All You Had to do Was Stay

He knew he fucked up, after two months of calling her and texting her every day, Sid started to go to every other day, to once a week.

And not one response from Jo. Not even asking how he was feeling. He deserved it. The last thing he heard about her was she was heading over to Japan to chase the snow, and then photo proof of her in Japan with a bunch of other snowboarders, including her and Scotty Lago.

He hated that guy. He was an asshole at the Olympics, Sidney found him to be an asshole in real life. Scotty made Sid's blood boil. Sid's own actions also made his blood boil.

By summer came around he was back in Nova Scotia, and one day he visited was in Cole Harbour visiting his parents and he saw a shiny new Scion two door sitting in Jo’s parents drive way.

Jo was back in Nova Scotia. He didn’t know how long she had been here for, maybe just over a week. He knew she bought a condo downtown Halifax with waterfront views, that was about it.

He debated on popping in to say hi, but he also didn’t know what kind of way Jo would react. Dee and Phil always greeted him with a smile, so Jo may have never actually told them why they broke up.

Deciding not to stir the pot he just drove by and continued to his parents.

“Jo’s home eh.” His dad said, “ran into her and Dee at Sobey’s.”

“She’s got quite the little car she’s driving too.” His Mom piped up.

“Yeah, I saw the car at her parents. Figured it was her.” Sid said quietly.

“And a condo downtown Halifax.”

“Yeah, Kris told me. They were up there having a house warming last week. It’s top floor looking over harbour.” He shrugged.

“The snowboarding must be really taking off for her. Have you two spoken at all?”

“No. I’m sure we’re bound to run into each other soon.” Sid rolled his eyes.

He loved a home cooked meal, he loved being home. Just as much as he loved hockey. And Jo. He’ll forever kick himself in the ass for ruining that.”

“They’ll be gearing up for their Cookout this weekend. That’s probably why she’s home.” Trina said.

“That would make sense. I’m surprised she’s not in Australia or New Zealand.”

“Jo actually just came straight from New Zealand. She was mentioning she is also moving to Banff.”

“She’s what?” Sid blinked at his Mom.

Moving to Banff, closer to Calgary then Kelowna is to Vancouver.

“Yeah. The Big 3, or something, is sponsoring her. And one of the snowboarding stores is also sponsoring her as well, in exchange for retail work.”

“She loves the Okanagan. I’m not sure why she’d move.” Sid shrugged.

The Annual MacDonald Cookout was always a staple in the the summer, the whole neighborhood looked forward to it..

That night he dreamt of her, having her in his arms, in his bed. His favorite feature will forever be her smile and her laugh. He dreamed of squeezing her toned ass while letting her ride him. All before flipping her over and making love to her. Licking and biting and sucking on her pierced nipples and hearing her cry out in pleasure.

His cock was throbbing waking up at 2:00 AM from that dream. He wanted her. He’s wanted her forever. If he hadn’t of fucked up he’d have her in his bed, waking her up, making love to her.

A couple of days later the inevitable happened. He was in town at the grocery store, he came up onto her in the health food isle. He didn’t know what to do. Act casual or go to another isle until she was gone.

He just walked up and acted casual, looking to see what he needed about 5 feet away.

“Your Superstore in Enfield isn’t good enough?” She said dryly.

“I’m on my way home from Mom and Dad’s.” He muttered awkwardly, “you not shopping in fancy uptown grocery stores?”

“I’m going to Kris’s. I always bring something to eat. Good choice on the condoms. Congratulations, you never knocked me up.” She rolled her eyes, before stomping off.

She was tanned, her hair was a lighter brown, with hints of red from the sun. The former pink and purple bits faded out to the blond, keeping it in her natural waves. Her strong legs looked long with her cut off shorts, literally cutting off at her ass cheeks.

He followed her to the check out, finding a line that was just as fast as hers.

“Do you have to be so fucking hostile Jolene?” He called after her in the parking lot.

“I have every right to be hostile.” She shouted at him before picking up the pace and dipping behind a large truck.

Picking up the pace he saw she parked two cars down from him.

“I’m sorry. You know how sorry I am. I’m embarrassed.” He came up behind her.

“This isn’t the place.” She stated, throwing her bags into the trunk of her car.

“Then when is the place Jo? Why can’t we have an adult conversation about it?”

“I don’t know. When you stop sleeping around behind other girls backs.”

“I’m not. I made a-“

“Don’t kid me, you bought a box of condoms.” She took her sunglasses off and glared at him.

“Your so fucking stubborn. I’m trying to fucking talk to you and apologize and you storm off like a fucking child.” He snapped.

That got her attention, calling her a child. She always ran away. She was flighty. Very flighty.

“Fine. You wanna talk, Salty’s, tomorrow. 7:00. Don’t be late.” She slammed the trunk on her car, before shoving past him.

“You’re on then.” He gave her a sly smile, before walking to his Tahoe.

Salty's was the perfect place to meet her salty ass. Sid laughed at his own pun.

***

“I don’t know Kris.” Jo sighed over her glass of wine.

“You do know though Jo. You do ultimately have to make a choice depending on the outcome.” Kris looked at her.

“I know. Scotty or Sid. Does Sid even know I’m with Scotty?”

“I don’t think so. He’s pretty determined to win you back. Now that he’s starting to have more good days then bad.”

“Fuckkk.” She whined, “this boy doesn’t quit.”

“You know this is Sidney Patrick Crosby we’re talking about right. He’s the most competitive person in the world.” Kris laughed.

“Whyyyy.” She laid back onto the floor, spreading out.

“Your the one that decided to give him a chance and not me.” Kris rolled her eyes, “what are you two going to do when Colt and I get married, you realize you’ll both be in the wedding party right.”

“I have no fucking idea Kris, lots of champagne. But we may also become friends again. Who the fuck knows.”

“I know you two are going to get married and have little super athlete babies.”

“Wellll I’m pretty happy with Scotty.” She smiled at Kris.

“Considering that started out as something out of spite.”

“What Can I say? Scotty and I mesh so well though. He’s nice, he’s hung like a horse, we’re both pro snowboarders on the circuit.”

“Just he lives in New Hampshire and you are going to be living in Alberta. That’s the same argument you made with Sid and why it wouldn’t work out. That’s not fair to him.”

“I gave Sidney a shot and he threw it back in my face. That’s not exactly fair to me.”

“That’s true. And now we are in this spot we’re in now. When does Scotty come up?”

“He will be here on Friday. He’s flying straight from Argentina. So he’s gonna have all his gear.”

“Just in time for your parents block party. Has he met your parents?”

“Yeah He has. Dad likes anyone, mom’s not to keen on him. She wants me to be with Sid but if she knew why she would kill him. No fucks given kill him.”

“Sid’s gonna freak when he sees Scotty at the block party.”

“He’s going to freak when he finds out I’m with Scotty.”

“And you are going to be the one that tells him. Tomorrow, when you two have dinner at Salty’s.”

“I knowwww.”

“Or else it will be a scene at the block party.”

“I’m going to need to talk to Scotty about that too. He’ll want to wind Sid up.”

“He sounds like a winner. I can’t wait to meet the guy.” Kris said sarcastically.

“Scotty’s really a sweetheart, like he’s a bit of an asshole sometimes, but who isn’t. He’s the male version of me.”

“Is that really the best thing though?”

“Are you thinking that Sid’s a better fit for me after what he did.”

“I’m not. Trust me, I’ll never forgive him for that stunt, concussion or no concussion. But to be with someone who is the male version of you, how often do you two butt heads?”

“At least twice a month. Depending on how much drugs the other has done.”

“How healthy is that though.”

She hated how her best friend judged her for her choices. She never judged Kris for hers.

“I can’t say it is. It’s all a part of the lifestyle though Kris. You know what I’m like out there. I’m clean during competitions. I drink, I smoke, I snort. It’s not exactly a secret. Scotty’s the same way. We all smoke weed. And my cocaine use is recreational not habitual.”

“What are you gonna wear on your date with Sid.” Kris smirked at her.

“It’s not a date. But something he’ll be regretting he fucked us up.”

“He already regrets that. But just to rub it in a little bit more eh?”

“Maybe one of my silk tops, no bra, nipple piercings coming in hot.”

“What about nipple piercings?” Colton asked, coming into the kitchen in full golf gear.

“Jo has her nipples pierced. We’re trying to figure out what she should wear with her dinner with Sid tomorrow.” Kris smiled at her boyfriend, greeting him with a kiss.

“I can’t say I’m not surprised. I’d recommend maybe taking a Valium and keeping out of the Devils Dandruff.” He wrapped himself around Kris.

“Fuck seeing you two together makes me excited to see Scotty on Friday.” Jo sighed.

“Scotty? Who’s Scotty. Did you know about Scotty, Kris? Why don’t I see anything about him on Facebook?” Colton turned into a concerned dad.

“Scotty is my boyfriend, he’s a professional snowboarder, like me. He won bronze at the Olympics last year.”

“That Scotty. Now I know why.”

“Because your big mouth would have told Sid and there would be a bigger issue.” Kris looked at her boyfriend.

“Sid hates that guy so much.” Colt snorted.

“He doesn’t hate a lot of people, but when he does, he makes it very aware.” Jo rolled her eyes.

***

Sid decided to get a table at Salty’s on the patio. He wasn’t sure if she was going to show or not. She was way more flighty then fight.

He sat facing the entrance so he would see her before she did, just Incase she had a last minute change of heart.

He didn’t expect her to dress the way that she did. Wearing a off white silk top tucked into bright blue shorts that showed off her tanned toned legs and wedges. She looked grown up, her hair tied up at the top of her head to keep her from over heating, it was hot and humid.
The shirt did nothing to hide her nipple piercings, they stood at attention. He had to concentrate on gym showers to keep from getting hard.

“Jolene.” He smiled at her once she sat down.

“Sidney.” She glared.

Her walls were up, she was still mad at him, and clearly did not want to be at dinner.

The waitress came over straight away, he watched her look over her menu, going with a wine he never heard of. She had more make up on then what she usually wore. Jo dressed up for him.

“Are you going to talk to me?” He asked quietly, a little to eagerly.

“What do you want to talk about Sidney?” Jo responded sharply.

“You look good.” He smiled at her.

“Thank you.” He saw a small glimpse of the warmth she used to have for him, but it lasted less then a second, “how are you feeling?”

“Better. Much better, I still can’t work out as much like I used too.” He frowned.

He usually hated everyone asking how he was feeling. Jo was different, that’s all Jo could ask and he wouldn’t mind.

“You’ll get there. This stuff takes time Sidney.” She said she watched her glass of wine get poured.

“Yeah but I’ve put on 10 pounds that’s going to be hard to shake off.” He sighed, leaning back into his chair, feeling more relaxed.

“10 pounds is better then 20 pounds.” She laughed.

“I guess that’s true. Are you seeing anyone?” He asked, he had a feeling he knew the
answer. He was just hoping she wouldn’t react irrationally.

“I am. He flies in on Friday for the block party. How about you?”

He felt his heart break a little bit. He knew he had no shot of getting back with her after what he did though.

“No. I haven’t been with anyone since, well you know. Do I know the boyfriend?”

“You do. He’s a snowboarder too.”

“Fucking Scott? Really?”

“You have no right to be mad at me. And Scotty’s a sweetheart.”

“I’ve never liked the guy. Even before us.”

“You met him once.” She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.

“And he was an asshole. I bet he’s not a big fan of me either.”

“Scotty’s not like that. He’ll give anyone a chance, no matter what they’ve done.”

“I guess you’ve probably let him hit the rails off of your tits too eh.”

“Sidney Patrick Crosby.” She said sharply, letting him know he crossed a line.
It wasn’t like him to talk like that. He instantly felt bad.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to take it that far. That guy just grinds my fucking gears.”

He watched her take a long sip before placing her glass down. She stayed silent while she looked at him. He knew whatever was coming next was going to hurt. Jo didn’t give a flying fuck when she had something to say.

“And you grind my fucking gears Sidney. What you did really, really hurt me, it shattered me.”

“I know. And that’s going to be something I regret for the rest of my life.”

“I cried the whole way to Vermont in a snowstorm.” He heard her voice crack.

“Jo.” He said softly.

“No Sid. You were the last person I would have thought to do that.” She looked away.

He knew he shouldn’t of gotten up or tried to touch her, but he did. He walked around the
table, squatted in front of her and wrapped himself around her awkwardly.

“I’m sorry, you know I am. I’m sorry I ruined us. I’m sorry this ruined our friendship. I’m sorry about everything.” He said quietly, she hid her face from him but he knew she was crying, “I don’t know how to even get us back to where we were.”

“I don’t know either Sid. I don’t know if I can trust you. And there’s Scotty.” She whimpered.

That hurt, knowing she might not be able to ever trust him.

“How about we go for a walk. Did you want to do that?” He asked her quietly.

“Yeah.”

He threw some cash down that he knew would be more then enough to cover the bill and tip, using his empty beer glass to hold it down. He watched her chug her wine and he helped her stand up. With her wedges on it brought all 5’3” of her to just under his nose.

They walked in silence down the boardwalk, luckily it was a quiet night with very little tourists. He could be himself, without anyone asking for photos.

“Jo. I want to fix this. Please.” He said quietly.

“Sid, it’s not going to be an easy process.” He watched her wrap her arms around her, protecting her again.

“I know. And I won’t interfere with Scotty. Even if we’re just friends. We don’t have to be as close as what we were.”

“I don’t know Sid.”

He spun around so he could stop her from walking further, and so she could look him dead in the eye.

“Let’s try. Even if it’s an awkward wave hello at the grocery store. It’s a step. I don’t like this hostile Jo.”

“I don’t want to be hostile.” She choked out.

She was upset, very upset. The only thing he knew to do was to hug her, as much as she wouldn’t want to be hugged, she needed it.

“Jo. You know I love you. I don’t have any excuses for why I did that. I don’t know why I even did that. The last thing I wanted to do was lose you.” He said into her ear while she cried into his shoulder.

“This isn’t fair.” She whispered.

“I know it’s not fair.”

“That’s why I don’t date hockey players Sid. I’ve seen other girls get their heart broken by junior kids in high school.”

“I don’t know what to say.” He sighed as he rocked them back and forth.

“I think I wanna go home.” She said quietly.

“Did you drive or walk down?”

“I caught a cab. I’m not walking uphill or downhill in these.” She laughed.

“Did you want a ride. I’m parked not to far away.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” She smiled.

He lead her to his car a block over, opening the door for her and closing it once she was in.
Her ass looked phenomenal in the shorts she was wearing.

***

Sid looked good, healthy. She felt like such a bitch. Jo had about 30 different thoughts going through her head.

On the drive home it silent aside for her telling him what road to drive down. She was upset, and torn. Scotty was so good to her, he was even thinking of relocating to the west coast to be close to her. But being with Sid felt natural. It would be so easy to fall into being with him again. Sid’s been there for her through nearly everything, through all 22 years of her life. By the time he pulled up in front of her condo she was having an internal melt down. She could see out of the corner of her eye he was watching her, knowing exactly she had a million thoughts going through her mind.

“Jo...” he asked cautiously, preparing for another lashing.

She looked at Sid, his hazel eyes, they were expressive. She regretted making eye contact, she didn’t know what she was thinking, but it was something about Sid too. The next thing she knew, she was kissing him.

And man did that kiss feel good. It felt right. Even if it was wrong. He was already in a parking spot along the side street, and they were in the elevator and in her condo within five minutes.

He pinned her to the back of her front door with dominance, like he used too, and kissed her so passionately she was dizzy.

Then it hit her. Scotty.

“Sid, I can’t.” She gasped, pulling away.

“Tell me what you can do.” He sighed, resting his forehead to hers.

“I have a boyfriend. This, its, just.” She felt the tears come up in her throat.

This put her in the same boat as Sid. This was her fault. Jo was going to have to tell Scotty about this, Scotty probably wouldn’t care, but she still needed to tell him.

“Jo. I’m sorry.”

“No Sid, this is my fault.” She pushed him away.

“Do you want me to go?”

“I don’t know.”

She heard a frustrating sigh come from him as he pulled away. She opened her eyes and watched him explore her condo. It was different to her Okanagan house, she used the money from that place to pay for this condo. She would be renting in Banff, as it was way to expensive to buy. Her eyes followed Sid around the condo, his muscular back, perfectly round ass.

“Look at these medals.” He admired, looking at her showcase.

“Impressive eh.”

“Yeah. It is. You’re ranked number 1 still eh?” He looked at her as she kicked off her shoes.

“I am in slope style, number 2 in big air. Hopefully that’ll change when the snow flies out west.”

“I’m proud of you. You know that right.” He smiled at her.

“Thank you.” She grinned.

She didn’t know what his intentions were. She just needed to keep a distance from him, or else like two magnets, they were polar opposites, and they would attract.

“I should probably go.” He said awkwardly, sensing the distance she was putting between them.

“Yeah. I’ve got a thing early in the morning down in Lunenberg.” She scratched the back of her neck.

“A thing?” He looked at her side ways.

“Yeah, with Under Armour.” She smiled.

“Such a professional athlete.” He laughed.

“I am. With sponsorships, and appearances, and I get to travel all over the world. And I’ve met so many rad people.”

“What countries have you been too?”

“Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China, Chile, Argentina, Switzerland, Norway, Austria, Italy.”

“More then I have.” He grinned.

“Well, your kinda stationary aside for whenever the team travels or your on the National team.”

“Yeah. Anyways. I’ll see you around.” He smiled, opening up the front door.

“See you probably this weekend.” She leaned against the kitchen counter.

“Oh right. The block party, see you then.” He awkwardly nodded his head before leaving.

***

By the time Friday rolled around his anxiety was at an all time high. He was normally calm and collected, but seeing Jo with Scotty tonight was going to grind his gears.

He made sure to get to his parents early enough before the road closed and he would have to park three streets down.

“Please don’t over react when you see Jo with her boyfriend tonight.” Taylor reminded him.

“I won’t.” He glared at her.

She was right, if he lost his cool he would overreact. And by 7:00 the barbecues were starting up. He didn’t know what time she would have gotten there, knowing Scotty was coming in straight from Argentina.

About an hour and a half later he spotted them with Kris and Colt. He felt creepy, keeping his distance. He wanted to see how they were with each other.

At another point during the night he ran into Jo and Scotty having a moment. She looked happy. He was her type; tall, skinny, scruffy, still dressed like a teenager.

Scotty saw Sid too. And looked him dead in the eye with the grin he was famous for, and grabbed Jo’s ass firmly and shook it. It made Sid’s blood boil. He knew Scott was trying to get a reaction out of him. Giving off a huff he spun on his heel and marched off.

It was no more then half an hour he ran smack in to Jo, by herself. He was well on his way to drunk.

“JoJo...” He slurred.

“Hey Sid.” She smiled, grabbing his arms to stabilize him.

“Where’s Scott?”

“I have no idea. I’m sure he’s fine. I want you two to meet.” She assured him.

“I saw him with you, how he grabbed your ass.”

“Sid your drunk. Don’t say anything your going to regret.” She said cautiously.

“I’m not. I want a fistful of that ass. I miss it.” He said aggressively.

“Sidney. Just take a breather.” She backed away.

“I think I’m going to be sick.” He stuttered before turning away and spewed.

If his goal was to make an ass out of himself, he certainly did reach it. But he wasn’t trying too.

“Sid. Let’s get you to bed.” She touched his arm.

“Fuck off.” He muttered before stumbling off.

***

She knew because he was drunk and in a mood he would react just how he did.

Jo knew he was watching them, and avoiding meeting Scotty at all times. She knew Sid would get jealous, and she full on knew Scotty would wind him up, he was in that kind of a mood.

She needed a joint, first she was to find her boyfriend and then find a spot to smoke up and enjoy the rest of the night.

Notes