Meanwhile in Chicago...

There is nothing like a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked and a marathon of Ro-Com movies to help a girl’s depressed mood. Then again, not everyone has had the week I have. I lost my best friend over some stupid hockey player.

I settled down on my couch in my suite in my comfiest pair of sweats, a Penguins tee, and my hair in a messy ponytail to start watching “He’s Just Not That Into You”. I only get 15 minutes into the movie and my phone rings.

P.Kane calling.

Definitely not answering that, I thought as I hit the ignore button.

I continue to watch my movie and chowing down on my ice cream as my phone continues to ring.

P. Kane calling.

I sighed and paused my movie to answer the phone.

“What do you want ass?”

“Katey… You need to come over here quick.”

I rolled my eyes. “Seriously Kaner? You that desperate for a quickie that you call me up? I’m sure you have several other bitches you can call.”

“This isn’t about me. It’s about Lizzie.”

I sat up straight. “What the fuck happened? What did you do to her? I swear to God Kane….”

“I didn’t do anything. Holy hell, whenever something happens why does everyone blame me?”

“Forget it. What happened to her Patrick?”

“Well, after you left, she came back cause she forgot her keys. We talked, then she left, when to Wrigleyville and drank about 21 shots.”

I cursed. “So it was your fucking fault. God. Where is she now?”

“In a cab with Brent on their way here.”

I rolled my eyes. “Perfect place for them to go.”

“Look Katey. I am telling you this cause you are her best friend….”

“Ex best friend as far as I know thank you.”

“Whatever. Anyways I figured you could help wake her up.”

“Brent let her pass out? Jesus Christ. Way to go idiots.”

“Look. I didn’t have to call you. So are you coming or not?”

I looked at my ice cream and movie. “Yeah give me 5.”

I hang up with Patrick and make my way down to catch a cab, wondering why I was even going to try to help when Lizzie probably wants nothing to do with me.

As soon as the cab pulls up in front of Trump Tower, I take a deep breath and rush upstairs.

I knock on the door, expecting to see Patrick, when Brent opens the door. He looks me up and down and finally smiles.

“So you must me the greedy bitch that doesn’t know when to say no?”

I narrow my eyes. “Whatever Lizzie told you while she was drinking is a lie. Now can I come in and check on my friend?”

He moves off to the side to allow me to enter. “Well, from what she told me tonight was that you two weren’t friends.”
I rolled my eyes. “Every friendship has their tiffs. This was just one of our many.”

He laughed. “Righttttt.”

I look around. “So where is she?”

“Kaner is taking care of her, don’t worry.”

I laughed. “Are you kidding? Kane taking care of her? All he does is hurt her. Is she at least awake?”

“Yes, relax, he won’t do anything to hurt her, well at least right now.”
“Look, I don’t know if you know this, but I am a nurse back in Pittsburgh, and well, since my friend seemed to have drank a bit too much, I would greatly appreciate it if I could go check on her.”
I go to walk into the bedroom and Brent grabs my arm. I turn and stare at him.

“Excuse me? Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“I am probably stopping you from making a mistake. Look, I don’t know you, but from what I can tell, Patrick cares for her, and she feels the same. Maybe just this once, they don’t need your help.”

I sighed and pulled my arm away. “Fine, but in about an hour or so. I really do need to check and make sure she is still breathing. Deal?”

Brent smiles. “Deal. In the meantime, you wanna play a game?”

I look at him questionably. “What type of game?”

Forty-five minutes later, we were in the middle of an intense game of 20 questions.
Brent laid on the couch. “Hmmm. Have you ever…. Got caught having sex by your parents?”

I laugh. “Yeah quite a few times.”

He sat up with an intrigued look in his eyes “Really?”

“Tsk tsk. One question at a time, you know the rules. Most embarrassing thing you own?”

“Ummm…. A teddy bear that I have had since I was born.”

“That’s not embarrassing Seabs.”

He shrugs. “Well, I’m a boring person I suppose.”

“Seems like it.”

Brent threw a pillow at me. “What sports figure would you fuck and why?”

I smiled. “Oh for sure Max Talbot.”

He rolled his eyes. “Good lord, why?”

I shrug. “Well, for one, he plays for my team, two, he is French Canadian, so I’m pretty sure he can just whisper sweet little French nothings in my ear and I would be jello, and three…”

He held up his hands. “Good lord that is enough for me. Next question.”
I looked down at the floor and picked at the carpet. “Why is it when both Lizzie and I are in the same room, does every one pick her over me?”

Brent was silence for a minute, then slid off the couch to sit in front of me.

“I’d pick you over her anyday.”

I laugh and roll my eyes. “Good one Seabs, nice try at trying to make me feel better.”

“I’m serious Katey. I would pick you.”

I look up at him and tilt my head. “Why?”

He thought for a minute. “Because you seem to put everyone before yourself, which means you care. You come about eight hours from home to fix a mess that you got your best friend in. You are a sincere person. You don’t take shit from anyone, and you seem to be a spitfire when it comes to dealing with guys. Also, you look damn good in sweats, so I’m pretty sure you look good in anything.”
I sighed and ran my hand through my ponytail. “Should have seen me earlier.”

“Yeah from what I gathered from Lizzie, you showed up here ‘trying to look fierce’ in your H&M dress?”

My eyes went wide. “Hey! I love that dress! She helped me pick it out a couple months back! And I was getting looks from every guy from here to my hotel. So I would say I was looking pretty hot.”

He chuckled. “I sure you did. But in all seriousness, you are probably one of the most real girls I have met in probably forever.”

“Thanks, I think? I mean, you and any other hockey player can get any girl in this city you want, and you are sitting here playing 20 questions with me.”

He put a hand on my face and brought his face closer to mine. “Maybe some of us are looking for something more than just a good fuck.”

Right before I thought he was going to kiss me, I heard my phone alarm go off.
“It’s time to check on my little drunk.”

As I get up off the floor and walk towards the bedroom, I could have sworn I heard him mumble ‘Fuck’.

I enter Patrick’s bedroom quietly and saw him and Lizzie on his bed snuggling, asleep. I contemplating even going and checking on her.

Maybe Brent was right, maybe Patrick can take care of her.

I sighed and made my way over to the side Lizzie was on, checked her breathing and her pulse, making sure not to wake her.

On my way back out of the room, I looked back at the bed and realized that maybe, possibly, these two should make their own mistakes. They would end up together somehow.

I walk back out to the living room to see Brent back sitting on the couch flipping through the channels.
I shuffled my feet. “Well, she seems to be doing okay. So I am going to go ahead and head back to my hotel.”

Brent looked over at me. “Why don’t you just stay? You can sleep on the couch, I can take the floor.”
I looked back towards the bedroom. “I don’t know if that would be such a good idea. I mean, I’m pretty sure Lizzie won’t want to see me in the morning.”

Brent stood up and walked over “I’m pretty sure it would be good for her to see you when she wakes up.”

I thought for a minute. “Okay fine. But his couch is big enough for both of us to each take an end.”

He smiled. “You sure? I tend to kick in the middle of the night.”

I rolled my eyes. “God is that all? I was more worried about snoring. I kick too, so no worries.”

We walk back over to the couch and settle in, watching ‘The Hangover’.

I looked over at Brent halfway through and saw him sitting there asleep. I smiled, turned off the movie, and crawled over and used his chest as a pillow.

The only thought on my mind as I fall asleep was ‘Lord. I hope tomorrow doesn’t end up in a complete mess.”