Don't Tell Me

They had already picked teams when we got there, so Gabe took me on his and Jared was on Matt's. To be honest, I didn't want to be there. Matt apologized, but that didn't mean I wanted to see him. Or that I forgave him.
"What's with the Ducks shirt Benson?" Gabe yelled once Jared took off his sweatshirt.
"Teems is my hero," he simply told them.
"Fair enough. We did beat Finland to get to the gold medal game in Sochi," Landy smiled.
"Yeah and we beat you for the gold medal," Matt chirped. I rolled my eyes. Cocky Canadian. And Swede for that matter.
"Jared, want to set me a few so I can warm up?" I asked my brother. I could have asked one of the Avs to do it, but after four years of making him practice with me after I had team practice, he got pretty good at helping me.
He set the ball right where I liked it, "Right, left, right," I said to myself, as I jumped and hit the ball right at Nate's feet, causing it to bounce up and hit him.
"Damn. Do you play in college or something?" Landy stared at me with an amazed look.
"No, I actually didn't even get offers because I stopped playing before my senior year. Girls are bitches. "
"You're like 5'3. How can you jump that high?"
"Uh.. I don't know. Can we play now?"
Matt took position right in front of me. He would. I rolled my eyes and got into my stance. It had been way too long since I had last played.
The game was going good. I was playing like I used to, my serve was still pretty decent. Then Matt started getting competitive. It wasn't the friendly kind of competitive either. Jared started to notice, but I motioned for him not to do anything. But finally, I had enough.
"What the fuck is your problem Duchene?" I snapped, walking towards him. I stopped about a foot away from the net.
"I said I'm sorry and you'll barely look at me," he took a couple steps closer to me, "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to stay the hell out of my business. If there is something you need to tell me, don't take me out and buy me drinks. Come to my house and tell me. But right now I would trust Clint over you and he hates Aaron."
"God you're so stupid. You have to know somewhere in your mind that he is." We were now inches apart, we would be closer but we would run into the net.
"That's enough, Duchene." My brother growled. I tried to calm down my breathing, but nothing would help. Soon the tears were stinging my eyes and I ran out of the gym. I could hear my brother yell something out at the hockey player, but didn't look back. I could hear a couple people run after me, but I locked myself in a bathroom to get away.
Jared's POV
"Maggie's life is none of your business. If Aaron was cheating on her, I would know. Our entire town would know," I yelled, keeping my distance from Matt, "Pull this shit again, we will have some problems."
Landeskog and Barrie were chasing after her, but it was pretty useless. She wasn't going to talk to anyone for a solid forty five minutes.
"Aren't you going to see if your own sister is coming back?" Duchene snapped at me.
"Please. I think I know my twin well enough to know that she won't talk or even look at anyone for probably an hour. If I thought she needed me right now, I wouldn't be talking to you. But Maggie's a strong girl. She's got a good head on her shoulders. She's a pretty good judge of character. Not sure what she see's in you though."
I wandered out of the gym and down the hall. A few yards away, Tyson and Gabe were trying to get my sister out of the bathroom she had locked herself in.
"We all know Matt can be an asshole. He only meant to help you," Gabe told her. Shit I didn't even buy that. "Can you get her out of there."
"Dude you coming out any time soon?" I heard a muffled no through the door. "Sorry, can't help you. But you can help me find a gatorade."
"Down the hall and to the left."
I checked a few messages I had missed while I went to find something to drink, running into Patrick. Literally.
"Hey Jared, are you ready for lunch?"
"Oh, yeah. About that. Margaret locked herself in the bathroom back there and she's got at least thirty minutes left shutting out the world so if you could point me in the direction of some gatorade or maybe some dr. pepper. I would prefer the second because I know she can't turn it down."
"What kind of gatorade?"
"Orange G2 if you can get it. If not, the light blue kind is good."
"Alright. I'll be back." We went in opposite directions back to where we came from. The rest of the guys were sitting outside the bathroom, waiting for my sister to say something.
"She's not gonna budge." I told them as I sat down in front of the door.
"So you're just gonna wait until she comes out?"
"Dude, I know my sister. I have a plan."
They all seemed to trust me because they sat down scattered across the walls and in the middle of the hall. I laughed to myself. I knew exactly how I would do this.
"Hey Maggie. Do you have white girl problems? I'm gonna sing and it's not going to be pretty. I'm going to ruin all of your favorite songs for you."
"Ruin Chuck Wicks or Dierks Bentley and you'll want to sleep with one eye open." She growled through the door. She had to be sitting on it. How unsanitary.
"Hey name is Noel. I have a dream about her, she rings my bell, got gym class in half an hour. Oh how she rocks in keds and tube socks. But she doesn't know who I am and she doesn't give a damn about me cause I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby."
I sang the whole song and both versions of Fancy before Patrick got back. Well, it was only part of one and then the other. I was actually halfway through Reba when he walked up.
"Here's your one chance Fancy don't let me down." All the guys were getting a kick out of this, I'm sure some were recording it too. "Maggie, Patrick has dr. pepper for you. No? Okay. I'll drink it and sing Katy Perry."
It only took me opening the bottle and hitting that first high not for her to leave.
"Are we going to lunch?" She asked Patrick and took the bottle from me.
"Yeah. Your mother is waiting."
"Sweet." She mumbled and walked away without saying goodbye. Patrick just looked at me then followed after her. If he's in his forties and still doesn't know how girls work. Guess I wouldn't be finding out any time soon.
Maggie's POV
Matt flooded my phone with texts all night and I woke up the next day to a big ass bouquet of sunflowers. Not sure how he knew my favorite flower but whatever. I threw the covers off of me and started getting ready for church. Right before we left, I sent Matt a text. I was done being mad. Took too much energy.
<< You're lucky I love sunflowers.
>> I hope this means we're good. See you tonight!
I completely forgot about the fire tonight. This was not going to be fun.
"Dad, we're home." I called out once we got in the house. I set down Murphy and grabbed my flowers from Jared. My father walked out of the kitchen and my puppy went bounding towards him.
"Who's this?" My dad picked him up and started petting him.
"That's Murphy a.k.a. my anniversary present."
"Those from Aaron too?"
"Nope. Those are from you." I set them down in the middle of our dining room table.
"That's what I'll tell people? Who are they really from?"
"Duchene."
I set up Murphy's bed in my room and started playing with my puppy when Angie walked in.
"Oh my goodness he's freaking adorable." She sat down next to me and started playing with him. Everyone loved Murphy and all I really wanted to do was sit in my room and bond with my dog but I kind of had to go tonight.
"You look snazzy. What's the occasion?"
"Church."
"Ahh. I forgot you just got home."
"Landy is coming tonight."
"Good. Maybe I should be shitfaced by the time we get there." She laughed.
"Hey. My boyfriend and Matt are going to be there. I think that's a little worse than being attracted to the pretty Swede."
"Just a little." We both started laughing at our problems. Jared walked in and right back out which only made us laugh harder.
"I'm feeling some abs coming on."
"I think we both like alcohol too much to have a 6 pack."
"I wonder if we have food in this house."
I stood up and found my dad talking to Aaron. I really hope he said those flowers were from him..
"Why are you here?" I nudged him before grabbing the ice cream carton from the freezer.
"Saw you drive into town thought I'd come see you."
I stuck a spoon in the cookies and cream container and started eating out of it. Angie wasn't too far behind me, Murphy bounding behind her. She grabbed a spoon and joined me.
"Are you going to use a bowl?"
"Nope."
"I have to go fix the fence. Want to join?" My dad asked. I knew Jared was going to help him, what was the point of having an extra three sets of hands out there?
"And ruin my pretty dress? I think I'll pass."
"I'll help you, sir." Aaron would.
"Like hell you will."
My dad sighed, "Better listen to Maggie. We're eating at 6. You two are welcome to stay."
"Sweet! What are we eating?" Angie lit up. She loves my dad's cooking. And my dad in general. It's really weird.
"Elk steaks."
"There is no way in hell I'm leaving before I eat." She hopped up on my counter and tossed her spoon in the sink.
"Are you ever going to get rid of those shoes?" My dad asked as he walked past me. I've had my black hi-tops since freshman year of high school. The only pair of shoes I wear more than these are my boots and I have a few pairs of those..
A girl can never have too many pairs of boots.
After dinner and spending way too much on alcohol, the four of us were on our way out to the fire spot. Once again, we were one of the last people there. Including the hockey players. Landy and Matt came up to Aaron, Angie, and I while my brother went to find Clint.
I love Angie dearly, but the way she acts around guys - especially attractive ones - drove me crazy. Her laugh was absoulutely ridiculous and I could tell that Aaron was getting tired of it too.
"Well, this has been great but I think I need a stronger drink." I pulled my boyfriend with me.
"I don't like the way he looks at you," He told me as I poured some Jack in the plastic cup I was holding.
"Now you know how I feel whenever we're at a rodeo together." I took a drink and cringed.
"Forget the coke?" I nodded. That will never not be horrible. "Besides. Those girls don't have shit on you."
"Oh I know they don't. Doesn't mean they won't try anything."

Notes