You Should've Come With A Warning

CH. 9

“Where the hell were you last night?” I had to answer my phone. Sid was wondering were I was, I was surprised he didn’t show up at my door.

“I didn’t know I had to come over every night.”

“You used to.”

“I got caught up, I was in bed all night,” which was true. “I was tired Sid. I have a life too. Just because you’re the star hockey god doesn’t mean I need to revolve my schedule around you guys.”

“Okay, okay. Geez. I’m sorry. You just didn’t let me or anyone else know so I wanted to make sure you were okay. Ya know, not sick or anything.”

“I’m fine. Sometimes I just need to rest…do something for myself. I don’t do that to you guys often.”

“I know. Have you talked to Jordan?”

I didn’t want to say anything. “Yeah, why?”

“He didn’t show up either, I don’t know where he is, I haven’t been able to get a hold of him.”

“Oh yeah? That’s weird…”

“Well….what’s his deal?”

“He’s coming tonight if that’s what you mean. I don’t know much else.”

“He has been kind of a dick to you lately so I’m a little surprised he would call you before one of us. He’s just got a stick up his ass lately.” Oh if he only knew…

“Yeah…maybe he’s going through something. You’re his friend, just be there for him.” I didn’t know what else to say. I hated lying to my friend, but I knew I couldn’t say anything yet. I loved Jordan and I wasn’t going to say a word without talking to him first, it just wasn’t time yet.

I could practically hear Sid scratching his head through the phone. “Yeah…whatever, you’re meeting all of us-your dates- at the party tonight? Don’t forget we’re going out afterwards-“

“Sid.”

“Yeah?”

“We’ve been over this, like, a million times,” I laughed with him, played with him like I usually did. “I know all you handsome hockey heroes will be waiting for me when I get there. I know we’re going out. You’ve got nothing to worry about.” I heard him laugh through the receiver. “Damn, and I thought I was paranoid,” I teased. “Okay Ann, you made your point,” the smile from his end was very recognizable. “We’ll see you tonight. I’ll hang with you so you don’t feel out of place…not like you would anyway. I missed you last night.”

My heart sunk when he said that. I didn’t want him to have feelings for me, I loved him- he was one of my best friends- but I wasn’t in love with him. He wasn’t the person I could actually see my future with, and I didn’t want to hurt him in any way.

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

I dressed very appropriately for the party. I usually kept to sexily classy little black dresses, and this event was no different. It was short, it showed off my legs, which was an asset of mine that I knew all the guys liked. It was definitely going to get Jordan’s blood racing and I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he saw me in it.

I obviously got there after all of my ‘dates’ had already arrived. I couldn’t go to their team party before they did. I walked in the room holding my clutch and looked around the room for my boys. My eyes finally met with the tall blonde who I was desperately in love with and I saw the look on his face, I could tell he was breathless. Sid was standing next to him and Kris wasn’t that far away. I don’t know what is was about this dress, but all of them were floored. I smiled and walked over to the guys, and I have to admit that they all looked insanely handsome in their suits, and greeted them each how I normally did. When Jordan and I put on our little charade, I could tell by the way he held me and the way he looked into my eyes that it was taking all his self control not to kiss me…it was taking me the same amount of discipline as well.

“Wow…” Kris grabbed my waist and kissed my cheek. Everything about mine and Kris’ relationship was platonic, it was fun and I never felt uncomfortable around him because I knew at the end of the day I couldn’t hurt him. I quickly glanced at Jordan from the corner of my eye and could see him swallow indicating he was tense. I didn’t know what to do to calm him at this point, it wasn’t that big of a deal really. It was us with the guys as it was every other night, and I’d been trying so hard to reassure him he had nothing to freak out about for days. When Sidney placed one hand on my cheek and the other slid around my waist I knew that was going to send Jord over the edge. “You look…wow,” Sid breathed out.

“Want to go to the bar with me?” Jord put his hand on Sid’s shoulder, which broke up our little moment.

“Uh, sure. I could go for a scotch or something. Anna?”

“Hmmm, I’m good for now. I want to eat first.”

“Sure?”

“Yeah, thanks though.”

I watched them walk over to the bar and felt two hands lightly position themselves on either side of my waist. “Something’s going on with you,” the hot breath of Kris’ whisper tickled my neck and my ear.

Startled, I turned to face him and I felt my cheeks turn red. “I…what…what are you talking about?” I tried to play it off but Kris was on to me.

He gave me a very deviant smile. “Sid might not know, but don’t think I’m fooled. Something’s up with you and Staal.”

My eyes widened in disbelief, “why-“

He immediately cut me off. “I don’t need to know exactly what’s going on, obviously you don’t want to tell me yet. But I know him very well, and I know he’s crazy in love with you...and I’ve gotten to know you pretty well and the way you’ve been acting-especially around each other- something’s up.”

I tried to say something, I really did, but I was so caught off guard by Kris calling me out that I couldn’t find the words. He never would have revealed such a secret like that unless he wasn’t positive I already knew.

“I won’t say a word. Don’t worry. You haven’t said anything so for all I know, I’m wrong.” He winked at me and I felt myself breathe.

“Mind if I steal her away from a slow one?” I heard Sid’s voice from behind me and felt his arm whip around my waist, quickly spinning me away from Kris and into him. He pulled me onto the dance floor and tightly wrapped his arm around my waist so that he could hold me close. I fluttered my eyes over to Jordan only to see him down a shot as he stood by Kris. I thought his eyes were going to burn directly through Sid but he was interrupted by some of the other guys.

“Having fun?”

“Of course I am! Are you? You should be, it’s your team’s event,” I giggled.

“Oh yeah, it’s nice, but all the stuffed shirts are here. I’m looking forward to when we get to be alone later.” I couldn’t tell if he meant all of us or me and him, specifically.

The rest of the formal dinner went awkwardly smooth. I interacted with everyone as I normally did, but every time I would politely dance with Sid, or even Kris, Jordan would freak and down shot after shot. He had to be pretty damn drunk by the time we left to go dancing…which was the part of the night I was dreading because I knew he wasn’t too thrilled about it. All bets would be off.

When we got to the club the guys immediately went to get more drinks, and I let them get me whatever they wanted. Sid dragged me onto the floor and once again Jordan downed drink after drink. He finally came to share the dance floor with me and I knew he was drunk. Not just drunk, but ridiculously, incoherently drunk.

“Having fun?” he slurred.

“Jord…” I began to lightly wipe my hand across his face, completely heart wrenched because I hated seeing him like this.

“No, no,” he shook his head as to shake my hand off his face. “I’m fine. We’re good.”

“No you aren’t baby, you need water and you need sleep.” We had agreed to sleep at our own places that night but I was worried he wasn’t going to be able to take care of himself. His words were barely sensible and he was slurring more and more with each word. This entire thing was killing him. I couldn’t stand it, I didn’t want to hurt him and I was hurting him by trying to act normal. Nothing was normal anymore. We weren’t just friends or ‘testing the waters’; we were in love with each other, his feelings should have been a higher priority to me than the guys.

“Oh baby,” I sighed. “I’m so sorry…”

“Nothing to be sorry about. You’re just trying to do the right thing,” he sloppily yelled.

I pulled at his hand and walked with him back to the rest of the guys. All of them were drunk, but Jordan surpassed them all.

“I think you guys have had about enough.”

All the hammered hockey gods unanimously yelled their disapproval of my suggestion at me. “Okay, okay.” I knew not to argue with drunken people, so I frustratingly tried to think of something else.

“Dance with me,” it wasn’t a request; it was a demand.

“Sid, I don’t know, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do right now.”

“Effin dance with me.”

I surrendered to his aggressive, drunken state. I didn’t want to and I didn’t enjoy it, I just wanted to go home, and I couldn’t stomach seeing Jordan keep drinking because he couldn’t deal with Sid touching me. After a few minutes I couldn’t see the guys anymore, I just counted the seconds until I could leave and when Sid was so intoxicated that I didn’t think he’d notice, I dragged him back to where we had left the other guys. They weren’t there anymore though, I couldn’t find them and they were nowhere to be seen. They had gone home and didn’t even realize that Sid wasn’t with them. Well, that was a little rough, but at least they came to their drunken senses that they were done and needed to get home.

I drove Sid home. He had ended up passing out on the way and I helped him get into the house and into his bed. There was no way he was going to have any recollection of this in the morning. It was a long ass night and I missed Jordan. I was actually worried about him because he was so hammered. I’d never seen anyone that drunk before but I knew their only option was a cab, so at least they didn’t drive home. They had their licenses on them and they were big boys, so until the morning when I could go tend to him, I would just have to relax. It wasn’t like they’d never been drunk before.

The next morning I woke up and made my way over to Jordan’s as quickly as I could. When I got there I found Kris, Marc-Andre and Evgeni holding their heads in agony. They must’ve crashed downstairs wherever they could find space. Jordan had to be in his room still. Their hangovers were going to be brutal today, and they still hadn’t noticed me. Finally Kris looked up at me.

“Hey,” it was such a pathetic greeting.

“Hey guys. You look awesome,” I sarcastically spat out. “Have fun last night?”

“I don’t really remember…anything,” Evgeni was searching his brain for any memory of the night.

“Where’s Jord?” I asked as innocent as I could.

“Oh!” A light went off in Marc-Andre’s head. “He left with that chick! I remember leaving and vaguely seeing a girl all over Jord. She was hot too from what I could remember,” he wasn’t necessarily speaking to me, but I felt my stomach churning the more he spoke.

“That’s right! At least someone got some last night,” Evgeni added.

My jaw fell open and I didn’t say a thing. Jordan cheated on me. After him freaking out and worrying about Sid doing something, he was the one to rip my heart out.

I looked at Kris, he knew I was begging him to recant what the other two had just said, but he couldn’t. He looked at me so apologetically that I didn’t think I would be able to contain my tears any longer. I just needed to leave. I didn’t want to hear anymore about it, I didn’t want to know if he was there or she was here with him, I just needed to go home and not come out from under the covers. When I turned around I saw a very disheveled Jordan standing between the exit and me.

His eyes were filled with hurt and guilt. He heard them tell me everything, and he knew he couldn’t make a scene in front of his friends. My eyes welled, I couldn’t even look at him. I tried to run passed him to the door but he followed me and grabbed my wrist.

“Wait, please Anna.”

“No!” I lost it; I couldn’t hold the tears anymore. “ What can you possibly say to fix this? We’re over! Don’t talk to me ever again. I trusted you, I fell for you, and this is how you treat me? Was it worth it Jord?” I screamed. “All the crap you fed me about how Sid can’t stay faithful to a girl and look how we turned out, look at who was the one to break my heart.” I shook my head, got in my car and sobbed all the way home.