Precaution

It was the same questions over and over again.

How far along are you?
Three weeks.

Why won’t you tell Sidney?
Because he hates me.

Are you sure about this?
No.

Marc and Lucy asked them over and over again, making sure that the concept of me being pregnant was fully cemented in their heads.

We turned the corner and Marc pulled the door open of the CEC, waving hello to the two security guards that were posted at the door that lead to the locker room hallway.

I stuck close to Lucy’s side, unsure of what I’ll face when I go in to see the guys. I had been avoiding them because they weren’t my friends first. They were Sidney’s friends, they were his teammates. I didn’t want to make it awkward or uncomfortable or put any unnecessary strain on the team. Marc looked at me before he entered the locker room, taking a moment to pat my shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Violet.” He said and pulled the doors open. Just as I was about to go in, Lucy grabbed me and pushed me up against a wall. “Chloe alert.” She whispered and I peered into the dressing room. There she was, all leggy and fabulous, chatting away with Kris. Kris didn’t look very interested, but I didn’t equate that to her. She was exciting and had a fun personality; I just figured he was trying to focus on the game. I smoothed my black tank top and adjusted the strands of my necklace then made sure my white skinny jeans were clear of stains before finally walking in.

The clicks of our heels were no longer audible as we stepped on the carpet, but the attention of the room shifted to us as we walked in. I gave them a quick wave and Jordan stood up and walked over to me, embracing me in a big hug.

“Where have you been? We’ve all missed you.” He said, pulling away. I didn’t bother to look at Sidney, my focus was one hundred percent on Jordan.

“Working. 120 hour weeks are killing me.” I said with a grin and he shook his head.

“Well stop it. Stop working and come to all our games. You can just be a groupie. You can be my groupie!” He said and I laughed.

“What kind of girl do you take me for, Staal? I have standards.” I replied, waving him off jokingly. I noticed that Chloe had approached us and my stomach flipped. She was trying to befriend the dirty ex-mistress. Her sweetness just made me feel infinitely more guilty.

“Holy hell, look at that ring.” She said, grabbing my hand. It caused the dressing room to go mute while Kris and Max pulled into the conversation to look at what she was talking about. As my eyes flickered to catch Jordan’s expression, I caught Sidney’s face in the distance and he looked pissed.

Good, I thought. Not so fun when you’re on the other end, is it?

“Whoa, that thing is massive.” Kris said with a smile, his dark eyes watching me with a secretive intensity. He was incredibly intuitive and it pissed me off sometimes, the way he seemed to pick up on all my insecurities and fears in a single glance.

“When did you get engaged, girl? And to who?” Chloe asked, saying the last part with the air of a confidant. I took a deep breath, trying to slow down the rhythm of my heart. Sidney had gotten up to grab another stick and a package of tape, his expression completely cold.

“This afternoon, actually. His name is Derek. Derek de Gaudet.” I said with a forced smile as I watched Kris and Jordans expressions sink. I expected them to lecture me, to tell me how I shouldn’t have gone back to him. But they never spoke, Chloe did. I focused on her words, ignoring the rip of tape from Sidney behind me.

“de Gaudet? Like Julian and Marriane de Gaudet?” She asked curiously and I knitted my brows together.

“They’re his parents. Do you know them?” I asked, unsure of where she was going with this.

“Why does that name sound familiar?” Kris added, his French accent sparking my realization. But Chloe got to it first.

“His parents own like half of Montreal. DG banks, right? That explains the ring.” she asked with an excited smile and I nodded, looking at Sidney who had moved to Chloe’s side now. He gave me a knowing, bitter smile and I rolled my eyes.

“I’m going to go take my seat now. Have a great game guys.” I said, putting one hand on Kris’s shoulder before walking over to grab Lucy. Chloe came trailing behind, smiling warmly.

“Hey guys, do you mind if I sit next to you? It’s either over there or next to the visitors bench and I feel really awkward over there.” She asked, looking a little insecure in asking us. Lucy and I exchanged loaded looks before Luce glanced back at her and nodded.

“Sure, why not?” she replied and we made our way out of the dressing room and into our seats.

---

The pens won against Montreal 4-0 with Sidney getting the hat trick in the last five seconds of the game.

“Well obviously, someone’s feeling good.” I whispered to Lucy and she gave me a heavy glance.

“Well you’re not exactly killing people left and right over this either.” She added and I just turned to Chloe.

“Hey Chloe, Lucy here really loves talking about modeling. Why don’t you give her a rundown of what you do before a show?” I said with a polite grin, feeling Luce kick my calf.

“I hate you so much.” She whispered as we all got up to go to the dressing room.

We all lingered outside while the players changed and the media poked and prodded with their constant questioning. When the last reporter filed out, Sidney came out and gave Chloe a kiss. I turned my head and looked away, giving him a tight-lipped smile when he looked back at me.

“Violet, can I talk to you for a second?” he asked and Lucy looked at me, her eyes wide from shock. Chloe just oblivious checked her phone, completely trustworthy and unaware.

“You know, I think Lucy and I—“ I began but he grabbed my arm and dragged me down the hallway. “Hey!” I said, trying to jerk my arm away. “Stop it, you’re hurting me.” I added and he pulled away when we were about ten feet from Chloe and Lucy. I saw Lucy point inside and smile, which lead to Chloe wandering in the locker room and Lucy leaning against the wall, pretending to check her phone.

“What? What do you want from me Sidney?” I asked, my voice losing the friendly tone it had before around Chloe.

Sidney took a moment to look at me before speaking up. “You’re engaged? To Derek?” He asked, his tone hard.

“Why does it matter to you? This thing we had is over, right? Those were your words, weren’t they? And that I was too much of a whore for you to love?” I snapped back coldly, feeling my eyes begin to get wet.

“Why are you doing this to me, Sidney? Do you really hate me so much that you can’t let me move on, that you can’t leave me alone?” I said shakily, my voice a mixture of anger and hurt.

“What the fuck, Violet. Are you fucking kidding me? I told you I wanted nothing to do with you and you just waltz in here, waving your hand around to show me off. With fucking Derek? Are you fucking kidding me?” He asked, fluctuating between a shout and a forced whisper. “If anybody is torturing someone, it’s you. Would you mind being a little less heartless, would you mind doing me that favor?” He continued, his voice pressed.

“Really? I’m torturing you?” I asked, taking a step closer to him. The hurt had conformed into full on anger. “I fucking love you, Sidney—I keep telling you that and you keep choosing her and pushing me away, treating me like I’m some worthless girl you just happened to have fucked. You kick me over and over again—“ I gave a frustrated laugh, enraged amusement sparkling in my face. I gasped for air, finding my heart racing and my breathing grow heavier.

“—and I let you because I love you. I let you because you’ve all I ever wanted and if that means me being pathetic, if that means me agreeing to marry a man I don’t love to try to get over you, than fine. Just let me heal, just do me the favor and sto—“ I took a heaving gasp, my heart thundering in my chest and my stomach dropping.

And then it went black.

There was no more Sidney, no more Lucy, no more Chloe—just darkness and what I had hoped to be was peace.