Breaking the Rules, NHL Style

“Oh this is really cool.” I stopped to look at the display window, for like the billionth time on Jordan’s shopping trip, that I somehow got dragged into.

“Like that?” Jordan asked, behind me.

“Mhm, it’s pretty. I would wear that," I said, looking at the necklace, which was retro. Retro things seemed to be catching my eye lately.

“C'mon Tristan," Jordan said, pulling me through the door.

“Hi, I’d like to get that blue necklace that is on display in the window,” Jordan tol the lady at the counter.

"All right! I’ll be right back.” The women ran to the back room.

“Dude, Jordan what are you doing?” I asked him, he was leaning against the counter.

“Buying you that necklace, you said that you liked it, right?”

“Oh Jor, thanks so much!” I glomped him. “

AHH! Fuzz! C-can’t breath!” Jordan yelled in my ear.

“Oh! Whops! Sorry.” I grinned at the boy.

“I can’t let Evgeni get you the best gifts, now can I Tristan?” Jordan asked, grinning as well.

“Hey! It’s not like Evgeni and I are together, or anything. And besides, he’s not going to get me anything.” I told Jordan, pushing him a little.

“Suuure,” was the reply.

Evgeni and I aren’t together, which is kind of, just a little bit, is disappointing I hate not being with Evgeni. And it kills me that he might not like me like that.

It’s very possible. He could be flirting with girls when I’m not with him. Although, for some reason, I don’t think he is. My feelings go out of control every time I see him. We’ve shared one, one measly little kiss after Halloween, and in ten days, it’s going to be Christmas!

Good news? Our team’s doing well. We’ve lost eight, out of thirty games. This season, so far, I have nineteen points, I’m leading my team, but barley, Evgeni and Sidney are right behind me, tied at 18 point. I have 7 goals and 12 assists. No hat tricks, yet.

“Sorry, that took so long. Here’s the necklace, and I found a matching white bracelet. It comes cheeper as a set, if you’d like it,” the lady said.

“Oh sure! Thanks,” I said, about to take out my credit card when Jordan handed her his.

“Jordan! No! C'mon, let me buy it.”

“No, Tristan, I want you to have this.”

I looked up to him and shook my head.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks!” I grabbed the bag and we continued on our way.

“Jordan, thanks soooo much! You’re awesome," I told him giving my big teddy bear a hug.

“No problem, but you promise you’ll wear that to the Penguins party on friday?” Jordan asked, looking down at me.

“Oh, crap! I totally forgot about that, can we go look at some dresses, real quick? My Christmas shopping is complete!”

“Sure, but what about my present?” Jordan asked, smirking at me.

“Jordy! I already got you your present like two months ago! See, I plan ahead for my favy’s.”

“I’m your favy?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

“Oh Mr. Staal, you know it!”

“Haha, thanks! Now onward to that-one-dress-place! I gotta pick up TJ’s necklace anyway.”

“Ooh! TJ and Jordy kissing in a tree!” I laughed and he pushed me a little.

“So what necklace did you decide on?” I asked, looking at a group of teenage boys, who were pointing at us, Jordan waved and we continued walking.

“I really liked the one I showed you in the magazine last month.”

“Oh, the one that has diamonds on it?”

“Yeah! That one. I thought I should customize it. So on the back it says, TJ, I love you so much, Jordan. Well that’s all that would fit.”

“Ooh! That’s soooo sweet! Jordan, you have to be the best boyfriend ever! Seriously, all the guys need to get tips from you.”

This threw the two of us into a laughing fit.

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“Jordan. What about this one?” I walked out of the dressing room. I was wearing a really cute white retro halter top, with blue (the same color of my necklace) polka dots.

“Yes! That is so you!”

“Really?”

“Yes. I think you look adorable.”

“But what shoes should I wear with it?” I asked, spinning around in the mirror.

“Well, lets think about that.... Hmm.... I’m a guy! I don’t think about that kind of stuff!” Jordan reminded me, pushing my hair over my face.

"All right, all right. I’ll come up with something. Let me change and we can go!”

[Penguins Christmas Party]

“Oh Tristan, you look nice.”

I looked over my shoulder to see Andre Savard.

“Thanks Andre! I’m going retro.”

“I see that. You’re pulling it off. By the end of the day, it will be back in style," he smiled at me.

I laughed, and thanked him.

The Penguins Christmas Party this year was in a very fancy hotel, in their big meeting room.

Today was the nineteenth, we had surprisingly a seven day break for Christmas.

We had a game today against the Phoenix Coyotes, which we won 4-3, in OT. Great game. So the next game we play was on the twenty seventh, in Chicago against the Blackhawks.

“Tristan, Andre. Hi.” Bugsy shook Andre’s hand.

“Sorry, but I need to borrow Tristan.” I was pulled by Bugsy out of the meeting room into a pretty good sized closet, where all the coats were hanging.

“Dude, Bugsy. What?” I asked, giving him a little hug, I had just gotten here, so I hadn’t seen him yet.

“C'mon, we, err, need to get out of here,” he said looking around, looking super nervous. He grabbed our coats off the rack.

“Bug, what’s going on? Why do we have to get out of here? We haven’t even had dinner yet.”

“Tristan!” he put his hands on my shoulder. “Just trust me. We gotta leave, now.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “No, I don’t wanna go.” I broke from his grip and walked out of the closet.

“Oh, Tristan, there you are! Two gentlemen are looking for you," Ray Shero took my hand, dragging me across the room.

“No! Ray, no!” I looked over my shoulder to see Sidney and Bugsy running at me.

“What is their problem?”

“Here we go.”

We were now in a hallway. Ray pointed to two men in a chair.

“Oh my god,” I whispered, I pulled away from Ray and started running back to the room.

“Tristan!” I heard footsteps behind me.

“Tristan.” Bugsy and Sidney were at the doorway. “Hurry.” I grabbed their hands and they pulled me under a table.

“Smooth,” I whispered, and Sidney kicked me lightly, a sign to shut up.

“Crosby, where’s Tristan?” I shook at the voice.

Damnit, why are they here? How’d they get in?

“I don’t know.”

“She left,” Bugsy and Sidney said, lying through their teeth. Which almost made me want to laugh, because the two of them were such bad liars.

“Is that why she’s under the table?” the boy pulled up the table cloth.

“Oh hey! There’s my contact!” I looked down at the ground, pretending to garb something, then got out from under the table, standing up.

“Um, Tristan, you don’t wear glasses or contacts.”

I turned to face Connor, yeah I said that right Connor Carter, and my brother Bryce were right in front of me.

“Ah, yeah, anyways, I better be going.” I started whistling and walked away, but of course, someone stopped me.

“Tristan, please just talk with us. We only need a minute,” Bryce was holding my wrist.

“Why should I?”

“Tristan, please.”

I looked up to see Connor’s pleading eyes, making a weird sensation erupt in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t understand what it was. And then I felt like I was flying, staring into Connor’s eyes, as he stared back at me. Everyone was silent, not moving.

I sighed heavily, "After dinner.”

I broke from Bryce’s grip, followed by Sidney and Bugsy.

“We’ll be waiting outside,” Bryce called.

“All right, dinner is about ready to be served!” Ray said excitedly and I made my way to Evgeni and Max. Bugsy and Sidney right behind me. I sat down in-between Max and Evgeni.

“Hi Tristy,” Max said giving me a hug.

“Hey,” I said, looking over to see that Bryce and Connor were gone. My stomach dropped.

Urgh! How did they get in here. And what are those two planning. I’m afraid it’s not going to be good. And why is Bryce living with Kat? I just don’t get it. Why are they in Pittsburgh, why are they after me? After all these years, couldn’t they just give up? Leave me alone?

And why did Connor and Bryce but season tickets? Right against the glass across from me? Because now at every game I have to see their faces!

Did Connor really mean what he said in California, all those months ago? Is he still in love with me? Why do I feel like this, so guilty? I don’t like Connor- I can’t! But those feelings, all swarming back to me-

“Tristan!” I looked up, seeing all of my teammates, with worried expressions on their faces.

“Huh?” I asked, dumbly, looking to Evgeni, seeing all the concern in his eyes. Making me want to break down and cry.

“F-food,” Kris whispered, stumbling over his words. I looked down to my plate, full of food, untouched.

“Oh...” I picked up my fork and hearts, and lines in the mash potatoes.

“Hey. Are you okay?” a hand touched my back, and I tensed, flinching.

“Babe?” I looked over to Evgeni.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, leaning over and putting my head in his chest. Normally this would never happen in public, or around the team. But something, something today, made me need Evgeni more than any other day. Like he was the only one that could comfort me.

“Tristan, what’s the matter?” he whispered into my hair.

“I don’t know,” I mumbled, trying not to let tears spill from my eyes. Connor flashed across my mind, and butterflies erupted in my stomach. I wanted to stab, and make them disappear. They didn’t belong there, they didn’t.

“Hey, hey now. It’s okay, try and eat your food,” Evgeni said stroking my hair. I shook my head no. “Please Trist. For me?” he asked, and I looked up.

“Okay Ev, for you.”

He shot me a smile. I sat back in my chair, looking down at my food once more.

“Hey Fuzz?” I looked up, Sidney was smiling back at me.

“I love you,” he announced across the table. I nodded, smiling as well.

“Love you too Sid.”

“Fuzz-Ball, we love you!” Max said, stroking my hair.

“Yeah!” the boys cheered. Making me feel good to be here with them, just knowing them.

“I love you guys more than anything,” I smiled, taking a bite of my food.

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I looked at the clock, it was close to eleven, and I was sitting, listening to people talk. A head fell on my shoulder.

“Ouch.” I looked over to see the conked out Sidney resting his head on my shoulder.

“Crosby!” I hissed at the boy. Oh hell no!

Ray was going on and on about random stuff that I wasn’t listening to, I’m sure no one was.

“Crosby!” I grunted a second time, but to no avail. He was out cold. Laughing met my ears and I turned to see Evgeni chuckling at me. “Get this fat lard off of me!” I sneered at him.

“Okay, but you have to do something for me.”

Evgeni smirked, making Kris, who was sitting behind us whisper in my ear, “the chicken dance. On stage.”

I froze. “What? No!”

“Yes,” Evgeni said pulling Sidney off of me. My eye twitched.

“You two are soooo dead!” I squealed as Kris scooped me up in his arms and brought me on stage. Kris grabbed the mic form Ray.

“This is Tristan Davis, she wants to do the chicken dance, for our entertainment!” Kris shouted into the mic.

“No-”

“GO!” he yelled cutting me off.

The music started playing and I started to do the moves. Laughter erupted in the room. I looked over to see Sidney, Kris and Evgeni high-fiving.

Ohmygod! They planned this!

The song ended and I jumped off the stage and out of the room. Laughing the whole way.

“Oh, man, retards," I whispered walking down the hall, heading to the bathroom. Someone grabbed my wrist and I was pulled into a room.

“Hey! What the- oh, you,” I said, trying to sound disgusted. But it wasn’t working. I was face to face with Connor, making me feel like I was being torn apart.

“Hello,” he said sweetly, leaning in and brushing a piece of my hair behind my ear. I mentally swooned, but quickly shook out of it. After all this was Connor, Connor Carter, my worst enemy, my first love... No Enemy Tristan! Enemy, stick with it!

“I’m glad you came,” Connor replied, pushing the door so it was only cracked open slightly.

“I didn’t come, you pulled me into this room.”

I looked around, the room was pretty nice.

“Are you staying here?”

“Yeah, for the night, Bryce and I needed to get away from Kat for awhile,” Connor said, leaning against the wall. I wonder how they got the money for this.

“Hm, cool. So what did you need to talk about. Where’s Bryce?”

“He went to get something to eat.”

“Okay, and what do you need to talk about?” I asked getting a little bit impatient.

“This.” I heard footsteps down the hall and hear familiar voices.

Connor leaned in, and without my knowledge, opened the door. His lips crashed down on mine, and for a second I felt great, a rush of adrenaline filling my body. I let him kiss me, without moving, I didn’t dare kiss back. And then all of a sudden I felt sick, like I was going to puke.

“Get off of me Connor!” I said pushing him off of me, making him hit his back on the wall.

“Why don’t you love me anymore! I don’t understand!” he screamed in my face.

“Connor.”

“Or is it you’re in love with someone else? Are you knocked up?!” he asked, fuming, which always made him say stuff he didn’t mean.

“Shut up! You’re such a jerk!” I cried, trying to walk out of the room, but he grabbed my wrist.

“LET GO!” I turned around yelling at him.

“WHO?!” he asked, getting angrier by the minute.

“Connor, get off of me.” I broke from his grip and started walking down the hall.

“Tristan!” he called after me.

Tell him.

“Tristan!”

I turned around.

“I’m in love with Evgeni Malkin, okay!” I yelled down the hall, it was filled with my teammates, all of them deathly quite.

I turned around running down the hall, down the stairs, getting in my car. I jumped in, locking the doors, smiling to myself. I turned on the music, which was, Shake It by Metro Station, I turned it as loud as it would go.

“I’m in love with Evgeni Malkin!” I yelled as loud as I could over the music.

There was a tap at my window, and a smile greeted my eyes. I opened the door.

“You forgot you’re coat,” Evgeni said, smiling at me, making me wonder if he heard what I had said.

“Thanks.”

All of a sudden, want filled my body, and I knew he was the one, the only one for me.

I pushed him against my car.

“Tristan?” he asked, shocked.

“Thanks for being there for me Evgeni,” I said softly, my lips crashing down on his. He pulled me closer to him, deepening the kiss. We pulled away at the same time, looking into each others eyes.

“Thanks for being there for me,” he whispered back.

I smiled, and this time, his lips met mine, turning around and pushing me against the car.