Shooting Stars

“Team, you all remember Sophie. This is Jackie, her cousin. Jackie, this is the team,” Toews introduced my best friend. I laughed and sat between Sharpie and Jake Dowell.
“Jake, how’s your face?” I asked him like I had known him forever. I mean, I’ve only known them since last night, but I feel like family already.
“It hurts. I had ice on it all day, on and off!” he groaned.
“Poor baby,” I replied with a light tap to the arm. I leaned across the table to talk to Mr. Bryan Bickell. “So, Bicky, where was that goal I wanted last night? You too, Mr. Skille?!”
“Bicky, I like that,” Jack said, mocking Bryan.
“I like it too,” he replied. Jack’s smug look was wiped off quickly.
“And the goals?”
“I couldn’t outsmart the stupid goalie,” Jack said, referring to his penalty shot.
“You almost had it; one step further would’ve gotten it for you.”
“You play hockey?” Bryan asked me.
“Just watch, I don’t play.”
“We should get you on the ice while you are here.”
“I don’t have skates.”
“What size are you? We probably have a spare,” Sharpie said, joining our conversation.
“Size 8, women’s sizing.”
“I’ll check when we have practice in the morning. What time are you heading out?”
“We have to leave my twelve; my dad has to be back for work at one.”
We ordered our food shortly after and ate with small conversations going on at each end of the table and the middle. I mostly talked with Jack Skille, Bryan, and the Patrick’s.
“You ready to go, Sophie?” Sharpie asked as I saw Jon help Jacks with her coat. I nodded and he helped me into my pea coat. I buttoned it up, since Chicago was cold in the winter, and the four of us headed back to the hotel. I guess some of the guys were meeting us there. We were going to go to the pool, after hours of course. Patrick and I got the permission to use the pool from the night manager and the rest of us got changed into our suits. By the time I was changed into my bikini, the guys were splashing in the water. I laughed and cannon balled into the pool. I managed to splash just about everyone. I resurfaced and Patrick Kane splashed me in the face. That ended up getting everyone into a splash fight, which is when Jacks and Jon showed up in the pool room. The guys and I looked at each other, I checked for her cell phone, which wasn’t in sight, and nodded. We all splashed them both. Jon jumped into the pool and attacked his best friends while Jacks gave me a dirty look.
We splashed around for a little while more before the guys called it a night since they had seven am practice. I said goodbyes to everyone and headed upstairs, leaving Jacks and Jon to go up separately because I knew they were majorly flirting. I was hoping he’d ask her out. I hit the elevator button and waved goodbye to the last of the team. I got into the empty elevator and it was about to shut when an older man entered, a hoodie drawn around his face, so I couldn’t tell what color hair or eyes he had. He hit his floor number and when it got to his floor, he waited for the doors to open before turning around and grabbing me. He ran with me over his shoulder to the stairs down the hall from the elevator. I screamed, but he managed to muffle it somehow. He kept running and eventually, he ran with me down the stairs. He stopped to check the hallways of the lobby floor before taking me out a backdoor to an alley. I was instantly cold being in only my towel and bikini. I was thrown into a back seat of a car of some sort and locked in. Another person’s hand came over my mouth and I felt a pinch on my neck. The next minute I was in a black daze.