Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Wizard

“Let’s say, hypothetically, I ate another one of these,” I began, pointing at the chocolate bar in my hand. “Would that be disgusting, or impressive?”

Sidney laughed. “Well, since that’s your second Milky Way bar and you’ve already eaten two pieces of cake and a burger, I’d say both.”

I nodded, taking another bite out of the chocolate bar. “I don’t know why Canada doesn’t have these. I feel like I should write a letter to the Prime Minister and complain,” I paused, turning to eye Sidney who groaned.

“I don’t know Stephen Harper!” He said. “I’m not sure why you’ve just decided that I must know everyone in the world,” he added.

I grinned, now finished with the Milky Way bar and searching for a garbage can to toss the wrapper into. “It’s because you’re so important I just assume that everyone must want to know you.”

He rolled his eyes, giving his head a shake. “Just because I’ve met some really amazing people doesn’t mean I’m friends with them. Why is this so hard for you to understand?”

“Are those Penguins shirts you always wear free, or do you genuinely like them?” I asked him, completely ignoring his comments. “You wear them all the time, and I just wonder…”

Sidney frowned, looking down at the dark blue Pittsburgh Penguins t shirt he had on underneath of his hoodie and tugging at it. “What’s wrong with this?”

“Oh, so it is because you like them?” I asked. “Well…okay then.” I turned away from him, continuing the walk back to his place.

Sidney jogged a couple of steps to catch up with me. “Seriously, what’s wrong with these shirts?”

“I just don’t understand why you feel the need to constantly remind people of what team you play for when there’s posters, pictures and news about you everywhere doing that for them,” I tried to explain. “But if you like them, then good for you.”

“I do like them,” He told me, waiting a few seconds before adding, “And not just because they’re free.”

I laughed, “I knew it! I can’t believe you’re too cheap to buy different shirts. Don’t you make a gazillions dollars a year?”

Sidney didn’t say anything, and when I glanced over at him I saw the same stoic expression that had crossed his face so many times before when I tried to make light of his superstardom. The laughter that often danced inside of his eyes had calmed, and he didn’t even offer a polite half smile like he had done before. He was just staring straight ahead, hands in his pockets, his eyebrows sinking down a tiny bit. I had hit some kind of nerve with him, and I wasn’t even sure how.

I sucked in my bottom lip, walking next to him in tense silence for a good few minutes, occasionally glancing over at him to see if his face had softened at all. When it hadn’t, and I couldn’t handle the silence anymore, I cleared my throat, managing to earn Sidney’s attention. “I’m sorry.”

Sidney seemed surprised by the apology, frowning. “You don’t need to apologize, I was just…thinking.”

I smirked at him. “I know that the money comment bothered you, Sidney. I can tell by the way you just shut down. Is it anything to do with your fame, is that what bothers you? Because, I need to know so I don’t continue to make you upset.”

Sidney didn’t say anything for a few seconds, which made me fear that I had just upset him again. I peered up at him, thankful to see that he was just taking the time to think. He let out a long sigh before speaking. “I don’t know why it bothers me so much, the attention. I mean, I’m so thankful that people care about me at all, and I know that I’m lucky, more than that even. It’s just,” He stopped, taking in another deep breath of air. “I just hate that people can never see me as anything other than Sidney Crosby, captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins. I hate that there’s all of these assumptions about me, that I have so many girls on the side, that I’m arrogant, that I’m always out drinking and partying. I know that those stereotypes go hand in hand with any form of fame, and I knew they would come along with me when I entered the NHL. But, I try so hard to not be seen as any of that, and sometimes it bothers me more than it should that people will still assume I’m just another guy who’s ungrateful for everything he has and wastes his life in a club somewhere.”

I nodded, just then noticing that both he and I had stopped walking and we were standing idly on the sidewalk. “I don’t think that everyone assumes that,” I said, trying to reassure him.

“I know that, but then they all assume I’m boring, or I have no personality. They all tell me how I should be living my life. Talking about how pathetic I am because I live with Mario. I’m whiny because I talk to the refs, I’m not actually that talented, the NHL just calls me their darling,” He gave his head a small shake. “I mean, I’m 22, I don’t have everything figured out yet. I left home when I was 16. I live with Mario because it makes me miss my family less, and it distracts me from how alone I feel sometimes. I try to just ignore it all and look at the positives; The fans wearing my jersey in Mellon Arena, the kids who wait hours just to meet me, the fan mail, all of that. But, for some reason, it’s all of the other stuff that stays with me.” He chewed on his bottom lip for a second. “I don’t want you to think that I’m not just a normal guy. I don’t want you looking at me as whatever all the magazines tell you to think I am. I know it’s lame to wear the shirts I get for free, but wearing them…I don’t even know how to explain this, but it makes me feel more normal. And lately, feeling like the Sidney I used to be has been impossible.”

I could feel my face falling, almost overwhelmed by how much Sidney had just shared with me. It was so easy to see him in all of those interviews, smiling at the camera, saying exactly what we all wanted him to, and assuming that he meant it all, that all of those smiles were genuine. I’d never once stopped to think that even someone as famous and talented as Sidney Crosby could feel…small.

“Sidney, do you have anyone to talk to about all of this?” I asked him. “Do you tell any of the guys? Your parents? Mario?”

He shook his head. “No. With the team, I’m supposed to be their leader. I don’t want them to hear all of this and think I’m weak. I need to be their strength, I need to be the guy who carries them.”

I nodded, still looking up at him. “I know I leave tomorrow morning, but, if you ever have one of those times where all of this just feels like it’s too much, call me. I’ll listen to you.” Sidney was looking down at me with this expression that seemed to be a cross between shock and appreciation, urging me to add, “You can’t carry all of that around, Sidney. You can’t take the weight of the team and the weight of your own issues and carry that by yourself. It’ll just break you.”

Sidney let out a small laugh, looking down at me. “Hanna, where did you come from?”

“Vancouver,” I answered, smirking at him. “What time do you need to back?” I asked him.

He glanced down at his watch. “Actually, pretty soon. I guess we should get going.” He scratched the back of his head for a second before looking back at me. “Thank you, Hanna. I know I just dumped a lot on you, but-”

“Don’t even worry about it,” I told him.

Sidney nodded, tilting his head to silently ask if I was good to continue walking. I nodded back, falling into step with him as we made our way back to his place.

------------------------------

“HANNA!” Peyton yelled when I stepped into the hotel room, nearly causing me to wet myself as she startled me so much. “Hanna, you’re famous.”

I was leaning up against the wall, taking deep breaths and trying not to pass out as I looked up at her. “What? Why did you just about kill me?”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been waiting all day for you to get back here,” She explained, reaching out and grabbing my arm so she could drag me over to the computer in our room. “Look!”

I leaned around her, peering down at the computer screen and feeling my eyes widen as I realized what I was looking at.

There it was: the picture of Sidney and I from the banquet last night, smiling at the camera. My shock wasn’t caused by the picture as much as it was the location of the picture. Sidney and I were grinning back at hundreds of girls, the baby blue background of the website clashing terribly with the dark blue of my dress.

“Oh dear Jesus, I’m on the girlfriend forum,” I said.

Peyton grinned. “You’re on the girlfriend forum.” She glanced at me, seeing the colour draining from my face. “Hey, it’s not that bad. A lot of these girls like you. Apparently, not being blonde is a bonus. I’m offended by that, since I’m a strawberry blonde, but these girls like that you’re not a typical girl. Also, they like your dress.”

“I don’t understand why they would think I’m his girlfriend, though,” I admitted, my eyes noticing the comments that were discussing my possible compatibility with Sidney, “I mean, it’s just a picture.”

“It probably has something to do with his tie matching your dress,” Peyton pointed out. “Also, if you scroll down, there’s a ton of pictures of you and him talking to one another in the background of other pictures, plus a couple of you sitting at the table with him.” She shrugged, “I don’t see what the big deal is. Everyone else is basically waiting for the two of you to just admit you want to bang each other.”

“I do not want to bang him, Peyton. Besides, we’ve been over this before. Sidney and I just met and I leave tomorrow morning. It’ll take some time before-”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Peyton said, shrugging. “I’m just saying, he’s a stud, and he likes you. And you like him. No one will blame you if you want have a make-out session at the airport tomorrow morning.”

I could feel my entire face burning from her comment, making Peyton laugh. “I’m going to have a shower and try to forget about that comment,” I told her, pushing myself away from the computer and heading over to my own room.

“Hey, Hanna?” Peyton called, causing me to turn around and look at her. “Are you going to the game tonight, or are you staying here and meeting up later?”

I sighed, “I might just stay here and then meet up with everyone later. I’m so tired.”

She nodded, “That’s what we all figured. The team booked the banquet room downstairs so that they could come here after and hang out with on our last night. Just so you know to look fantastic.”

I paused with my hand on the doorknob to my room, turning to raise my eyebrows at Peyton. “I always look fantastic, Peyton. Always.” I didn’t wait to see if she would offer any sort of reply before I walked into my room.

----------------------------
“Hanna, seriously, hurry up!” Peyton called to me, waiting out in the living room for me.

“Just a second!” I called back, digging through my suitcase, which I still hadn’t unpacked and since we left tomorrow, there was no point, in search of my cardigan. “Peyton, did you steal any of my clothes?” I yelled, getting up so I could pull open the door and peer out at her.

Peyton shook her head. “How could I have even done that without you noticing? You’ve seen me everyday.”

I pouted, “I don’t know. I just lost my cardigan. The nice dark grey one.”

Peyton let out a chuckle. “You mean hanging on the back of the couch?”

I glanced over at the white couch, noticing my dark grey cardigan hanging off of the back. “Yes, I do mean that one. Thanks for pointing it out.” I headed over to the couch, tugging the cardigan off of it and quickly slipping it on. “Alright, I’m good to head downstairs,” I told her, heading over to the door where a pair of flats were waiting for me.

Peyton grabbed her purse off of the table near the door, double checking to see that she had her room key before following me out the door.

The majority of the Penguins were already downstairs in the banquet room, the massive mob of fans in their jerseys and a few reporters standing on tip-toe with a notepad in hand being a clear indicator of it. Peyton and I had already become accustomed to flashing the photo ID cards Ray Shero had given us when we first arrived, a card that allowed us into every Penguins event that we were invited to, and also saved us from long and awkward explanations with the giant security guards. Both of us flashed the ID badges at the two gigantic guards standing outside of the banquet doors, trying to keep back the fans. One of them noticed us, nodding curtly and pushing the door open just far enough that Peyton and I could sneak through.

Tyler was the first one to notice us, as he was standing near the door on his cell phone. He grinned at the two of us, waving as we walked past him and headed over to the gigantic table set up in the centre of the room. Peyton immediately moved for the empty seat in between Kris and Jay McKee, leaving me to take the seat next to Max at the very end of the table.

“Hey, hey, long time no see,” Max greeted, grinning at me. “How was your day of Sidney?”

I rolled my eyes at him. “It was good, thanks. How was your game?”

Max pouted. “Not so good. Lagenbrunner scored twice, Pairse scored twice and that stupid Rob Niedermyer scored one, too.”
“How many did you guys score?” I asked.

“Well, I didn’t score any, thank you for reminding me,” He said, shooting me a look. “Tangers got one and Sidney got two, but that was all we managed.”

“Lots of two goal scorers in that game,” I mumbled. “Well, I’m sorry that it didn’t go as well as you would have liked,” I apologized.

Max shrugged, “Ah, you can’t win them all.” He smiled to the waitress who set down a glass of water in front of each of us, the young girl pausing to shoot him a small wink. “Whoa, she is lonely,” Max joked to me as she walked away.

I shook my head at him, lifting up the glass of water in front of me and taking a sip. “So, how much will you miss Peyton and I once we leave?”

Max sighed, bringing his hands up to rest behind his head as he pretended to ponder the question. “Honestly? I will be pretty sad. Even with Peyton leaving. I know she drives me crazy and has changed my view on beating women, but I’ll miss her.”

I laughed, “Well, it’s good to know that you now view violence against women as acceptable.”

“Acceptable under certain circumstances,” He corrected with a cheeky grin. “Really though, I’m going to miss you girls. We have to make sure we keep in touch.”

I nodded, my eyes moving past Max and scanning each player sitting at the table, smiling when one of them noticed me. Sidney was sitting half way down the table, his Blackberry in his hand as he texted someone back, occasionally looking up at Chris Kunitz as Chris was telling Sidney some story that Sidney was clearly not interested in. Once he was done texting, Sidney slid his blackberry back into his pocket before he leaned forward and continued to listen to Chris, who was getting increasingly more and more into the story he was telling. Sidney nodded every so often, a half smile tugging at his lips as he listened. After a good thirty seconds of feigning interest in Chris’ story, Sidney turned his head to look at me, catching me watching him. He smirked, raising both of his eyebrows up at me as if asking, “Yes?”

I shrugged, moving my gaze away from him and over to where Peyton was sitting next to Kris and Jay, laughing at Kris, who had placed both straws under his top lip and was pretending to be a walrus while Jay McKee was sprinkling water above him.

“He’ll miss you,” Max said from beside me.

I turned to look at him. “Kris? I’ll miss him, too. He’s so funny.”

Max chuckled. “Well, yes Kris will miss you, but I meant Sidney. You’re one of the few people he’s actually talked too. And that’s extra special since he just met you.”

I had to smile a little bit, my eye shifting so that I could catch a glimpse of Sidney once more, who was taking a gulp of water, some of it trickling down his chin. “Yeah. I’ll miss him, too.”

Max grinned. “Look at you, all young and lusting over little Sid.”

I made a face, “Please never say that phrase again.”

Max laughed, pushing himself up from his chair and getting up without an explanation. I watched with a puzzled expression as he made his way around the table, patting a few people on the head before he came to a stop right behind Sidney. I let out an inward groan, already realizing exactly what he was doing. Max leaned down and said something to Sidney, patting both of his shoulders. Sidney let out a small laugh, nodding his head as he pushed his own chair back and standing up, watching as Max immediately sat in his place. Sidney grabbed his glass of water, lifting it up to Chris, who seemed just as confused as I had been a moment ago, before he headed over to the seat Max had been in seconds before.

“Hey,” He greeted, sitting down next to me and setting his glass down.

I smiled, “Hey. I hear you had a two goal night?”

Sidney nodded, “Yeah, Geno set me up for the first one, carried it down the ice himself, and I just got lucky on the second.”

I smirked, “Of course you refuse to just take credit for it,” I joked, earning a small grin from him.

“It was a tough game. Brodeur is one the hardest goaltender to score against, and I just couldn’t beat him. The Devil’s are a team we always struggle against, anyways, so I’m pretty proud of the fact that we kept it a close score,” He explained to me.

I had to let out a small laugh. “Sidney, I’m not a reporter. You can tell me that it sucks to play your best and not win, I won’t judge you.” I took a sip of my water. “Oh, and I have to correct you,” I added, “Brodeur is one of the hardest to beat. Luongo is the hardest.”

Sidney only smirked at me, both of growing quiet as Dan Bylsma stood up to propose a goodbye toast to Peyton and I before allowing the servers to bring out whatever it was we would be eating.

“Take it all in, Hanna,” Sidney said quietly to me. “Tomorrow, you’re just a normal girl again.”

I chuckled, “It’ll be hard after living such a flashy life these last few days,” I joked. “In complete seriousness, though,” I added, “Thanks. For everything. I know you were behind most of this trip, and I really appreciate it.”

Sidney seemed embarrassed that I had brought up his involvement in the whole trip. “I just wanted you guys to remember Pittsburgh in a good way,” He said, “That’s all. My dad really took care of everything.”

I knew the last comment was a lie, but I didn’t push it. Instead, I reached out and patted the top of his hand before I picked up my glass of water and took another sip from it, just to cool down the blood that was sent rushing to my face as soon as the gesture was completed.

-----------------------------

“Are you awake?”

I turned my head away from the van window to look at Marc. “Yes, for the ninth time, I am awake.”

He grinned, “I was just making sure,” He tried to explain, taking a big drink from his cup of coffee.

I yawned, letting my head fall against the window once more. It was just before six am, and Marc, Max, Jordan and Sidney were kind enough to hop in the van with Peyton and I and head down to the airport. We had an eight am flight to catch, and after talking with all of the boys late into the previous night, both Peyton and I were completely exhausted. The boys were used to having to get up at unkindly hours in the morning, whether it was to catch their own flights or do interviews or whatever, so they were finding great joy in bothering Peyton and I.

“Leave her alone, Flower,” Jordan said from behind me, his giant hand reaching out to swat the back of Marc’s head. “She’s tired. Plus, you don’t want her last memory of you to be this, do you? She’ll go back to Vancouver and tell everyone all sorts of things about you.”

Marc gasped, “Oh no! Hanna, you have to tell people good things about me, okay? Good things!”

I reached out and pushed his face away, my eyes closing for an extra few seconds as my eyelids seem to grow increasingly heavier.

“Hey, Hanna?” I heard Sidney ask from the seat in front of me, causing me to force my eyes open so I could see him. “Do you want a cup of coffee, or something to eat?” He asked, holding up a plastic cup of Starbucks coffee in one hand and a gigantic banana chocolate chip muffin in the other.

I eyed both things for a moment. “How much longer until we’re at the airport?” I asked, my voice sounding strained.

Sidney twisted back around in his seat to glance at the clock on the car’s radio. “About a half hour.”

“Okay, I will have both of those,” I decided, forcing my body to straighten up so I could take the cup and muffin from Sidney. “Thank you.”

He nodded, turning back around in his seat.

“I would have offered you a cup of coffee,” Marc told me.

I glared at him. “You took my cup of coffee. Remember how you got that cup? You stole it from me.”

Marc frowned, glancing down at the cup in his hands. “I did that, didn’t I? I’m sorry.”

“Are you going to steal my soul next, too, thief?” I asked, taking a drink from my coffee.

I heard Sidney laugh from in front of me while Marc frowned, looking away from me sadly. I turned around in my seat to glance at Peyton, who was fast asleep in the back seat, taking up two spots and forcing Jordan over to the very edge of his seat. “Oh, she’s gets to sit next to the considerate one,” I complained.

Marc made a tisking sound. “You’re so cranky, Hanna. Don’t you want us to remember good things about you?”

I shot him a look, taking a bite out of my muffin and shooting one more envious glance back at Peyton.

It felt like hours before the van finally came to a halt. Troy, who had been driving, turned around in his seat to grin at all of us. “We’re here.” I groaned, still upset over the fact that Marc had dedicate the entire drive to keeping me awake.

I groggily slid to the end of my seat, thankful to find Max already waiting just outside of the van for me, helping me climb out of the van. “I’m so sad now,” he told me. “We can’t even go into the airport with you because Sidney is such a big deal.”

The comment made me freeze in my steps as I hadn’t even thought about that aspect. The guys couldn’t do the cliché thing and walk Peyton and I into the terminal so we could all hug and cry, they would be mobbed. They could just say their goodbyes in the parking lot and watch as the two of us headed inside to try and find our way around. Suddenly my throat felt like it was closing up, and Max became a blurry figure in front of me as I tried to rapidly blink back the tears that had sprung up on me. I had never been one for crying, and yet, for some reason, the thought of saying bye to these boys even just a moment sooner than I had originally thought was enough to cause my chin to quiver.

“Oh, Hanna, don’t cry,” Max said, waving his hands in front of my face. “This isn’t a forever goodbye, we’ll still talk. We can use video chat, it’ll be we’re talking face to face!”

I laughed, wiping away the lone tear that had managed to escape. “I know. I’m just going to miss you guys so much. I’m going to miss all of this,” I told him.

Max pouted, giving me an awkward side hug, as he holding onto one of Peyton’s bags. “I’ll miss you, too, little buddy.”

Jordan came around from the back of the van, carrying my lone duffel bag. “Oh no, you’re sad!” He said, dropping my bag and racing over to pull me into a hug, which was awkward as he was nearly a foot taller than me. “Hanna, don’t cry. I’ll cry, and that would be really embarrassing for me.”

Marc came over to give me a “good-bye high five” and a piece of a liquorice, which I had mo intention of eating since I couldn’t recall anyone buying liquorice and had no idea where he had gotten it from. Peyton was talking to Troy, but Max tugged her over to the little circle so she could be bid goodbye as well.

I turned around, still struggling to not cry like a little baby, and looked for Sidney.

He was standing just behind Troy, almost hidden, doing something with his Blackberry. I frowned, leaving the tiny circle that had formed and walking over to him. Troy smiled to me, heading over to take my place in the circle so Sidney and I were virtually alone. Sidney glanced up, tucking his phone away as soon as he saw me. “Hey,” He leaned down to look at me, frowning. “Are you crying?”

“I’m trying not to,” I said, my voice sounding shaky, which somehow made me laugh. “I think my being so tired is a big part of it. Well, that and how much I’m going to miss you guys.”

Sidney’s face fell as he nodded. “It feels like you just got here,” He said quietly.

I could hear Troy telling everyone else that Peyton and I really needed to head inside so we got past security and everything on time, making the urge to cry hit me once more. Sidney looked pained. “Hey, it’s not like we’ll never see each other again,” He tried to reassure me. “Look, you and I still have to exchange numbers,” He reminded me, taking the Blackberry he had just put away out of his pocket and handing it to me.

“I didn’t bring my cell phone,” I admitted to him, punching in my number and handing it back to him. “Maybe you can write yours down on something?”

He nodded, “Yeah. Or, I could just send you a text right now so when you get home, you’ll have my number,” He said, smiling slightly.

I nodded. “I meant it when I said that you could call me if you needed someone to talk to,” I reminded him. “You can’t hang on to all of this, Sidney. I know you’re an amazing guy, but no one could handle all of that.”

He nodded. “That goes both ways, okay? I know you’re holding something back from all of us.”

“Sidney, Hanna has to get going!” Troy called from behind me.

Sidney nodded, looking back down at me and seeming to debate something in his head before he stuck a hand out. “I’ll talk to you soon?”

I nodded, looking down at his hand and then back up at him before I took a step forward and pulled him into a hug. Sidney’s entire body stiffened for a moment, clearly surprised by my response. It didn’t take long, though, before he returned the action, allowing his arms to wrap around me as he leaned down a little bit so I didn’t have to stay up on my tip-toes. I made sure the hug lasted at least ten seconds before I finally began to pull away, giving him one last smile before I turned around.

Every one else immediately turned around so they were no longer staring at Sidney and I, each one of them launching into a fake conversation, or pointing at something to make it seem like they hadn’t been watching. I laughed, walking over to where Jordan had left my duffel bag, picking it up and waiting for Peyton to grab her suitcase before we waved to the guys and headed inside. I made sure to turn around once to look back at Sidney, glad to see him leaning against the van, his arms crossed and a grin on his face as he stared back at me.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Science World

“I thought this was where we’re supposed to meet them,” Peyton mumbled, taking a drink of her coffee.

I sighed, pushing my sunglasses onto my face. Despite the cool weather in Vancouver, the sun was still sending down blinding rays, just to melt away any traces of snow that had managed to fall the night before. It was early January, which was generally the coldest time of year for Vancouver, and Peyton and I were both bundled up in thick jeans, two t-shirts under out hoodies and a winter jacket over top. Peyton had, once again, taken a lot of time to make sure her hair and make-up looked fantastic. I was wearing a toque. She would definitely be getting more attention.“They’ll be here, whichever ones are coming,” I assured her, checking my cell phone to see the time as I took a sip of my hot chocolate. “We’re a couple of minutes early, anyways.”

She nodded, looking around or any signs of approaching hockey players. “Do you think it’s weird that you and I met the Pittsburgh penguins, but not the Canucks?” She asked. “I told my dad about all of this last night and he was livid that I didn’t get him a Mitchell autograph.”

I laughed, “Well, maybe we can work our charm and get an in to the Canucks. I’m sure Crosby knows Luongo, because of the Olympics. Maybe we can befriend him and get him to put a good word in.” I scratched the top of my head through my toque, remembering that any kind of hat always seemed to irritate my head. “Man, what I would give to meet Alex Edler. That guy is such a stud.”

Peyton shrugged, drinking her coffee. “I don’t know who any of them are. Maybe you can show me pictures later,” She said with a small laugh. She straightened herself up and peered forward before resting back in her chair. “I think our posse is here,” she told me, nodding off somewhere behind me.

I turned around in my seat to see a group of six guys making their way over, all of them laughing. I frowned, trying to figure out who was who but having a hard time since they were all in hats and sunglasses. Staal was easy to notice, as he towered over the rest of them. I was assuming that the guy in a very bright red jacket with an orange toque and tight fitting jeans was Talbot. Other than that, I had no idea.Jordan sat down next to me in one of the plastic chairs outside of the tiny restaurant we had been told to meet them at. It was a place I had never even heard of before called “Murphy’s Lunch,” with a wide selection of pies, coffees and sandwiches, but that was about it. Apparently we needed to meet somewhere fans wouldn’t expect to find the players so they could actually enjoy some time off.

“Hi ladies, sorry we’re a little late. Fleury spent half an hour on his hair, and then put a hat on,” Max Talbot apologized.

“It was not half an hour,” Marc-Andre Fleury argued, looking at Peyton and I, “Maybe ten minutes.”

“No, it was definitely twenty minutes, I timed you,” Max told him.

“I thought it took him half an hour,” someone said, making me squint up at them so I could try and figure out who they were.“Well, it was a long time, and in French, time is different…that’s why we’re a little late,” Max decided.

“Okay, I’m sorry,” I said, turning my chair around so I was facing the remaining 3 guys. “I have no idea who you are with the hats and glasses.”

All three of them laughed, removing their glasses and smiling at me so I could see their faces; Tyler Kennedy, Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby. I nodded, “Okay, you can put your disguises back on.”

“So, what do you guys feel like doing?” Peyton asked them, removing her glasses, despite the fact that the sun was shining directly in her eyes and they immediately started watering. She blinked back the tears, determined to remain smiling.

“Well, we were only here once bore,” Tyler began, “So, whatever’s fun to do in Vancouver, I guess.”

Peyton and I looked at one another, both of us grinning. “Science World?” I asked her.

She nodded, “Definitely Science World,” She agreed, standing up and tossing her empty cup into the garbage. “Come on boys, your coach gave us a really pretty van to drive you around you in and we are not wasting it!”

I gulped the last of my hot chocolate, tossing my own cup out and turning to follow Peyton.“This isn’t going to cost you guys a lot of money, is it?” Sidney asked, surprising me as I hadn’t noticed he was beside me. “Because, we can pay your way in if it’s expensive.”

“Whoa, speak for yourself buddy,” Max interrupted. “I do not pay for the ladies unless they are my ladies.”

“That’s weird because you paid for my movie ticket last week,” Kris Letang spoke.

Max leaned around Sidney to grin at Kris. “I sure did, sugar,” he winked.

I shook my head, completely disturbed by what had just happened, and looked back at Sidney. “No, Dan also gave us a credit card. So technically, this is costing you a lot of money.”

Sidney laughed, “Oh, well then it’s fine.”

I nodded, breaking into a faster walk as a wind chill picked up, making my already cold bones yearn for the warmth of the van.

“So, what is Science World?” Tyler asked, climbing into the back of the van.

“It’s this museum of awesome,” Peyton answered, sitting behind the wheel. “They have a Lego exhibit, a dead people exhibit-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up,” Jordan cut her off from his seat beside her up front. “They have a funeral?”

I laughed, seeing the unimpressed expression on Peyton’s face from the reflection in the rear-view mirror.“Yes, that’s what they have,” She said, shaking her head as she started to drive, making sure everyone else was buckled in.

“Seriously, what do they have? I’m curious,” Tyler asked again.

I turned around to look at him. “They have this really cool booth that takes your picture, but freezes your shadow behind you. And there’s a music room where you make music by playing with different contraptions. There’s also games, like a wheel chair race, a grip test…it’s basically fantastic.”

Tyler nodded, seeming impressed enough.I glanced beside me where Kris Letang sat in all his handsome glory, his adorable face smirking at me. “You’re a big fan of it, I see?”

I nodded, smiling excitedly. “I haven’t been there in a few years, but I love that place. Everyone else is all about Granville island, but Science World is the place to be.”

Sidney, who was sitting at the back with Tyler and Max, leaned forward with a brochure of some kind in his hands. “Is it actually called Science World, or something different? I don’t see it on here.”

“Oh, yeah. TELUS bought the place a few years ago and renamed it TELUS world of Science, but no one calls it that,” Peyton explained.

Sidney nodded. “Well, it was a good try on their part, I guess,” he mumbled.

“Do they have food? Because I am hungry,” Marc-Andre asked from beside me, letting out a long sigh.

I glanced at him, “So, what do I call you?” He gave me a confused look, making me try to explain what I meant, “Well, I mean, you’re name is kind of long, and I don’t know you, so I don’t want to call you by a nickname. But, if I say your full name, I run out of breath.”

He laughed, “Oh, you can call Marc. Or Flower, whichever one is better.”

“I will not call you flower, just because the thought of it makes me uncomfortable,” I decided. “I will call you Marc.”

He nodded, letting out a small chuckle as he turned his attention to look out the window.
---------------------

“Oh, it’s like everything I love!” Max exclaimed as soon as we had made our way past the pay desk and into the beginning of Science World. “Well, except that no one is speaking French, and I can’t dance here.”

“You can dance,” Peyton assured him, taking off her jacket and tossing it over one arm, “People will just judge you.”

“I don’t even know where to look, there’s so many things to be distracted by,” Kris said, holding both of his hands against his face. “I feel dizzy.”

I twitched my mouth to the side as I looked over at Kris. “He should be very thankful that he is so gosh darn gorgeous.”

“We often tell him that,” Tyler informed me. “He’s not actually stupid, just-”

“French?” Peyton interrupted.“What do you have against the French?” Max asked. “What did we do to you?”

“You made it so that I have to take French from grades 4 to 8.” She snarled.

“I liked taking French,” I piped up.

Max nodded, shooting Peyton a look and then turning to smile at me, “That is why you and I will be friends. She and I will fight.” He turned to glare at Peyton once more, “With our fists.”

I frowned, glancing back and forth between Peyton and Max. “I don’t want to be stuck with either of you.”

“You can come with me,” Marc spoke up. “Tyler and Kris want to go try out that music room, but Sid and I want to see the Lego.”

“Oh, I am all for the Lego,” I agreed.

“Oh, awesome, so I’ll just be here with barely speaks English guy and stylish but sassy girl,” Jordan mumbled, crossing both of his arms and shaking his head at me. “I thought you and I could be friends. I dried my hair in front of you!”

“Why do people think I don’t speak English?” Max whined.

Jordan smirked at him, “Say extraordinary.”

Max frowned, “That is not fair.”

I laughed, turning to look at Marc and Sidney. “Well, if you guys don’t want to stay and watch this, I can show you where the Lego room is?”

“Yeah, we see this all the time,” Sidney began, “So we’re good for not watching this.”

I nodded, glancing back at Jordan, Max and Peyton before nodding my head off in the direction we needed to head, leading the two of them up the stairs and towards the giant Lego room.

“Oh wow, I wasn’t actually expecting a room full of Lego,” Sidney said, looking around the room and all of it’s displays of Lego. “I have to admit, I’m a little bumbed out that there aren’t any hockey lego figurines.”

“You should tell them that,” I suggested, “Who would say no to Sid the Kid?”

There was a flash of something across Sidney’s face, but as fast as it was there, it was gone. He grinned once more, a little less convincing then the ones I had seen earlier, and let out an awkward chuckle, “Nah, I just play hockey. I don’t need to go around telling people what to do.” He let out a big sigh, turning and walking over to one of the giant Lego displays of a pirate ship.

I chewed on my lip for a second before I looked at Marc, “Did I make him upset?”

Marc hummed, seeming to have not heard what I said. He followed my curious gaze at Sidney and let out a small laugh, “No, no. Sid just, well, I think he has a hard time with people putting him on a pedestal. He‘s just a normal guy, not some hockey god, and I don‘t think he gets treated normal…ever.”

I nodded, pretending that I completely understood what he said. “Well, if you guys don’t want to just stay in this room, there’s a whole bunch of games downstairs,” I suggested.

Marc smiled, “Yeah. We’ll just check out this room, let Sid get mauled by that group of girls over there,” he pointed off to a group of five girls, all of them gaping at Sidney as he peered over at a Star Wars display, “and then we’ll head downstairs.”

I nodded, glancing over as the group of girls finally made their way over to where Sidney was, interrupting him from his peering. He smiled at them all, greeting each one of them with a handshake and agreeing to take some photos. I watched for a moment as he posed with the third girl, the way she practically pulled him into her, how all five of the girls were fawning over him like he was some sort of god. I knew that just about every male in the entire world wishes that girls would practically swoon when they simply heard their name, and yet, as I watched Sidney sign autographs and politely answer the questions the girls asked, I couldn’t help but notice that he almost seemed pained by the way they spoke of him, as if he was the most amazing being they had ever laid eyes on. I was beginning to see that Sidney Crosby wasn’t the same guy I always saw in after game interviews. There was something more to him, and I was wondering if he had ever let anybody see just who he really was.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Holy Gorgeous

“So, let me see if I get this,” Peyton began, turning so she was half facing me and half facing where the game was taking place. “The whole goal of this game is to get that chunk of rubber into the net?”

I rolled my eyes, “First off, I know you already have an understanding of how hockey works, so stop acting like you don’t. It doesn’t make you seem cuter,” I smirked at her as her confusion was melted down into a frown. “And secondly, yes. But there’s more to the game then that.” I heard the crowd begin to roar even louder and whipped around to stare down at the source of commotion;Eric Godard fighting Kevin Bieksa. Can we say dream fight?

“Oh dear God, why is he hurting the good looking one?” Peyton asked, her hands flying up to cover her face.

“Which one is the handsome one?” I asked, frowning as Bieksa threw a left punch that shot Godard’s head back, but also caused him to lose balance and fall to the ice, making it easer for Godard to pull him up and land a few uppercuts. “From this angle they’re both bloody.”

“The one in the blue.”

I made a face, “Really? Out of all the guys on the ice, Kevin Bieksa is the one you’re drooling over?”

“Well, I figured I have to pick someone off of the home team-”

“You are wrong,” I interrupted. “I love our Canucks, but when it comes to a good looking team, you give the applause to Pittsburgh.” The two guys in front of Peyton and I turned around to send me a bemused expression, which I acknowledged with an embarrassed wave.

Peyton shrugged, watching as the reff’s lead Bieksa and Goddard to their respective penalty boxes before skating off to review who had instigated the fight.“How was I not watching this before?” Peyton asked, watching as both teams clanked their sticks against the board in honour of the fight. “It’s so intense. And for some reason, guys smashing each other into the boards is really hot.”

I grinned. “I know, right?”I sat back down in my seat, along with the rest of the crowd, as play continued, Pittsburgh winning the face off and taking procession, with Crosby passing the puck off to Tyler Kennedy.

“What’s happening? Are they going to score?” Peyton asked.

“Not if Luongo is on his game,” I said back to her, watching with a racing heart as Kennedy, Guerin and Crosby played tic-tac-toe around the goal, with Crosby making a quick pass off to Guerin who returned the favour by taking a wicked slapshot right up in the five slot. I winced my eyes shut, awaiting the sound of a disappointed Vancouver crowd as the visiting Penguins took the first lead.

“Oh wow, he’s good,” Peyton yelled, standing up to cheer. I opened up my eyes, looking down to see Roberto Luongo holding Guerin’s slapshot in his glove, standing back up as the entire crowd began to chant, “Lou, Lou, Lou!”

“God, I love hockey.” Peyton decided, nodding her head. She studied someone on the ice for a second before pointing down, “Give me the Down low on Crosby.”

I glanced over at the visibly disappointed Sidney Crosby as he skated back over to his teams bench and hopped over the board, letting out a sigh as he shook his head, clearly upset that the play hadn’t gone as planned.“Uhm, he’s 22, captain of the team, rumoured to be the next Wayne Gretzky-” I stopped, remembering that Peyton wasn’t very into sports and probably had no idea who Gretzky was. “He’s a really great player. That’s about all I know. He doesn’t give too much away in his interviews.”

Peyton nodded, her eyes staying on Crosby for a moment before she turned to me. “You think that tall guy will hold his promise and come find us?”

I nodded. “He sent his coach to give us tickets and a pass that apparently is magic, so I’m thinking he’s going to keep his promise.” I studied the way she grinned, flipping half of her hair over her shoulder and straightened out her back. I groaned, “Peyton, come on! If you’re going to be one of those girls who tries to score herself a hockey player, you can’t pick Crosby.”

She glanced at me, “Why not? He’s cute.”

“Well, yeah, but-” I paused, trying to think of the right words to use. “He’s just not that type.”

“What, you know that?”

“Well, no…but he just seems like the kind of guy who doesn’t do that. People aren’t even sure he’s had a girlfriend,” I tried to explain.

Peyton let out a small laugh, “Relax, Hanna. I’m not a whore. I just think he seems like a cool guy, he’s attractive, successful and in front of me. I’m giving it a shot.”

I pursed my lips, deciding not to argue with her on it. The facts were that Peyton was the kind of girl guys wanted. She was tall and slim, with legs that seemed to go on forever and eyes that she described as sparkling green auburn(meaning green with a hint of brown). She had strawberry blonde hair that could be styled easily and always seemed to look perfect. On top of all of that, she was also really funny, charming and easy to talk to. Girls have a word for her. It’s bitch.

“How much longer until the game is over?” Peyton asked.

“An hour, give or take.” I mumbled, reaching down to grab the bag of Peanut M&M’s I had bought.

“I am going to have to use the first intermission to make sure my hair looks fantastic,” Peyton decided.I let out a sigh, trying to direct my attention back to the game and not on the way Peyton was fluffing her hair

---------------

“I did not know the gates opened like that!” I squealed as the security guard who met us at the end of aisle popped open the barricade that overlooked where the players walked back to get to the dressing rooms. Peyton laughed, carefully stepping down and waiting for me to join her before we headed down towards where the Penguins were. “This is kind of exciting. I know I’d never watched hockey until tonight, but I am a fan.”

I glanced at her, shaking my head as I cautiously headed down towards where the Penguins dressing room was. “I’m so nervous. You know how you always try and think about ways to meet the hockey team? The fact that one of them actually happened is making me freak out.”

Peyton didn’t say anything for a second, making me wonder if she either hadn’t heard me or didn’t care. She eventually let out a long sigh and turned to look at me with wide eyes.“Holy gorgeous.”

I frowned, confused for a moment before I looked ahead of us and took note of the mass of Hockey players racing in and out of their rooms, some of them going off for interviews, some just racing out to grab something, all of them in only their spandex under shirts and pants. “Oh wow.” I agreed.

“Hey, glad you guys could make it!” Jordan Staal greeted, already changed out of his jersey. “How was the game?”

“Hot.” Peyton answered, earning a confused look from him.“

It was great. Well, not for you because you lost, but I’m from Vancouver and they won so it was…good,” I answered, scratching the back of my neck. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for me to meet the rest of the team.”

Jordan grinned, “I think it’s a great idea. My PlayStation died, so I am really starved for entertainment. And if I have to hear Talbot and Fleury singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ to each other one more time, just because there’s nothing else to do, I just might throw myself off of the plane,” He stopped, taking a deep breath. “And that can’t happen. I’m far too good looking to die this young. It would be a travesty to the world.” Peyton and I both stared at him, watching as he looked up at the sky and let out a gentle sigh before he finally turned his attention back to the two of us with a grin. “Come on, I think the team is decent now.” He waved one of his hands and headed back through the tiny door that lead into a surprisingly small change room.

Peyton and I both stood awkwardly at the edge of the doorway, watching as all the players mingled with one another or finished up an interview. The small room was crowded, the floor overtaken with camera cords, some of the players stuck sitting down on the change bench from all of the cameras and reporters crowded around the player next to them. Max Talbot was sitting next to Marc-Andre Fleury, pretending to be his translator as Fleury only answered the questions in French, allowing Talbot to make up whatever answers he wanted, usually earning a laugh from Fleury and the reporters.“Anyone you’re anxious to meet?” Staal asked, tossing the towel I hadn’t even noticed he was holding into a small bin near me and placing both of his hands on his hips.

Peyton grinned. “Is Crosby available?”

Jordan laughed, making me fight back my own laughter at the way he seemed to find her asking this so ridiculous. “Are you kidding?” He chuckled once more, moving to stand next to Peyton as he pointed off to a corner of the room that was completely hidden by the mass of reporters and cameras. “He’s over there. And once he’s done there, he’ll be making his way out to address the rest of the media waiting in a room outside.”Peyton blinked, seeming to not completely understand why this should stop her from meeting him right then, but she shrugged. “Well, I know nothing about anybody here, so whoever you like, I like.”

He nodded, “Fair enough. Anyone in particular you want to meet, Hanna?”I blushed at the fact that he remembered my name, earning a smug smirk out of him as he waited for my answer.

“Uhm, well, I’ve always wanted to meet Matt Cooke, ever since I was 14 and he still had his front teeth and boyish good looks.”

Jordan nodded, “In my personal opinion, he still has those boyish good looks,” He told me, leading Peyton and I over to where Matt Cooke stood, unwrapping pieces of Hubba-Bubba Bubble Gum and rolling the wrappers up to toss over at Tyler Kennedy as he tried to remain composed during an interview, chewing a few of the pieces gum and tossing the pieces he couldn’t fit in his mouth towards the media pile in front of Crosby.

“Hey, Cookey,” Jordan interrupted, startling Matt a little bit as he turned his head to look at Jordan and then down at Peyton and I. “These are our new tour guides for the next two days, Hanna and-” He frowned, turning to look at Peyton, “I’m sorry, I can’t remember your name.”

“It’s Peyton,” She told him, smiling up at Matt Cooke. “Hi.”

He nodded, glancing in between the two of us, clearly confused about how in the hell we knew Staal. “Hey. So…enjoyed the game?” He asked lamely, earning a small giggle out of Staal.

“Not as much as I’m enjoying you throwing things at the other players,” I admitted.

This earned a grin out of him. An adorable, two teeth missing grin. “It’s pretty great,” He admitted with a childish grin, chewing loudly on the however many pieces of gum were in his mouth. He unwrapped one more piece, the last piece in the package, rolling up the wrapper to, once again, throw at Kennedy, and then turning to look at Peyton and I. “Gum?”

I grabbed it out of his hand so fast it startled him. Then I realized what a nut I looked like and dropped the piece of gum to the floor, staring at it in complete embarrassment.

There was a lapse of silence before I heard Peyton, Jordan and Matt all burst into a fit of laughter. “That was awesome,” Matt laughed, leaning down to pick up the gum and whipping it over at where the media in front of Crosby was, his face falling as he noticed that they had finished their interviews with him and were all slowly making their way out of the room, leaving Sidney Crosby to glare at Matt Cooke. “Oh, shit,” he muttered, grabbing Jordan and hiding behind him. “Introduce him to the girls, Jordan. Maybe they’ll distract him.”

Sidney shook his head, using one of his hands to tiredly rub his face as he stood up from where he had been sitting. The rest of the team had already showered and changed, but Sidney was still in jersey, the sweat he had made earlier still clinging to his skin. He ran his hand through his hair next before giving Peyton and I a smile. “Hi, I’m Sidney,” He introduced himself, still a few feet away. “I’d come closer but, I kind of smell.”

“That’s fine. The view’s good from here,” Peyton assured him with a flirtatious grin.

He remained awkwardly silent, directing a look to Jordan that I believe said, “What the hell are these girls doing here?”

Jordan grinned at him, “Sid, this is Hanna and Peyton. They told me how to get to our change rooms at that events centre this morning, and also questioned Talbot’s sexuality.”

Sidney laughed, a laugh that, no matter how many times you’ve heard it in interviews, catches you off guard. “Oh, you’re those girls,” He realized, still giggling lightly. “Well, it’s nice to meet you.”

I smiled, trying to swallow the nerves bouncing around in my body. “You were amazing tonight. I really thought you had Luongo beat on that breakaway.”

He nodded, twitching his mouth to the side. “Yeah, I did too,” He admitted, his attention moving from me to the man calling his name. “I’m sorry, I have to shower and then go do a few more interviews,” He apologized kindly. “I’ll try and talk to you two later on,” He promised, giving a small wave and sending Jordan another look as he headed off towards where I’m assuming the showers are.

“Well, was he all you had hoped for?” Jordan asked, looking at Peyton and I.

Peyton shrugged. “He’s certainly a good looking guy. Kind of boring, but hot.”

Jordan nodded. “He’s not actually boring. Sid just has troubles opening up, I think,” he shrugged. “I can guarantee that when the media isn’t around and it’s our day off, you’ll get to see a little more of the real Sidney.” He glanced around, noticing how the locker room was almost empty now. “Well, how about you guys hang out in the hall with the rest of the players, and we’ll work out how we’re meeting up so you can show us around,” He suggested. Peyton and I agreed, making our way out of the room to join the swarm of trainers, players and leftover media.

I had to close my eyes for a second and take in a deep breath, inhaling the disgusting smell of sweaty men mixed in with the frigid scent of the ice. This whole thing, meeting a Hockey team, being asked to show them around my city, it was almost too much to believe, and I actually feared that, as I stood there with my eyes closed for a few seconds, I would open them to find myself at home in my bed.

The feeling of something smacking my face followed by the laughter of whom I assuming to be Matt Cooke was enough to assure me that this wasn’t just some crazy hallucination or dream. For whatever reason, I was actually here.

Curious

“You know, sometimes, when I see these assholes, I actually want to throw myself off of the roof,” Peyton told me.

I lifted my head up from the file of papers I was sorting through to see who she was talking about, noticing the giant Fall Out Boy poster and laughing, “Peyton, you have no reason to dislike these guys.”

She turned to look at me, her mouth hanging open in offence. “Sure I do! When I was 17 I paid forty bucks to see them in concert, and do you know what happened?” She asked. I opened my mouth to make a guess, but she continued on before I could do so, “I was in the front row and Joe spit in my face. Then, as if that’s not bad enough, when Pete jumped into the crowd, his shoe fell off and hit me in the face.” She turned to look back at the band as they made their way through the foyer. “Assholes.”

I shook my head at her, going back to sorting through all the papers that had been left on my desk.Peyton sat back down in her chair, letting out a dramatic sigh and blowing her dark hair away from her face before she faced me once more. “How do you just not care about all the people walking through here all the time? I mean, you’re my age, and I swoon every time any artistwalks by. You don’t even look up.”

I shrugged, stapling a couple of pages together before I looked at her. “I don’t know. I mean, I think it’s cool to come into work and see everyone from a group of kids playing midget in the daytime, then coming in at night and seeing Dane Cook-”

“DOUCHE!” Peyton interrupted, shooting me a grin afterwards. “I’m sorry. It’s just, he’s not funny.”

I stared at her for a moment before shaking my head and continuing, “Anyways, it’s cool, but it’s still my job. I need to act as responsibly as possible or else-” I stopped as I noticed the next group of people shuffling their way through the front doors awkwardly, all of them looking completely confused as to why they were dropped off at this arena and not the usual University campus. “Oh sweet Jesus, it’s Jordan Staal.”

Peyton frowned, turning to look at the group of guys I was currently staring open-mouthed at. “I have no idea who that is. But that blonde guy over there, the one with the questionably stylish hat? He needs my number.”

I pulled my eyes away from the group to look at her and then back to the guy she was pointing at. “That’s Jordan Staal.”

“Oh. Well…I’m a bigger slut than you, so I think I win.”

I laughed. “I’m not sure he’s that kind of guy-”

“Oh he totally is.”

I jumped about a foot in the air, knocking all of the papers I had been shuffling earlier to the floor and my hand to jump up and cover my mouth. I turned to stare at the grinning man beside me, who was clearly trying his hardest to not burst out in a fit of hysterics at the way I had just reacted to his comment. “Okay, as big a fan as I am, I am not happy with the results of your sneaky ways.” I pointed down to the scattered papers around my feet. “That was three hours of alphabetizing that you just ruined with one unexpected comment.”

“Are you French? Or do you just not speak English well?” Peyton asked him.

He stared at her for a long moment, seeming to debate on whether he should say something offensive back or completely ignore. Eventually he turned back to face me and extended a hand, as well as a surprisingly flashy smile. “I’m Max.”

I nodded, shaking his hand. “I’m Hanna. The really charming girl next to me is Peyton.”

Peyton shrugged. “I was just curious about the accent, that’s all.”

Max sighed, placing both of his hands on his hips. “Yes, I’m from Quebec.”

“That’s too bad,” Peyton muttered. “My next question is if you’re gay.”

I turned around so that Max couldn’t see me as I tried to get the bubbles of laughter under your control. I took a few deep breaths and turned back around to see the unimpressed look across his face. “I’m sorry. It’s just…well, you’re sweater is very feminine.”

Max frowned at both of us before he turned around and headed back over to the rest of the group and saying something to them, pointing over at Peyton and I with a very intense facial expression that was probably meant to be intimidating, but instead made me think of the way Michelle would look when she yelled, “how Rude!” on Full House. Peyton eyed up the group for a moment before she turned to look at me once more. “So, who the hell are these guys?”

I grinned, a wave excitement rushing through my veins as I glanced over at the group once more. “The Pittsburgh Penguins.”

“Is that the football team?”

“No, that’s the Steelers. This is the hockey team,” I corrected.

Peyton nodded, shrugging her shoulders. “Whatever, I know that all the good looking ones will soon lose their attractive features to unfortunate puck bounces and dirty head shots. What’s the point?” She threw her arms up dramatically for a second, but had to end her actions quickly as the phone began to rang.

I knelt down to begin picking up all of the scattered papers, muttering to myself as I did so. As excited as I was to see a hockey team in here, we very rarely get an AHL team, let alone an NHL, his startling me had caused Max Talbot to fall from one of my top three favourites on the team, to one of my least favourite in general. After I had the majority of the papers gathered up, I stood up, using my one free hand to brush a few pieces of hair out of my eyes. I frowned as I glanced down at the pile in front of me. I had literally just finished alphabetizing them when I had been distracted by the 6 foot 4 glory of Jordan Staal walking through the doors. I let out a long sigh, glaring down at the once again disorganized pile. “Damn hockey players.”

“Hey now, we have feelings.”

I was startled, once again, but didn’t knock anything over this time. I glanced up, way up, at the smirking features of Jordan Staal and just above fell over. I placed both hands on top of the desk in front of me to make sure I was steadied and then smiled at him. “I’m sorry. It was more directed at Talbot than all players in general,” I explained, turning my gaze so I was glaring at the back of Max Talbot’s head. “Bitch messed up my papers.”

Jordan laughed, a surprisingly loud sound that snapped my attention away from Talbot and re-directed it at Jordan as he shook his head. “Yeah, that’s what Talbsy does. He screws things up,” he joked. “Uhm, I actually had a question, and I’m guessing here is the right place to ask since there’s a giant ‘Ask Us Anything!’ sign on the front,” He began to explain. “Our coach and training staff are stuck in traffic, they’ll be here pretty soon, but we don’t know where to go with all of our gear.”

I nodded, moving a step over to my computer and checking to see which change rooms were available, and all that jazz. “Well, you guys are apparently in room 226, which I can point you to in a second,” I told him, glancing up for a brief moment, just to get an extra glance at him. “But, the ice isn’t free for another half hour anyways. So, if you guys want to drop your stuff off and head down to the cafeteria-”

“Nah, it takes at least a half hour to get all our stuff together,” he interrupted. I stuttered for a second,

“Oh. Well…I didn’t know that because I don’t play in the NHL.” I winced my eyes shut as soon as the sentence left my mouth. “I’m sorry, I’m a little frazzled by the fact that you guys are even here, and I think my crazy fandom is getting the best of me.”

Jordan grinned, seeming more flattered than weirded out by completely obvious, and also stupid, statement that I had made a moment before. “That’s fine. We’re not really sure why coach decided it’d be better to put us here to practice either.”

I nodded, deciding to not try and say anything witty since I was too nervous. “Well, I’ll just tell you where your change room are,” I stopped, frowning. “I’m sorry, that sentence wasn’t right. I’ll you where the change rooms are.” I let out a sigh again, “Was that right? I can’t tell anymore.”

Jordan let out a small chuckle, “Yeah, the second one sounded right.”

“Good. So, you’re going to go down that hall, take the first hall on the right and 226 is pretty hard to miss. If the cleaning staff remembered, there should be a giant Penguins logo hanging outside of it.” I explained.

He nodded. “Okay, thanks.” He pushed himself away from the desk and then paused, “Are you two coming to the game tonight?” He asked.

Peyton, who didn’t even seem to notice he was there until that question was asked, exchanged a curious look with me.

I shrugged, “We probably will, yeah. We have free tickets to all the games, it’s just a question of whether we can make it to GM Place in time.”

He nodded. “Well, let me know if you are going to be there. We have two days off after this and, since we rarely play out here, we don’t know our way around. And anyone who calls Talbot a bitch after questioning his English and sexuality deserves to be our guide.”

I turned to look at Peyton. “Pinch my arm, just to make sure I didn’t fall asleep on the jo-OW!”

Peyton laughed, moving her hand away from the back of my arm. “Congratulations, you’re awake.”

“Is this your really confusing way of telling me that you’ll show us around?” Jordan asked.

I grinned, “Yes, that is exactly what that was.”

He nodded. “Okay, cool. I’ll tell Bylsma to give you all the info you’ll need.” He gave a wave of his gigantic hand before turning and leading the rest of the team off in the direction I had pointed him.

“It’s going to be a good two days,” I told Peyton, watching the group head off towards the change room.