Diamond In The Rough

After work I sat in my room, staring at the slip of paper sitting on my desk. It was so easy. I just had to type in the numbers, and hit the call button. I toyed with my cellphone for a few minutes before shaking my head. Damn it Cassidy, you never back down from a challenge. Ever. I picked up the phone and dialed the number quickly. On the fourth ring, he answered and as soon as I heard his voice, I got my answer.

“Hello?” I heard him ask.

“Hey,” I said.

“Oh, it’s you,” he muttered.

“Why do you sound disappointed? You’re the one who left me your number, remember?” I asked. I heard him chuckle.

“I didn’t think you’d actually call me,” he sighed.

“Why wouldn’t I?” I asked.

“Because I’m Dan Carcillo, and I was a jackass?” he said.

“Yes, you are Dan Carcillo, and you are a jackass, but that’s what makes you funny,” I smiled. I heard him laugh again.

“So, the guys and I were wondering if you wanted to come to one of our practices or something. We voted and have deemed you worthy to enter our group,” he said.

“Deemed me worthy?” I asked.

“Well, you’re a Devils fan, so it wasn’t an automatic invitation. We had to make sure you were cool enough first,” he said. I could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

“Oh, so I have to be voted in because of my choice of team huh?” I asked, rolling my eyes.

“That’s the way things work. So, what do you say? You in?” he asked.

“I dunno, if I show up to a practice people might think I’m a Flyers fan…” I teased.

“Aw, come on, being a Flyers fan isn’t that bad,” he smiled. I pretended to throw up, and then laughed.

“Alright, I’ll come to your stupid practice,” I said.

“Sweet, I’ll text you the info,” he said before hanging up. Ew, I’m going to a Flyers practice…oh well, these guys seem like an interesting bunch, and people keep telling me I need more friends.

**A few days later**

I sat in the bleachers, surrounded by people in orange and black tee-shirts and jerseys. I had opted for a plain black v-neck, jean shorts, and silver flip flops. I wasn’t trying to look like I was one of them but I didn’t want to be a total moron and make it obvious that I wasn’t a fan either. I took my camera, hoping that I could get some good action shots, and took on the “I’m a hockey enthusiast, I can handle being at a rival team’s practice for the love of the game” attitude that I had been forced to don several times thanks to my Flyers fan family and friends. I was taking pictures, and getting some hilarious shots of Briere and Giroux goofing off when a puck came flying out of nowhere and hit the glass directly in front of me. I jumped and looked up from my camera to see Carcillo smirking at me. I stuck my tongue out at him and the girls around me giggled excitedly as he waved.

“Oh my God he’s totally looking at us!” one of them squealed, and I raised my eyebrows. Carcillo raised his eyebrows as well, noticing the excited squeals coming from where I was sitting. Puck bunnies I mouthed, and he shook his head with a smile before skating off to continue his practice. Several of the other guys did the same thing at one point or another and the girls behind me were starting to get to me. I resisted the urge to throttle them, and instead continued to take pictures. As soon as the practice was over I bolted from the room, knowing that I would snap if I heard one more word out of the giggling mouths of those plastic ice hookers. My phone went off a few seconds later, and I answered it a little unwillingly.

“Hello?” I asked, still fuming.

“What’s wrong? I’ve never seen someone run out of a practice that fast,” Dan asked. I sighed.

“Those stupid puck bunnies were just getting on my nerves. I know I shouldn’t judge people, but when they dress like hookers and start talking about the crude things they would do to get with various members of the team…some of them married by the way…I just want to kill them,” I explained, running a hand through my hair. I heard Dan laugh.

“Alright, well how about you take a few minutes to cool down, and then meet me out by the players’ parking lot? I’ll let security know we’re expecting you,” he said.

“You sure?” I asked.

“Positive. The guys wouldn’t let you get away even if you tried,” he laughed as I heard some of the guys shouting for him to give them the phone.

“CASSIDY IT’S CLAUDE! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEEEE COME BACK AND SEE US!” I heard Claude scream into the phone. I laughed and shook my head.

“Fine, I’ll come see you guys,” I sighed, walking out the door to the parking lot. I found my way to the back lot where the player’s parked, and knocked on the door. A large security guard opened the door.

“Who are you?” he asked gruffly.

“Cassidy Miller,” I said. He opened the door and let me walk in, and I found myself in a long hallway covered in Flyers paraphernalia. I wasn’t surprised, and the arrangement of it made it classy, not tacky, unlike some of the people I knew whose walls were plastered with as much junk as they could cram onto them. I stopped in front of the door labeled “LOCKER ROOM” and bit my lip before knocking. An incredibly shirtless Claude Giroux opened it, and he smiled goofily at me.

“Hey there,” he smirked, before turning away.

“LADY COMING IN, COVER YOUR JUNK!” he cried before pushing open the door and ushering me in. A few of the guys were still scrambling to get dressed, so I clapped a hand over my eyes.

“Really man?” I heard Ville Leino cry and I laughed.

“I’m hiding my eyes, don’t worry. I’m not a sexual predator,” I said. I heard a ripple of laughter spread through the locker room, and Claude took my other hand so that I wouldn’t walk into anything. He stopped walking, and I bumped straight into his back.

“Sorry. It’s safe to open your eyes now,” he laughed. I took my hand away from my face and saw that he had led me over to where Dan, Danny, Scott and Andrej were getting dressed. I smiled and waved to them, and they all grinned back.

“Ca va?” Danny asked.

“Bien, et toi?” I asked.

“Bien,” he grinned. Dan, Scott, and Andrej shook their heads, and Andrej muttered something to Scott. I raised my eyebrows when I noticed Dan’s tattoos.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing, just noticed your tattoos,” I said. He looked at them and shrugged.

“Oh, yeah? You like em?” he asked.

“Yeah, they’re pretty cool. I’m too chicken to get a tattoo,” I admitted. He laughed and pulled on a gray tee-shirt.

“So we’re all thinking about going to grab some food, you wanna come?” he asked.

“Another team ordeal?” I asked.

“Nah, just me, Claude, Danny, Andrej, Scottie, and if you come, you,” he said. I grinned.

“Sounds good,” I smiled.

*Dan’s Point of View*

It took all of my effort to act relaxed as I noticed her staring at my tattoos. She was so unnerving, and I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not yet. She seemed pretty chill with the guys already, which was also weird. Most girls got all giddy and whatever around guys like Danny and Claude, but she just treated them like she treated me. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was brain damaged, or if she was a lesbian, or what. It was weird. A huge grin spread across my face as she accepted my invitation, and I ran my hand through my sopping wet hair.

“Alright, cool. You want to follow us in your car or what?” I asked her. She bit her lip.

“I uh…I took the bus here,” she muttered.

“Oh, well then one of us can take you,” Danny said. His voice was always so quiet, and it calmed me down a little bit.

“Sure, that sounds good,” she said. For some reason, I felt like she was embarrassed.

“Who do you wanna ride with?” Scott asked, and any calmness that Danny’s voice had caused was immediately washed away. What the hell is going on with me today?

“Can I ride with you?” she asked, looking directly at me. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, but nodded slowly.

“Sure,” I said, trying to play it cool. The guys exchanged a curious look, but Cassidy didn’t seem to notice, and I was relieved.