Let's Go To The Mall

"I need to sit down,” I practically panted, collapsing on one of the stiff wooden benches randomly located in the mall.

“Are you kidding me?” Peyton asked, stopping to look back at me. “It’s only been an hour.”

“It’s only been an hour?” I repeated, groaning and slumping down on the bench a little more. “I feel like I’ve been walking around for days.”

“Hey, you aren’t carrying anyone’s bags,” Max reminded me, lifting up his hands to show off the four bags he was lugging around.

I eyed the bags and then looked back up at him. “You’re carrying those because they’re full of crap you bought.”

Max frowned, putting his arms back down, “True. But that doesn’t make them any lighter.”

I shook my head, turning to look at Peyton again. “Look, you guys can keep shopping. I’ll be here. If I want to find you, I’ll call you.”

It didn’t take any more convincing. Peyton nodded, “Okay. So, you guys want to hit the candy store?” She didn’t wait for a reply as she turned back around and headed off in the direction of “Tammy’s Tasty Treats,” a name that I had always found a little uncomfortable.

“I don’t want to shop anymore,” Jordan whined, sitting down next to me and watching as Max and Kris headed off with Peyton. “Seriously, who brings hockey players to the mall?” He asked, making an apologetic face afterwards and looking at me, “Sorry. I forgot you had a say in this, too.”

I laughed, “I didn’t really have a say. Peyton’s just keeping me around right now to ask questions about hockey so she can try and start a conversation with Sidney.”

“Does she know I like things other than hockey?”

I squeaked, looking up to see Sidney grinning down at me. “I did not know you were there.”

“Sorry,” He apologized. “Staal and I figured we’d stay back, since neither one of us is into this whole shopping thing.”

“I don’t mind shopping,” Jordan disagreed, “I just don’t want to hear Talbot ask me how he looks in jeans one more time.”

“It is a little disturbing, his infatuation with his own image,” I agreed.

“He’s kidding when he does stuff like that,” Sidney assured me, frowning afterwards, “I think.”

Jordan opened his mouth to add his own thoughts into the conversation but stopped, his eyes widening as he spotted something across the mall. “Oh my God, do you have some toonies?”

I raised my eyebrows at him. “Uhm…I have a couple, why?”

He grinned, leaning around me to look at Sidney. “Dude, photo booth.”

Sidney seemed completely confused by the statement, but he soon glanced forwards where Jordan’s attention had been caught before. “Oh, wow, you literally mean photo booth,” he said with a laugh. “There’s no way either one of us will fit in there. Those booths are made for very small people.”

Jordan gave a disappointed look to Sidney before he looked back at me. “Okay, you and I will take embarrassing pictures and Crosby will sit out here and get mobbed by underage girls, 40 year old men and Canuck fans who hate him.”

I grinned, “Sounds like a plan,” I stood up, turning to look down at Sidney’s terrified face. “You really should watch the Canuck fans. We hate everybody except our own team. It’s really unfortunate.”

He glanced over his shoulder cautiously, eyeing up a group of twenty something year old guys, two of them wearing a Canucks baseball hat. “You know what, I should come with you guys and just make sure that no one…does stuff that’s…bad.”

Jordan laughed. “Wow, Sid. Way to be a man. Come on, Hanna.”I grabbed my purse and headed off towards the tiny booth behind Jordan, feeling my eyes widen when I saw the one tiny, tiny stool in the booth. “Okay, I’m not sitting on anyone’s lap, so you can take these pictures solo.”

Jordan gasped, “What? No way. You can’t take a picture by yourself in a photo booth.”“

This guy did,” Sidney said, pointing to one of the demonstration pictures stuck on the outside of the booth which showed a man smiling, all by himself, inside of the booth. “Look at what a good time he’s having.”

I nodded, leaning in to look at the picture. “See, you could be as happy as this guy is.”

Jordan stomped his foot. “Guys! Come on!” He turned to look at me, “I’ll sit in your lap, if that makes you feel less awkward,” he turned his gaze to Sidney, “And I’ll…I’ll help you with your hair.”

Sidney’s right hand shot up to his hair immediately, “What’s wrong with my hair?”Jordan and I both exchanged a look before he answered, “Nothing, I just thought you’d like a change.” He pulled open the curtain to the booth all the way, having to duck way down to step inside of the booth. “I don’t even know how this shit works.”

“Wait, shouldn’t I have gone in first, since you’re sitting on me?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah. Well, come on in,” he said, waving a hand to me.

I sighed, debating on how badly I wanted these stupid pictures. “Well…okay, but I want you to be aware of how weird this whole thing is for me.”

“Right, because having some random chick sit on my lap is a daily occurrence for me,” Jordan said, rolling his eyes, “What do you think I am, a slut?”

“Well, I don’t really know you,” I reminded him. “And you’re already trying to get to me sit in your lap and photograph it.”

Sidney laughed, “You do seem like a little bit of a creep, Staalsy.”

“Well excuse me for living,” Jordan said, “Hanna, get your butt in here. And Sidney, leave yours out. It’s alarmingly large.”

“I’m so uncomfortable,” I mumbled, letting out a yelp as Sidney gave me a small push to knock me into the booth, making Jordan laugh.

I sat down on the small stool, letting out a groan as Jordan sat down on my lap, not even trying to keep any of his weight off of me. “Come on, Sid. Squeeze yourself in here,” Jordan instructed, giggling as Sidney gingerly took a step into the booth, trying to figure out where the heck he could put his other foot.

“So, do you know how this works?” Sidney asked, managing to step into the booth and pull the curtain shut. “It’s different than the normal ones.”

“Yeah, this one is high-tech,” Jordan agreed. He looked down at me. “Are you being silent because your really uncomfortable, or because I weigh so much that you can’t breathe?”

I took in a deep, shaky breath, “Both.”

He nodded, looking back at all of the buttons in the booth. “Okay, I think we need to put the money in first,” he decided. “Hanna, hand me your purse.”

“You’re not actually using her money for this, are you?” Sidney asked, almost laughing. “I have a few toonies, use my money.”

“Sidney, you do enough for the fans. It’s time they paid you back,” Jordan decided, digging though my wallet to grab the two toonies it would cost to take the picture. “Okay, so I’m thinking we push this button,” he mumbled, leaning forward so that I couldn’t see around him. “Or maybe it’s this one.”

“No, it’s definitely got to be this one,” I heard Sidney say.

I used one of my hands to push Jordan over a little bit so I could see the panel. “Oh, I think it’s this one.” I yelled, leaning forward and pushing the giant green button just as both Sidney and Jordan leaned in to see what I was pointing at.

The immediate flash from the square all three of us were peering into caused us to yelp and lean back, just as the second flash went off.“Oh my God, what’s happening?!” Jordan yelled covering his face as the third flash went off.

“I was so close to that stupid box, I think the power of that flash singed my hair,” Sidney complained, holding the front of his hair with both hands as the last flash went off.

I was laughing so hard I couldn’t even breathe, and having Jordan Staal sitting on me wasn’t helping my diaphragm to take in any air. I just sat there, with one hockey player on my lap and another one kneeling beside me holding his hair, letting my entire body vibrate with laughter.

“Okay, I think Hanna can’t breathe,” Sidney said, stepping outside of the booth. “Come on, we don’t want you to die.”

Jordan got off of me, slipping out of the booth and turning around to laugh. “You’re whole face is so red,” He observed.

“I can’t breathe,” I wheezed, staying in the booth until I had managed a few deep breaths. “That was the greatest thing ever,” I decided.

“How long until the pictures are ready?” Jordan asked, leaning down and peering upwards at the slot where the pictures were printed from.

“It says three minutes,” Sidney read off the information board. “So…three minutes.”

“I can’t believe I was just in a photo booth with Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal,” I muttered, causing both of them to turn and smirk at me. “I’m sorry, but I’m still in shock over the fact that you two were even at the arena, let alone that I’m spending an entire day with you.”

“Two days,” Jordan corrected, “Unless you’re planning to ditch us tomorrow.” He frowned, looking to see if the pictures were printed yet and then sighing. “Well, I have to take a piss, so if you two could make sure that no one steals those pictures,” he pointed at Sidney and I before turning and jogging over to where the washroom were.

I leaned against the photo booth, looking over at Sidney as he eyed all of the groups of people walking past, “Is it ever annoying to have people constantly mobbing you?” I asked him.

Sidney chewed on his bottom lip for a second before turning his head to look at me. “Yes and no. I mean, sometimes I wouldn’t mind having a little more privacy,” he admitted, waving politely to a group of guys who walked by and recognized him. “But, at the same time, I’m so thankful that people care at all about me. I mean, I know I’m not very captivating in interviews, and I’m a kind of funny looking dude,” he chuckled, “but, for whatever reason, people still care. And if there’s one thing I would ever want more than hockey, it’s to be an example. These people give me that.”

I let out a small sigh, smirking lightly as I shook my head. “You are some kind of guy, Sidney.”

He grinned, “I think you’ve said that to me before.”

“Well, I meant it,” I assured him. “And if it makes any difference, I don’t think you’re boring.”

He nodded, the tiniest shadow of a smile showing. “It does.” He glanced behind him and grinned, “The pictures are done.”

I rubbed my hands together anxiously, watching as Sidney picked them up and took a look at them, laughing. “What a gong show!” He handed the pictures to me.

I let my eyes roam over the four frames, laughing at how ridiculous all four of them. The first one with all three of us so close to the camera that part of Sidney’s face was cut off, and all of three of us had a curious look on our face. Then the second with all three of our head snapped back and a look of alarm on our faces. Jordan was covering his face in the third picture, Sidney’s entire face hidden by his giant smile, and me with my head leaning back, clearly laughing, followed by Jordan and I both glaring at the camera and Sidney staring at it with his hands holding onto his hair.“Oh man, if this got out on the internet,” I thought aloud.

Sidney snatched them from my hands, eyeing me. “If these do-”

“I wouldn’t do that,” I promised.

“Thank you,” He said, sighing.

“Oh, it’s not for you, it’s because I look ridiculous in these pictures,” I informed him. “Here comes Jordan.”

Jordan ran over, clapping when he saw that Sidney had the pictures. “Oh, I’m so excited.” He looked over them, nodding with his lower lip sticking out. “We are a good looking bunch.” He looked up at Sidney and I. “How do we split these up?”

“Oh, I don’t want any,” I told him. “You guys can keep them.”

“What?!” Both Sidney and Jordan yelled. “You can’t not want one of these,” Jordan argued. “How will you remember this magical day?”

“You really think I’m going to forget about the time Jordan Staal sat on my lap in a photo booth while Sidney Crosby got his hair singed by the camera flash?”

There was a pause as the two exchanged a look before Jordan answered, “Yes.”

I laughed, “Fine. I want the last one.”Jordan nodded, carefully ripping the last picture off of the strip and handing it to me. “There you go. Now, Sid and I will argue over who gets which one later. For now, let’s go get smoothies or something.”

“Of course, the 6 foot 4 tough guy wants a smoothie,” I mumbled, following after him.

“Smoothies are delicious, and also very manly,” Sidney told me, falling into step with me. “I mean, they kill these cute little fruits jut get something tasty. It’s a very manly process if you think about it.”

I smiled, “You’re a smoothie fan. That is something I did not know about you.”

He shrugged casually, “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” He raised his eyebrows at me before taking an extra step to walk ahead of me with Jordan.