Trouble in Paradise
Surprise!
Chapter 5
“Come on Kellie. We’re going to be late if we don’t hurry up.” I yelled from the bedroom. I had somehow managed to get Kellie to agree to go to the game. I had mentioned her being able to see Kane but instead of seeing the huge smile that I thought she would have, her face turned pale as a ghost and there was no smile in sight. That struck me as odd. Her and Kane were best friends. Did something happen between them? I made a mental note to ask her about it later. Maybe she’d tell Abby tonight and she’d relay everything that happened to Sidney and I. “Are you ready yet?” I asked again checking for at least the fourth time to make sure I had all of my hockey gear. “I’m coming. I’m coming.” I heard the bathroom door open, Kellie walked into the bedroom. “Whose jersey are you going to wear tonight?” I asked. I knew she’d probably wear Jonathan’s or Kane’s until she went up to her seat then she’d change into one of ours. “I was thinking maybe Jonny’s or Sharpies. Then when I come to visit you guys, I was thinking Sid’s.” I think she was a little nervous, she didn’t look at me when she said the part about Sid. Honestly, it didn’t bother me that she wasn’t going to wear my jersey. She takes turns wearing each guys. That way none of them feel left out. “I thought you wore Sid’s jersey last game? Isn’t it Geno’s turn?” I questioned. “I’m not wearing his jersey. I didn’t even pack it.” I knew she was lying there. I had seen it in her suitcase, but I left it alone. “Which one?” She asked holding up two Hawks jerseys. “Hmm, why not wear Jonathans? I said pointing to it. She nodded and slipped it on. “So whose jersey from the Penguins are you going to wear tonight?” I asked grabbing my bag off of the bed. “You’ll just have to wait and see.” She winked grabbing her huge purse off of the bed. “Alright, let’s go. Wouldn’t want the bus to leave us.” She laughed leaving the room, I wasn’t far behind. The ride to the United Center was pretty uneventful to say the least. I noticed that Kellie was acting like her normal self, she was laughing and smiling. She didn’t frown the entire time. I was happy to see that she was genuinely happy. She deserves it. “Alright guys and girl.” Coach said sending a wink in Kellie’s direction. “We’re here, I expect everyone to be on their best behavior. We have two hours until game time. Let’s get our stuff unpacked and get warmed up. Meet back in the locker room in an hour. Let’s go kick us some Blackhawk butt!” He yelled, attempting to get us fired up. We all filed off of the bus, Sidney going last and Kellie was second to last. Kellie stood by the players entrance and wished us good luck while patting us on the back. I was surprised that none of the guys had commented on her jersey choice, maybe it was just because they knew she’d be wearing one of ours later, I wasn’t sure. I was surprised that she actually spoke to Geno. I wasn’t expecting that. Judging by the look on his face he didn’t either. “Go see Jonathan, he has something for you. You still remember how to get there, right?” I laughed pulling her in close and putting my arm around her shoulders. In return she just smacked my chest lightly. “Of course I do silly. I’ll meet you guys back here in a little bit.” I wasn’t sure if she’d really be back before the end of the game. I watched her as she walked away, laughing as she talked to a few employees that seemed to recognize her. Once she was out of sight I made my way into the locker room. “Where’d K go?” Pascal asked while unpacking his hockey gear. I set my bag down in front of my stall. “Jonathan had a little surprise for her so she went to go see him. Hey can I ask you something?” I said looking around the locker room. There weren’t really any guys in here yet. The one’s that were in the locker room weren’t paying a bit of attention to us though. Pascal nodded. “It needs to stay between us.” I said sitting down on my stall. Pascal sat down on Evgeni’s stall, which was right next to mine. “Have you noticed Kellie acting differently in let’s say the last two months?” I asked in a hushed voice. Duper seemed to think for a minute. “No, not that I’m aware. She’s been acting like herself.” Duper finally spoke. Am I just being paranoid? Maybe there really isn’t anything going on. “Why would you ask?” Duper said as four or five of the guys came in. “I’ll tell you later. There are too many people in here now.” Duper nodded and went to his stall.
*Kellie’s point of view*
“Oh Jonny!” I called walking into the locker room with my hand over my eyes. I had made the mistake of just walking into the locker room once before and I ended up getting an eye full of a few guys. Since then I had always entered the room with my hand over my eyes. It was kind of a joke but mostly to protect my eyes from any sights I wouldn’t want to see. I heard a few snickers behind me. “Everyone is dressed, you can uncover your eyes.” I heard Shaw say in between laughs. I uncovered my eyes and jumped on him, hugging him tightly. To anyone who didn’t know the relationship that we had this would probably not look too good but I didn’t care, I was just happy to see him again. He hugged me back, I was suddenly aware he was only wearing his boxers. “I thought you said everyone was dressed?” I tried to act mad, but I couldn’t hold the laugh back. “We are dressed, no one is naked.” He had a good point. No one was naked, but no one was fully clothed either. Shawzie put me back down on the floor. I saw Versteeg standing in front of his stall with his back towards me. I quietly made my way over to him and jumped on his back. “Guess who!” I laughed. He seemed shocked for a second but quickly recovered. He turned around and sat on the bench, he was mostly sitting on me though. “Hey big guy, you’re crushing me over here.” I laughed playfully smacking his back. He apologized and got off me. We talked for a bit before I noticed Corey had come in. I said goodbye and wished him good luck before making my way over to Crow. “Hey Cor-Cor. Have you seen Jonny?” I asked sitting down on the floor next to him. “Yeah, he’s talking with Coach Q about the game. Want me to show you where his new office is?” He questioned. “Sure, but only if you carry me.” I joked getting up off of the floor. Corey turned around so his back was facing me, and squatted down, allowing me to get on his back. Him being 6’2” and myself being only 5’10” piggy back rides were a little difficult. “You know I was just joking right?” He nodded, “I’m fully aware, I wanted too though, plus you’d get lost without me.” He joked. Corey did have a point. A few of the coaches and staff had their offices moved and I didn’t have a clue as to where they were now located. “So who are you going to cheer for tonight?” He asked taking a left. “Both teams, you know that. I love all of you. I love and hate when you play each other. I love it because I get to see the team, which I don’t get to do often, and I hate it because one of the teams has to lose. Then I feel bad.” I said truthfully resting my chin on his shoulder. I saw Corey smile, “We’re big boys, Kel. We can handle a loss here and there. Well everyone but Taser, but you already knew that.” We both laughed and I knew he was right. “You’re my boys though. I hate to see any of you upset.” Corey and I were quiet for the rest of the trip to Coach Q’s office. I knocked for Corey, so he wouldn’t drop me. The look on Coach Q’s face when he opened the door was priceless. Corey set me on the ground and Q welcomed me with open arms. “Kellie, it’s been too long. I’ve missed you.” I had grown close to him. He always called me his third daughter, since I was the youngest he was very protective of me. I had been slacking on keeping in contact with my “dad.” He was the closest thing I had to a dad. “I’ve missed you too. I’m sorry I haven’t called in a while. We both have been pretty busy.” I laughed and he nodded in agreement. “We’ll have to get together and have dinner sometime soon. Elizabeth, Dylan, Lily and Anna would love to see you. I’m sure they’ll be jealous that they didn’t get a chance to see you. You should send them a text or call them sometime. They really miss you.” He said. I instantly felt bad about not keeping in contact as much as I should. “I’ll give them a call soon. I’ve missed them too.” I sighed and gave him a slight smile. I noticed Jonny come walking over to us with a smile on his face. “I haven’t seen you in ages.” He joked making me laugh. “So Jordy said you have a surprise for me. What’s the occasion Mr. Toews?” Jonny never just surprised me for the heck of it. There was always a motive behind it. Last time he told me he had a surprise for me, I met his girlfriend, well ex now. I spent the entire time trying not to pull my hair out. This girl was terrible. She was just a terrible person all together. I didn’t approve and Jonny was very aware. Thankfully he valued my opinion and opened his eyes, seeing right through her act. All she wanted was the fame and his hard earned money. “So what do you want?” I asked putting my hand on my hip. “I can’t surprise my baby sister once in awhile?” He asked pretending to be offended. “Come on we have to go and see it.” He grabbed my hand and drug me out of the room. I yelled a goodbye to Corey and Coach, waving with my free hand. Jonny was taking me to the box reserved for the wives and girlfriends. “Introducing me to your new girlfriend?” I laughed as he shot me his super serious face. “She’d have to exist for that to happen.” He lightened up a little bit sending me a smile. We stopped in front of the door, “Alright, close your eyes.” I gave him the disapproving look, which he gave right back. “Alright alright.” I closed my eyes and heard the door open. “Keep them closed until I tell you to open them” He stated and I complied. “Alright, open them.” I opened them and couldn’t believe who was standing in front of me. It was my long lost best friend, Abby Sharp. I let out a squeal and pulled her into a hug. I was on the verge of tears. “I’m so happy to see you, Abs. You have no idea.” I said wiping my eyes. She laughed. “Alright, I’ll let you guys get caught up. I’ll see you after the game right?” Jonny asked giving me a hug. I nodded and said goodbye to him. I couldn’t wait to catch up with Abby. “I could really use a drink. Do you want anything?” I asked, she shook her head no. I went to the vendor that was right outside of the box and ordered two beers. I paid the guy and walked back over to the table that Abby was now sitting at. “I got you one anyways, If you don’t drink it then I will.” I laughed. “So how have you been? It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to hang out.” She asked. “Honestly, not that good. Things have been tough for me. Do you remember my ex Brandon?” I asked taking a sip of my beer. “The one that almost got his ass beat by my Patrick the first time they met?” She asked trying to hold back a laugh. “Yeah, that one.” I smiled, remembering the first time Patrick and Brandon had met. “Well I ran into him in Pittsburgh, twice. The first time I was out for a run and he pulled me into an alley. He beat me up pretty bad. I had bruises all over. I somehow got lucky and didn’t get any bruises on my face. The second time I was at a club with some of the guys and I went to the bar to get a drink. He shoved me up against the bar and held onto my arms so I couldn’t move. I tried asking Evgeni for help but he ignored me and went back to paying attention to his new girlfriend Oksana. I told Brandon that he should leave if he didn’t want to get hurt. Jordy, Sid and Kris ended up coming to my rescue. Once he saw them he high tailed it out of there. I stayed at Jordan’s house that night and he saw all the bruises. I forgot all about them. Jordy was pissed, the guys that know all were. I thought that they were going to form a search party and kill him.” I told her truthfully. Her facial expressions during my story told me she was feeling bad and scared for me. “I can’t believe he found you. We really thought Pittsburgh was far enough. I’m sorry that happened to you, hun. Do any of our boys know?” She asked squeezing my hand, in a comforting manner. “Sharpie knows a little bit. I only told him a little bit about the bar incident.” I replied taking a big sip of my beer. “I need your opinion on something though.” I finally spoke after a few minutes of silence. “It has to stay between us though, I don’t want a bunch of people knowing.” Abby nodded her head signalling me to continue. “So, I kinda sorta slept with Kaner last night and now things are awkward. I don’t know if he remembers because I haven’t spoken to him. I keep ignoring his texts too. I mean I feel bad about it but I don’t know what to do.” I said running my hands through my hair. Abby seemed a little shocked to hear that I had slept with Pat. I think that we were both equally shocked about the whole situation. “Wow. I definitely didn’t expect that from you. Not that it’s a bad thing. Patrick gets pretty drunk and never remembers what happens so maybe he doesn’t even know. He will realize that you’re avoiding him before too long you know. You can’t run from this forever either. You’ll have to face him eventually. You both are good friends, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to work through it.” She did have a valid point. I couldn’t run from him forever. We had been through too much together and he didn’t deserve that. I also didn’t want to ruin our friendship. “I’ll just have to figure out what I’m going to say to him.” Abby gave me a reassuring smile. “So how are you and Evgeni?” She asked eating a few of the grapes that she had pulled out of her bag. “There is no Evgeni and I.” I said sadly. “What? Why? What happened?” She asked her face full of shock. “He started dating this girl named Oksana recently. While we were all at the club he told me he didn’t care about me or need me in his life anymore. We got in each others faces and had to be separated. The whole situation is weird, before the boys and I went out for dinner the other night this lady at the hotel was flirting hard core with Jonny and Pat so I came to their rescue. I kissed them both and I guess he saw it. Jordan called me while I was at dinner and told me Evgeni was pissed because I was dating Kane, he destroyed his room too. He’s being confusing and pretty much acting like the night at the club never happened.” Abby smiled. “I think he likes you. Why else would he get pissed because you kissed two hockey players? Maybe you should talk to him about it.” I wasn’t sure if I liked her suggestion or not. My life was starting to get very confusing. I finished the rest of my beer before excusing myself to the bathroom. I was glad that the restrooms here were clean and private. I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone interrupting me. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent a text to Kaner.
“Hey, good luck with your game tonight. Score a goal for me(: oh and I need to talk to you before I leave. K.” I pressed send and slid my phone back into my pocket. I decided I’d change into my Pens jersey. I just couldn’t decide on which one I wanted to wear. I had brought my Neal and my Duper one with me. After a little bit of consideration I decided on wearing Nealer’s. I slipped off Jonny’s and put Nealers on instead. “Abs we should take a picture, together.” I suggested and she agreed. I took the picture and sent it to the boys, wishing them all a good luck. The game would be starting soon.
*Sidney’s point of view*
The team and I were all in the locker room getting ready for the game when I overheard Geno practically yelling something in Russian into his phone. This had become an almost everyday occurrence. I had a feeling that it was probably Oksana, or as Max likes to call her Tits McGhee, I’ve noticed that they’ve been fighting more and more lately. I never knew what it was exactly that they were saying but I knew it wasn’t good. After G would get off the phone he’d be in a terrible mood. He wouldn’t speak to anyone, and he wouldn’t stay after practice like he usually did. Oksana was making his life miserable and the whole team knew it. None of us knew why he was wasting his time on her. The whole team walked on eggshells around him, no one wanted to deal with the huge blow up that was bound to happen if you did something he didn’t like. Geno chucked the phone across the room, barely missing our starting goalie, Marc- Andre Fleury, or Flower, as he’s called. As captain I knew I had to say something to him, his behavior was becoming unacceptable. “Geno, meet me in the hallway please.” I said exiting the locker room. I tried to make it as quiet as possible but it wasn’t that easy seeing that the locker room had gone absolutely quiet. Evgeni came out a few minutes after me. “What is going on? Is there an issue that I need to know about?” Evgeni shook his head no. “I’m fine. Life fine.” He said, I didn’t really believe him. “Geno, if there’s an issue then you can come to me. No matter what it’s about. Okay?” He nodded. “Kellie came tonight, she’s sitting in the Blackhawks wives and girlfriends box if you want to look for her.” I knew Geno always played better when he knew Kellie was in attendance. I was pretty sure it was because he liked her but he would always deny it. “Maybe you can score a goal for her.” I laughed pushing his shoulder lightly. “I’m score. I’m score” He laughed while flailing his arms around. His mood changed and I knew G would be alright for tonights game. “Alright, lets go kick some Blackhawk butt!” I laughed walking back into the locker room with G. Thankfully the guys had turned on some music and were now dancing around like a bunch of fools. “Alright boys! It’s almost game time lets get out there and kick some butt!” Our coach yelled getting us pumped up.
*Kellie’s point of view*
“Kellie look! Here come the boys.” Abby yelled sitting at the edge of her seat. “There’s my husband!” She yelled. I couldn’t help but laugh at her eagerness. I took another sip of my beer. It would be interesting if they showed Abby and I on the Jumbotron tonight, she was in her Hawks jersey and I had my Penguins one. I’m sure the fans would love that. The first period went by surprisingly fast. It was tied 0-0 and there had been some pretty good hits on Geno, by members of the Blackhawks. I felt bad but he always got back up and into the game. I wondered if it was a message to Geno, telling him they knew what happened and it wasn’t going unnoticed. I decided to go down to the Pens locker room during the first intermission. “Abs I’ll be right back I’m going to go see the boys.” She gave me a small wave before returning back to whatever she was doing on her phone. Before I could go I decided to stop by the bathroom and get a quick fix.
“Alright boys, be classy, Kellie’s coming in!” I heard Flower yell from across the room. I couldn’t help but smile at him. “Great game so far guys! You’re looking good out there. I’m sure you’ll score during the second. Also awesome saves out there Fleury. Way to use that Flower Power.” I said smiling at all of them. “I’m digging the jersey baby doll.” I heard James whisper in my ear kissing my cheek. “I thought you’d like it.” I said looking up at him. “You have a little something on your lip.” He said wiping it away for me. “It’s probably just make up.” I laughed. “Unless you’re wearing makeup white as snow, I don’t think so.” He said raising his eyebrow at me. “It must be powdered sugar from the donut that Abby and I were sharing then.” I tried hard to play it off. James looked like he believed what I was saying, at least for now. “Alright I’m going to let you guys get back to getting ready for the second.” I said quickly exiting the locker room before anyone could say anything to me. I was glad that no one had tried to stop me. I made it back to my seat next to Abby in time for the start of the second. I couldn’t stop shaking and looking around during the entire second period. “Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Abby said placing her hand on my knee to keep it from shaking. “ I just need a drink.” She gave me a look but got me another beer anyways. I thanked her and continued watching the game. As I had predicted the Penguins scored. Geno was credited with the goal, Sid and Jordan had the assist. After Geno scored he pointed up to the box where Abby and I were sitting. “Did you see that?” Abby shook me. How could I have missed that? “It was probably just an accident.” I replied shrugging. The buzzer sounded alerting that the second period was over. “I’m going to go see the boys, want to come with?” Abby asked. I didn’t really feel like staying by myself so I agreed. Abby and I knew the shortcut and were in front of the locker room in no time. “I got this.” I whispered to her. I covered my eyes and opened the door. “Alright boys, there are ladies in here, is everyone descent?” I heard Abby laugh, so I assumed it was all good. “Hey Kellie, can you come here for a minute?” I heard Kaner ask. I followed him into the lounge room, that they use during practices. He sat on the couch and patted the spot next to him. I sat down, I hoped that I could control the shaking that I was feeling, but that wasn’t going so well. “Why are you shaking? We’ve done this a million times before.” Pat grabbed my hand giving it a gentle squeeze. “The game has me all worked up.” I lied but he seemed to believe me. “I got your text, what did you want to talk about? I know we don’t have a whole lot of time but I figured that it was important.” I sighed, I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, so I just spoke. “Um, do you remember when we came back to your place the other night? I guess we came home before Jonny.” He seemed to think about it for a little bit. “No. Should I?” He asked. I smiled. “No, I was just going to see if you had found something that I had left there. I probably lost it on the way home from the club. It’s no big deal. You should really get back to the locker room though. Good luck out there.” I kissed his cheek and made my way back to Abby. I smiled at her and sat down next to Jonny. “I bet five bucks that you score the next goal with Patrick on the assist. Think you can make that happen?” I winked. “I’ll try my best.” He winked back. Once Abby was done talking to Sharpie we made our way back to our seats. The third period was tough. So far the Blackhawks haven’t scored. “Come on boys.” Abby and I both practically chanted together. The hockey gods must have heard us because with thirteen seconds left in the third period Jonny scored, with the assist made by Pat. “Looks like I was right, I win the bet!” I laughed dancing in my seat a bit. Abby tried to pull out her wallet but I told her we were even. She did pay for my beer after all. The third period ended with the score being 1-1. “Looks like we’re going into overtime.” Abby said sitting back in her chair. “Who do you think is going to win?” I asked trying to find a comfortable spot to sit in. “Blackhawks duh.” She giggled. I went with the Pens getting the win. That’s exactly what happened. Jordan shot the puck straight past Corey Crawford. I was excited but a little upset as well.
*Jordan’s point of view*
I found myself with the puck and no Chicago jerseys were anywhere near me. I took off towards the goal and shot. I didn’t think it went in at first but once I heard that buzzer go off it hit me. I just won the game. All of the guys rushed out onto the ice forming a giant circle of hugs around me. I looked up to the box where I knew Kellie and Abby were sitting and pointed at her. I knew she’d be in the lounge room waiting for us by the time we were off the ice. We all shook hands with the opposing team. They were a little bummed but they could handle it. As we all filed off of the ice, I noticed Kellie was there, congratulating the team on their win. She practically jumped on me when she saw me. “There’s the game winning goal scorer. Good job out there! And no I don’t care that you’re all sweaty.” She joked. I guess when you live with a bunch of hockey players you just get used to it. She never complained about how sweaty we were or how badly our gear smelled. “ I told you that you were our good luck charm.” I said carrying her into the lounge and laying her on the couch. “I’ll come get you when we’re all done changing.” She curled up on the couch and I tossed her the closest hoodie to me, it just so happened to be Evgeni’s. She slid it over her jersey and hid her face inside of it, all that you could see were her eyes and forehead. “Hey G, Kellie’s using your hoodie, she was cold so I hope you don’t mind.” I said taking off my jersey and throwing it into the bin with the rest of the dirty jerseys. After taking a quick shower I got dressed in my suit again. I checked my phone and saw I had a text from Jonathan and a number I didn’t recognize. I opened Jon’s first.
“I thought you might want to know, Kellie was talking with Kaner earlier and he said she was shaking really bad, she wasn’t acting like her normal self. Abby said the same thing to me. I gave her your number too, she may text you.” I read and reread the text a few times. “You alright there Jordan?” Nealer asked sitting next to me. Truthfully I wasn’t sure if I was alright myself. For some reason I had the overwhelming urge to go and check to see if Kellie was still breathing. I jumped off the bench and ran into the lounge area. Kellie was still laying down on the couch, I was pretty sure she had fallen asleep. I placed two of my fingers on her neck, feeling for a pulse. When I found one I let out a breath that I didn’t know I had been holding in. She was alright, I decided to let her sleep a little bit longer, we weren’t leaving for a while anyways. “What was that about?” Neal asked looking at me and then back to Kellie. I wasn’t sure if I should say anything to him or not. “I was just checking on her. Kane and Patrick Sharps wife said Kellie wasn’t acting normal so I just wanted to make sure she was okay. “ It was mostly true. “She did act kind of weird when she came in here during the first intermission. She had something white on her lip and she blamed it on make up and then when I didn’t believe that she blamed it on a powdered donut. I’m not sure if I believe that one either.” He sighed putting his dress shirt on. “Evgeni, Sidney in the hall now.” I called getting their attention. I went out first making sure that there was no one out there. There wasn’t. “What wrong?” G spoke first. “I think I know what K is doing with the pills.” They both looked very interested now. “I think she’s snorting them. James said when she came in here during the first intermission she had a white powder on her lip, she lied to him about what it was.” I continued. Sidney and G both looked shocked. “She was extremely shaky according to Kane earlier as well. That’s the only thing that makes sense here.” Geno sat down on the floor. “We help her.” Was all he said before we were called back into the locker room. We had to head back to the hotel, we had an early flight in the morning. “You grab bag?” Evgeni asked picking Kellie up off of the couch. She cuddled into his chest and smiled. She looked like she belonged there. I didn’t argue and followed him to the bus.
“Come on Kellie. We’re going to be late if we don’t hurry up.” I yelled from the bedroom. I had somehow managed to get Kellie to agree to go to the game. I had mentioned her being able to see Kane but instead of seeing the huge smile that I thought she would have, her face turned pale as a ghost and there was no smile in sight. That struck me as odd. Her and Kane were best friends. Did something happen between them? I made a mental note to ask her about it later. Maybe she’d tell Abby tonight and she’d relay everything that happened to Sidney and I. “Are you ready yet?” I asked again checking for at least the fourth time to make sure I had all of my hockey gear. “I’m coming. I’m coming.” I heard the bathroom door open, Kellie walked into the bedroom. “Whose jersey are you going to wear tonight?” I asked. I knew she’d probably wear Jonathan’s or Kane’s until she went up to her seat then she’d change into one of ours. “I was thinking maybe Jonny’s or Sharpies. Then when I come to visit you guys, I was thinking Sid’s.” I think she was a little nervous, she didn’t look at me when she said the part about Sid. Honestly, it didn’t bother me that she wasn’t going to wear my jersey. She takes turns wearing each guys. That way none of them feel left out. “I thought you wore Sid’s jersey last game? Isn’t it Geno’s turn?” I questioned. “I’m not wearing his jersey. I didn’t even pack it.” I knew she was lying there. I had seen it in her suitcase, but I left it alone. “Which one?” She asked holding up two Hawks jerseys. “Hmm, why not wear Jonathans? I said pointing to it. She nodded and slipped it on. “So whose jersey from the Penguins are you going to wear tonight?” I asked grabbing my bag off of the bed. “You’ll just have to wait and see.” She winked grabbing her huge purse off of the bed. “Alright, let’s go. Wouldn’t want the bus to leave us.” She laughed leaving the room, I wasn’t far behind. The ride to the United Center was pretty uneventful to say the least. I noticed that Kellie was acting like her normal self, she was laughing and smiling. She didn’t frown the entire time. I was happy to see that she was genuinely happy. She deserves it. “Alright guys and girl.” Coach said sending a wink in Kellie’s direction. “We’re here, I expect everyone to be on their best behavior. We have two hours until game time. Let’s get our stuff unpacked and get warmed up. Meet back in the locker room in an hour. Let’s go kick us some Blackhawk butt!” He yelled, attempting to get us fired up. We all filed off of the bus, Sidney going last and Kellie was second to last. Kellie stood by the players entrance and wished us good luck while patting us on the back. I was surprised that none of the guys had commented on her jersey choice, maybe it was just because they knew she’d be wearing one of ours later, I wasn’t sure. I was surprised that she actually spoke to Geno. I wasn’t expecting that. Judging by the look on his face he didn’t either. “Go see Jonathan, he has something for you. You still remember how to get there, right?” I laughed pulling her in close and putting my arm around her shoulders. In return she just smacked my chest lightly. “Of course I do silly. I’ll meet you guys back here in a little bit.” I wasn’t sure if she’d really be back before the end of the game. I watched her as she walked away, laughing as she talked to a few employees that seemed to recognize her. Once she was out of sight I made my way into the locker room. “Where’d K go?” Pascal asked while unpacking his hockey gear. I set my bag down in front of my stall. “Jonathan had a little surprise for her so she went to go see him. Hey can I ask you something?” I said looking around the locker room. There weren’t really any guys in here yet. The one’s that were in the locker room weren’t paying a bit of attention to us though. Pascal nodded. “It needs to stay between us.” I said sitting down on my stall. Pascal sat down on Evgeni’s stall, which was right next to mine. “Have you noticed Kellie acting differently in let’s say the last two months?” I asked in a hushed voice. Duper seemed to think for a minute. “No, not that I’m aware. She’s been acting like herself.” Duper finally spoke. Am I just being paranoid? Maybe there really isn’t anything going on. “Why would you ask?” Duper said as four or five of the guys came in. “I’ll tell you later. There are too many people in here now.” Duper nodded and went to his stall.
*Kellie’s point of view*
“Oh Jonny!” I called walking into the locker room with my hand over my eyes. I had made the mistake of just walking into the locker room once before and I ended up getting an eye full of a few guys. Since then I had always entered the room with my hand over my eyes. It was kind of a joke but mostly to protect my eyes from any sights I wouldn’t want to see. I heard a few snickers behind me. “Everyone is dressed, you can uncover your eyes.” I heard Shaw say in between laughs. I uncovered my eyes and jumped on him, hugging him tightly. To anyone who didn’t know the relationship that we had this would probably not look too good but I didn’t care, I was just happy to see him again. He hugged me back, I was suddenly aware he was only wearing his boxers. “I thought you said everyone was dressed?” I tried to act mad, but I couldn’t hold the laugh back. “We are dressed, no one is naked.” He had a good point. No one was naked, but no one was fully clothed either. Shawzie put me back down on the floor. I saw Versteeg standing in front of his stall with his back towards me. I quietly made my way over to him and jumped on his back. “Guess who!” I laughed. He seemed shocked for a second but quickly recovered. He turned around and sat on the bench, he was mostly sitting on me though. “Hey big guy, you’re crushing me over here.” I laughed playfully smacking his back. He apologized and got off me. We talked for a bit before I noticed Corey had come in. I said goodbye and wished him good luck before making my way over to Crow. “Hey Cor-Cor. Have you seen Jonny?” I asked sitting down on the floor next to him. “Yeah, he’s talking with Coach Q about the game. Want me to show you where his new office is?” He questioned. “Sure, but only if you carry me.” I joked getting up off of the floor. Corey turned around so his back was facing me, and squatted down, allowing me to get on his back. Him being 6’2” and myself being only 5’10” piggy back rides were a little difficult. “You know I was just joking right?” He nodded, “I’m fully aware, I wanted too though, plus you’d get lost without me.” He joked. Corey did have a point. A few of the coaches and staff had their offices moved and I didn’t have a clue as to where they were now located. “So who are you going to cheer for tonight?” He asked taking a left. “Both teams, you know that. I love all of you. I love and hate when you play each other. I love it because I get to see the team, which I don’t get to do often, and I hate it because one of the teams has to lose. Then I feel bad.” I said truthfully resting my chin on his shoulder. I saw Corey smile, “We’re big boys, Kel. We can handle a loss here and there. Well everyone but Taser, but you already knew that.” We both laughed and I knew he was right. “You’re my boys though. I hate to see any of you upset.” Corey and I were quiet for the rest of the trip to Coach Q’s office. I knocked for Corey, so he wouldn’t drop me. The look on Coach Q’s face when he opened the door was priceless. Corey set me on the ground and Q welcomed me with open arms. “Kellie, it’s been too long. I’ve missed you.” I had grown close to him. He always called me his third daughter, since I was the youngest he was very protective of me. I had been slacking on keeping in contact with my “dad.” He was the closest thing I had to a dad. “I’ve missed you too. I’m sorry I haven’t called in a while. We both have been pretty busy.” I laughed and he nodded in agreement. “We’ll have to get together and have dinner sometime soon. Elizabeth, Dylan, Lily and Anna would love to see you. I’m sure they’ll be jealous that they didn’t get a chance to see you. You should send them a text or call them sometime. They really miss you.” He said. I instantly felt bad about not keeping in contact as much as I should. “I’ll give them a call soon. I’ve missed them too.” I sighed and gave him a slight smile. I noticed Jonny come walking over to us with a smile on his face. “I haven’t seen you in ages.” He joked making me laugh. “So Jordy said you have a surprise for me. What’s the occasion Mr. Toews?” Jonny never just surprised me for the heck of it. There was always a motive behind it. Last time he told me he had a surprise for me, I met his girlfriend, well ex now. I spent the entire time trying not to pull my hair out. This girl was terrible. She was just a terrible person all together. I didn’t approve and Jonny was very aware. Thankfully he valued my opinion and opened his eyes, seeing right through her act. All she wanted was the fame and his hard earned money. “So what do you want?” I asked putting my hand on my hip. “I can’t surprise my baby sister once in awhile?” He asked pretending to be offended. “Come on we have to go and see it.” He grabbed my hand and drug me out of the room. I yelled a goodbye to Corey and Coach, waving with my free hand. Jonny was taking me to the box reserved for the wives and girlfriends. “Introducing me to your new girlfriend?” I laughed as he shot me his super serious face. “She’d have to exist for that to happen.” He lightened up a little bit sending me a smile. We stopped in front of the door, “Alright, close your eyes.” I gave him the disapproving look, which he gave right back. “Alright alright.” I closed my eyes and heard the door open. “Keep them closed until I tell you to open them” He stated and I complied. “Alright, open them.” I opened them and couldn’t believe who was standing in front of me. It was my long lost best friend, Abby Sharp. I let out a squeal and pulled her into a hug. I was on the verge of tears. “I’m so happy to see you, Abs. You have no idea.” I said wiping my eyes. She laughed. “Alright, I’ll let you guys get caught up. I’ll see you after the game right?” Jonny asked giving me a hug. I nodded and said goodbye to him. I couldn’t wait to catch up with Abby. “I could really use a drink. Do you want anything?” I asked, she shook her head no. I went to the vendor that was right outside of the box and ordered two beers. I paid the guy and walked back over to the table that Abby was now sitting at. “I got you one anyways, If you don’t drink it then I will.” I laughed. “So how have you been? It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to hang out.” She asked. “Honestly, not that good. Things have been tough for me. Do you remember my ex Brandon?” I asked taking a sip of my beer. “The one that almost got his ass beat by my Patrick the first time they met?” She asked trying to hold back a laugh. “Yeah, that one.” I smiled, remembering the first time Patrick and Brandon had met. “Well I ran into him in Pittsburgh, twice. The first time I was out for a run and he pulled me into an alley. He beat me up pretty bad. I had bruises all over. I somehow got lucky and didn’t get any bruises on my face. The second time I was at a club with some of the guys and I went to the bar to get a drink. He shoved me up against the bar and held onto my arms so I couldn’t move. I tried asking Evgeni for help but he ignored me and went back to paying attention to his new girlfriend Oksana. I told Brandon that he should leave if he didn’t want to get hurt. Jordy, Sid and Kris ended up coming to my rescue. Once he saw them he high tailed it out of there. I stayed at Jordan’s house that night and he saw all the bruises. I forgot all about them. Jordy was pissed, the guys that know all were. I thought that they were going to form a search party and kill him.” I told her truthfully. Her facial expressions during my story told me she was feeling bad and scared for me. “I can’t believe he found you. We really thought Pittsburgh was far enough. I’m sorry that happened to you, hun. Do any of our boys know?” She asked squeezing my hand, in a comforting manner. “Sharpie knows a little bit. I only told him a little bit about the bar incident.” I replied taking a big sip of my beer. “I need your opinion on something though.” I finally spoke after a few minutes of silence. “It has to stay between us though, I don’t want a bunch of people knowing.” Abby nodded her head signalling me to continue. “So, I kinda sorta slept with Kaner last night and now things are awkward. I don’t know if he remembers because I haven’t spoken to him. I keep ignoring his texts too. I mean I feel bad about it but I don’t know what to do.” I said running my hands through my hair. Abby seemed a little shocked to hear that I had slept with Pat. I think that we were both equally shocked about the whole situation. “Wow. I definitely didn’t expect that from you. Not that it’s a bad thing. Patrick gets pretty drunk and never remembers what happens so maybe he doesn’t even know. He will realize that you’re avoiding him before too long you know. You can’t run from this forever either. You’ll have to face him eventually. You both are good friends, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to work through it.” She did have a valid point. I couldn’t run from him forever. We had been through too much together and he didn’t deserve that. I also didn’t want to ruin our friendship. “I’ll just have to figure out what I’m going to say to him.” Abby gave me a reassuring smile. “So how are you and Evgeni?” She asked eating a few of the grapes that she had pulled out of her bag. “There is no Evgeni and I.” I said sadly. “What? Why? What happened?” She asked her face full of shock. “He started dating this girl named Oksana recently. While we were all at the club he told me he didn’t care about me or need me in his life anymore. We got in each others faces and had to be separated. The whole situation is weird, before the boys and I went out for dinner the other night this lady at the hotel was flirting hard core with Jonny and Pat so I came to their rescue. I kissed them both and I guess he saw it. Jordan called me while I was at dinner and told me Evgeni was pissed because I was dating Kane, he destroyed his room too. He’s being confusing and pretty much acting like the night at the club never happened.” Abby smiled. “I think he likes you. Why else would he get pissed because you kissed two hockey players? Maybe you should talk to him about it.” I wasn’t sure if I liked her suggestion or not. My life was starting to get very confusing. I finished the rest of my beer before excusing myself to the bathroom. I was glad that the restrooms here were clean and private. I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone interrupting me. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent a text to Kaner.
“Hey, good luck with your game tonight. Score a goal for me(: oh and I need to talk to you before I leave. K.” I pressed send and slid my phone back into my pocket. I decided I’d change into my Pens jersey. I just couldn’t decide on which one I wanted to wear. I had brought my Neal and my Duper one with me. After a little bit of consideration I decided on wearing Nealer’s. I slipped off Jonny’s and put Nealers on instead. “Abs we should take a picture, together.” I suggested and she agreed. I took the picture and sent it to the boys, wishing them all a good luck. The game would be starting soon.
*Sidney’s point of view*
The team and I were all in the locker room getting ready for the game when I overheard Geno practically yelling something in Russian into his phone. This had become an almost everyday occurrence. I had a feeling that it was probably Oksana, or as Max likes to call her Tits McGhee, I’ve noticed that they’ve been fighting more and more lately. I never knew what it was exactly that they were saying but I knew it wasn’t good. After G would get off the phone he’d be in a terrible mood. He wouldn’t speak to anyone, and he wouldn’t stay after practice like he usually did. Oksana was making his life miserable and the whole team knew it. None of us knew why he was wasting his time on her. The whole team walked on eggshells around him, no one wanted to deal with the huge blow up that was bound to happen if you did something he didn’t like. Geno chucked the phone across the room, barely missing our starting goalie, Marc- Andre Fleury, or Flower, as he’s called. As captain I knew I had to say something to him, his behavior was becoming unacceptable. “Geno, meet me in the hallway please.” I said exiting the locker room. I tried to make it as quiet as possible but it wasn’t that easy seeing that the locker room had gone absolutely quiet. Evgeni came out a few minutes after me. “What is going on? Is there an issue that I need to know about?” Evgeni shook his head no. “I’m fine. Life fine.” He said, I didn’t really believe him. “Geno, if there’s an issue then you can come to me. No matter what it’s about. Okay?” He nodded. “Kellie came tonight, she’s sitting in the Blackhawks wives and girlfriends box if you want to look for her.” I knew Geno always played better when he knew Kellie was in attendance. I was pretty sure it was because he liked her but he would always deny it. “Maybe you can score a goal for her.” I laughed pushing his shoulder lightly. “I’m score. I’m score” He laughed while flailing his arms around. His mood changed and I knew G would be alright for tonights game. “Alright, lets go kick some Blackhawk butt!” I laughed walking back into the locker room with G. Thankfully the guys had turned on some music and were now dancing around like a bunch of fools. “Alright boys! It’s almost game time lets get out there and kick some butt!” Our coach yelled getting us pumped up.
*Kellie’s point of view*
“Kellie look! Here come the boys.” Abby yelled sitting at the edge of her seat. “There’s my husband!” She yelled. I couldn’t help but laugh at her eagerness. I took another sip of my beer. It would be interesting if they showed Abby and I on the Jumbotron tonight, she was in her Hawks jersey and I had my Penguins one. I’m sure the fans would love that. The first period went by surprisingly fast. It was tied 0-0 and there had been some pretty good hits on Geno, by members of the Blackhawks. I felt bad but he always got back up and into the game. I wondered if it was a message to Geno, telling him they knew what happened and it wasn’t going unnoticed. I decided to go down to the Pens locker room during the first intermission. “Abs I’ll be right back I’m going to go see the boys.” She gave me a small wave before returning back to whatever she was doing on her phone. Before I could go I decided to stop by the bathroom and get a quick fix.
“Alright boys, be classy, Kellie’s coming in!” I heard Flower yell from across the room. I couldn’t help but smile at him. “Great game so far guys! You’re looking good out there. I’m sure you’ll score during the second. Also awesome saves out there Fleury. Way to use that Flower Power.” I said smiling at all of them. “I’m digging the jersey baby doll.” I heard James whisper in my ear kissing my cheek. “I thought you’d like it.” I said looking up at him. “You have a little something on your lip.” He said wiping it away for me. “It’s probably just make up.” I laughed. “Unless you’re wearing makeup white as snow, I don’t think so.” He said raising his eyebrow at me. “It must be powdered sugar from the donut that Abby and I were sharing then.” I tried hard to play it off. James looked like he believed what I was saying, at least for now. “Alright I’m going to let you guys get back to getting ready for the second.” I said quickly exiting the locker room before anyone could say anything to me. I was glad that no one had tried to stop me. I made it back to my seat next to Abby in time for the start of the second. I couldn’t stop shaking and looking around during the entire second period. “Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Abby said placing her hand on my knee to keep it from shaking. “ I just need a drink.” She gave me a look but got me another beer anyways. I thanked her and continued watching the game. As I had predicted the Penguins scored. Geno was credited with the goal, Sid and Jordan had the assist. After Geno scored he pointed up to the box where Abby and I were sitting. “Did you see that?” Abby shook me. How could I have missed that? “It was probably just an accident.” I replied shrugging. The buzzer sounded alerting that the second period was over. “I’m going to go see the boys, want to come with?” Abby asked. I didn’t really feel like staying by myself so I agreed. Abby and I knew the shortcut and were in front of the locker room in no time. “I got this.” I whispered to her. I covered my eyes and opened the door. “Alright boys, there are ladies in here, is everyone descent?” I heard Abby laugh, so I assumed it was all good. “Hey Kellie, can you come here for a minute?” I heard Kaner ask. I followed him into the lounge room, that they use during practices. He sat on the couch and patted the spot next to him. I sat down, I hoped that I could control the shaking that I was feeling, but that wasn’t going so well. “Why are you shaking? We’ve done this a million times before.” Pat grabbed my hand giving it a gentle squeeze. “The game has me all worked up.” I lied but he seemed to believe me. “I got your text, what did you want to talk about? I know we don’t have a whole lot of time but I figured that it was important.” I sighed, I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, so I just spoke. “Um, do you remember when we came back to your place the other night? I guess we came home before Jonny.” He seemed to think about it for a little bit. “No. Should I?” He asked. I smiled. “No, I was just going to see if you had found something that I had left there. I probably lost it on the way home from the club. It’s no big deal. You should really get back to the locker room though. Good luck out there.” I kissed his cheek and made my way back to Abby. I smiled at her and sat down next to Jonny. “I bet five bucks that you score the next goal with Patrick on the assist. Think you can make that happen?” I winked. “I’ll try my best.” He winked back. Once Abby was done talking to Sharpie we made our way back to our seats. The third period was tough. So far the Blackhawks haven’t scored. “Come on boys.” Abby and I both practically chanted together. The hockey gods must have heard us because with thirteen seconds left in the third period Jonny scored, with the assist made by Pat. “Looks like I was right, I win the bet!” I laughed dancing in my seat a bit. Abby tried to pull out her wallet but I told her we were even. She did pay for my beer after all. The third period ended with the score being 1-1. “Looks like we’re going into overtime.” Abby said sitting back in her chair. “Who do you think is going to win?” I asked trying to find a comfortable spot to sit in. “Blackhawks duh.” She giggled. I went with the Pens getting the win. That’s exactly what happened. Jordan shot the puck straight past Corey Crawford. I was excited but a little upset as well.
*Jordan’s point of view*
I found myself with the puck and no Chicago jerseys were anywhere near me. I took off towards the goal and shot. I didn’t think it went in at first but once I heard that buzzer go off it hit me. I just won the game. All of the guys rushed out onto the ice forming a giant circle of hugs around me. I looked up to the box where I knew Kellie and Abby were sitting and pointed at her. I knew she’d be in the lounge room waiting for us by the time we were off the ice. We all shook hands with the opposing team. They were a little bummed but they could handle it. As we all filed off of the ice, I noticed Kellie was there, congratulating the team on their win. She practically jumped on me when she saw me. “There’s the game winning goal scorer. Good job out there! And no I don’t care that you’re all sweaty.” She joked. I guess when you live with a bunch of hockey players you just get used to it. She never complained about how sweaty we were or how badly our gear smelled. “ I told you that you were our good luck charm.” I said carrying her into the lounge and laying her on the couch. “I’ll come get you when we’re all done changing.” She curled up on the couch and I tossed her the closest hoodie to me, it just so happened to be Evgeni’s. She slid it over her jersey and hid her face inside of it, all that you could see were her eyes and forehead. “Hey G, Kellie’s using your hoodie, she was cold so I hope you don’t mind.” I said taking off my jersey and throwing it into the bin with the rest of the dirty jerseys. After taking a quick shower I got dressed in my suit again. I checked my phone and saw I had a text from Jonathan and a number I didn’t recognize. I opened Jon’s first.
“I thought you might want to know, Kellie was talking with Kaner earlier and he said she was shaking really bad, she wasn’t acting like her normal self. Abby said the same thing to me. I gave her your number too, she may text you.” I read and reread the text a few times. “You alright there Jordan?” Nealer asked sitting next to me. Truthfully I wasn’t sure if I was alright myself. For some reason I had the overwhelming urge to go and check to see if Kellie was still breathing. I jumped off the bench and ran into the lounge area. Kellie was still laying down on the couch, I was pretty sure she had fallen asleep. I placed two of my fingers on her neck, feeling for a pulse. When I found one I let out a breath that I didn’t know I had been holding in. She was alright, I decided to let her sleep a little bit longer, we weren’t leaving for a while anyways. “What was that about?” Neal asked looking at me and then back to Kellie. I wasn’t sure if I should say anything to him or not. “I was just checking on her. Kane and Patrick Sharps wife said Kellie wasn’t acting normal so I just wanted to make sure she was okay. “ It was mostly true. “She did act kind of weird when she came in here during the first intermission. She had something white on her lip and she blamed it on make up and then when I didn’t believe that she blamed it on a powdered donut. I’m not sure if I believe that one either.” He sighed putting his dress shirt on. “Evgeni, Sidney in the hall now.” I called getting their attention. I went out first making sure that there was no one out there. There wasn’t. “What wrong?” G spoke first. “I think I know what K is doing with the pills.” They both looked very interested now. “I think she’s snorting them. James said when she came in here during the first intermission she had a white powder on her lip, she lied to him about what it was.” I continued. Sidney and G both looked shocked. “She was extremely shaky according to Kane earlier as well. That’s the only thing that makes sense here.” Geno sat down on the floor. “We help her.” Was all he said before we were called back into the locker room. We had to head back to the hotel, we had an early flight in the morning. “You grab bag?” Evgeni asked picking Kellie up off of the couch. She cuddled into his chest and smiled. She looked like she belonged there. I didn’t argue and followed him to the bus.
@cinjin
I have a few days (fingers crossed) off of work so I'll try to update tomorrow!
6/12/17