Sticks & Spirals

The tension in the room was so thick, so pronounced, that you could take a toothpick and pop it, causing the pressure to literally blow up in your face. And everyone in the room is completely and dead silent.
Care to know what is causing this insane amount of tension? Mr. Brent Seabrook and myself. Again.
“Stop yelling at me!” I screeched in his face. I was standing on my toes in order to literally get in his face, even if I was wearing four inch heels. He’s still a good four inches taller.
“Maybe if you actually listened to me for once, I wouldn’t have to yell!” he growled back, his eyes so cold that I flinched despite myself. “You’re too hardheaded for your own damn good!”
I pursed my lips and straightened my shoulders, settling back on my heels. “Fine, whatever. Do whatever the hell you want. I’m taking a walk.” I didn’t wait for him to say anything. I turned sharply and stalked out the door with the calls of some of the guys behind me. They don’t want me out on the streets of Chicago alone. Well, too bad. I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself.
I trudged along the streets, trying to put as much distance between myself and the United Center as possible. The argument between Seabrook and I was over my safety. Andrew brought it up after their practice, and when I tried to interject, Seabrook was the one that went off on me.
However, I have to admit. He is right. I don’t believe I am in any trouble with Daniel around, but I guess I actually am.
I shook my head with a growl. Stupid boy has an interest in my safety. Damn him! I hate the way he makes me feel, especially now that he is being nice to me... ok, sometimes. He hasn’t been as nice as he was on the morning after the bar brawl since. And that was a few weeks ago.
I plopped down on a random bench and stared out into the forever busy Chicago streets. I definitely wasn’t going back to the U.C. and I have no intentions on going home. So the question of the day is what to do until I do feel like going home.
A bus zoomed by and I took notice of the poster on the side of it. The Shedd Aquarium. Also known as the perfect place to blow off time.
I whistled for a taxi and set off towards the Aquarium. I haven’t been there yet since I moved down here, so I was quite excited.
And blowing off time is exactly what I did. I was in there for a good four hours doing pretty much absolutely nothing. It was a good four hours, though, because I love aquatic life. It’s just so unique compared to land animals.
I also didn’t answer a single text or call, except for one that I sent to Andrew to tell him I was ok. I really didn’t feel like talking to anyone.
I left the Shedd Aquarium and, despite my better judgement, decided to take a walk before grabbing a taxi for home. Maybe I should grab some food.
I made my way through the six o’clock streets, and needless to say, in early February, it was pretty dark. But I’m not the only one crazy enough to freeze my ass off. There’s a lot of people, actually.
I grabbed some food at a local restaurant, killing off another almost two hours. I should probably get home now... Andrew’s going to absolutely kill me.
With a sigh, I hit the streets of Chicago once again. Brent Seabrook started filling my thoughts again as I walked in a haunted silence.
A silence that was almost immediately broken.
“You know, a pretty girl like you really shouldn’t be wandering the streets on your own at night,” said that oh-so familiar voice.
I ground my teeth and turned to face Daniel’s calm, clear eyes. “What the hell do you want? I thought I told you to stay away from me.”
“I’m not stalking you,” he said, annoyed. “I saw you walking as I was leaving that store over there.” He pointed. “You really shouldn’t be walking these streets alone.”
“Since when do you care about my safety?” I barked, but he didn’t take the bate. He just sighed softly.
“Come with me, Vanna. At least let me take you home. Just this once.”
“Hell no!” I snarled, stepping away from his outstretched hand. “I will never, ever trust you again, Daniel Zidane! Don’t touch me and don’t ever offer anything! I will never accept you filthy liar!”
Daniel just stared at me, not a flicker of emotion passing through those eyes that reflect everything he feels. “Vanna. I’m not going to hurt you,” he said gently, yet firmly. “But I also don’t want anyone else hurting you. There are some bad people in these streets, Anna. Especially at night. I made a mistake in trying to push you, but you were able to get through to me. Almost too late, yes, but I did stop eventually. Anyone who gets you out here will not stop. You know this and if you would stop being so pigheaded, you’d smarten up.”
I hesitated, staring between him and the dark alley not far away. Brent Seabrook called me the same thing earlier. Pigheaded, hardheaded, they both mean the same thing. Am I really that bad that I get called that twice in one day?
“Vanna. Just let me take you home this once.”
“I can take a fucking cab.”
He gave me a look, and I realized that the expression on my face gave away that I used the last of my cash on dinner, and my purse is in Andrew’s car.
With one last hesitation, I gave in. Mainly because I wanted to get home. “Ok, fine. But no funny business or else I’m calling the police.”
Daniel raised his hands up in defense and gave me one of his usual, lazy smiles. “You got it, sweetheart.”
I growled. “No nicknames either. It’s Vanna. That’s it. And I’m not letting you drop me off at my house. You can drop me off somewhere close.”
He shrugged as he turned around. “Your choice.”
I followed him warily, the heels of my boots ringing against the ground. He took me to a large, red Toyota truck and I uneasily got in. After I was in, I leaned to far into the door that I’m sure it looked like I was being kidnapped.
How odd that it actually felt like I was being kidnapped.
We drove in a very uncomfortable silence as I directed him to where I was going. But at one point, he got the clue. “You live near the United Center?” he asked speculatively.
“Yes,” I lied.
Daniel gave me a weird look, but didn’t question any further.
He pulled into the parking lot and parked his car, but as I reached for the handle, I realized that there was no unlock button on the passenger’s side. I fought down the panic that swelled up in my chest and turned to face Daniel, who was staring out the windshield. “What?”
He turned to look at me. “What happened to us, Anna?”
“I said no nicknames,” I growled, shooting him daggers. He wasn’t phased. “And you attempted to rape me, Daniel! That’s what happened to us.”
Daniel gnawed at his bottom lip. “I didn’t want to try to rape you. I figured you were ready...”
“Well, I wasn’t and will never, ever be with you!” I spat.
He gave me a look that told me to shut up. “I got caught up in the heat of the moment, ok?!” he yelled, his calm demeanor breaking for the first time that night. “I’m a fucking idiot and I lost the best thing that happened to me!”
I made sure my face was blank and revealed nothing. “Yes, you are an idiot. And you will never have me. Now let me go.”
Daniel stared at me, his finger on the unlock button, but before my brain could register what was happening, his lips were pressed hard on mine, and I was up against the door in a painful matter.
I growled and bit his tongue as it entered my mouth, and shoved him away as he hollered. “You fucking asshole!” I screeched, clawing his cheek. The four bloody marks took the beauty away from his face, as did the pure hatred that appeared in his expression.
“What did you do to me?”
“Let me go!” I reached across him as fast as possible to unlock the door, and his hand came up into my face just as I pulled away. I gasped at the pain but threw myself out the door. I landed on my hands and left knee, thank God, and tried to bolt. But Daniel was right on my heels.
“Bitch! Why couldn’t you have just put up with it when I tried to have sex with you?” He screamed, smacking or kicking my body with every three words. I moaned against my will, which just made him continue harder. “Why did you have to make my life hell! I was kicked off the Canadian team for Worlds and probably the Olympics! My life is in ruins because of you!”
I grinned a very evil, very screwed up Joker looking smile which was completed by the blood dripping down my chin. I looked possessed, I’m sure. “Good, because you would be a horrible idol for young children.”
Daniel screeched and ripped my jacket off my unstruggling body. “Cunt!” He kissed my lips so hard and bit at them that I felt them bleed. “You don’t deserve to skate! You belong in my damn kitchen right now pregnant with our first child!” He ripped my shirt, revealing my blue and black stripped bra. My body shivered against the cold, which was the only movement I could make. “Fuck you!”
He made a motion to slip my bra off, but I gave a loud holler, which was the only sound I made since his rant, and I spat blood in his face. I didn’t swallow for a few minutes, allowing the blood to accumulate in my mouth.
And my oh so fabulous precision got him right in the eyes.
Daniel staggered and yelled too many profanities to count, and I quickly brought my knee up into man land, causing him to collapse to the ground.
Tears fell from my eyes as all the emotion of almost being rapped, again, came over me at once. “No, fuck yourself Daniel,” I said as coldly as humanly possible. “Expect a call from the police soon. This time, I’m not going down without a fight. There will be a restraining order, plus some.”
Daniel looked up at me, anger spilling from him. “I... hate you.”
“I hate you too.”
With that, I turned on my heels, collected my coat which I shrugged on. Daniel cried out and I looked back at him for the last time. “Touch me again and I will kill you.”
I ran as fast as I could through the snow to put as much distance between Daniel and I as possible. I cried the whole way.
My legs gave out at some bus stop, and I curled up by a nearby tree. I dug for my phone in my pocket with my frozen fingers and dialed the first number that came to mind.
“Hello?”
I completely broke down at the sound of his voice. “Brent,” I sobbed, shivering violently. “Come get me, please.”
Urgency seeped into the defenseman’s voice. “Vanna? What’s wrong? Are you ok? Where are you?”
“A few miles from the United Center,” I choked out, as well as listing the intersection I was at.
“I’ll be right there.” He didn’t even say goodbye as he hung up.
I hugged myself as tightly as possible, ignorant to the world and the fact that it started snowing.
I couldn’t believe that I fell for Daniel’s charms once again. I thought he could be nice, especially since he kept saying he realized that he made a mistake. I thought maybe he just wanted to help once last time.
But I was wrong and I was a fool. My whole body ached with his beatings, and I was acutely aware of the fact I had nothing on underneath my coat now. I also could feel a gap in my mouth. I was missing a molar on the bottom left side of my mouth. Great.
I was beginning to lose all feeling in my limbs, just as the familiar vehicle that belonged to Brent Seabrook pulled up. He literally leapt out of the car and raced towards me, slipping his large coat off and wrapped it around my body. “Oh, my God, Vanna,” he whispered, pulling me into his arms.
I couldn’t help but notice how perfectly I fit into every curve of his arms, but the thought didn’t last long as he lifted me into his arms and carried me to his car. He kept me in his lap, pressed up against him as he drove, and I relished in the warmth that his body emitted.
Once I began to thaw out, I coughed hard against Brent. But he didn’t seem to mind.
The drive to his apartment was quiet, and he took me to his place quickly. This was my first time being here, and I severely wished that it was under different circumstances.
I was placed on his kitchen counter, and I took in my surroundings as he disappeared. I focused on his handsome, clean-shaven face once he returned with clothes and a first aid kit. “Hold still, V. This may sting. And trust me, ok?”
I nodded, and he carefully picked away his coat, and then my coat. I smiled ever so slightly as I noticed that his eyes didn’t wander to my bra-covered chest at all. He just wrapped a very warm blanket around me, and allowed for me to slip out of my soaked jeans.
After that, he started dabbing at all of the open cuts and sores caused from the beating. He stitched up the worse of the injuries, and once I was good to go, he had me rinse and spit to get all the blood from my mouth. “We’ll take you to a doctor and dentist tomorrow, is that ok?”
I glanced at the time and nodded in agreement.
Brent gave a gentle smile and grabbed the clothes he set next to me. “Are you ok with this?”
I nodded again. Oddly enough, despite the way we act to each other, and especially despite our fight this morning, I trusted him. A jolt of realization hit me. I trusted this man with my life.
Brent Seabrook helped me off of the counter, and helped me slip into a pair of his sweat pants that were far too long for me, but so warm. He took away the blanket and helped me into one of his large t-shirts.
Once I was dressed and warm, he gave me a glass of milk and wrapped the blanket around me again. “Do you want to tell me what happened now, or in the morning?” His tone was so gentle, I started crying again. He got the hint and hugged me close. “Shh, it’s ok,” he whispered. “I’m here. You’re safe now.”
“Thank you,” I barely got out.
I felt his lips on the top of my head, and I ignored the flush that crept to my cheeks. He whisked me into his arms and walked over to the couch, sitting down and holding me in his lap. I snuggled into him for his warmth as he talked to my cousin, and before I knew it, I was fast asleep in Brent Seabrook’s arms.