Road Games

I am sorry that I disappeared! I had exams and a gazillion papers and a recital. But, I am done school now(FOREVER! Heck yes, no more University) so I shouldn't take that long for an update again.

“Oh, stop pouting like that,” Peyton scolded, tossing a piece of popcorn at my head as I stuck my lower lip out, looking at the TV with sad eyes as they zoomed in on Sidney sitting on the bench.

I picked the piece of popcorn out of my hair, frowning at Peyton. “I’m so glad you decided to stay an extra few days,” I told her sarcastically, eating the piece of popcorn. “I can’t help it, though. I miss him.”

“He’ll be back soon, just a few more days,” Peyton reminded me, glancing back at the TV for a second. “Oh, there’s Kris.”

“Oh, so you can be sad, but I can’t? At least Sidney’s actually my boyfriend,” I reminded her, earning another few pieces of popcorn in my hair. “Do you want to sleep outside?”

Peyton laughed, “I’m sorry. You just make this annoying moaning sound whenever you see Sidney on the TV and it’s driving me crazy. They zoom in on the guy every ten seconds, you can’t make a noise every time you see him!”

I sighed, “I know, I’m sorry.”

Peyton was silent for a moment, watching the game as she chewed on a few pieces of popcorn, “This is weird.”

I looked at her, “What’s weird? Watching hockey?”

Peyton laughed, “No. I mean, you. You’re in a relationship. I haven’t seen you in a relationship since tenth grade, and I’m not even sure that you could count that as a real relationship.”

I thought about it for a moment before nodding. “I guess it’s the first real relationship I’ve ever been in. It took my twenty years to earn a guy’s attention, but still.”

Peyton rolled her eyes, “Yes, Hanna. No other guy in the history of males has ever had an interest you, other than Sidney Crosby.” She shook her head, “I know he’s a special guy, but he is not that special,” She joked, glancing back at the TV as they called a penalty against the Penguins. Peyton waited until they cut to commercial to turn and face me. “Can I ask you something?”

“If I said no, would that actually stop you?” I asked, watching as she shook her head. “Then, yeah, go for it.”

“Do you have moments where you freak out because Sidney is such a big deal?”

I blinked a few times before shaking my head. “Uhm, I don’t really think about what a big deal he is at all, oddly enough.”

Peyton made a face, “Did I just put that in your head? Because I’m sorry if I did, it’s just that I was thinking about Kris, and I saw this fan site for him online and it scared the crap out of me.”

“Sidney kind of goes out of his way to make himself seem as normal a guy as possible,” I told her. “It doesn’t work, since people stare at him wherever we go, he gets hit on by other girls and I always hear people talking about how amazing he is, but Sidney tried to make me view him as just another guy.”

Peyton stared at me for a moment. “And that works? Either he has an acting ability that he can hide really well you are really dumb.”

I laughed, reaching out and hitting her arm. “I don’t know, when I’m with Sidney I just think of him as Sidney. He’s not trying to get a goal, he’s not getting booed, he’s just talking to me and buying me food.”

“So, what you’re telling me is that I have no reason to be completely convinced that Kris will come back from this road trip with a new girlfriend, or that he’ll do anything really stupid like hook-up with another girl?” Peyton asked.

I sighed, “Peyton, you should talk to Kris about that. But, no, I don’t think you need to worry,” I assured her. “That boy asked about you everyday when I first got here, and he spent a really long time deciding on how his hair should be the day you arrived. He’s not looking at any other girls, he’s been waiting for you.”

Peyton’s cheeks tinged a little bit, something I very rarely saw happen to her, and she smiled softly, looking away from me and back at the TV as they cut back to the game, showing Eric Goddard in the box. “He’s a man, Eric. Such a man,” She said, taking a handful of popcorn and shoving it into her mouth as she continued to watch the game.

The camera panned past the Penguins bench, with the commentator going on about how amazing Boucher, the goalie at the other end playing for the Flyers, had been all night. As usual, the camera stopped on Sidney, zooming in on him as he chewed on his mouth guard a bit, moving it out of his mouth a bit so he could chew on the end before taking it out completely so he could grab a drink of water. The mouth guard accentuated his already large lips, and it made him look a little bit like a monkey. For some reason, I only viewed it as completely adorable, and had to be careful not to let out another squeal of some kind as he continued to move the mouth guard around for a few seconds before the camera moved away from him and back to the Penguins zone where a face off was about to happen.

“I saw that,” Peyton said to me, earning my attention briefly. “And if I didn’t think it was so damn adorable that this boy has turned you into one of these girls after just over a month of dating you, I’d dump this bowl of popcorn on your head.”

I grinned at her, looking back at the TV as played started. It was weird to think that all of these new people, save for Peyton, had only been in my life for a couple of months. It was almost impossible for me to think back to the time when they hadn’t been there, and I had just been watching all of them play hockey on my TV while I put off going to sleep or getting groceries. I could almost imagine Sidney being in my life long before he had been. When I thought back to the days following Alissa’s death, I could picture him sitting beside me at the funeral, or walking down the halls at school with me. He had just become a part of my life, and even though I still had a few moments where I would pass a poster of him on the street and think about how odd it was that I had somehow earned his attention, I already couldn’t imagine things without him. It was almost scary, to already be so dependant on someone, and to have already let them become such an essential part of your life in such a short span of time, but I felt like the only thing scarier would be losing him.
---------------------------------------------
“So, hang on,” I said into the phone as I kicked the fridge shut with the back of my foot. “You just don’t eat cookies?”

Sidney sighed, “We’ve had this conversation before, I don’t understand why it’s so hard for you to grasp.”

“Let’s say that I bake these delicious chocolate chip cookies,” I began, balancing the phone between my ear and shoulder, “and you come over, and I stand in front of you with them all on a platter and a pouty face and tell you that the only thing that will make me believe that you have any real feelings for me is if you eat the cookies. Would you eat them then?”

Sidney laughed, “Hanna, why is it such a big deal?” He asked. “I eat basically everything else.”

“Don’t avoid my question, Crosby. Would you eat the cookies I had slaved over, and only made because I was trying to fight away all the lonely hours without you, or would you scoff at them and tell me that eating them breaks your commitment to your sport?” I asked him, pouring myself a glass of milk.

“If the season was over, I would probably eat one,” He said. “But during the season? Hanna, when you haven’t eaten chocolate chip cookies in just over six years, and then you just say, ‘screw it’ and eat some, you usually end up getting to know your bathroom really well.”

“What if I also supplied some Pepto Bismol, or some Immodium?” I bargained, hearing him sigh on the other end, laughing softly to himself. “Come on, I love baking, and now that my family isn’t around there’s no one to eat any of the stuff I make. I’d send some upstairs, but Maria bakes just as much as I do.”

“Most of the team will still eat all of the amazing stuff you bake, and I can eat most of it,” He tried to tell me. “Couldn’t you just cut the recipe in half and just make enough for yourself?”

“I can’t just bake things for myself, Sidney. What am I, in my late forties and alone?”

He laughed, “Fine, bake as much of whatever you want, but you can’t make me eat it.”

“That’s what she said,” I muttered, earning a sigh from him. “But what do I do with all of the baking?”

“I don’t know,” He said, pausing as he yawned, “Why don’t you open a bakery or something if you love baking so much? We don’t have very many of those around here.”

I was silent for a moment, staring down at the recipe book in front of me before I gasped, “Sidney, that’s an amazing idea.”

“It is?” He asked,

“Yes! Sidney, I’ve spent the last two and a half years trying to figure out what the hell I wanted to do with myself, and you just spout off the answer!”

“Wow, now let’s actually think about this,” He started. “Opening up your own business is a lot of work, and a lot of money-”

“I’m not going to open up my own bakery now,” I said, laughing. “I’m going to keep working at the arena while I try to find some bakery or something baking related to work at, and save up my money and…I don’t what else, but at least I have something to work towards, right?”

Sidney didn’t say anything for a few seconds but eventually agreed, “Yeah, that sounds amazing. If that’s what you want to do with your life, then I’ll help you in any way you need to me too.”

“Oh, you know what would really help?” I asked.

“I’m not eating the cookies,” He answered, making me groan. “Maybe once the season is done, but not during.”

“How will I know if I am actually a good enough baker if my boyfriend won’t even eat what I bake?” I asked.

“Wow, you are just pulling out all the stops with this, aren’t you?” He asked, laughing. “You can do this, Hanna. If it’s what you really want to do, I believe you can make it happen.”

I smiled, sitting down on the couch with my recipe books, “Thank you, Sidney.” I sighed, glancing up at the clock on the wall across from me. “Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“I don’t sleep very well on the road. Besides, I’m so used to talking to you before I go to bed that I can’t sleep if I don’t hear your voice before,” He confessed, his voice sounding so small on the other end.

I felt a grin take over my face, my face heating up, even though I knew he couldn’t see me. “I miss you, Sid.”

“I miss you, too,” He admitted. “I’ve gotten used to you being there in the crowd somewhere, waiting for me once the game is over. I’m lonely now. I asked Max if he would hold my hand and go get a sandwich with me, but he said he had plans with Flower.”
I let out a small laugh, “Well, I bet Max has gross boy hands anyways. You don’t want to hold those.” I stretched out on the couch, looking at the clock again. “You need to go to bed, Sidney. Go get some sleep so you can be extra cheery with the media tomorrow.”

“I love the media. They always know just what to say to make me feel completely encouraged, and they always have cute little reminders for me on when the last time I scored a goal was or what my plus/minus is. I actually look forward to it almost as much as I look forward to smashing my face into a brick wall,” He told me, making me chuckle. “Goodnight, Hanna.”

“Night, Sidney. Have fun tomorrow with your off day. Don’t get too crazy,” I joked, smiling as he let out a tired laugh before I pushed the end button, tossing the phone onto the table and yawning, forcing myself to sit back up so I could head over to my room, checking the calendar on my wall as I did so. “Five more days,” I mumbled, letting my eyes glance over to the box with the giant red circle around it.

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

“Is he a good kisser?” Lisa asked.

I sighed, looking up at her over the container of aprons that I was taking over to get washed. “Lisa, I don’t want to discuss all of this with you.”

“Come on, humour me! You get to kiss the lips of Sidney Crosby whenever you feel like it, and you can’t even tell me about it?” She prodded. “I’m 24, Hanna, and I have spent the last five years trying to convince myself that Crosby might like older women. Help me.”

“I think a psychiatrist is who helps you with stuff like that,” I told her, earning an unimpressed frown from her. I sighed, taking the handful of cloths that she had and adding them to the bin in my hands. “Yes, he’s a good kisser.”

“I knew it!” She exclaimed, earning the attention of the other workers. “Sorry,” She apologized, grinning at me. “I’ll stop asking you questions, I swear,” She promised. “It’s just, with lips like that, it can either go one way or the other, right?”

I shook my head at her, making my way through the rest of the kitchen area to gather the other laundry that needed to be washed. “You’re a strange girl, Lisa.”

“Listen, Hanna,” She said, causing me to turn around and look at her, “I never really thanked you for letting Shawn meet Sidney,” She said. “That meant a lot to him, and it meant a lot to me, too. Thanks for doing that.” She patted my shoulder, shooting me another smile before she turned and headed off towards the front area.

I chewed on my lip for a moment, not sure what to think of that whole exchange, before grabbing the last of the cloths and heading off towards the laundry area.

There were reminders of Sidney everywhere, especially in his own arena. Pictures of him from the start of his NHL career to present day lined the walls on my walk down the hallway. Downstairs, where the ice was, there were giant sized posters of him with the cup above his head, or in mid slap-shot would stare back at me. It made my entire body ache with loneliness, the reminders that he wasn’t here. I found myself wishing the day would speed by so that I could talk to him before I fell asleep, or catch a clip of his interview from before or after one of the games. I found myself spacing out and losing my train of thought at work as I tried to remember what it felt like to hug him, kiss him or even just sit across from him and listen to him talk. It had only been a week, or just shy of, and yet it seemed like I hadn’t seen him in months.

“Hanna, you okay?” Michael, my boss asked me as he passed me in the hall.

I was surprised, not even aware that I had stopped on the way to the laundry room and was staring up at a picture of Sidney in the face-off circle against Nicklas Backstrom. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I just-”

“It’s okay, a lot of the workers get side-tracked. It’s weird to think that the league’s greatest could just be downstairs, right?” He asked. “Sidney’s a really nice guy, when the team is back from the road trip, he usually makes a point to come upstairs and talk to a lot of us, thank us for keeping the arena clean. A lot of the workers here have already met him, save for couple. Maybe you’ll get lucky.”

I bit back a grin, nodding to him. “That’d be fantastic. I’m a huge fan.”

Michael nodded. “Well, go finish up the laundry. There’s not a whole lot left to do, so we can probably head out early,” He said, giving me a thumbs up before continuing down the hall.

I let out a small laugh, looking back at the Sidney picture. “You come upstairs to thank the workers? You charmer,” I cooed at the picture, reaching up to let my fingers run across his face in the picture before I carried on towards the laundry room

Seating Arrangements

“Peyton?” I called as I walked back into the hotel room, surprised by the quietness.

“Hanna?” She called back from somewhere.

I frowned, slipping off my shoes and walking across the room, looking around to try and figure out where she was. “Are you in your room?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you going to come out?” I asked, turning so I was facing her closed bedroom door.

“I don’t know.”

I sighed, walking towards her door and placing my hand on the doorknob. “Peyton?”

“Hanna? Don’t come in.”

“Are you having sex with someone?” I asked through the door.

“What?! No. Who would I be having sex with?” She yelled, clearly moving away from something as I could hear a loud “thud” in the background.

I pressed my ear against the door, straining to try and hear anything that would give away why she was refusing to come out. I groaned, pulling away from the door. “Peyton, come on! I’ve barely even seen you today, and now you’re ignoring me. I feel neglected.”

There was a pause on the other side of the door before I heard her feet padding across the floor to open the door. The doorknob twisted about halfway before it stopped. “You have to promise not to say anything.” She said.

I took a step back from the door and made a face. “Uhm..how long am I forbidden to speak?”

“Hanna, just…you’ll see, okay?”

I laughed, “Okay, okay. I won’t say anything until the time feels right.”

“I’m going to act like you aren’t mocking me and try to believe that you won’t be a jerk,” She said back.

The doorknob twisted once more before the door was finally pulled open a crack. Peyton peeked one eye out at me, making me raise my eyebrows at her. She disappeared behind the door for a second. Finally, after she muttered to herself for a moment, she pulled the door back fully and stepped out so I could see her.

I felt my eyes widen immediately as I took in her overall appearance, and both of my hands flew to cover my mouth before any laughter or snide remarks could seep out.

Peyton sighed, trying to pat down her hair. “I should have stayed in my room.”

I dropped my hands from my mouth, still struggling to hold back the laughter. “What happened?”

“Jordan. That’s what happened,” She told me, crossing her arms.

“I don’t understand,” I admitted, still looking her over. I gasped, “Oh my God, you had sex with Jordan?”

“What?!” She yelled, her face melting into a frown of disgust. “No! God, Hanna, why would you even..I can’t…I don’t even…” She shook her head, sighing. “He and Max came over about an hour ago and I was styling my hair-”

“Oh, now I get it,” I said, laughing. “Max offered to style your hair?”

She pouted. “His hair always looks pretty nice, so I figured it would be okay. But then…but then, I guess he gave Jordan all the products and-”

“How did you not notice that?” I asked.

“Well, they were styling my hair out here, so there was no mirror and I couldn’t see him and they put on the TV, which had Hockey Night In Canada on it, and they were interviewing that Bieksa guy,” She stopped to take a breath. “I was defenceless is basically what I’m trying to say.”

I nodded. “Okay, so I get the hair. But, the makeup and outfit?”

“They offered to do my makeup, as well.” She explained. “They told me that there’s some charity event tonight and that they were trying to pull some strings so you and I could go with them, and Jordan said that they had a friend they wanted to set me up with.”

“Peyton, Jordan arranged to have Sidney’s dad greet with a sign that had ‘Hanna and Traffic Violation.’ You should know he’s not a good person by now,” I told her. “Plus, you still haven’t explained the outfit.”

She frowned, looking down at the yellow miniskirt and baggy floral print shirt she was wearing. “What’s wrong with my outfit?”

My eyes widened once more as I realized that Peyton legitimately thought her current outfit looked good. “Nothing. I just assumed they must have helped with everything, do you want to borrow a face cloth or something?”

She nodded, still trying to pat down her wildly styled hair. One half looked mildly okay, but the other half was almost completely poofed out, with the curls hanging in one giant clump and the rest of her hair on that side resembling a freshly blow-dried poodle.

“Were they lying about the charity event?” She asked me as I dug through my still unpacked washroom bag for a spare face cloth.

I finally found one, pulling it out of the bag and walking back over to her with it. “I think so. I haven’t heard anything about it yet. And I spent the whole afternoon with them.”

She nodded, taking the cloth from me and nodding her head for me to follow her into her washroom so we could continue talking while she tried to wash her face. “Are you sure? I mean, I believe there is an event, I just don’t believe we could actually go. Maybe that’s why they didn’t tell you?”

I shrugged, sitting on top of the bathroom counter. “Maybe. I don’t see why it matters. I’d be good with taking a night to just look around Pittsburgh. We’ve been here a couple of days, tomorrow is our last full day, and the only thing I’ve seen is a bookstore and Mellon Area.”

Peyton had to take a second to answer as she was scrubbing her face. “Yeah, I guess having a night without those assholes would be nice.”

“They aren’t assholes,” I argued.

She smirked, looking at me. “They’re nice to you because of Sidney. They’re mean to me because I’m ruining everything.”

I frowned, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Peyton sighed, putting the cloth down and looking at me, which was hard for me to handle since only half of her face was scrubbed free of the orange foundation and bright pink blush. “Are you kidding me, Hanna?” When I didn’t answer she shut off the running water and sat down on the other side of the counter, crossing her legs and turning herself so she was facing me. “Look, I left out a few details on Sidney and I’s ‘cofee date’.” She admitted, earning curiosity from me. “Sidney left before Jordan did, he said he had an interview to do or something, so I spent almost an hour with Jordan.”

“Oh, you are sleeping with him,” I gasped.

She made a face. “No, I am really, really not.” She shook her head, giving a small shudder. “I was informed that my asking Sidney out probably ruined the chances of Sidney asking you out.”

I laughed, which seemed to completely surprise Peyton. “Sidney won’t ask me out. He just spent three blocks telling me about why he doesn’t date and why he doesn’t plan on dating.”

Peyton frowned, scratching the still caked side of her face. “Maybe he’s just confused?” She suggested. When I merely shrugged she tried a different approach. “Maybe he was saying all of that more for himself than for you,” She began, catching my attention once more. “From what I’ve been told by Max and Jordan, Sidney is a really private guy. He doesn’t let people in because he doesn’t usually have the chance to shut them out. There’s very few aspects of his life that he can manage to keep to himself, right?” She had to take a second to readjust herself. “But look at how much he’s talked to you already. And he goes out of his way to talk to you, to make sure he’s around you, and the rest of the team does it, too, they go out of their way to make sure you and Sidney are left alone.” She grinned to me, “I mean, look at today?”

I scratched the back of my neck, eyeing up Peyton’s smirking face. “I can see some of that, I guess,” I admitted “But you have to look at this in a logical way, Peyton. I’ve known him for about a week. I leave after tomorrow. We spent the entire walk back from the arena discussing why he won’t date. There’s no point in me putting in an effort into something that can’t happen.”

Peyton’s smirk had disappeared, and for a long moment she just stared at me. Eventually, she slid off of the counter and turned the water back on, picking up the face cloth and returning to washing her face.

When she didn’t say anything more, I took the hint and hopped off of the counter, awkwardly heading out of the washroom. Just as I was about to leave Peyton spoke.

“I always thought of you as the girl who believed anything was possible,” She said, looking at me in the mirror. “It’s too bad you left that girl in Vancouver.”

I frowned, choosing not say anything as I headed out to my own room.

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

I’m not sure when I fell asleep, but when Marc banged on my bedroom door and startled me out of my sleep, I flipped right off of the bed and onto the floor.

“Did you just die?” He asked, laughter lacing his voice.

I groaned, tiredly picking myself off of the floor and rubbing my now sore back. “Almost,” I called back, slowly making my way towards the door, which was only a few feet away but seemed to be miles out of reach.

I tugged the door open, rubbing one of my eyes with my free hand as I stared up at Marc. “What do you want now?”

He laughed. “Well, I came to tell you and Peyton to get ready.”

I frowned, only then noticing the suit he was in, the absence of his usual hat and the scent of expensive cologne. “What’s happening?”

“The charity dinner. I thought Sidney told you?”

I stared at him. “Do you think I would look like this if I had any clue I was going to have to be at a fancy dinner?”

He shrugged, “I don’t question the ways of females. Do you have a nice dress to wear?” I shook my head, no. “That’s okay, Max and I bought you one,” He grinned, presenting a dress bag from behind him. “I hope you like blue.”

“I love blue,” I said, taking the bag from him and unzipping it a bit so I could peer in at the silky dress.

“We figured it would match your eyes well,” He told me.

I looked back up at Marc. “My eyes are green.”

“Oh. Then they’ll match your…well, hopefully a pair of shoes or something,” He said. “Anyways, hurry up. We have to be downstairs in twenty minutes.”

“Twenty minutes!” I yelled, startling him. “Get out of my room!” I yelled again, shoving him away from the door as I raced around, changing at the same time, to find all of my makeup and hair pins.

When I emerged, a surprisingly speedy fifteen minutes later, Peyton was sitting on the couch talking to Marc and Max, who were both dressed up as nice as hockey players who own a limited number of suits can be dressed. Max noticed me first, grinning at me. “Ah, see? You look fantastic for only taking fifteen minutes!”

Peyton looked me over, her face free of the makeup she had previously been wearing and replaced a modest amount now. “Your dress is way nicer than mine.”

“That’s because she is way nicer than you,” Max said, standing up from the couch. “Alright, ladies. Out we go!”

Peyton and I followed behind the two of them, me looking over Peyton’s dark purple cocktail dress and envying the way she could walk in her heels with no struggle whereas I was bobbling with every step.

“What’s this event for, anyways?” I asked, placing a hand on the wall to steady me as I tried to get used to the heels I was wearing.

“It’s for Children’s Hospital,” Marc answered me. “I’m sorry we didn’t give you two more notice. We didn’t know we could bring guests until this afternoon. Bylsma pulled a few strings and got you on the list.”

“Hey, I appreciate it,” I assured him, looking nervously at the few steps I would have to walk down. “Is Vero coming?”

Marc nodded. “She’s in the lobby with the rest of the team and a few of the wives and girlfriends,” He told me.

I nodded, slowing down my walking pace drastically as I tried to make it down the five stairs without falling down and completely embarrassing myself.

“I’m so proud of you,” Peyton cooed when I finally made it to the last step, letting out a sigh of relief as I managed to not die.

I shot her a sarcastic grin, reaching a hand up to check and make sure that the five minutes I had taken to try and throw my hair up into some sort of an impressive up do. Marc had already headed off to find Vero, leaving Peyton, Max and I to stand at the bottom of the stairs and stare at the massive mob in front of us.

“I don’t remember there being this many people before,” I said, suddenly nervous.

Max grinned, looking at me over his shoulder. “Well, this is everyone involved with the team. From coaches and trainers to PR guys and the people in charge of the site. I’m pretty sure that guy over there did my laundry once,” He joked, pointing at some random man on a cell phone.

“How long is this dinner going to be?” Peyton asked, looking around the crowd.

“You’re worried your hair won’t stay fantastic for the duration of it, aren’t you?” I asked, smirking at her.

Peyton frowned at me. “Hair is a very important thing for me, Hanna. When I was in high school, and fat, all I had was my hair.”

I laughed, “You were not fat in high school! I have seen pictures.”

“Ladies ladies, please,” Max interrupted, turning around to place a hand on each of our shoulders. “Let’s just focus on finding someone that doesn’t have a problem understanding me and figure out what’s happening.”

“Oh, so you can make fun of your accent, but I can’t?” Peyton asked.

“I meant understanding me emotionally,” Max said. “But it’s nice of you to make fun of my heritage. Again.”

I stifled a laugh as he raised his eyebrows up at Peyton, as if challenging her to say something more. When Peyton merely let out a small chuckle at him, he nodded and told us to follow him as he headed off into the mob, greeting all of the familiar faces who grinned at him and then sent Peyton and I a confused look.

“These people totally think we’re your escorts,” Peyton told Max.

He laughed, then threw a serious face on. “Wouldn’t be the first time I brought some as my date.”

I laughed, then, noticing his lack of amusement, made a face. “Are you kidding?”
Max merely shrugged at me, turning back around and speeding up a bit as he spotted whoever he was looking for. Peyton and I struggled to keep up, as each of us were in heels and dresses that weren’t too long, but had enough of a so-called train that we could easily trip on the fabric. He finally came to a halt, turning around with an apologetic look. “Sorry, ladies. I forgot about your lack of pants.”

“Haha, that’s what she said!” Kris laughed, looking over at Peyton and I. “You two look lovely. I’m glad disco Dan decided to let you two in on the party.”

“I’m sorry, did you say Disco Dan?” I asked.

“You are so out of the loop.” Kris sighed.

“Is everybody here now?” Some guy that I had never seen before asked, appearing next to Max and startling both Peyton and I. When the other guys nodded he made some sort of note on his clipboard. “Good. Start heading out to the taxis that are waiting,” He said, heading off to repeat the message to the rest of the group.

“If we snag a taxi van we can all go together,” Tyler suggested, taking a second to count those of us standing in the circle and nodding, now sure that he hadn’t lied.

“Well, let’s do that then,” Max said, pointing towards the hotel doors and then making an ushering movement so someone would head towards them.

Kris was the first to head off, holding the door open for the rest of us as Jordan, whom I hadn’t noticed was there until that moment, looked around for a taxi van. “There’s one at the end of line-up, but I think Malkin and Gonchar’s group are eyeing it up,” He told us.

“Then we run,” Max said. “Don’t worry girls, you don’t have to. We’ll run and claim the van. You take your time,” He assured us, breaking into a sprint as he and Jordan took off towards the van. Three seconds later I was almost knocked over by a racing Evgeni Malkin, who was yelling something at them in Russian.

“This is a weird moment for me,” Peyton admitted.

I chuckled, shivering in the coolness of the night as she and I made our way towards the van, where Max and Jordan were standing in the open door taunting Geno and Sergei Gonchar, who were standing outside panting. Tyler and Kris were a few steps ahead, whispering to one another and occasionally glancing back at the two of us with a suspicious grin. “After you two,” Tyler said, grinning at the two of us.

Peyton and I eyed him for a minute but eventually thanked him and climbed into the van.

“It will be a good night, girls.” Jordan said from the row behind us. “Free food. What more could you ask more?” He challenged, pursing his lips for a moment and glancing at me. I was expecting some sort of odd joke, but he merely smiled at me before looking out the window and leaving me to send a questionable look at Max, who merely shrugged, clearing his throat and looking out his own window.

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

“Oh, there is a camera crew,” I said as we made our into the giant auditorium. The amount of tables, decorations and servers just abut made my head spin. “This is like how prom is supposed to be.”

“Prom,” Peyton muttered. “Hopefully it’s nothing like prom. If it is, I’ll be crying in the bathroom at the end of the night.”

I sighed, looking at the tiny cards set at each seat with a name written across it. “So, which table are Peyton and I at?” I asked Max.

He and Jordan exchanged a look before Max smiled. “Well, Peyton, you’re right here,” He said, pointing to the table right beside him. “And Hanna, you’re not.”

I frowned. “Am I not on the list?”

“No, you’re allowed to be here,” Max said. “You’re just not sitting with Peyton.”

“Oh, there wasn’t enough room?” Peyton asked, already sitting down at the table and leaning around to read the other names, glancing up as more and more people filed in. “I’m sitting with Tyler, Kris, Ruslan Fedotenko, Brooks Orpik and Brent Johnson,” She read. “Awww, Hanna, I’m going to be so bored.”

“Where am I sitting?” I asked again, completely ignoring Peyton and she said something to Kris when he sat down at the table.

“You’re over here,” Jordan said, nodding over his shoulder and walking me over to a table on the other side of the room. He glanced around before stopping me. “Look, I’m sorry that I changed the seating so you’re not with Peyton-”

“You did what now?” I asked, shaking my head a little bit.

He let out an awkward laugh. “Yeah, Max and I might have snuck into Bylsma’s office and rearranged a few things. But it had to happen, because if Peyton is there, Peyton will distract you.”

I eyed him for a moment, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. I peered around him to see the table we were standing a few feet from, straining my eyes to try and read the name cards.

Bill Guerin, Jordan Staal, Amanda Cummings, Maxime Talbot, Hanna Ashton, Sidney Crosby

“Oh, you assholes,” I muttered, reaching out and smacking Jordan’s arm. “Would you guys stop playing cupid?”

“Cupid? Do I look like a tiny baby who is mysteriously good at archery?” He asked. “I just think you and Sidney-”

“Stop thinking about me and Sidney,” I interrupted. “Nothing will happen. I’m only here tomorrow, then I leave early in the next morning. And Sidney doesn’t date. Drop it.”

Jordan stared at me for a long time before he walked over to the table, picking up my name card, and switched it with one at the table behind it. “There. No worries.”
He pulled out his chair and took a seat, leaving me to stare at the back of his head in confusion.

Max, who was standing behind me, let out a sigh, coming to stand next to me. “I don’t think you realize what’s happening, Hanna,” Max said, pausing so he could pick my name card back up. “We’re not doing this just because we want you two to date or whatever,” He paused again so he could put my card back where it was before, saying something to Jordan as he placed the other person’s name back on the other table. “It’s not about all of that fluffy stuff. It’s about Sidney needing someone to talk too. And he has that with you.”

He stopped, glancing behind me and nodding at someone before looking back at me. “Stop thinking about whether you ‘like’ him or if there’s a need to bother with him if he already told you he generally doesn’t date, and just talk to the guy.”

Max stepped away from me to greet one of the photographers at the event, leaving me to awkwardly head over to the table and sit down, looking over at Jordan. He was staring down at the table, his jaw clenched and his face lined with annoyance.

I played with the fabric of my dress for a moment before letting out a loud sigh. “I’m sorry, Jordan,” I said, making him glance up at me. “The truth is, I appreciate the effort you guys are putting in. Even if it makes me wildly uncomfortable most of the time.”

He sat up in his chair, placing his elbows on the table and leaning forward. “Good. Because whether you believe it or not,” He said, glancing around quickly, “Sid’s just as bothered by the idea of you two having no chance as you are. He’s just not going to say anything about it.” He watched as my expression flashed between shock, embarrassment and disbelief in a matter of seconds before he simply laughed, taking a sip from the glass of the water set before him.

I felt my eyes widen, as I was still trying to wrap my head around everything Max and Jordan had told me, when the chair next to me was pulled out.
“Hey guys,” Sidney greeted, glancing over at me when I snapped my head up, making Jordan laugh. Sidney chuckled, “Sorry, did I startle you?” He asked, looking at me.

I had to take a second to answer after I turned my head to look at him, taking in the still wet hair, the scent of the cologne he had on and the way the dark coal colour of his suit set off his eyes. I forced a small smile. “A little bit, yeah.” I turned my attention straight ahead once more, reaching out for my own glass of water and taking an unlady like gulp, ignoring the way that Jordan was watching with an amused expression.

Sidney, thankfully, had turned his own attention away from me briefly as Bill Guerin had patted his shoulder as he walked around him to get to his chair, causing Sidney to tip his head back and look at him. He turned to look at me again, taking in my dress before he looked up once more, catching my eye. “You look beautiful, Hanna.”

I felt my face growing warm as I quietly thanked him, catching the first pump Jordan did from two seats over. “I told you it would be a good night!” He said, making me shoot him a look while Sidney glanced over at him in confusion before becoming distracted by Bill Guerin asking him something. Jordan gave me a thumbs up, laughing as I completely ignored the gesture and tried to distract myself with another drink of my water.

Max took a seat across from me, glancing quickly between Sidney and I before he grinned. “Hey, you know what’s really weird?” He asked, earning both Sidney and I’s attention. “Sidney’s tie matches your dress.”

I glanced down at my dress before I turned and looked at Sidney’s tie, noticing that they were, indeed, the exact same colour.

Jordan made a shocked face. “Well, that is certainly a coincidence.”

Bill Guerin laughed, “It’s like you two are a couple. That’s adorable.”

I was still staring over at Max and Jordan, who were both trying as hard as they could to not fall over in a fit of laughter, as they had clearly arranged this whole thing, from the seating to the outfits.

Sidney let out a laugh from beside, holding his tie out so he could look at it and then looking at me. “I guess we just both have amazing taste,” He grinned, his eyes moving to Max. “Or friends with connections.”

Max began whistling, looking away from Sidney and I as if he had no idea what was being implied.

“Whichever it is,” Sidney continued, smirking at Max for another brief second before returning his gaze to me, “You still look really pretty.”

I the lights hadn’t dimmed at that exact moment to signal the start of the event, I just might have fallen out of my chair .

Malone

“Morning, sunshine,” I greeted Peyton as she stumbled out of her room groggily, her hair flat on one side and completely poofed up on the other. “Sleep well?”

She sat down at the small kitchen table next to me, letting out a long yawn. “I swear, just as I would start to fall asleep, I would hear Max singing ‘A Whole New World’, and the sound was enough to stop me from sleeping.” She shuddered, “I never want to hear any of them sing again.”

I let out a small laugh. “Yeah, that was painful. Tyler wasn’t too bad.”

“He wasn’t too good, either,” Peyton mumbled, eyeing up the plate of eggs and toast in front of me. “Is there any of that left?”
I nodded my head behind me to where the frying pan was, still half full of scrambled eggs. “You’ll have to warm them up a bit, and the toast is up to you.” She nodded, standing up and staggering into the kitchen, her body still drunk with fatigue.

The Karaoke night had lasted longer than any of us had guessed it would. As soon as Staal started with the Disney songs, it was all down hill. Peyton and I mainly sat and watched, unsure of whether the sight was funny or just sad, until all of us were so exhausted and sore from the hours of laughter that we called it a night.

“What are our plans for today?” Peyton asked, sitting down across from me with a plate full of eggs, stuffing a massive forkful of them into her mouth.

“Well, nothing. The guys have practice, and then interviews, and then the game. So, we can do whatever until 3:30, when we have to head down to the arena so we can catch the game,” I reminded her.

She nodded, chewing on the mouthful of eggs before speaking. “Who are they playing tonight?”

“Tampa Bay,” I answered, picking up my now empty plate and heading towards the kitchen to put it in the dishwasher. “That means a few extra studs.”

“You need to make me flashcards for all of these teams so I can appear informed,” Peyton said through a charming mouthful of eggs. “Write down the players and their numbers for me.”

I rolled my eyes. “It doesn’t matter, Peyton. The guys like you even though you know basically nothing about their careers.”

“But I want to know about it!” She argued. “I want to be able to join in on the hockey talk. Make jokes about other players in the NHL, all of that. I feel left out.”

“We hardly ever discuss hockey,” I pointed out to her as I rinsed off my plate. “They don’t want to talk about their jobs all the time.”

“Well, still. I’d like to know more, so if you could help, I’d appreciate it.” She stuffed the last of her eggs into her mouth before pointing towards the bathroom, letting me know that she was heading off to have a shower.

I walked over to grab her plate, letting out a sigh. The internal debate on whether I wanted to be a good friend and help her learn some hockey fights, or keep her in the dark about the game was happening. I put away her dishes, giving my head a shake before I headed off to my room to grab my laptop and a few pieces of paper. If Peyton was putting this much effort into impressing the guys, I might as well humour her.

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

“So, 91 is Steven Stamkos?” Peyton asked, flipping through the cut up pieces of paper I had made her. “And he’s only 19? That’s insane.”

I nodded, shivering as I looked down at the ice. Peyton and I were one of the first people to take their seats at Mellon Arena, and the Lightning were already out doing their skate around. Sidney had managed to get us seats that were pretty close to the ice. We were only three rows back, and behind the Penguins bench. “Yeah, he’s a pretty amazing player. My eyes are on number 12.”

Peyton shuffled through a few cards. “Ryan Malone. He used to play Pittsburgh?” She read off of the card, looking up at me.

“Yes, he did. And he is a babe. Too bad he’s married,” I sighed, watching Malone on the ice as he took a few shots at the net.

“You think the Penguins will win tonight?” Peyton asked, putting the flashcards back into her purse.

“Probably. The Lightning have 16 wins, and Pittsburgh has 28.”

“There is just so much to learn,” Peyton muttered, straightening up a bit as the Penguins came out onto the ice.

I took a sip from the coffee I had purchased before Peyton and I took to our seats, watching the players I hadn’t met yet. Max had promised that we would meet the entire team after tonight’s game, and, to be honest, I was more excited about that than the game itself. I watched Bill Guerin as he skated around with his helmet off, his salt and pepper look still working for me. Then I watched Chris Kunitz as he stretched next to Evgeni Malkin, the two of them making small talk as they watched the rest of the team skate around and shoot pucks at Marc-Andre Fleury. I was just about mesmerized by it, the way all of this was still so casual to the players. Like there wasn’t going to be twenty thousand people watching their every move, groaning at their mistakes, booing at their penalties and holding their breath with every scoring chance.

“Where’s Sidney?” Peyton asked, breaking my concentration on the players. “I don’t see him.”

I shrugged, glancing around the ice. “I have no idea. Maybe he just hasn’t come out yet.”

She pursed her lips but nodded. “Oh, there’s Jordan.” She pointed down at him, as if I could somehow not see the ogre.

Jordan skated down to where the bench was, squinting his eyes and scanning through the crowd before he spotted Peyton and I and grinned, his mouth hanging open as he waved at us, lifting his stick up and waving it carelessly, almost smoking Mike Rupp in the face as he did so. Peyton and I waved back, making him take off his glove and give an excited thumbs up to us.

Peyton smacked my arm, startling me as I was still watching Jordan and his excited antics. She nodded off towards the centre of the ice, causing me to look up and over where she was pointing.

Sidney had finally emerged, his gloves tucked under his arm as he was playing with his helmet, taking it off and adjusting the chin strap, resting against the boards as he did so. There was a group of four younger boys standing behind him, all of them in oversized Crosby jersey, staring an awe up at their hero. Sidney seemed completely oblivious as he checked over his equipment, lifting up his hockey stick and making sure the tape was the way he wanted it, before he clanked it against the ice a couple of time and put his helmet and gloves on. One of the boys tapped the glass, almost timidly, causing Sidney to just glance over his shoulder quickly before he turned completely around to smile at the kids, stopping so they could take a picture through the glass. Sidney made a motion to them, skating over towards the centre of the ice and grabbing four pucks before he skated back towards the kids and tossed the pucks over the glass, painting a giant grin on all four of their faces.


“Seriously, where did that guy come from?” I asked Peyton, shaking my head as Sidney skated back over to where the rest of the Penguins were, lining up to take shots at Fleury and Johnson as they took turns in net.

Peyton grabbed her purse, pulling out another stack of cards and shuffling through them before looking up at me. “Cole Harbour.”

I shut my eyes, shaking my head at her before I opened them again and watched the boys continue to warm up, my eyes lingering on Sidney as he laughed with Max, watching Alex Goligoski miss the net by about three feet. Sidney took a shot, a top corner slap shot that Fleury easily gloved, before skating back towards the end of the line, his head lifting up as he slowed down a bit and scanned through the crowd, smiling politely at the few girls who screamed out his name when his eyes scanned past them, before he finally found Peyton and I. He lifted up one gloved hand to wave at us, giving an out of character wink as he did so, before he skated away from the line and went off to start stretching.

I felt someone else’s eyes on me and looked back over at the net to see Marc wasn’t there, Johnson was, and Marc was leaning against the boards in the corner, his mask up and resting on his head as he held his water bottle. As soon as I looked at him, he grinned, tucking his water bottle under his arm, shaking off his gloves, and making a heart shape with his fingers.

I just sipped my coffee, ignoring Peyton’s curious look.

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

“Okay, I’m definitely on the Malone board,” Peyton said as he headed down to where the guys had told us to meet them. “Does he have a girlfriend?”

“He has a wife,” I answered.

“So, no?” She joked, tugging an elastic off of her wrist and tying her straightened hair up into a ponytail. “Why are all of the good ones taken?” She asked.

“Because smart girls snatched them up when they had the chance?” I suggested.

“Those girls should be more considerate,” Peyton mumbled, letting out a sigh as we approached the Penguins change room, both of us deciding to wait outside.

It had been maybe five minutes when Kris came running out, already completely changed, and grinned at us. “Did you see my goal?”

“Yes, we did,” I assured him with a small laugh. “It was a pretty goal.”

“It was a manly goal,” He corrected. “A big, powerful, testosterone driven goal. The kind of goal that could impregnate a whole nation.”

“Okay, now that’s ridiculous,” Peyton spoke. “It could maybe get one really slutty girl pregnant, but not a whole nation. And the slutty girl would only let the goal sleep with her because the goal would lie and claim someone else made it.”


“This might be the weirdest metaphor I have ever heard,” I decided aloud.

“Hanna, you would sleep with my goal, wouldn’t you?” Kris asked.

I made a face. “Dude, really?”

He sighed, taking off his hat for a second so he scratch the top of his head before he put it back on. “Fine, my goal wasn’t the best of the game. Sidney’s was. But my goal is like his attractive best friend.”

“Please stop talking about your goal like that,” I begged. “It’s making me uncomfortable.”

Kris grinned, turning around when he heard the change room doors opening. “Sidney, you would have sex with my goal, right?”

Sidney stopped talking to his dad, who was next to him, staring at Kris with most confused expression. “Well…was your goal a girl?”

“No, but I mean, no one is judging you.” Kris replied.

“I am. I am judging you,” Troy said. “Kristopher, really? These are the things you discuss in front of two girls?”

“Well, it was either this or my jock-strap, so…”

I made a face, turning to look at Peyton and seeing that she was making the exact same one.

Sidney let out a small laugh, “On a completely different note, how did you like the game?”

“It was amazing!” Peyton yelled, startling him. “Your goal was really…scored.”

Sidney grinned, “Still learning the hockey talk?”

“I’m trying,” She admitted.

He laughed, looking at me. “What about you, Hanna? What did you think?”

“I think Ryan Malone should have never been traded,” I said. “He is such a stud. And when you checked him into the boards, I hated you a little bit.”

“That was definitely not the answer I was expecting,” He admitted, chuckling lightly.

“I know, I’m sorry. I was just really into the gorgeousness of his face. Honestly, though, you were great,” I told him.

He grinned, “Thanks.”

Troy cleared his throat from behind us, causing both Sidney and I to turn and look at him. “Sorry, I was just reminding Sidney that he has to go talk to the media.”

“Oh, yeah. I guess I have to go do that,” He said quietly, chewing on his lip for a second before he turned back to Peyton and I. “I’ll see you girls later?” He didn’t wait for an answer as he turned and headed down towards the media conference room.

Kris let out a small whistle, causing me to tear my eyes away from Sidney’s retreating figure and look at him as he grinned at me. “He has a nice backside, right?”

I felt my entire face flush as he laughed, smoothing down my hair. “I would like to talk to someone other than you now, thanks.”
Kris placed a hand over his heart. “Ouch, Hanna.”

“I’m with her. I’m tired of you whoring out your goal,” Peyton said.

“Fine, fine. I will go get the rest of the team and we will all head out for a celebration dinner.” Kris said, turning to head back to the room.

“Whoa, we’re all going out for dinner?” I asked. “I am not dressed for that.”

“Where do you think we’re going? To England to eat with the Queen? You look fine,” He said, waving a hand at me. “I’ll be right back. Peyton, if you need to go spray the stuff in your hair that makes my eyes burn when I stand next to you, please go do so now.”

Peyton rolled her eyes at him as he disappeared back into the room before she turned to look at me. “Does my hair look okay?”

I laughed, “It looks fine, Peyton.”

“Fine is not fantastic. I will be back.” She turned and headed off towards the bathrooms, leaving me to stand outside of the dressing room by myself.

I stood there awkwardly, watching as all of the coaches, trainers and equipment managers walked by, some of them shooting me a warm smile, most of them ignoring me. I eventually pulled out my cell phone and pretended to text on it so I didn’t have to make uncomfortable eye contact with every passing person.

“Awww, do you not do well on your own?”

I looked up, blushing slightly as I saw it was Matt Cooke standing in front me. “Well, I was juts feeling awkward.”

He laughed, “Understandable. Sid left you by yourself?”

“Peyton left me, actually. Sidney went to do interviews or something,” I corrected.

He nodded. “You know, you could have gone with him. You can just watch from the side.” I stared blankly at him and he laughed. “Come one, I’ll show you,” He said, heading off in the same direction Sidney had and checking behind him to make sure I was following.

The room was nothing like I had imagined. On TV, all you see is Sidney sitting a table with a microphone, the Penguins backdrop behind him, and you hear him answer the questions that you rarely manage to hear. In real life, the room is packed with reporters, TV cameras, microphones, cameras that are constantly sending off flashes, and newspaper journalists taking notes. I was getting stage freight from just standing at the side of the room, I couldn’t even think about being up there in front of them.

“Hanna!” Troy whisper yelled, earning my attention. He waved me over to where he and a lady stood, muttering something to one of the security guards that were eyeing me suspiciously. “This is Trina, my wife,” Troy introduced me.

I smiled, accepting the hand Trina held out to me and whispering a “nice to meet you” before I turned to look up at Sidney.

He was listening to one of reporters at the front of the room, too far away from me to hear the question. He had his head tilted to the side as he listened, a habit of his I had noticed back when he gave his first interview as part of the NHL. There was something about it that I had always found so adorable. He nodded once the question was asked and took a deep breath before answering.

“I think the key is always team work. We’ve got a lot of great players, all who could be going out and getting three or four goals a night if they wanted to, but that’s not what this team is about. We’re not here to be chauvinists, we’re here to win as a team and be there for each other, and everybody on the team knows that. And I think that’s why we have success. When one person scores a goal, we’re all celebrating. It’s a goal for all of us. That’s how I see it, and that’s how everyone here sees it. And that’s how it should be,” He explained, earning an approving nod from just about everyone in the entire room.

He answered another few questions, most of them just about how he thought Fleury’s goaltending was, before he thanked the room and headed off the stage, making his way over to where I was standing with his parents. He raised his eyebrows when he saw me. “You got tired of Tangers?”

“He left to go get the rest of the team, and then Peyton left to go fix her hair, and I was lonely, so Cooke lead me over here,” I explained. “You are a very charismatic guy, can I just tell you that?”

He let out an embarrassed laugh. “Yeah, I try sometimes.” He made a small face before he looked back at me, “Does Peyton know where you are?”

I widened my eyes. “No.”

He laughed, “We should head back. Mom, dad, I’ll talk to you guys later,” He said, leaning over to kiss his mom on the cheek, making me aww at him.

“I’m sorry if that was boring for you,” Sidney apologized as we made out way out of the room and down towards the change rooms again.

“No, it was actually really cool. I’ve always wondered it’s like in there. I don’t know how you can just be fine with that, either. If I even think about being up on that platform, I would probably pass out.”

Sidney laughed, “It was pretty scary at first. Now it’s just like a part of my daily routine.”

I nodded, crossing my arms as we walked. “You’re probably the smartest person when it comes to forming an answer. I’ve never heard you say anything that could be taken as arrogance, and I’m always impressed with you. I think it’s really obvious that this is what you were meant to do.”

Sidney didn’t say anything for a moment. He just looked at me as we stopped a few feet away from where some of the team was now standing in the hall. He eventually nodded, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he placed a hand on my shoulder, giving my arm a tiny squeeze before he let his hand fall away and moved past a few people to head back into the change room to grab his stuff.

I stood up on my toes to search for Peyton, my eyes landing on the smirking face of Marc-Andre Fleury. He held up his hands, forming a heart once more before he laughed. I pretended not to notice.