Chapter 11 (end of Part 1)

This is the last Chapter in Part 1. As you can assume, the new part will put our hero in a new city with a new team... So, let me know what you think of Part 1!! I want to hear from all you creepers!! :o) Part 2 will start in a few days... so keep an eye out!!

I'm asking for your help, I am going through hell
Afraid nothing can save me but the sound of your voice
You cut out all the noise

I don't understand the meaning of love, but I do not mind if I die trying.

How – Maroon5

Ch. 11

“Are you ever going to stop fidgeting?” James mumbled into the pillow as we lay, spooned together on my bed.

“I just can’t sleep,” I sighed.  “I’m sorry; I’ll at least stop moving so you can get your nap.”

“What’s wrong?”

Everything?  “I just have a ton of shit racing around in my brain.  You would have thought I’d be out like a light with the minimal amount of sleep I got last night, but I’m having the same problem I had last night, my brain just won’t shut up.”

“Things will be fine.  Everything will work out, stop worrying your pretty head and just relax Hanna,” he said soothingly while he began gently rubbing my arm to reiterate the “relax” part.

“How do you do it?” I asked, suddenly rolling over so I could look into his grey eyes.

“Do what?”

“Well you are kind of in a scoring slump as of late…doesn’t that bother you?  I mean I kind of liken that to me not having a job thing and failing my senior internship.”

He left out a small chuckle, tugging at me so that I was now lying on my side, facing him.  “I just deal with it I guess.  It’s hockey.  Slumps happen and I just don’t think of it in a negative way.  I’ll get over my slump once I put the puck in the back of the net.  That’s one of the things your cousin has ingrained into my thick skull.  It’s just like you shouldn’t think of this failed internship as a negative thing.  You got experience and you made some contacts in just the short time you were here.  Jimmy already said he was going to start making contacts and get in touch with your professor back at school to make sure you didn’t get an F.  Everything will be fine.”

“You should be one of those motivational speakers…” I teased, leaning in and kissing the tip of his nose.

“Funny because I’m fairly sure you told me I didn’t talk enough when we first met,” he poked at my stomach.

“Fine, then you can be my own personal motivational speaker since I found ways to make you talk,” I winked, sliding my hand down below the waistband of his boxers and firmly cupping his manhood.

I squeaked when he suddenly moved, pushing me backwards on the bed and forcing himself on top of me.  “You shouldn’t have done that,” he growled hotly in my ear.  “Now I have to motivate you into crying out my name…”

I couldn’t help but giggle while he began laying kisses along my jawline and then going pushing his tongue into my ear, knowing it would make me squeal and claw at him.

Sure, the scoring slump didn’t make me feel very good about things, but like I had told Hanna, I wasn’t going to let it get me down.  I had an extra hop in my step walking into the locker room for tonight’s game knowing that Hanna would be in the stands as my girlfriend and not as an intern for the team.

“How is Hanna taking everything?” Burish asked while we were taping our sticks for the game.

“She’s a little depressed, but that is to be expected.  When we leave for our roadtrip, she’s going to head back to Denver to get things squared away with her professor and find out what she needs to do to at graduate without her GPA completely bottoming out.  She’s hoping to maybe get another internship to prove herself, even though it’s already half-way through February,” I said evenly, trying not to let the thought of her possibly not being here everyday, bother me.

“So she’s leaving Dallas?” Adam asked, sounding as bummed as I felt talking about it.

“Big possibility.  Unless Jimmy pulls through with something in the area.”

“I’m going to miss her.  I still feel really bad about the whole Rachel ordeal.”

“I know, shit happens.”

“Thanks for not being mad at me, but I still owe Hanna, big time.  I’ll see if I can’t get with any of my connections…”

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that,” I smiled, wondering what kind of connections Adam had besides the phone numbers of strippers in each state.

The game ended up going to a shootout and despite my 4 shots on goal I still was a -1 on the boxscore.  However I wasn’t as down as I could have been every time I looked up into the stands and found Hanna’s smiling face.  Brad and I both waved to her at one point during warm-ups and instead of blushing and getting all shy, she bounced up and down and waved with big arms, laughing.  I definitely need that ball of energy in my life.

“You used my mix!” I yelled at Jimmy as he walked into the family room off the locker room.

“How much do you want for it?” he smiled, pulling me into a friendly hug.  “I’m thinking I enjoy this no team polo-shirt for you.  The fan girl look is so much better!” he exclaimed while taking a step back and giving me the once over.  I was wearing a black, fitted Stars shirt where the graphic conveniently stretched across my chest.

“Thanks Jimmy,” I rolled my eyes and smacked him in the shoulder.

“I have a couple things in motion for you, so no worries,” he smiled, squeezing my arm before walking into the locker room to do some post-game interviews.

I was talking with Loui Erikisson’s wife when some of the guys finally walked out of the locker room.

“Hanna Montana!” Otter yelled out boisterously.  “We’re heading out on the town tonight and you are coming along so we can get your all liquored up baby girl!”

I turned around and laughed.  “What, now that I no longer work for the team you all think you can get me involved in your antics?”

“Fuck yea,” he laughed throwing an arm around me, immediately forcing me to walk towards the exit as James came out of the locker room.

“Taking my girl, Otter?!”

“She’s all mine tonight!” Steve chirped back.  I played along by turning around and sending James a devilish wink.

“We’ll see about that!” Burish chimed in, pushing past James and throwing his arm over my other shoulder so that I was sandwiched between the two locker room goofballs.

The rest of the night was spent drinking and dancing Charlie’s Bar.  I couldn’t have asked for a better group of friends and to think I had only known them for a little over a month was slightly mind boggling.  I was just sad knowing that I my time with them was going to be shortened.

“You are quite the hit, Hanna Montana,” Brad observed as we danced together for one of the slow dances.  “The boys are going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss them, but I’m going to miss you the most,” I sighed, laying my head on his shoulder.

“I’m family, so you don’t have an excuse, you have to see me and stay in touch,” he grinned.

“This is true.”

“Besides, I’m sure you’ll be down to visit Nealer…”

“This totally bites.”

“You two will be fine, he’s head over heals for you and a very faithful guy.”

I nodded in agreement.  “Oh no, I totally agree, I would never question his devotion to me.”

“But you’re young, so take care of you first and then focus on everything else,” my cousin warned easily.  He knew all too well how things worked in the uncertainty of the hockey world and saw many failed relationships, including a few of his own.  “You have too bright of a future ahead of you to throw it all away.”

“I have to admit that I’ve been thinking of telling him that we should just take a break,” I said softly, a little surprised that the words came out of my mouth.

“Might be a good idea,” Brad seemed to agree reluctantly.  “I think he’ll take it a little rough, but I also think he’ll understand…at least just let things cool off and re-evaluate in the summer when you have a little better idea of where things are going.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” I paused and looked up into my cousin’s eyes.  “I love him, Brad.”

“I know you do.”

“I just don’t want to mess things up…”

“You’ll do the right thing,” he whispered encouragingly before squeezing me tightly in a hug as the song ended.

“I’m going to miss you, I’m so sorry I won’t be here to see you off to Denver,” I murmured into her soft hair as we stood together in her apartment for the last time.  My heart was breaking already and she wasn’t even out of my arms yet.  I wanted to tell her I loved her and I’m fairly sure it was on the tip of her tongue more than once our last night in bed together, but it was if both of us knew it wasn’t the right time to say the binding words.  I needed her in my life and I showed her that, but fate was one to play cruel hands, so time would either be our best friend or worst enemy.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to travel either here or somewhere else to see you play,” she sniffed, pressing her nose into my chest.

“As soon as you figure out what’s up, let me know and I’ll fly you wherever, even if it’s only for a day, I want to see you.”

“Call me when you get to Edmonton,” she said, pulling back and wiping the tears from her eyes in attempt to stay strong.  I poked at where her dimple normally formed when she smiled, smiling myself.

“What?” she asked, looking at me confused.

“Smile for me.”

Without even meaning to, she did as she asked, “What?” again.

I pushed my finger in the dimple that had formed on her left cheek.  “Right there.  I always love when you smile and this cute dimple forms.”

She pushed playfully away from me and laughed.  “Give me a break, Neal.”

“I’m serious,” I grabbed after her.  “You’re beautiful,” I said sincerely.  “And I’m going to miss the little things like that, so I figured I should tell you that.”

“You’re a hopeless romantic, Nealer.”

“And you have fallen for it, Richards,” I smirked before kissing her firmly.  I didn’t want it to end, so I wrapped my arms tightly around her, pinning her against me.  She didn’t fight. 

It would be the last time we kissed or even saw each other for almost a year.