The District Lights

Patrick Kane glared angrily at his team mate and good friend Jonathan Toews as he drove to the UC, strumming the steering wheel. He was angry that he was being dragged to another one of Jonathan's ideas and partly mad at his girlfriend, Calla, for suggesting this idea and encouraging it.

"Can you stop being a bitch already? I don't understand why you're being so prissy, this is for the community."

Patrick crossed his arms over his chest and grunted. "You can do whatever you want to help the community, but I, for one, have better things to do than baby-sit retarded children," he spat angrily.

Jon glared at Patrick. "What the hell is wrong with you? They aren't retarded, they're special needs kids," he defended the children.

"Are you fucking kidding me? One of them is already twenty-four, I'm pretty sure that's not a child anymore."

Rolling his eyes, Jon parked the car in the back parking lot of the UC. "I don't know what made you such a jackass, but you better act nice or it's your head limo boy," he said using the newly minted nickname Patrick was given in the locker room after the whole Vancouver limo incident.

Grudgingly, the curly blonde haired hockey player got out of the car and walked slowly as he could into the UC. Jon had a bright smile on his face when he saw Calla waiting in front of the United Center, he quickened his pace.

"Hey," he greeted her with a chaste kiss on the lips. "What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't come," he wondered and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I managed to get an earlier appointment with the doctor," she mumbled and looked over to Patrick. "Hey Patrick," she greeted him and smiled happily.

Patrick grunted and walked passed them. "Hey, Soo-Yun," he said, not even bothering to look at the sickeningly sweet couple.

Calla furrowed her eyebrows and looked at her boyfriend questioningly. "What's gotten into him?" she asked softly.

Jon just shook his head and took Calla's hand leading them into the United Center where they were greeted by excited gasps from little children. "Hey guys!" Jon greeted the excited kids and nudged Patrick when he didn't say anything.

If there was one thing Patrick Kane was good at, aside from hockey, that was acting. He could easily hide his emotions and put on a mask as easily as a snap of his fingers. Patrick smiled excitedly at the children and scoped the room, his eyes landed on a familiar brunette who chose to stand at the back of the crowed.

His eyes widened. It was the same girl that cleaned his apartment. She looked like she had a permanent scowl on her face as she glared at the mothers who were currently fawning over him and Jonathan, her arms crossed against her chest.

"Hey guys!" Patrick said happily and began to sign various things that the children shoved at his face. Every once and a while he would look up to see Nina still in the same position.

Nina watched, a scowl gracing her face, as the mothers and daughters fawned over the two jockstraps known as the Chicago Blackhawks. She recognized them last week when she was cleaning Patrick Kane's apartment. She guessed that the Asian girl the brunette was holding onto was his girlfriend that Patrick had mention as 'Soo-Yun' or 'Calla'. She was pretty but looked extremely delicate. The girl didn't fit the type to be dating an athlete, especially an athlete of one of the most brutal sports.

She continued to watch as Sara Carver's daughter, Janine Carver, glare at the pretty Asian girl and continued to push her way through the special needs kids in her group. 'Aren't they the reason jockstraps were here?' she thought angrily. Nina knew that this was a stupid idea, the mothers only agreed to let Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane sponsor their groups for their benefit and not their special needs children.

Calla let go of Jon's hand and told him that she just needed some fresh air because she was uncomfortable being surrounded by people when he flashed her a questioning look. He nodded and allowed her to move to the side, where he was soon engulfed with more people the moment she left his side.

As she was pushed to the end of the small crowd, Calla noticed a lone girl, who was not much older than her, standing. "You don't seem so excited to meet them," Calla commented, trying to start a conversation.

Nina shrugged. "I'm not really a fan. Besides, I don't fancy acting like some lovesick puppy," she tried to respond as politely as she could. "I'm only here for my brother," Nina said and motioned to where her brother was trying to get Patrick Kane's autograph.

Calla nodded her head and tiled it to the side. She wondered why this girl was the only one not rushing to meet the two Blackhawks superstars. In fact, she acted like she hated where she was, like it was the last place she wanted to be.

*

Patrick and Jonathan led the children and parents to one of the private boxes where they held there charity event. Jon talked about why they chose this particular support group to help out and what they had planned for the support group.

Nina had a small smile on her face as she watched her brother enjoy himself as he got to meet some of his heroes. She knew about the Blackhawks, but only through her brother, and how much of a fan Jack was of them. Their father would often take him to some of the games when their mother and father were alive.

Jack was busy blabbing to Patrick Kane about how much he enjoyed their game against the St. Louis Blues two days ago. Patrick resisted the urge to roll his eyes as a bunch of other children chatted his ears off about random things at the same time.

Feeling a vibration against her thigh, Nina took out her cell phone from her bag and quickly answered her phone knowing that it was her boyfriend Alex. "Hello?"

"Nina, are you there?" he asked, his voice sounding strained and tired.

'He must have just gotten back from his shift at work,' Nina thought as she looked at the clock behind Patrick Kane. Alex part timed as a bartender to help pay for his schooling in UChicago and often had to work late, sometimes not even getting back until the morning. "Hey, Alex how was work?" she asked.

"It was fine. Listen, can we talk?"

Nina nodded even though Alex couldn't hear her. "Yeah, let me just step outside. It's a little loud," she said and shuffled around. She looked back to her brother, her eyes lingering on him for a moment deciding on whether he was going to be fine for awhile or not. Seeing that he was enjoying himself too much to even notice that Nina would be gone, she stepped out of the room.