I Can't Do It Alone

Tia sat in Mellon Arena, waiting on Brooklyn and Jocelyn to arrive for the game. It had been four days since Kris and Tia had had their first date, and Tia was still receiving daily letters from her secret admirer, saying pretty much the same thing as the last letter. Kris had begun to see Tia every day, making sure that she was okay.

Tia still hadn’t told Brooklyn or Jocelyn exactly what the letters were saying. She told them that she was still receiving them, but not the content of the letters themselves.

With two minutes before the pre-game skate started, Tia saw Jocelyn coming down the aisle towards her seat. “Hey, where’s Brooklyn?” Tia asked as Jocelyn took her seat.

“She’s sick, so she stayed at home tonight. She’s watching the game on tv, though,” Jocelyn replied.

“She’s sick?” Tia asked.

“Yeah, she’s throwing up right now. I’m guessing it’s the stomach flu or something,” Jocelyn said, not thinking anything of it, as the guys came out onto the ice. She watched as Kris made eye contact with Tia, giving her a smile. “Wow, your boyfriend actually cares that you’re here. As you can see, mine could care less,” Brooklyn joked.

“You know that Sid loves you,” Tia replied, laughing at her. After the guys had gone back in the tunnel, Tia turned around to look at Jocelyn. “So, you said that Brooklyn was throwing up?”

“Yeah,” Jocelyn said, nodding her head. “It’s probably just the stomach flu,” she repeated.

“Are you sure?” Tia asked, and Jocelyn turned to look at her. “I mean, she’s been getting sick an awful lot. I’m just wondering if…” she trailed off.

“If what?” Jocelyn asked, wondering what Tia was thinking. “If what?” she repeated when Tia didn’t reply.

“Could she be pregnant?” she asked as the guys returned back onto the ice.

Jocelyn spun her head around. “What?” she questioned. “Pregnant? No way!”

“Sorry, I was just wondering,” Tia said quietly.

“No, I’m sorry,” Jocelyn apologized. “It’s just, Brooklyn’s not that stupid. She’s always said she’s going to wait until she’s married until she has kids.”

“Are you sure there’s no possibility she’s pregnant?” Tia asked as the National Anthem began.

Jocelyn waited for the anthem to finish before turning to look at Tia. “Well, sure, there’s the possibility that Brooklyn’s pregnant. I mean I know her and Max aren’t exactly celibate, but there’s no way that she’s pregnant. She wouldn’t let it happen,” Jocelyn told her. “Now, can we talk about something else?”

“Sure,” Tia said, as the game began. “Um, how’s that job offer going?”

“I had an interview with them yesterday,” she said excitedly as Sid got the puck and pushed towards the net. He had one quick shot, and the puck sailed into the net. The entire arena erupted in cheers, including Tia and Jocelyn, both who bolted out of their seats, screaming. Sid looked up at Jocelyn, giving her a smile before he was bombarded by his teammates.

After the crowd settled down, Tia turned back around to look at Jocelyn. “So, what were you saying about the interview?” she asked. “How did it go?”

“Really well,” Jocelyn told her, her eyes following Sid as he jumped over the boards to begin his shift.

“How well?” Tia asked. “Like, do you think you’re going to get the job?”

Jocelyn nodded her head. “They offered me the job on the spot,” she confessed, not looking at Tia, afraid of her response.

“What?” Tia cried excitedly, causing everyone around them to stare at the two of them. “Sorry,” Tia said quietly. “What?” she repeated in a lower tone.

“They offered me the job,” Jocelyn told her.

“And?” Tia asked.

“And what?”

“Jocelyn!” Tia exclaimed. “Are you going to take it?”

“Well, they’re giving me two weeks to decide. And, at this point, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I mean, on the one hand, this is my dream job, and if it were two years ago, I would have given anything for this job. But, now I’m with Sid, and I don’t know what to do,” Jocelyn explained.

“Have you told Sid yet?” Tia asked.

Jocelyn shook her head. “Not yet,” she admitted. “But, I’m planning on telling him today. After the game, no matter what.”

“Even if they lose?” Tia asked jokingly.

“Yeah, even if they lose. I need to talk to him about it,” Jocelyn told her.

“Yeah, you do,” Tia agreed.

“So, how are you and Kris doing?” Jocelyn asked, changing subjects. Tia looked over at her and erupted into a fit of giggles. “What?” Jocelyn asked her.

“Nothing, it’s just that was kind of random, wasn’t it? I mean, one minute we’re talking about your job offer, and then all of a sudden, you’re asking me about me and Kris,” Jocelyn said between her laughs.

“Sorry,” Jocelyn said, laughing from Tia’s laughter. “I was just wondering how everything was between the two of you.”

“Everything’s good,” Tia told her with a sincere smile.

“And, are you still getting the letters?” Jocelyn asked as Montreal scored, tying the game up at one apiece. Tia slowly nodded her head. “Do they say the same thing?”

“Pretty much. Just, how they’re waiting to come forward, and stuff like that,” Tia told her, not telling her the whole truth.

“Well, hopefully, this all stops soon. I mean, it’s pretty creepy if you think about it.”

“You have no idea,” Tia muttered under her breath.

The two girls continued to watch the game. The Penguins were ahead by two going into the third period, but Montreal erased that with two quick goals, one minute apart. With two minutes left in the game, Montreal got another goal, giving them a four to three lead. Pittsburgh pulled their goalie, but to no avail, as the Canadiens won.

Tia looked over at Jocelyn. “So, are you still planning on telling Sid about the job?” she asked, assuming that Jocelyn would back out since the Penguins had lost.

“Yeah, I am,” Jocelyn told her with a nod of her head. “Right now.”