currently staring down the MacKinnon jersey hanging in her closest. She could ask one of the guys to grab her a different jersey, or she could not be an inconvenience and just take this one. She argued the pros and cons. Pros: already have jersey. Cons: jersey is douchebag ex's. She decided.

The four girls made their way to the back of the arena where Ryan had instructed them to go. Alexa preached to them that followed his directions would only get them harmed or lost, but Kya reassured them that Tyson said to go here as well. They waited for a bit before the door open. Security let them in, checked all their things, and instructed them where to go. Tyson, Ryan, Gabe, and Matt were waiting for them. They all greeted each other. Alex made special gagging noises when Tyson and Kya kissed. Tyson ruffled her hair before he registered her jersey.

"MacKinnon? Really?" He asked.

"I didn't go out and buy it. He left me it before I moved here. I figured I should put it to use." She explained.

"Yeah, sure." Gabe smirked.

"Just go find some seats near the bench or something. We got you in way early." Ryan said.

"Will do, Captain." She saluted him as they walked away.

"I'm the captain, actually." Gabe called after them.

The four sat right behind the bench. Alex briefed them on what they needed to know. They had a solid understanding of the sport. She'd explain more as they went along. The Detroit Red Wings skated on first. She knew a few people on the team from Nathan's junior days. The first person she noticed was Anthony Mantha. She excused herself and made her way down to the glass. She tapped on it beside him. He waved before skating to the door. He walked off the ice and she walked over to her.

"Long time, no see!" He said, giving her a single arm hug. "You weren't at too many Halifax games last year."

"My boyfriend was playing majors, I didn't have much reason." She smirked. "How are you? How are things with Alyson?"

"Everything's perfect." He smiled. "How are things with Nathan?"

"They aren't." She frowned. "Just didn't work out for us."

"And you still came to cheer him on?" Anthony asked. She nodded. "Sweet of you."

A puck hit the glass near them and Alex gasped. Anthony laughed and yelled something at the guy who shot it. Alex glared at the person. He smirked and turned. She read the name on his jersey. Her jaw dropped.

"Is that Todd Bertuzzi who just shot a puck at me?" She gawked.

Anthony laughed again. "No, it's his nephew, Tyler."

"Tell Tyler he's on my shit list." She threatened.

"He's on everyone's." Anthony winked before he skated away.

Alex walked back to where her friends were. She explained everything to them. She explained how she knew Anthony, how she knew a lot of players in the league. On Detroit alone, she knew about four players. The other three were mesmerized by it. The game started and Alex got right into it. Sure, it was preseason, but hockey was hockey. Colorado finished with a 3-2 win in overtime.

Matt put them on the board in the second. PA tied it up in the third for the Avs. In overtime, Andre Benoit was the hero. Nathan got the assist on it. Alex cheered like she was still his girlfriend. Maybe it was a habit, or maybe she just loved seeing him do well. Deep down, she knew it was the second one. She swore to her friends it was the first, but they weren't dumb. They went down to the rooms and waited for the guys. They were given permission from these passes that hung around their necks.

Matt came out of the change room. He pulled Alex into a hug, lifting her off the ground. Nathan trailed behind. He laughed at his teammates excessive excitement. Alex looked almost terrified at the way Matt reacted. She heard laughter. She looked and saw Nathan. He smiled and nodded his head at her. She did the same. She decided it was okay to be nice. She approached him slowly.

"Nice assist out there. You played great." She told him.

"Nice jersey." He grinned. "But thank you, it means a lot hearing that come from you."

"And I mean it. You're so talented, Nate." She reassured him. "I had a little chat with Anthony."

"Mantha? How is he?" He questioned.."He's good. Him and Alyson are still together. He seems happy." She informed Nathan. "I didn't mean anything by that. He just told me they were st,"

"Hey, if I were in your position, I'd have used the opportunity to take a shot at me too." He laughed.

"As much as you think it, I don't hate you." She told him. He scoffed. "Honestly."

He looked down at her. The look in her eyes was sincere. He knew she meant it. He nodded his head at her before she smiled and walked over to her friends. He felt relief run through him. He had spent weeks upon weeks convinced that Alex hated him. Hearing her say that made near every worry wash away. He watched her interact with her friends. She looked happy, which was all he really wanted for her. Seeing her standing in his jersey made his stomach flip. That's when it all made sense.

Nathan suddenly knew why it was so hard to be around Alex. He understood why he felt so uncomfortable knowing his teammates were always around her. He hadn't lost a bit of feelings for the girl. She was still exactly the way he always remembered her. The only thing different was that he blew it with her and now he was alone. She looked over at him. It was obvious he was watching her. She waved as she followed her friends and his teammates out. Matt walked up beside her. She laughed at something he said.

Most guys would've gone over protective and lashed out on Matt, but Nathan couldn't. For one, he wasn't with Alex anymore. She was free to do what she wanted. For two, Matt was in a committed relationship. And for three, Nathan was too much of a coward. He knew he wasn't getting her back. He blew it once. He came close to a second chance, but he blew it again. He exhaled and shook his head. He walked back into the change room.

Notes