Take Me Anywhere

"When the puck is flicked too far down the ice from the opposite end and passes the red line by the goalie of the opposite team, it's an icing call," Alice said, attempting in vain to teach her sister the rules of hockey on the car ride to the arena.

Mia was just barely listening. She wasn't that excited about the game. It was more of a chance to bond with Alice. Being on the road 200 days out of the year never left her much time to spend with her family.

"Are you listening, Mia?" Alice asked.

"Hm?"

"I have my answer," she huffed, shaking her head as she pulled the car into a space and set the gear into park. "Try not to say something to embarrass me. I get that you're mildly famous and all, but you're still in public and people like to listen in to what you say."

"Yes, Mother," Mia joked. The serious look on Alice's face made the grin disappear from hers. "You're really into this hockey business, aren't you?"

"I am Canadian," Alice said soberly. "This is my calling."

Mia's eyes shifted out the window and then back at her sister. "Um...I think maybe we should go in and find our seats."

Alice nodded, still looking her sister dead in the eyes. "I think you're right."

"You're fucking creepy when you do that, I hope you're aware," Mia muttered. "Let's go."

The duo stepped out of the car and marched, arm in arm, towards the arena. Mia, not knowing what kind of attire to wear to a hockey game, just wore an oversized Roots sweater and skinny jeans, while Alice sported a Penguins jersey with the number 11 on it.

"Who's number eleven?" Mia asked.

Alice brought the palm of her hand up to her forehead. "That's the kind of stuff that I warned you about. It's Jordan Staal, only my favourite player on the team and my one perpetual true love."

"You're studying psychology and believe in that junk?" Mia asked skeptically. "Wow, you're deep."

"I think you might be thinking of philosophy and all that junk," Alice corrected. "They're the skeptics. I am just full of emotions."

They eventually found their seats, close to the goalie of the Washington Capitals. A few people around them tapped Mia on the shoulder, asking her for an autograph or a photo. Mia was happy to comply, but at the same time, she wished that she could have one shred of privacy when she was just trying to hang out with her sister.

The game was a lot more fast-paced than she thought it would be, with people skating all over the place and smashing each other against the glass. Mia was surprised that there wasn't blood everywhere. She half expected there to be, especially since hockey sticks were flying up in every direction as well.

The Penguins and the Capitals were tied up at 1-1 at the end of the third period. The buzzer started counting down the last thirty seconds when number 87 on the Pittsburgh team suddenly got possession of the puck on a breakaway. He faked a shot to the left with the goalie and then took a real shot to the right, landing the puck in the upper left hand corner.

"No way!" Mia exclaimed, jumping up to her feet, cheering alongside the other loyal Penguins fans. "Who was that, Alice?"

"That was the team captain himself," Alice grinned. "None other than Sidney Crosby."

"Wow," Mia nodded, impressed. "He's good."

"There's a reason why he's the captain," she chuckled, nudging her sister as the teams shook hands. "Come on."

"Where are we going now?"

Alice wiggled her eyebrows. "I want to see if I can use your fame to meet the team. Let's head over to the locker room."

"You want to go there?" Mia demanded, crinkling her nose. "Aren't you...you know, afraid of the smell?"

"It can't smell worse than your tour bus," Alice challenged. "Touring with four boys for however many days on end without a shower...you're probably dirtier than they are. Now, come on."

Fifteen minutes later, Mia found herself standing in front of the Penguins' locker room, leaning against the cold brick wall as her sister bounced with glee.

The door opened and the Penguins' manager, Mario Lemieux, stepped out. "Can I help you, ladies?"

"You can help her," Mia said, pointing a finger to Alice. "She wants to meet the team. Would that be okay?"

Mario looked unsure, but then a lightbulb went off in his head. "You're Mia Masterson, aren't you?"

"You've actually heard of me?" she asked, baffled.

"Well, sure," he chuckled. "I've got teenagers in the house. They love your music. As a matter of fact, Lauren and Stephanie were at your concert last night. They're sixteen and fourteen...said they had a great time."

"Glad I could entertain them, then," she grinned. "So, is it okay if my sister Alice can meet the team?"

"Sure," Mario answered. "Go right on in."

Alice looked like her heart was about to stop. Grabbing Mia's wrist and giving it a tug, she hissed, "You are not just letting me go in alone. Come on." She tightened her grip and dragged her past the threshold into the locker room, where she was greeted by the eyes of twenty three confused hockey players.