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The Moonstone Starlet

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Some people said that friends were the family you chose for yourself. Elia hoped it was true, because she had never felt this much like a real family. Growing up, her home was more like a prison. Her mother was stretched thin trying to care for three children and keep a house together while Elia’s father drank himself into a stupor every night. When he wasn’t passed out on the couch or out drinking with his friends he would try to start a fight with anyone around him. The kids tried to keep out of his way, quietly confining themselves to their rooms or escaping to their tree fort in the woods behind their house. When Elia started to make money she tried to protect her brothers by sending them away to private schools. It might not have brought them closer together, but it gave them better opportunities.

During her first year at college, Elia had received a call from her mother. Her father had driven home drunk from a bar. He crossed the center line and collided with another car. In the unfair way the world frequently works, the other driver did not survive, and Elia’s father had walked away uninjured. He was serving 10-14 in the penitentiary now. She hadn’t spoken to him since. As sad as it was, it had brought her remaining family closer together. And now, being integrated into the Kanes, it felt like an actual Christmas for the first time.

Patrick and Elia got back from their walk to find a poker game going on in the living room. Patrick Kane Sr. sat with a huge pile of pennies in front of him. The moms were reading Danielle Steele novels on the couch. It wasn’t long before the card game dissolved and everyone went to get ready for bed. Elia and Pat’s sisters hung out in Erica’s room talking about boys. She told them about her dilemma with Adam and the developments with Sidney. Jackie told her Patrick didn’t want any of them dating hockey players, so maybe Elia shouldn’t date any of them either. The solution, according to Jessica, was to date Channing Tatum instead. Elia laughed. If only it was that simple. The girls stayed up almost to one a.m. when Donna came in and told them to go to sleep or Santa wouldn’t come. Jackie and Jessica rolled their eyes, but got up and went to their own rooms.

In the morning Elia was the first one awake. She tip toed down the stairs into the kitchen and started making coffee. She walked into the family room where the Christmas tree was decorated with presents laid beneath it. Patrick’s Mom had still set out milk and cookies so Elia took a couple. She looked at the family photos on the wall. There were so many pictures of the girls, but most of Pat’s pictures were him playing hockey. She heard footsteps come in behind her, and Donna came into the room. They walked around the room together, Donna pointing out different pictures. Erica’s 8th grade graduation. Jackie and Jessica before their first homecoming dance.

“It must have been so hard not to have Patrick here, and to watch him growing up from a distance.” Elia said.
Pat had left home at fourteen to go play hockey in Michigan.
“He almost changed his mind when he got there. We knew it was the best way to help him achieve his dreams. Now it seems like an obvious choice, but at the time it was very difficult. And you know, just because someone is far away doesn’t mean your love is. That is something you carry with you.” Donna smiled.

Elia’s mother wasn’t the affectionate type, but as soon as she came downstairs Elia gave her a huge hug. Patrick, Brian, Taylor and Jess were awake next. Everyone started hanging out in the kitchen drinking orange juice and coffee and snacking on muffins. Once Pat’s Dad woke up he and Donna started cooking breakfast in the kitchen and made all of the “kids” go to the family room. Brian put on ESPN Sportscenter to get some fantasy football news, and everyone sat down on the couch. Elia was checking her twitter feed when Brian noted she was in the headlines countdown. After two football stories and a baseball hot stove rumor, her name was up. Kevin Connors started:

“Thoroughbred racing princess and hollywood bad girl Elia Downs officially became a minority owner of the Chicago Cubs earlier this month but was noticeably absent from her own press conference. It turns out the twenty-four year old has been learning to play hockey? A video posted to her website last week featuring a Mean Girls parody with Penguins player Matt Cooke has gone viral, take a look.”

The screen opened with a light brown haired man child grinning toothlessly, wearing a pink velour sweatshirt holding a pink book.

“This is my Burn Book,” he said as he opened the pages, “I cut out pictures from the NHL Yearbook and write comments so I remember what to say to get them started, get in a fight and stuff.”

“Here is a good one, here is your friend Adam Burish” Matt said as he stopped at a picture of Adam. Underneath was written “Adam has soft hands just like his sister.” Elia nodded in agreement. They continued flipping through the book. Next was “Simon Gagne is a fat virgin” and later “Jeff Carter is a fugly slut”.

Suddenly the camera panned out and a bald man wearing a suit and glasses was standing behind them.

“I just wish we could all get along like we used to in the minors. I wish that I could bake a cake made out of rainbows and smiles,” he said
“Pierre you don’t even go here!” Elia yelled.
“I just have a lot of feelings,” he replied.

Elia and Matt shook their heads and Pierre walked off the screen.

They were back in the SportsCenter booth. “A far cry from a year ago when Elia publicly scoffed at the Winter Classic being held at Wrigley Field, saying she would only go to “tell the [expletive] hockey players to get off my [expletive] lawn.”

Elia wasn’t sure if she should be annoyed that it was on ESPN, or happy that hockey was getting publicity. Patrick sat shaking his head.
“You said that about hockey?” He said, offended.
“Patty Cakes that was last year, I love hockey now! When I sit in the stands I like to yell ‘wait for the whistle this ain’t a Cubs game!’” Elia pleaded.

She hugged his head until he accepted her apology. Elia was disturbed though. If this kind of stuff was getting publicity on SportsCenter, she wondered what else was being said about her. She did some googling on her phone. All the gossip pages were reporting she was cheating on Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane with Sidney Crosby. She sent a tweet to Perez Hilton: “Yo, don’t cockblock Kaner, he’s not my bf, chill.” It probably wasn’t a good idea. The problem with addressing the public is that it just led to more questions. If Kane wasn’t her bf, people would want to know about Sidney. Usually it was better to just say nothing. There was no more time to ponder the situation because the other girls woke up and it was time to open presents.

For each of Kane’s sisters Elia gifted a Birkin bag. They weren’t really Elia’s style, but the girls went nuts. She gave Patrick’s Mom a framed picture of her and Patrick from a day in the fall when they rented a tandem bicycle. The rest of the morning was spent playing board games and in the afternoon the Kanes and the Downs went sledding. It was a good trip, but the time passed quickly. Patrick and Elia had to fly back to Chicago that night because the Blackhawks had practice the next day.

Shortly after returning to a chicago, Elia and Patrick came down with strep throat. Maybe because of the airplane ride, both had developed secondary ear infections as well. It couldn't have been worse timing, as Elia was closing on the house at 1435 N Elk Grove and was moving in. Too tired and feverish to unpack and find her bed linens, she lay on her new couch in a blanket binge watching Netflix on her computer using her neighbors wifi.

Patrick ended up missing a game from feeling so sick, and Jonathan was furiously blaming Elia. As if she could control viral infections. He stopped by her house with hot soup and tea, but seemed to mostly want to yell at her. Things only got worse when Elia let it slip to Toews that she and Pat had tried kissing, so they probably had shared it, although it was more likely he gave it to her. After all, he was making out with more people than she was. Jonathan went into an almost mini rage proclaiming that Elia was not to share bodily fluids with anyone on the team. Elia didn't understand what the problem was, from her perspective it was better to deal with these questions now than to wait ten years and have a My Best Friend's Wedding situation going on. They kissed once now and both didn't like it. Way easier than Elia having to concoct a complicated plan to sabotage a wedding sometime down the road. The strep throat was further proof from the universe that they should never have tried it.

Jon was slightly amused listening to her rant on and on about romantic comedy plot lines, but never let her know. Instead he remarked that she talked an awful lot for someone that had a sore throat.

Notes

Comments

Well. There goes my reason for coming to the site. Brava on being done! Hope you find inspiration to write another story.

DELETED DELETED
4/27/15

omg its done.... what am i gonna read now :( So good girl!

hockeygirl07 hockeygirl07
4/26/15

What an amazing story. I can't believe it is over.

runawaycherry93 runawaycherry93
4/26/15

aweeeeeeeee

hockeygirl07 hockeygirl07
4/26/15

That was beautiful!!! Made me teary. Is this the end?

KWeber8771 KWeber8771
4/26/15