Chapter Three

Hello to everyone who is reading! Thanks for your feedback, it is greatly appreciated and helps me determine where the story is going to go! Unfortunately, classes started today for me so there won't be updates every day, but I'm going to do my best to keep the story alive!


April 16, 2006

Isn’t it crazy how fast time goes? The end of the season is only a couple of days away for the guys as they give everything that they have left in them to at least have a decent ending. Of course, that wouldn’t give the team a spot in the playoffs that they so badly strived to be in. It’s hard watching the team lose game after game with a win here and there, especially if you personally know most of the team. And hanging out with the guys after ..you better put on your armor cause you never know what kind of mood they’re going to be in when they walk out of the locker room.

It’s weird that at the end of every season, I reflect on what’s happened and how I’ve changed. I’d like to say that I’ve stayed the same, just grown a little. I’ve made friends and I’ve lost friends. Such is life. But I’d like to say that the friends I have on the team are ones that I absolutely must hold onto. I don’t know what it is, but I just get the feeling that I’m going to need these people more than ever in the future.

During the season, Veronique (or Vero) and me have become much closer, so close that I consider her one of my best friends. It wasn’t that we didn’t like each other before, it’s just that we never clicked until this season that we were crazy to not be friends. Getting closer to Vero meant getting closer to Marc who is quite the comedian. I always thought Marc was a little shy and quiet, but once you get to know him, it’s hard to get him to shut up. His impersonations had me breathing for air - whether it was a skit from Saturday Night Live or trying to be Ron Burgendy.

“Okay, how many times have we watched this movie? Stop quoting every single line, Marc!” Vero shouted as she slapped her boyfriend’s arm.
“‘I DON‘T KNOW WHAT WE‘RE YELLING ABOUT!’” Max quoted from the movie jokingly.

All of the guys laughed in response while the girls just rolled their eyes. Not that I’m saying I hate Anchorman, I think it’s hilarious. However, when half the team is quoting the movie the entire time, it kind of ruins the movie.

“‘I love carpet,’” Colby started.
“‘I love desk,’” Marc said.
“‘I love lamp!’” Sidney finished.
“And I’d love it if you’d shut up!” I replied as I tried to act annoyed.
“What? You don’t like hearing my angelic voice?” Sid joked.
“Do I ever?”
“Hey Bonnie and Clyde, both of you shut it,” Colby said as he threw a pillow at Sid. “The best part’s about to come on and I don‘t wanna hear you two bickering about who‘s prettier!”

I snickered as Sidney raised an eyebrow at me and lightly hit me with the pillow. Out of all of the people that I have become closer to on the team, I am the closest with Sid. I’m sure that our age helps since we’re only two years apart from each other, but we just naturally have fun with each other. We always pick on each other - such as when I watch the team practice, I always try to distract Sid by either waving my arms frantically with a goofy face behind the glass or by simply chanting, “Crosby sucks!” The first couple of times I did those things, he wasn’t very happy with me and claimed that this was his job I was fooling around with. However, he lightened up and stopped caring when in response, I sprayed my bottle of silly string on his back while he was waiting to take his turn in practice.

My phone went off, signaling that I had a new text message.

When are you going to talk to him?

It was from my best friend Kelly Lipa. I knew what she was talking about and I was trying to avoid the subject.

When I made the school musical in January, my character was matched with another guy who just happened to be very attractive. His name is Aaron Crowder. He is a sophomore who plays on the soccer team which makes him very muscular. He wasn’t cocky like any other jock in our high school and had a hell of a singing voice. I was nervous about something as simple as sitting on his lap during one of our duets, but he smiled at me warmly and said, “You’re not gonna hurt me, and I won’t hurt you. Trust me.”

And with those two words, I automatically developed a crush. I usually never developed feelings for a guy until I truly got to know him or until someone actually asked me out. However, Aaron had completely taken over my mind. We would constantly flirt back and forth in rehearsals which in return, rumors started flying through school about us not only dating on stage, but off stage as well. We would joke about it and laugh it off, but deep down inside, I really prayed that it could become a reality.

It seemed like it was becoming one. The last night of the show, we gave it our all on the last time that we sang our duet. Now, normally when the song ended, I would just sit on Aaron’s lap and rest my head on his shoulder (as our director told us to ..not that I was objecting). However, this last performance, as I rested my head on his shoulder, he turned his head and kissed me on the cheek. My eyes went wide as the lights on the stage dimmed. We had never rehearsed that. That had never been a part of the song before. What was he trying to say?

The only response I could return at the time was a giggle. But as soon as I got off stage, I started skipping towards the dressing room to change costumes for the next scene that I was supposed to appear in. Aaron and I never talked about what the whole ‘kiss on the cheek’ thing was about. We continued to hang out and he started coming over my house after school. When we were by ourselves one day, he reached for my hand and held it the entire time he was there as we watched a movie.

As much as I wanted to keep this to myself since Aaron and I had never actually discussed what we were, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Soon, my mother, Kelly, and Vero knew all about Aaron ..along with the rest of the team when Marc ’accidentally’ overheard one of our conversations and spread the news to the entire team. The guys immediately wanted to know who Aaron was, if he had a job, what his intentions were, etc.

“We’re not even officially dating yet. I don’t even know what we are! For all I know, we could just still be friends!”
“Seems like it’s heading that way though! He must be so dreamy!” Colby said with starry eyes.
I hit him, “Shut up! You’re just jealous that you can’t get Mel to think about you that way!”
“Ooh!” All of the guys in the locker room responded ..except for Sid. He just continued to stare down at his skates as he tied them to get ready for practice.
“Well, listen Rach. I’m glad for you and all, even though you could have had me,” Max said as he pointed at himself, “but I can’t say that on behalf of everyone in the locker room.”
The room suddenly became silent as everyone turned their heads towards the stall behind me. Sidney glared at Max as he finished tying his skates. He then grabbed his stick and a roll of tape and walked towards a more private area of the locker room where he was hidden.
“You’re an idiot. You know that, right?” Vero asked Max.
“What? What did I say?” Max said trying to act innocent as he shrugged it off and finished getting ready for practice.
“What was that all about?” I asked Vero. “Did Sid make a face behind my back or something?”
Vero chuckled, “No, you just missed an inside joke between him and Max. You wouldn’t understand. Let’s go sit in the stands so we can think of ways to throw the boys off of their game.”
I agreed, but as we walked out of the locker room, I couldn’t help but to look back only to find Sidney looking at me until he blushed and walked back towards his locker.

Was he mad about Aaron? Did he not like him or something?

“Are you gonna answer your phone or do you like the ringtone you picked out so much?”
I came back into focus as I looked at Sid as he held my phone in his hand. I looked at the screen to see who it was.

Well speak of the devil.

“Hello?”
“Hey, can you talk?” Aaron answered.
“Yeah, of course! Hold on,” I replied as I got off of the couch and tip-toed my way onto the Lemieux porch, but not without a couple of whistles and kissing sounds from the guys.
“Okay, sorry about that. Just hanging out with a couple of friends. What’s up?”
“Rach, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the rumors about us haven’t stopped even though the musical has.”
I rolled my eyes, “That’s just high school, Aaron. We just have to ignore it. Everyone will be gossiping about another person soon so don’t worry about it.”
Aaron sighed, “But I am worried about it. Because they’re not true.”
I froze. “..Yeah ..I guess they’re not ..I mean ..damn it, Aaron! What’s going on between us?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You should know. You flirt with me, you hold my hand, you kiss me on the cheek! What is all of this leading to?”
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. I wasn’t sure if he hung up, but I was about to.
“Rachel, you know I really care about you. Its just ..everyone’s watching us. I don’t like that. I wanted us to be private, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen.
“Who cares who’s watching?! None of that should matter!”
“You’re right. It shouldn’t matter. God, that’s what I love about you so much. You’re just so down-to-earth and you don’t deal with this high school drama bullshit.”
“So what’s the problem?” I asked as I closed my eyes and cringed, immediately regretting it.
“The problem ..is that I think I’m in love with someone else.”

I felt as if my heart hit the floor and was stomped on until it was completely dead. Well, that’s a way to win a girl.

“So I guess that settles it then. And to think I actually thought you were a nice guy, too.”
“Rachel, let me explain what -”
“No! You let me explain! Let me explain how you basically led me to believe that we were gonna be dating! Okay, you don’t show affection towards me and then put on the same exact show for another girl! It doesn’t work that way! I don’t care what grade you are in, you should still be mature enough to realize how to treat a girl! My one-year-old cousin treats me better than you do and he’s puked on me! So thanks for the game you had me play with you, but you lose,” I say as I shut my phone and toss it carelessly where it lands on the concrete porch with a loud thud.

As much as I was hurt by Aaron’s stupidity, I refused to shed a tear. He wasn’t worth it. No guy was. Why do I even bother? Men seem to always get their way with girls, and when they got what they wanted, they moved on to the next girl. I try so hard to remind myself that I’m still young and that I have plenty of time to find someone. But then I shudder in terror of always being the bridesmaid and never the bride. I didn’t want to be the last one in my group of friends to get married. But right now, I just don’t see how that’ll happen.

I continued to stare into the backyard when I heard the porch door open and shut behind me. I didn’t have to guess who it was as I felt his presence next to me. The smell of his cologne disrupted my train of thought, and I smiled.

My best friend.

“You missed all of the guys singing ‘Afternoon Delight.’”
I chuckled, “Did Colby hit the high notes this time?”
“He tried.”

We both laughed thinking about our friend trying to sing, but then we were silent again. I knew what he came out here for. He wanted to know what happened. To see if I was okay. Even though I tried to hide what I was feeling inside, Sidney knew better. He knew better than to believe the mask on my face.

I sighed, “I was basically a piece of clothing to him. He tried me on to see if I fit him well. And obviously, I didn’t so I’ve been tossed to the side and put on clearance.”
Sidney shook his head, “You’re worth a lot more than that. It’s his loss.”
He looked at me as I just sighed heavily, “Don’t let him get to you, Rach. There are plenty of guys that would do anything to have a chance with you.”
I rolled my eyes and turned to him, “Yeah, I’m sure there are. C’mon, Sid! No offense, but all that guys are after are girls with great bodies for a one night stand and girls who will do anything they want them to. I’m not like that. I refuse to give myself completely away to someone who just plans on passing me by in the end.”
“Not all guys are like that.”
“Oh, really? Well, I can’t wait until I’m proven wrong then because that in itself will be a miracle.”
“Do you think I’m like that?”

My eyes got wide as I looked at him. He had this look as if he was just insulted. Can’t say that I blame him - I basically just criticized the entire male population.

“..I don’t know. I’ve never seen you with a girl to know.”
“Well I’m not,” he said as he leaned against the railing. “What I look for in a girl is independence. But not so much that she can’t lean on me for help. I wanna be able to take care of someone and show her that the world’s not as bad as it seems.”
I smiled, “Well, whoever that girl is will be very lucky.”
Sidney looked out into the yard, “Hopefully ..if she ever figures out that I’m already here.”
“Well, if she hasn’t figured it out by now, then she’s either crazy or it’s just not the right time. You’re a great guy - she must have blinders on.”
He chuckled bitterly and turned to me, “You have no idea.”

We just looked at each other. Now, call me insane, but it can’t be that hard for Sidney Crosby to find a girl who equally wants him back. There’s girls across Pittsburgh who desperately try to find his house number on Google. There’s girls who wait for hours after a game just to catch a sight of him. Hell, he’s got people from Canada begging him to marry their daughter. Sure, he’s got to watch out for the gold diggers and other bimbos, but it can’t be that hard for him to find someone who could care less about the fame and the money.

Just as I was about to respond, my attention diverted towards the water that separated Sidney and me from where we were standing. I quickly stood back even further as I turned to see Ryan with a water gun in his hand.

“Would you care to explain yourself?” I asked annoyed.
Ryan laughed, “It got your attention, didn’t it? C’mon, the movie’s over and we’re about to play Apples to Apples!”
“We’ll be in there in a minute,” I said as I shooed him off into the house. “One of these days, I’m just gonna snap on him and it won’t be pretty.”
“You mean you haven’t done that yet?”
“Pretty damn close..”
“Well, let me know when that happens so I know when to yell at him for all of the bouncy balls falling out of my helmet when I went to put it on.”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that. I could see Sidney standing in the locker room pissed not only because there were bouncy balls hitting him in the head, but just at the mere fact that someone touched his stuff before a game. The boy’s superstitions were wacky, but they seemed to be working for him.

I looked at him sadly, “Do you have to go home this summer?”
He nodded, “As much as I wish I was here until June, I do miss my family and friends. I feel like I’m missing Taylor growing up so I’m really anxious to just go home and hang out with her again.”
“That’ll be nice. It’s always so weird when you guys go home for the summer. It seems as if there’s no one around, and I get bored easily.”
“So you’re saying that we’re not that bad to hang out with, eh?”
I grinned, “Nope, especially when I can make fun of you for your accent.”
He rolled his eyes, “It’s not that bad.”
“Say ‘about.’”
“About,” he said as I started to laugh.

He threw his hands up in frustration as I walked closer and threw my arms around him for a hug. Sidney seemed shocked and hesitant at first before he returned the hug.
“I’m gonna miss you,” I said as I squeezed him tighter. “Don’t change that much.”
“I won’t. Don’t forget about me - I’m just a call away even though I know you hate talking on the phone.”
“Okay,” I laughed as I let go of him and started to head inside. When I was about to close the door, I turned around to see that he wasn’t following me. I assumed that he was going to stay outside for a little longer.

“Hey Sid?”
He turned to look at me, “Yeah?”
I smiled, “I hope whoever she is figures it out soon.”
I shut the door and left Sidney alone on the porch.

“I hope so, too,” he whispered.

Chapter Two

“Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you..”

Everyone at the table was singing to me while I tried to pretend that I wasn’t there. I had told Ryan and Abby plenty of times in the car that if anyone even mentioned a hint to any of the servers in the restaurant that it was my birthday, I would make sure that their face would have a lovely conversation with the cake.

Apparently I’m not very threatening. Not even to keep Sidney Crosby away.

Granted, I thought for sure that he wasn’t going to show up after our meeting at the arena. I didn’t blame him if he didn’t come. I wouldn’t want to hang around someone I just met who already thought so low of me. Nevertheless, I secretly hoped that he had gotten over it and would still come so I could at least apologize to him for my not-so-friendly behavior. After I was certain that he wasn’t coming, Sidney walked into the restaurant towards our table. He apologized for being the last one to arrive due to the fact that he was still trying to find his way around Pittsburgh and all the ramps Downtown didn’t help his horrible sense of direction. As he sat down between Marc and Max, he just looked at me and smiled. I smiled back, hoping that maybe he would get the hint that I appreciated him being here.

“Make a wish and blow out the candles, chicka!” Abby said as she clapped her hands excitedly.

I stared at the sixteen candles in front of me. I wasn’t going to be ridiculous and pray that I got a car or to meet Justin Timberlake (although that would be amazing and I’d probably faint). What did I really want for myself? I looked around the table at all of the people who joined me for my birthday. At that moment, I felt really blessed to know that people cared about me.

I just want to be happy, I thought as I blew out the candles with clapping and cheering in the background.

Once all the cake was eaten, some of the guys went up to the bar to get a drink. Abby and I began talking at the table when I heard the chair next to me move. I turned to look as Sidney sat down next to me. Abby grinned, “If you’ll excuse me, I hear a strawberry margarita calling my name.”

Well this is awkward, I thought as we sat in silence until we were sure she couldn’t hear us.

Sidney then pulled out a small gift box from his jacket pocket and handed it to me, “Happy Birthday.”
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” I replied, shocked that he would. “You barely know me.”
“I also know that it’s rude to come empty handed to a birthday party as well. Just open it.”

I was nervous to open it. What was inside? It couldn’t possibly be jewelry, that’d be way out of line. And if it was, what do I say to the guy?

I finally unwrapped the gift and took the lid off of the box to find two different crystal-like key chains. One was simply my first initial ‘R’ while the other one was a rectangular photo frame.
“I..uh..thought you’d maybe like to make your set of keys not so boring when you begin driving,” Sidney said, nervous that I didn’t like the gift. “I know it’s kinda lame-”
“No, not at all,” I replied honestly. “I think they’re very thoughtful and cute! Picking out the picture is going to be a tough decision though. Thank you, these are really nice.”
Sidney smirked, “To be honest with you, I needed help from Nathalie to make sure I didn’t pick out anything too out of the ordinary.”
“Who?” I asked puzzled.
“Mario’s wife..”
“Oh, right! I forgot you were living with them. How’s that been going?”
He shrugged his shoulders, “So far, so good. It’s kinda weird staying there with their kids around the house, but they’re a nice family. I’ve never really felt unwelcome there, but I do miss my family a lot.”

As I watched him stare into space, I realized how hard the move must have been on him. Yeah, he was living his dream, but he also had to sacrifice many things as well. Not being able to see his family, his friends, going to college, and his privacy. All gone with a simple signature on a contract. I immediately began to feel more ashamed of how I had treated him this afternoon.

“I’m sorry about how I acted towards you today..it was completely uncalled for and you didn’t deserve that.”
Sidney looked back at me, a little shocked at first, but then grinned, “It’s okay. To be fair, I really did smell like dog sweat.”
I laughed with my head down, “Yeah, glad you clean up well.”
“So..you’re in high school..a junior, right?”
I nodded my head, “Yeah, I can’t wait to get out of that place.”
“Trust me, graduation was a memorable moment, but don’t wish it away so fast. I wish I could go back in time and do some of the normal things that I should have been doing in high school.”
I looked at him weird, “Like what? You played hockey. I imagine you were quite the jock.”
Sidney rolled his eyes, “Yeah, if you like everyone sucking up to you just because you’re breaking school records. I was bullied by some of my teammates just because I was beating them in points and getting all the attention. And then all of the girls tried to cling onto me like a hook. It was hard to tell who really wanted to be my friend. And then my hockey schedule made it nearly impossible to go to dances, football games, just being a teenager.”
“..Wow. I had no idea.”
“Eh, I got over it. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing than what I’m here for now so I’d like to think that I overcame all of my obstacles.”
I looked at him, “Sidney, how did you know that hockey was it? Y’know, was there ever a doubt in your mind that you weren’t supposed to?”
He shook his head, “Not really. I thought about going to college for a little..especially during the lockout, but I figured that I would just be playing hockey there anyways and that the dream would only get bigger and harder to reach for if I didn’t go for it now.”
“You’re so lucky. You had your life basically laid out for you when you were two years old. I can’t even decide on a career yet alone a college.”
“Well, what do you like to do?”
Sing, I thought. Write music, help out other people through music.
“I dance at a local studio ..but I really can’t see myself wearing a pair of tap shoes the rest of my life. I like to help others out a lot through my youth group. I like kids and have thought about teaching.”
He raised an eyebrow, “But there’s something else you’d rather be doing..”
I froze. How could he see right through me? I just met this guy and he already knows I’m holding something back. Damn it, am I that easy to read?
“Well..I..-”
“Rachel! I won, baby!” Max said as he put his arm around my shoulders.
“How many times must I tell you, Max? Don’t call me baby. And what did you win?” I asked annoyed.
“I beat Bugsy, Fleury, and Army on how many of those mints that they gave us after our meal I can fit in my mouth!”
“Good Lord,” I rolled my eyes. “Next time, you should challenge yourself to count to one hundred under water.”
Max pouted, “I thought you loved me!”
I smirked, “I like you when you’re quiet and the only time that happens is when you’re not around.”
Max walked over to Sidney, “You see what I have to deal with? Can’t even get the girl to go on a date with me.”
“Max, I’m just not interested in dating anyone right now,” I said, and couldn’t help but notice the disappointment on Sidney’s face. “But if you always need a date, you can just pick any girl outside waiting for you after a game.”
“I tried that once. Turns out the girl just wanted a ride home since she took a bus to the game.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as the rest of the crew came back. “You ready to go home?”

I nodded at Ryan as we all gathered our things and headed for the parking lot. I said goodbye to most of the crew and thanked them for the gifts and their company. Ryan and Abby began to load my presents in the car which left Sidney and me standing alone in the parking lot.
“I’m really happy that you came after all tonight. I was afraid I scared you away.”
Sidney chuckled, “Nah, I needed to get out of the house. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to try to get to know my teammates better along with other people as well..”
“..Yeah,” I fidgeted. “Listen, if you ever need someone to talk to ..and it doesn’t have to be a serious conversation. I know Pittsburgh pretty well living here my whole life. I could give you some tips and suggestions on where to go..”
“Yeah, I’d like that. Can I see your phone?”
I looked at him puzzled, “My phone?”
“Well, yeah, that’s usually a main resource to keep in contact with people,” he smirked.
Duh, ya big dummy, I thought. “Oh, right. I don’t know what I was thinking,” I replied as I handed my phone to him. He saved his number on my phone and then called himself.

Ryan honked the horn, “Hey, you two! Let’s speed it up a bit! Normally, I wouldn’t stop this, but Mr. Kenzington might take a baseball bat to my head if she’s not home on time!”
I groaned, “I swear, Ryan’s the big brother I never had.”
Sidney chuckled, “If only you were so lucky.”
We smiled at each other. This was weird. I couldn’t help but notice the nervousness I had whenever I was around a guy I liked. But I had just met Sidney. There’s absolutely no way I could have feelings for him and I never would. It just wasn’t going to happen. He’s the reason the NHL is slowly coming back to its popularity. I could never date someone with that much of a hype yet alone the schedule he has to live by.

Nope, that would never happen. But having a good guy friend could help with potential boyfriends in the future. He seemed to be like the type of guy that would honestly tell me what to watch out for in a guy. Potentially, he seemed like another big brother to me.
“So..I guess I’ll see you later,” I said as I held out my hand.
He smiled and accepted it, “Thanks. Glad to know I have another friend now. Let me know whenever you’re planning on another visit to the arena.”
“I will,” I promised.

We said our final goodbyes as we got into our cars that would drive us home. So my birthday wasn’t bad after all. It was actually fun. I enjoyed hanging out with everyone tonight. And surprisingly, I really enjoyed getting to know Sidney a little bit better. Maybe he’s not a stuck up hockey player after all.
“So,” Abby turned in her seat, “looks like you and Sidney were getting along real well.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t seem so cocky after all.”
“I told you,” Abby said. “Just give him a chance and you will see.”
“See what?” I asked.
“Oh, nothing at all,” she mused. “I can just tell that you guys are going to be great friends.”
“So, Rach,” Ryan said as he looked into the rearview mirror, “what do you say your best friend Ryan takes you to get your permit tomorrow?”
“Ugh,” I replied. I still didn’t look over the damn driver’s manual. What a great ending to my sixteenth birthday..studying on a Friday night. Great.